Susannah MacKay

Light the World: Mobile Giving Machine

BY SUSANNAH MACKAY

Every month this year, I have featured service ideas and opportunities that can be found on justserve.org. This month, I am pleased to share an extra special holiday opportunity. JustServe is proud to partner with the Giving Machine, a popular and visible part of the Light the World initiative, sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This initiative invites all people to share goodness, spread kindness and extend love through service in December. The Giving Machine, a vending machine with cards representing items needed by global and local nonprofit organizations, makes it easy to do just that.

Since the debut of the first Giving Machine in 2017, thousands of people have visited, contributing more than $15 million. And, this year, metro Atlanta residents have the chance to participate in the debut of the Mobile Giving Machine (www.mobilegivingmachine.org) at The Interlock ATL, 1115 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta. Visitors can select items they are most drawn to, such as meals, clothing, beds, blankets, toys, livestock and more, and make a donation in the machine. For every purchase, 100% of the donation goes toward the items and charities selected.

JustServe is thrilled to have two wonderful Atlanta nonprofits featured in the Mobile Giving Machine. The first, Wellspring Living (https://wellspringliving.org), is Atlanta-based and works to provide specialized recovery services to those who have been victims of human trafficking. The second charity, The Children’s Haven (https://cherokeechildrenshaven.org), is based in Cherokee County and works to support children in foster care.

You can support these charities by visiting the Mobile Giving Machine, Dec. 6-11. The machines will be parked on Beeline Boulevard, and there will be games, entertainment and more. Don’t miss this chance to bring cheer to those in need; join with friends and family to make a new holiday tradition. For more information, including hours and directions, scan the QR code.

Justserve.org is a free, nationwide website and app that works to match volunteers with nonprofit organizations and service opportunities. If you run a nonprofit, or are looking for ways to make service a regular part of your life, check out justserve.org. You can sign up for regular updates and learn more about organizations nearby, too. JustServe makes it easy to just go out and serve!

Susannah MacKay is a local JustServe specialist. She grew up in Marietta and loves helping strengthen her community through service! Follow her on Facebook @JustServeGeorgia.

Blood Drive a Success!

Thank You Woodstock

Our Halloween day blood drive collected enough blood to potentially save 93 lives. We are proud to report that we shattered our goal, thanks to the participation of each of you! Our next blood drive will be held on Jan. 23, and we hope to see you there!

Woodstock/South Cherokee O ce of Berkshire Hathaway

(770) 517-2150 www.woodstock.bhhsgeorgia.com 1085 Buckhead Crossing #100, Woodstock, GA 30189

2021

Eliza and Emma Nunnally ice their gingerbread houses in 2021.

Building Gingerbread Houses and Memories

Each Christmas season, we see friends and family post their latest gingerbread creations on Facebook. Many of our neighbors have made building gingerbread houses an annual tradition. But, even if you don’t commit to making them every year, it’s a fun activity that can help you spend quality time with your loved ones this month. We’re not gingerbread experts, but retired educator Becky Buice, who was a paraprofessional for 25 years in Cherokee County, helped connect us with local pros, Jane Free and Steve Bell, who have been making gingerbread houses with their daughters annually for about 10 years.

2015

Each Christmas season, we see friends and family post their latest gingerbread creations on Facebook. Many of our neighbors have made building gingerbread houses an annual tradition. But, even if you don’t commit to making them every year, it’s a fun activity that can help you spend quality time with your loved ones this month. We’re not gingerbread experts, but retired educator Becky Buice, who was a paraprofessional for 25 years in Cherokee County, helped connect us with local pros, Jane Free and Steve Bell, who have been making gingerbread houses with their daughters annually for about 10 years.

Jane Free

My daughters, Eliza and Emma Nunnally, really enjoy it every year. It’s really about the decorating and eating the candy as they decorate. They’ve gotten creative and more “skilled” with the candy and icing as the years passed. I’m going to be sad when and if this tradition ends, but I’m pretty sure the girls will want to keep it going. I create a whole theme around it in my kitchen, with a gingerbread tree, a Santa baker, etc. A lot of happy memories have been made each year!

We save our Halloween candy, buy extra decorating icing (the kits never have enough), and candy trees and snowmen are fun to add. I always fix our table with a bright disposable tablecloth and open the candy to make an inviting display. It’s almost like a surprise awaits … It’s more fun when you can see all the options.

