2023 Holiday Gift Guide

2023

Holiday Gift Guide

Inside Sumter United Ministries’ work is a calling, staff and volunteers say ......................5 Best new tech gifts ..................................................................................................8 Local holiday lights & attractions.............................................................................9 Brightening the holiday season for the military community .................................10 Holiday gift ideas that make learning fun for kids ................................................11

And more!

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2023 Table of Iris Holiday Gift Guide

contents

FEATURES Sumter United Ministries’ work is a calling, staff and volunteers say ......................5 Gift ideas for teachers .............................................................................................5 Best new tech gifts ..................................................................................................8 Holiday lights & attractions .....................................................................................9 Christmas stocking decorating tips and tricks .........................................................9 Brightening the holiday season for the military community .................................10 Holiday gift ideas to promote healthy, happy feet ................................................10 Holiday gift ideas that make learning fun for kids ................................................11 Make your holiday season shopping game plan with these insider insights ..................................................................11 Publisher Vince Johnson vince@theitem.com

Sales Staff Karen Cave karen@theitem.com

Layout and Design Cary Howard cary@theitem.com

Executive Editor Kayla Green kayla@theitem.com

Devin McDonald devin@theitem.com

Janel Strieter janel@theitem.com

Mark Pekuri mark@theitem.com

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The best

holiday gifts for

TEACHERS

Sumter United Ministries’ In-Kind Coordinator Michael Sams is shown recently in the operation’s food pantry.

(StatePoint) Have some teachers in your life? Use this subject-by-subject holiday gift guide to help them level up their lesson plans: History

Photos by ZAC HOOKS / THE SUMTER ITEM

Sumter United Ministries volunteer Patty Schneider works in the clothing area recently at the operation on Artillery Drive.

Sumter United Ministries’ work is a calling, staff and volunteers say

By Bruce Mills

“God moving in the hearts of His people” is an

it. I would rather people know what it is like because you don’t get paid a whole lot in ministry. We don’t have health benefits and all those things. But expression heard often you got to come here bedescribing ministry in His cause you believe you are kingdom. It also can be supposed to be here. used to describe many of “And I will ask people, the staff and volunteers at ‘Do you believe that God Sumter United Ministries. is directing you to come Five workers at United here?’

Ministries on Artillery “I am really less worried Drive near the Sumter about somebody’s past fairgrounds sat down this skills or things that they week to discuss their efhave done. It’s not rocket forts to help those in the science here. I mean, we local area less fortunate are not doing brain surand that the rewards they gery. We need people personally receive from their labors far exceed any with good attitudes, with strong faith, who can monetary value. come in and are meant to According to Execube here. If that is the case, tive Director Mark Chamthen all this turmoil can be pagne, United Ministries happening around us, but divides its work into four you can stay steady.” main ministry areas: criClients’ needs can often sis relief, construction, a be great, and volunteers’ homeless shelter and a schedules are often strucmedical clinic. tured at about 10 to 15 He said the staff is very hours per week to miniminimal and mostly partmize some of that load time, and they generally they might carry associuse an array of volunteers to accomplish work in their ated with the work.

Volunteer Patty Schneifocus areas. der said that in her youth People need to feel she went through some called, “or wired,” as tough times after losing Champagne said, to do her parents, but God’s the work. grace and provision “I tell people in interhelped her through it. views when they come in, “I guess I look back that ‘If you are here for a job, I could have been like it’s a terrible job,’” he said. some of these people and “I just come out and say

just never gotten out of that hole, but I did, and I never forgot it,” she said.

She has been at United Ministries about five years now and said her favorite parts of volunteering are her friends and the fellowship with others.

“It’s the people here and the people on the other side of the door,” Schneider said. “For example, that lady who came in 20 minutes ago who hugged me to death makes it worth coming to work here.”

She could easily leave and get a part-time job, making $10 or more dollars per hour, but she chooses to stay.

“I guess the way that I think about it is this: You don’t have to work for money because the rewards that you get back from people are enough,” Schneider said. “It just makes you feel good.

