We're down to the last of the great holiday events. Be sure and attend as many as you can--it'll all be over before you know it. Don't miss Galaxy of Lights, Santa's Village, Planetarium Show: Star Of Wonder, Concert: Kenny G - "The Holiday Show", Living Christmas Tree, Boar's Head & Yule Log Festival, It's A Small Town Christmas! In Historic Gurley, Arts Marketplace At Santa's Village, Huntsville Havoc vs Knoxville & Mississippi, Gun & Knife Show, Spellbinders Seasonal Stories, Thursday Evening Concerts At The Library, plus more. Details on the Holiday Calendar and the December Events Calendar.

In the latest Huntsville/Madison County Health Dept. report, two of the 37 eating places in the report failed to make a passing grade of 85. One of the restaurants, however, had a perfect score of 100. Some of the restaurants inspected this week included Buffalo Wild Wings Bar & Grill, Edo Japanese Restaurant, Steak Escape, Jersey Mike's Subs, Planet Smoothie, Kaleidoscoops Ice Cream & More, plus more. Read the full report.

Cricket is Huntsville Animal Services "Dog of the Week." Cricket is a Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix. She is between one and two years old. Cricket loves kids and other animals. She is very playful and friendly. This cute little dog won't grow any bigger and is hoping for a home for Christmas. You can meet Cricket at the shelter on Triana Blvd.
Drew is the "Cat of the Week" for MARF, Madison Animal Rescue Foundation. Drew is a sweet, cuddly six month old male gray tabby. He has beautiful amber eyes and is playful and full of energy. Drew also has a brother who is also up for adoption. If you'd like to give Drew or his brother a loving home for Christmas, contact Madison Animal Rescue Foundation.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - With the holiday season upon us, the Budding Chef Cooking School in Madison is hosting a pair of events to reach out to those less fortunate. Plans are to provide gourmet, ready-to-cook meals to dozens of families in the Tennessee Valley on Christmas Eve as well as hosting a holiday baking and gingerbread house decorating event on Saturday.

"With so many people struggling right now, we decided to do what we could to help a few families in the area," noted owner Merle Phillip. "We want to team with the community to provide a great meal for Christmas and a chance for some great kids to have the chance to do something special this year."

To help provide the Christmas Eve meals, the Budding Chef is in need of donations of both resources and manpower to help the chefs and students prepare the meals. Food donations will be accepted through Sunday Read more...

With the economy in a mess, are you cutting back this year on Christmas gifts? Or have you been affected at all with money worries or problems? Do you give gifts no matter what your bank account balance is? Are you doing most of your shopping online? Are you looking for bargains more than ever this year? It's less than two weeks until Christmas...are you finished with your shopping?

Madison's Annual Christmas Parade has been postponed until Sunday, December 13th at 2:00 pm. The route for the parade starts at Plaza Dr and continues through historic downtown Madison. The theme for this year's event is "Christmas Around the World". For a more 'hometown' feeling, The Madison Rotary Club will be at the Roundhouse serving hot chocolate and cookies before, during and after the Parade. They invite all to enjoy the festivities and join us as they ring in the holiday season. For more information, contact Gayle Milam at 256.772.9300.

Each year, First Baptist Church in Huntsville gives a lovely gift to the community. It's the "Annual Living Christmas Tree," an inspirational concert to help us focus on the "reason for the season" and lead by Billy Orton, Minister of Music and Worship. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without this manificent program. This is one program that you should make a family tradition every year. The Living Christmas Tree is playing several times this weekend

Ever since I moved back to Huntsville in 1999, I've heard a lot of different people say that Fantasy Playhouse's "A Christmas Carol" is fantastic. Since I've seen it on TV many times and in a variety of theatres over the years, I haven't been too anxious to see it. However, since I keep hearing great things about it, I've decided that this year I'd go for myself and see what all the buzz was about. "A Christmas Carol" ends this weekend. Call 539-6829 for more information about this Christmas Classic!

Here's some things I learned in Huntsville this week:

• The South Memorial Parkway overpass is complete and open for north & south bound traffic! Work on the new North Memorial Parkway overpass began earlier this fall and is projected by ALDOT to be finished in October 2012.
• Tickets for the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit that will be at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) in summer 2010 are now on sale. More than 150,000 people are expected to attend the exhibit that begins June 25 and will run through Sept. 6.
• The Better Business Bureau of North Alabama is proud to announce the availability of BBB resources from your smart phone or mobile-enabled device. Now whenever you're on the go, you can check BBB Reliability Reports from your iPhone, Blackberry, or other Internet enabled device.
• Rocket City United has a new head coach--international soccer star Desmond Armstrong. Read more...

Don't miss these fun-filled events this week: Galaxy of Lights, Santa's Village, "A Christmas Carol" presented by Fantasy Playhouse, Planetarium Show: Star Of Wonder, Santa Train, Ballet: "The Nutcracker", Nutcracker on Ice", Christmas Past Homes Tour & Luminaries, Luminary Night Celebration, Live Nativity Scenes & Open House, Madison Holiday Parade, Moravian Lovefeast, "Carols of Christmas", Concert: Kenny G - "The Holiday Show", Living Christmas Tree, Operetta: Hansel & Gretel, Rocket City Marathon, plus more. Details on the Holiday Calendar and the December Events Calendar.