I divorced in 2010 and was looking for a tradition I could do specifically with my girls, Sarah and Catherine, around the holidays, to make it fun and have something that we could look forward to each year. The arguing over design ideas, fighting over who controls the icing lines and color schemes for the placement of candy are just a few of the gingerbread house traditions that continue each year.

I’m definitely not a baker, so we always opt for the store kit and start looking for them just before Thanksgiving each year. The girls typically will go with me to see which one they want to tackle. It’s something we look forward to each year. I’m not sure what part they enjoy the most — the creative construction process or the eventual smashing of the gingerbread houses.

Helpful Hints and Tips

•Parents must be involved in the process!

This is not a hand-the-kids-a-box-to-occupytheir-time-so-you-can-get-some-quiet-adulttime activity. Get your hands dirty, get in there, and include yourself in the decisions and creativity. Those are memories that you can reflect on years later. • Don’t stress over mistakes. You can always eat them! Some years the houses have really turned out fantastic, and other years might not be Martha Stewart masterpieces. They all end up tasting pretty good once you get to that fun part of the process. • Build on a large surface and on papers or a towel. These can be messy depending on the age of the kids and how many moving parts there are with the decorations. We typically have little cups or glasses set out to separate each decorative candy, since most of them are small and can get everywhere quickly. • Turn on Christmas music. Why would you ever build a gingerbread house without

Christmas music playing in the background?!

This sets the tone and helps to put everyone in the proper mood for the afternoon. Avoid having the TV on; it totally defeats the purpose of what you are trying to accomplish, which is family time, interacting. • Have fun! Be silly, laugh and do all of those things that make memories. This is totally something I want my kids to do with their kids years from now and remember how much fun it was making them with Dad.

2014

From left, Steve, Sarah and Catherine Bell build their gingerbread house in 2014.

2021

Photo courtesy of Holiday Lights of Hope.

Light Displays to Brighten Your Holidays

Are you looking for the biggest and brightest light displays this season? Pack the car with family and friends, put on your favorite holiday music, and have a de-light-ful time visiting twinkling displays you can walk or drive through.

Through Dec. 23

Holiday Lights of Hope opens nightly at 6 p.m. at Hobgood Park in Woodstock. The event features a huge walk-through Christmas light display with more than 2 million lights. Cost is $10 per person. Kids ages 14 and younger admitted free. Proceeds benefit the Anna Crawford Children’s Center. No pets allowed. https:// bit.ly/3GspZJM. For the most up-to-date information regarding weather closures, visit the Holiday Lights of Hope Facebook page.

Visit Mountain Country Christmas in Lights, 6-9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 4-9 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 10 (and every night Dec. 15-23), at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, 1311 Music Hall Road, Hiawassee. Enjoy a winter walk through thousands of lights and exhibits. There will be Christmas music, arts and crafts vendors, holiday food and pictures with Santa. https://bit.ly/3GA0I0C This year marks the final season for Lane Lights at 770 Fox Hollow Parkway, Marietta. The free light display runs nightly, 6-10 p.m., weather permitting. www.facebook.com/LaneLights Through Dec. 30

Visit Pettit Creek Farms In Cartersville for A Country Christmas celebration, beginning at 6 p.m. TuesdaysSundays. Take a hayride ($10 per person) or drive through more than a mile of Christmas lights ($30 per car). Activities include visiting Santa and his reindeer, a Nativity scene and petting zoo, Christmas trees and more. https://pettitcreekfarms.com/a-country-christmas-final Through Dec. 31

Lights of LIFE is open nightly, rain or shine. The display opens at dark and runs until 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at Life University, 1269 Barclay Circle, Marietta. Cost is $10 per car/truck; buses are $20. Fees for individual goods and services are at the discretion of the vendors. www.life.edu/lights-of-life

Riley’s Rockin’ Christmas Lights features more than 60,000 LED lights synchronized to nearly an hour of holiday music at 2008 Palladium Drive, Kennesaw. Donations are accepted in the red Santa’s Letters collection box, to benefit the Children’s Burn Foundation. The show is on a varied schedule. For dates and times, visit www.facebook.com/RRXmas.

Light Up the Holidays at Barnsley Resort visitors (including those who are not staying overnight) are welcome to view more than 1 million lights and festive decor in the historic 1800s manor house ruins, surrounding gardens and English-style village. There is a small fee for self-guided tours at 597 Barnsley Gardens Road, Adairsville. www.barnsleyresort.com

Photo courtesy of Holiday Lights at Veterans Park.