It doesn’t have to be a feel-good check-wise, you know. Rewards come in many colors.”

United Ministries In-Kind Coordinator Michael Sams and volunteers Debbie Mathis and John Staples agreed.

Spark a vibrant classroom discussion every day with the History Channel’s This Day in History boxed calendar. Featuring brief explanations of extraordinary happenings throughout the ages -- from groundbreaking inventions to declarations of war -- teachers, and their students -- will be treated to a breadth of information that can deepen their understanding of world events, all before they even begin their official coursework.

STEM The latest enhancement to the scientific calculator is the fx-991CW ClassWiz from Casio, a gift well-suited for any advanced high school- or college-level math, science or engineering instructor. With an all-new quadruple graded LCD display and intuitive design, users will be able to easily find their cursor while writing and modifying expressions. Its circular, convex buttons prevent the mis-keying of information, helping teachers ace their lectures and demonstrations. With the ability to store up to nine variables, which can contain integers, computations and functions that will persist in the calculator’s memory between uses, teachers will be ready to pick up where they left off between class sessions. By partnering the ClassWiz with an internet-capable mobile device, solutions can be graphed and visualized through ClassPad.net, a free online tool that supports student learning by offering a clean and versatile workspace for computation, graphing, geometry, statistics and more.

English Keep English teachers excited about their subject matter with Book of the Month. This service offers subscribers a choice of one of five to seven fiction books each month. Books range from literary fiction to thrillers and even YA to interest readers of all kinds. As the gift giver, you can choose between a 3-, 6- or 12-book membership, which recipients can receive at their own pace. Who knows? Your gift may just motivate them to create their own after-school book club that will inspire their students to engage with literature on a deeper level.

Physical Education

2023 Thanksgiving Give-A-Thon!

Sumter United Ministries hosted its Thanksgiving GiveA-Thon to raise money to create Thanksgiving boxes to give local families. This year, with funds raised by donations, they were able to provide 150 boxes.

For the Christmas season, Sumter United Ministries will be sponsoring approximately 100 families. For more details on how you can help support Sumter United Ministries this season, call (803) 775-0757.

Whether they’re running drills, refereeing the game or simply getting the class’ attention, your favorite PE teacher or team coach will feel their most official with a custom engraved whistle. Personalized with their name and favorite sport, they’ll feel both loved and appreciated on the court and field, and the results will show all season long.

This holiday season, get creative with your gift-giving, finding meaningful gifts for teachers who are passionate about what they do.

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Best new tech gifts

Gifts for the person who has everything

(StatePoint) Most of us have at least one loved one who’s hard to shop for. Maybe it’s because they insist that they have everything they need already or perhaps they simply have discerning taste. To get a jumpstart on your holiday shopping, consider these five functional and fun gift ideas that promise to impress even the most challenging gift recipients:

ture, heart rate, daily activity and recovery, sleep quality, menstrual cycles and even stress. Look for a water-resistant, durable option that’s built to withstand the elements, especially if your gift recipient runs, bikes or hikes. If they’re a fashionista, that’s no problem, as many of these models are designed to be as sleek as wedding bands.

1. Portable power: Whether your loved one is a world traveler, tailgater, beach bum, remote worker or hot desker, the new M150 Portable Power Station from Duracell will be a game changer. Unlocking portable power so they can work and have fun from anywhere, it offers 150 watts of power and multiple USB ports for laptops, phones, tablets or other small electronics. Its chic, sleek design features a dimmable ring light and tiltable device holder with wireless charging capabilities.

With the tiltable lid, users can position their phones at an ideal and flattering angle for taking video conference calls and watching or recording videos.

3. A better read: While not technically tech, blue light-blocking glasses are a tech-adjacent gift that will help your recipient enjoy their devices without experiencing disrupted sleep cycles and damage to the eyes. And fortunately, hip brands have homed in on the market, creating options that are as stylish as they are functional.

The best models have scratch-resistant and shatter-proof lenses and offer both UV and blue light protection.

