As Christmas approaches, we at ARLnow want to take a moment to wish all of our readers in Arlington a very Merry Christmas. Your readership, engagement and support mean a great deal to us.
Please note that we will be taking a short break to celebrate the holiday with our families and friends. Barring major breaking news, our regular posting will resume on Tuesday, December 26. We hope this season offers you a chance to relax and enjoy time with your loved ones.
Expect more cops on Arlington roads through New Year’s Day.
As part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign — tagline this year: “Drink and drive and you’ll see more than holiday lights” — Arlington County police have increased patrols through Jan. 1.
As Christmas draws near, local bakeries are whipping up festive desserts to celebrate the holiday season.
Bayou Bakery at 1515 N. Courthouse Road is offering holiday-themed desserts until Christmas Eve. Its holiday menu features items like peppermint bark and the Creole Kringle cake, featuring Chef David Guas’ Creole take on a cream cheese filling and topped with a praline glaze and roasted pecans.
Last week ARLnow received an interesting reader email.
The writer’s suggestion: we should beautify Arlington County by encouraging those with inflatable holiday decorations to keep them inflated at all times, rather than leaving them deflated during the day, as is often the case.
Be the envy of your company holiday party, Dec. 23 trip to the local bar or Christmas morning with your in-laws.
Today the ARLnow Shop is rolling out the official Gondola Ugly Holiday Sweater (Sweatshirt).
The annual Wreaths Across America event is returning to Arlington National Cemetery next week.
The event will take place next Saturday, Dec. 16, starting at 8 a.m. Members of the public are invited “to lay wreaths at headstones and columbarium niches throughout the cemetery to honor and remember our nation’s service members this holiday season.”
The Rosslyn Business Improvement District is gearing up to spread holiday cheer with a lineup of festive events this week.
First up, Central Place Plaza at 1800 N. Lynn Street will be illuminated with holiday lights as part of the BID’s Light the Plaza event Thursday. There will be music, raffles and an outdoor bar from 5-8 p.m.
It’s been a banner year so far for online holiday shopping.
Fresh records for online shopping were set on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There’s some question, however, as to whether the online holiday shopping growth — in total up 7.8% from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, according to Adobe — is a good sign or bad sign for brick-and-mortar merchants.
The Ballston “singing tree” is set to return for the holiday season.
Starting next week, the sparkling, voice-activated Christmas tree near the Ballston Metro station will brighten the neighborhood with lights and music through the new year.
Trucks brimming with Christmas trees have started arriving in Arlington, signaling it is time to pull out those holiday ornaments.
Several Christmas tree markets across Arlington are set to open this Friday, after Thanksgiving. However, holiday shoppers are being cautioned not to wait too long due to a reported shortage of trees this year.
Shirlington will once again be illuminated for the holidays, starting next week.
The Village at Shirlington is set to host its annual “Light Up the Village” event on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 6-8:30 p.m.