Holiday Lights at Veterans Park opens nightly at 6 p.m. Enjoy a 2-mile drive through the Christmas light show. Admission is $20 per car. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.facebook.com/HolidaylightsatVeterans.

The annual Smoot Christmas Lights for Lupus display runs 5:30-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 5:30-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The family decorates their home, 3699 Autumn View Drive, Acworth, with a variety of lights and fixtures that are synchronized to music. Free hot chocolate and cookies are offered, 6-8 p.m. Saturdays, and all collected donations go to the Lupus Foundation of America, Georgia Chapter. The Holly Springs Light Show provides uplifting holiday entertainment nightly, 6-11 p.m. at First Baptist Holly Springs. It is free to attend, but donations are greatly appreciated at the clearly marked boxes. https://www.facebook.com/hollyspringslightsshow

Dec. 10-11

Drive through a live Nativity scene and Christmas lights display, 7-8:30 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church in Jasper. Everyone is invited to this free display. https://bit.ly/3whVGkD

Through Jan. 1

Lights of Joy, the largest residential Christmas light display in Georgia, has more than 1 million lights. Open nightly, 6-11 p.m. at 1510 Ben King Road NW, Kennesaw. Park at Influencers Church across the street, walk to see the lights in this free display and enjoy sections synchronized to Christmas music. No pets allowed. www.lightsofjoy.net Drive through Reindeer Road, open nightly, 6-10 p.m. at 250 Cobb Parkway N., Marietta. Whiz through mountainous terrain, traverse glacial peaks, explore northern ice caves and make your way through the northern forests to the heart of it all — Santa’s Workshop — the world’s largest animated toy shop. https://bit.ly/2ZtC5C4

The Hrockin Hranicky Christmas Light Show is 6-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 6-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 3848 Rivers Run Trace NW, Acworth. The show is free, but there is a donation box for Angels Among Us Pet Rescue. (Look for the mailbox attached to the Snoopy doghouse.) www.hrockinhranickychristmaslights.com Celebrate the season with Stone Mountain Christmas, on select days, at 1000 Robert E. Lee Blvd., Stone Mountain. Millions of lights, Christmas shows, a parade featuring Santa Claus and more create a night to remember. Don’t miss the scenic railroad, journey through the musical frosted forest and the world’s largest Christmas lights show. www.stonemountainpark.com Visit Holiday In the Park select dates at Six Flags Over Georgia. Millions of lights and dozens of Christmas trees create a magical atmosphere during the holiday season. This holiday classic includes luminous lights, festive foods, shows, and, of course, Santa! https://bit.ly/3nEWFal

The Smoot Family’s annual Lights for Lupus display benefits the Lupus Foundation of America, Georgia Chapter. Through Jan. 2

Fantasy in Lights celebrates 30 years at Callaway Gardens, 17800 Highway 27, Pine Mountain. New this year is a scene on the lake and the Callaway Christmas village. Walk and drive through 10 million twinkling lights and 2,500 acres of Christmas cheer. Named one of National Geographic’s Top 10 Light Displays in the World. www.callawaygardens.com

Through Jan. 6

The Fox Family Christmas Light Display runs nightly, 6-10 p.m. at 2994 Clary Hill Court, Roswell. The light show features thousands of lights, music and animated features like a skating pond. Donations will be accepted for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Holy Transfiguration Greek Orthodox Church. www.facebook.com/Foxfamilylights

Through Jan. 14

Garden Lights, Holiday Nights features blooming bulbs, a radiant rainforest, poinsettia tree and more at Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta. A tunnel of light, the radiant ice goddess and the glittering galaxy will embrace visitors in enchanting light. Timed tickets are available online. www.atlantabg.org

Through Jan. 15

Illuminights at the Zoo: A Chinese Lantern Festival

brings a one-of-a-kind holiday light experience to Zoo Atlanta, 5:30-9:30 p.m. Stroll through the zoo after dark to see more than 80 nature-inspired lanterns. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for ages 3-11. https://zooatlanta.org/event/illuminights

Through Jan. 16

Stroll through Margaritaville’s Lakeside Lights Spectacular, nightly at 5 p.m. through Jan. 4 then weekends only through Jan. 16, at Lanier Islands, 7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Gainesville. All ages will enjoy the magical walk through a lighting extravaganza with festive seasonal music. Then, stop at License to Chill Snow Island, with one of the fastest snow rides in North America, ice skating, a snow play area, carnival rides and more. www.lanierislands.com