4. A brighter smile: Some of today’s electric toothbrushes connect to apps to provide real-time feedback for optimal brushing time and pressure and have the ability to be customized based on a user’s specific dental care needs. To make your gift truly stand out, consider a model that features LED whitening technology for a two-in-one gift that promotes great dental health and a brighter smile at the same time.

It also features an integrated compartment that can safely store accessories like earbuds, adaptors and dongles, and its ultramodern charging dock has a low enough profile to stylishly live on a bedside table or kitchen counter. Best of all, it weighs under 2 pounds, making it a convenient essential to toss into an everyday bag, pack into a carry-on, take in the car or use in and around the house.

5. A gift that keeps on giving: Undecided? A tech gadget subscription service will deliver a box of fun new gifts monthly or quarterly for as long as you choose and might include anything from a drone to a digital photo frame.

2. Intelligence, on one’s finger: Tracking biometrics doesn’t need to be clunky or come at the cost of fashion. Consider gifting your wellness-seeking loved one a smart ring. Worn just like any regular decorative ring, these compact devices provide valuable insights into the user’s health, tracking measures like tempera-

For a person who seemingly has everything, gift shopping can be a puzzle. Fortunately, great tech now on store shelves can help you crack the code.

Day trips to entertain holiday guests Travel tends to heat up as the weather begins to chill around the holiday season. With friends and family to see and holiday cheer to spread, it’s no wonder why millions of people take to the roads, railways and friendly skies to travel during the holiday season.

It’s not uncommon for holiday hosts to open their homes to loved ones for days at a time. Holiday hosts who want to ensure that visitors enjoy their stay can plan certain excursions to make the most of their time together.

• Go see the lights. Holiday lighting displays are popular across the country. Treat guests to a visit to a nearby attraction. That could be an amusement park that drapes

the center of the park in lights, Main Street storefronts and town centers that put on tree lighting ceremonies, urban centers where department stores showcase impressive windows or other attractions where lights take center stage.

• See a show. From productions of “A Christmas Carol” to other holiday favorites, it’s not difficult to find entertainment that showcases some holiday spirit. Dance troupes may be showcasing “The Nutcracker” or a choral ensemble may be putting on a concert of Christmas carols. Enjoy a night or day out at one of these events.

• Visit a cathedral or temple. The holiday season brings many individuals closer to their

faiths. Travelers may want to visit a house of worship during their stay. Many churches are dressed up for Christmas, and some may even have live animals in their living nativity scenes.

• Cut down a Christmas tree. Save the tree cutting and trimming for when guests arrive. This way everyone can enjoy a day out at the tree farm as families select the perfect evergreen. Partake in refreshments such as hot chocolate or warm cider, then return home to decorate the tree together.

Day trips with overnight guests staying for the holidays can make for an entertaining way to get out of the house and enjoy time together.

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Holiday Lights & Attractions Events you don't want to miss this holiday season

By Alaysha Maple The frosty chill in the air and blanket of twinkling stars provide the perfect backdrop for a night of holiday adventures.

The most wonderful time of year transforms towns across America – Sumter, Clarendon, Lee, Kershaw counties and beyond into a wonderland of twinkling lights, enchanting parades and numerous sightings of Santa Claus!

Enjoy the sights, sounds and scenery this holly jolly season has to offer by visiting these holiday light shows and attractions.

SUMTER Season’s Greetings Light Show – Nov. 23 – Dec. 28; dusk to 9 p.m. on weekdays and until 10 p.m. on weekends Charlie Dubose will ring in the season the night of Thanksgiving with a wonderland of lights at 115 Gaddy Court.

For more than 46 years, this Sumter native has turned his front yard into a holiday attraction that Christmas lovers venture from all over to experience. Admission to the twinkling wonderland is free, and at the end, a treat of candy canes is given out by Santa Claus.

Fantasy of Lights – Dec. 1 – 31; Sunday – Thursday until 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m.

Visit South Carolina’s largest free Christmas light display! For the entire month of December, the gardens of Swan Lake Iris Gardens will glow with merriment created by more than one million lights.

Lights are all along the main parking lot area to Swan Lake, along Liberty Street and along Garden Street. The Pilot Club's floating Christmas tree is an annual favorite, along with Santa's Village, angels and characters of popular songs and stories.

Drive-through gates will open to the public after the opening ceremony on Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. at 822 W. Liberty St.

Arts will fill Patriot Hall with dance, music and the spirit of the season with two performances on Friday and Saturday.

The popular show will feature performances

by Sumter Civic Dance Company and guests from the community.

Both shows will take place at 135 Haynsworth St. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the Patriot Hall box office.

For advance tickets, call (803) 773-2847 or stop by Freed School of Performing Arts, 527 N. Guignard Drive.

Christmas at Patriot Hall – Dec. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Deck the halls with Patriot Hall as it shares Jingle with the Arts – the holiday cheer Dec. 8-9; Friday at 7 p.m. through this merry event. and Saturday at 3 p.m.

Purchase your share of The Christmas extrava- warm, gooey goodies, ganza Jingle with the unique finds and hand-

made gifts at this local event – sure to leave the elves of the North Pole in awe. As you munch and browse, enjoy live entertainment and be sure to take a picture with Santa!

The event will be held at 135 Haynsworth St. For more information, call (803) 436-2260.

KERSHAW Boykin Christmas Parade – Dec. 17 at 2 p.m.

The beloved Boykin Christmas parade will return to the small town, bringing unique floats, the Fatback Queen and Court, plenty of food and drinks and maybe an appearance of Santa.

CLARENDON Manning Parade of Lights – Nov. 26 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The City of Manning

will kick off the Christmas season with its annual Parade of Lights.

Starting from Weldon Auditorium, 7 Maple St., the parade of waving hands and twinkling lights will make its way down Brooks Street – a treat for the whole family. Bring your own chairs and blankets and get cozy!

Town of Summerton Christmas Parade – Dec. 10 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

For the second year, the Town of Summerton invites residents and Christmas lovers to witness the show of holiday cheer for the Christmas Parade.

Feast your eyes on parade floats and Christmas lights while browsing goodies of all kinds.

Still in need of some holiday cheer?

Check out these other festive events.

FLORENCE

Hometown Holidays Festival – Dec. 1 – 3 from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 148 E. Main St. Downtown Music and Light Experience – Every Friday through Dec. 31 from 5:30 to 10 p.m. at 100 block of South Dargan Street

LEXINGTON/RICHLAND

Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens Wild Lights - Nov. 17-Jan. 14 from 5 to 9 p.m. at 500 Wildlife Pkwy.

Holiday Lights on the River – Nov. 23 – Dec. 31 from 6 to 10 p.m. at 6071 St. Andrews Road Christmas in Cayce – Nov. 30 – Dec. 2 from 2 to 9 p.m. through the city of Cayce Snowball Festival – Dec. 2 from 2 to 8 p.m. at 107 W. Main St. Carolina Lights – Dec. 8 – 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday-Thursday and 6 to 10 p.m. Friday – Saturday; closed on Mondays

Christmas stocking decorating tips and tricks Hanging Christmas stockings is just one of the many traditions that fill the days leading up to Christmas. One theory regarding the origins of stockings says the tradition began when a poor widower who had three daughters worried over having enough money for their wedding dowries to help secure the daughters’ futures. The women, who had hung their stockings by the fireplace to dry, woke up to find solid gold spheres inside.

This legend suggests kindly St. Nicholas visited the home in the night and left the presents, helping ensure the daughters could marry well, after all.

Christmas stockings were the first places where gifts were stowed, before under the boughs of Christmas trees became the primary spot for placing gifts. Then stockings were secondary vessels reserved for small trinkets. Today stockings are largely Christmas decorations rather than places to place gifts. Still, they’re a key component of holiday magic.

When including stockings in holiday festivities, follow these tips for whimsy and more.

• Utilize stocking holders. Stocking holders are either metal or wooden devices that are placed on mantels. Hooks on the holders suspend the stockings. Just be sure the holders are sturdy enough to handle the weight of a stuffed stocking if you plan on filling it with goodies.

• Determine your style. There are Christmas stockings that coordinate to just about any interior design style. From farmhouse to modern to traditional, choose one that fits with your aesthetic. That isn’t to say you can’t mix and match stockings if you prefer a more eclectic, homespun feel.

• Enhance your stocking look. If stockings are strictly decorative, enhance their look with a few tricks. First, use tissue paper or balled up shopping bags to stuff the stockings and give them shape. Fill a small baggie with sand or florist glass and place in the heel of the stocking to balance it out and

prevent the stocking from blowing around in the breeze.

• No fireplace - no problem. Stockings are traditionally hung from the fireplace mantel, but if you don’t have a fireplace there is no need to fret. Simply use ribbons to hang them from the bannister of a staircase, or hang stockings right on walls with removable hooks, or from sturdy shelves. You also can think creatively and hang larger stockings on a door like you might a wreath.

Whether they’re decorative or functional, stockings can be an integral component of holiday decor in a home.

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2023 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 9

Holidays Care Packages have festive treats and goodies, such as holiday candies, cozy socks and a warm beanie, that help bridge the gap between home and the frontlines.

This year, the USO will deliver 50,000 holiday packages to over 250 locations globally.

Brighten the holiday season for the military community at home and abroad (StatePoint) As we enter the holiday season and Americans across the country look forward to spending time with family, thousands of service members deployed overseas – many to the Middle East in response to the Israel-Hamas war – will not have that luxury and will be spending the holidays far away from loved ones.

Here is how USO Holidays programming

2. Holiday traditions: Giving up treasured family traditions can be difficult. That’s why USO Centers and USO Mobile teams host holiday meals for service members and their families, complete with special treats ranging from pumpkin and sweet potato pie to hot cocoa bars. Each December, USO Holidays Cookie Week celebrates the time-honored tradition of baking and decorating cookies, putting service members and

military families in the holiday spirit wherever they are located. Other seasonal programming can include tree decorating, arts and crafts, holiday-themed movie nights and ugly sweater competitions. Through these activities, service members stationed far from home can still make holiday memories.

3. Connections to home: Staying connected to family during the holidays can be difficult for service members stationed overseas, particularly for those in or near regions in conflict such as Eastern Europe or the Middle East. The USO Reading Program enables deployed service members to record themselves reading a book to their child. Then, the recording and a copy

of the book are sent to that service member’s family.

To learn more about these programs and how to support them, and for ideas on how to reach out to the military community to express your thanks during the holidays and throughout the year, visit uso.org/campaign/holidays.

The holiday season can look very different for service members and military families who must celebrate while separated from loved ones and home in all corners of the world. Bringing everyone together on special days fosters camaraderie and positivity, and provides a welcome break from the demands of military life.

delivers a piece of home to them, along with ideas for how you can get involved: 1. Care packages: A care package might seem small in light of the challenges of deployment, but for many service members, they’re a reminder that they’re not forgotten by Americans back home. Aside from standard USO Care Packages, which contain snacks or toiletries, USO

Promote healthy, happy feet with these holiday gift ideas (StatePoint) Want to show your loved ones you truly care? Treat their feet this holiday season.

“Feet work hard. They carry our weight and get us where we need to go. They deserve some extra care and attention,” says Gretchen Lawrence DPM, AACFAS, a foot and ankle surgeon and Associate Member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS).

To help inspire you, here are six holiday gift ideas that promote healthy, happy feet from the foot and ankle surgeons of ACFAS: 1. Winter footwear.

Outfit your loved one with the footwear they need for the season.

Just keep in mind, safety doesn’t have to come at the expense of fashion.

While boots featuring tall, spiked heels and

10

narrow, pointed toes can lead to slips, falls and sprains on ice-covered surfaces, there are plenty of practical options that are also stylish.

“A low-heeled winter boot is always going to be more fashionable than a cast and crutches,” says Dr. Lawrence. “Include some soft merino wool socks for toasty toes and to wick away moisture that can cause issues like athlete’s foot.”

2. Healthy food subscription services. Did you know that certain foods support healthy feet? Foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, like leafy greens and dairy products, promote strong bones (there are 26 of them in each foot!) and healing in the event of a fracture. Look into food box subscriptions that will send fresh produce, cheese or nuts to

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2023

your gift recipient, so they can enjoy delicious foods that can help build strong bones.

3. Indoor footwear.

Slippers provide cozy comfort, support and traction while indoors, making them a great gift for any pair of feet. However, if you’re shopping for someone living with diabetes, this is an especially thoughtful option as they must take extra care to avoid scratches and cuts on their feet.

Because the condition sometimes reduces blood flow to that area, it’s harder to heal from an injury or resist infection.

“People with diabetes should never go barefoot, not even at home.

A great pair of slippers is a perfect holiday gift to protect their feet,” says Dr. Lawrence.

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4. Ice packs. Ice packs make great stocking stuffers for those who suffer from plantar fasciitis, a common condition that can cause stabbing heel pain. One of the first-line strategies foot and ankle surgeons recommend is icing the heel for 20 minutes several times a day to reduce inflammation and pain. Get creative by looking for ice packs in fun shapes and colors.

5. Be a workout buddy.

Weight-bearing exercise, like walking, can decrease your risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease and promotes good overall health, especially for your feet.

Make a plan to go for regular walks with your loved one. They’ll appreciate your special time together while you both benefit from the gift of good health.

6. Foot massage. A foot massage can alleviate muscle pain, improve circulation and soothe tired feet. Manual massage is the safest approach, so ask your foot and ankle surgeon for referrals to a qualified massage therapist and purchase a gift card for a professional therapeutic foot massage.

With holiday gifts that promote healthy feet, you can help your loved ones feel comfortable, pampered and safe at home and on winter streets.

For more healthy feet inspiration, visit FootHealthFacts.org, the patient education website of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Holiday gift ideas that make LEARNING FUN for kids

(StatePoint) Want to deepen children’s understanding of the world around them? The holiday season is the perfect time to do that. Educational gifts and toys can extend the learning fun throughout the year and embolden them to make exciting discoveries every day.

• Starry-eyed: Bring the night sky closer to the little ones in your life. With the Magic Adventures Telescope from LeapFrog, fledgling astronomers can focus on the moon at night or nature during the day at up to 110x zoom, and even capture and save images of what they see. This real telescope is accompanied by 20 Cosmic Cards featuring images and fun facts about objects in space, and more than 100 vid-

eos and images courtesy of NASA and the European Space Agency on such topics as the solar system, the Moon, star life cycles, constellations, space discoveries and more. A detachable tripod allows for steadier scientific exploration, and its adventure game will have kids dodging planetary hazards, powering on satellites and rebooting robots.

• Coding building blocks: Many of the newest hands-on coding kits don’t even require a screen to get started.

With block-based programming tools, young engineers can get problem-solving experience while beginning to develop the computational mindset needed to code. What’s more, the featured games and challenges can make the

learning process fun, versatile and interactive.

• Tiny worlds: Help kids realize just how cool science and the world around them can be with the Magic Adventures Microscope, which offers 200x magnification. Budding biologists can zoom in on flowers, animals, food, minerals and more using eight double-sided smart slides that activate amazing BBC videos and images to discover answers to curious questions like: What do plant cells look like? What is sand made of anyway?

Kids can then make their own discoveries by finding things around the house and getting a closer look using the reusable slides or large sample tray. This innovative take on a classic microscope allows kids to save on-screen im-

ages, and even features a quiz game to put their new STEAM skills to the test.

• Mini masterpieces: Inspire little ones to express themselves through the visual arts with a comprehensive, mixed-media art supply kit. Whether you buy a ready-made kit or stock it and package it up yourself, be sure it includes all the age-appropriate essentials: markers, crayons, colored pencils, paints, brushes, paper and pencil sharpeners. Pair this present with an easel, so that kids will have a dedicated place to create and display their artwork.

• Globe-trotting: Young explorers can travel the world and see everything in it with the Magic Adventures Globe. Using the sty-

lus, children can tap on the 10-inch interactive learning globe and experience new places, languages, cultures, animals, geography, habitats and more through high-quality BBC videos.

Its integrated 2.7-inch video screen immerses kids in the curriculum through animations and live-action videos, providing a better understanding of the world.

They can also play interactive games to explore the globe, challenge a friend and solve mysteries.

This holiday season, encourage a love of knowledge and selfexpression. With so many fun learning tools and toys to choose from, you can make the jolliest season of the year a time to get inspired.

Make your holiday season shopping X game plan with these insider insights

O

(StatePoint) The busiest shopping days of the 2023 holiday season are on the horizon. Industry experts point out that knowing these dates in advance can help you score great deals -- or beat the crowds -- depending on your shopping priorities.

“Amid inflation, the return of student loan repayments and other factors that could impact holiday spending, many consumers will be bargain hunting this year.

Since retailers are likely to plan promotions and experiences around the busiest shopping days of the year, if you’re on a budget, you should take note of when these days occur and adjust your plans accordingly,” says Brian Field, global leader of retail consulting and analytics at Sensormatic Solutions, a retail solutions provider of Johnson Controls.

“And of course, it’s helpful to know these dates if you simply wish to avoid bumper-tobumper parking lots and crowded store aisles.”

On average, the top

X

10 busiest shopping days in the United States account for approximately 40% of all holiday retail traffic, according to Sensormatic Solutions, which based on historical data, predicts those days will be:

into consideration for the best shopper experience. For example, If you want to get a jump on the holiday season, get started now and take advantage of early promotions. However, if you are someone who prefers the excitement 1. Friday, Nov. 24 – of finding last-minute Black Friday deals, you should be 2. Saturday, Dec. 23 – aware that Super SaturSuper Saturday day, the second predict3. Saturday, Dec. 16 – ed busiest shopping day Third Saturday in Deof the season, falls very cember late this year on Dec. 4. Friday, Dec. 22 – Fri- 23, and could be the day before Christmas last opportunity to wrap 5. Saturday, Nov. 25 up shopping.

– Saturday after Black For more holiday Friday shopping insights, visit 6. Tuesday, Dec. 26 – sensormatic.com.

Boxing Day “Finding meaningful, 7. Saturday, Dec. 9 fun and trendy gifts for – Second Saturday in friends and family is one December of the best parts of the 8. Saturday, Dec. 2 – holiday season, espeFirst Saturday in Decem- cially when you have ber insights that will help 9. Saturday, Dec. 30 – you stretch your budget Saturday after Christmas and shop with minimal 10. Sunday, Dec. 17 stress,” says Field.

– Sunday before Christmas Eve In addition to planning your spending around the top 10 shopping days, Field advises taking your own personality

When did Christmas lights become so popular?

Holiday lights are now everywhere come the holiday season. Private homeowners tend to hang the holiday lights outside their homes around Thanksgiving weekend and keep them up through New Year’s Day. Though it might seem like a tradition without a deep history, decorating a Christmas tree with electric lights can be traced all the way back to the 19th century.

In 1882, Edward Johnson, who was a friend and colleague of the man who invented light bulbs, Thomas Edison, replaced candles, which had traditionally been used to briefly light Christmas trees, with light bulbs. But at the time of Johnson’s innovation, the high cost and relative infancy of light bulbs ensured the idea did not catch on. And though United States President Grover Cleve-

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land used electric lights to illuminate a Christmas tree in the White House in 1895, it would be another eight years before General Electric would begin selling Christmas light kits. Those kits cost $12 in 1903, which equates to several hundred dollars today. The first outdoor Christmas light shows started to become popular in the 1920s, and this is the same time when commercial sales of Christmas lights picked up. In the 1960s, GE’s decision to begin manufacturing Christmas lights overseas helped reduce the price of outdoor lights even further, thus paving the way for the tradition of decorating home exteriors with string lights during the holiday season to take a firm hold. And that tradition remains wildly popular today.

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