Pocono Talk

I hope that everyone has enjoyed their holiday season so far, I know it’s a slight relief now that the majority of the hustle and bustle is over with.  Although for those of us with kids we know the real relaxation begins when they’re back in school! My oldest son started Kindergarten this year – he went from 1/2 day school every other day in preschool his first year to full day classes (9-3) for his second year of preschool.  This year though he started Kindergarten and hops on the bus at 8:30am and doesn’t get home until 4:30pm.  For a 6 year old that’s a LONG day so he is welcoming this break from school and we’re happy to have him home.  I give it another day or two until the novelty of being at home during the day wears off and he’s begging to go back to the constant activities of school and hanging out with his friends.

The notion of full day Kindergarten took me by surprise at first.  Our son had never been in daycare and although I feel like we prepared him for school a bit by sending him to preschool it still seemed like a long day.  For me, Kindergarten was a few hours, mostly learning letters and doing activities, boy have times changed.  My son’s biggest complaint was the lack of free time “play time” they get and how much “learning” is involved.  Computer class, Social Studies, Math…they all seem like really ‘big kid’ classes and I wasn’t sure how he would handle all of the extra work..especially homework(that was a fun concept to explain).  All in all though he’s adjusted really well, I am more then impressed with how much he has learned, especially with reading.  He’s able to read and spell words that are quite impressive – the days of being able to spell out “ice cream” to my husband are now long past though.

Not every Kindergarten in the Poconos is full day classes, our son is also on the “old” side of his class, just missing the cut off date for the previous year by a week, so if you’re looking to send your little one off to school be sure to do your homework.  Some of the schools give you the option of full or half day depending on how many kids they have, and the ability levels that your child has.  Full day Kindergarten is a newer thing in the area, my sons school only started doing it last year, it was a learning curve at first but he seems to have settled into the full day adjustment just fine.

A few things that have helped:

1) Lots of sleep.   We pushed his bedtime back from 8:00 to 7:30, sometimes 7:00.  He also takes the occasional nap when he gets home, we just make sure he doesn’t sleep too much so he’s ready for bed.

2) A snack.  Although getting of the bus at 4:30 and eating dinner at 5-5:30 doesn’t seem like much time for a snack, giving him something to eat – even the ’start’ of dinner(a roll, salad,  veggies) that he would be eating anyway takes that “edge” off.

3) Preparation.  We make sure homework is done and lunch/snacks, coat, gloves, etc. are all laid out the night prior as well as his outfit for the next day – it avoids that morning rush/confusion.

Times are changing, to me school seems a lot more challenging then it was ‘back in the day’ but at the same time the output from it – the learning, abilities and skills that result from it seem well worth it.  If you’re getting ready to send your little one off next year be sure to get them acclimated now.  Their sleep schedule, structured routines, tours of the school…all of it can be done far in advance to make the process as smooth as possible.

Last weekend we went out and got our Christmas tree at the Farmers Basket in Stroudsburg which is located directly to the left of Ritas Water Ice(which is closed for the season).

Every year since I moved to the Poconos I have gotten my tree from there, initially simply because it was close to where I was living, but even after I moved I still continue to shop there.  I’ve gone back year after year because they are always friendly and helpful, are quick and efficient about netting it, cutting the bottom and putting it on the roof.  I always try to tip the guy a few bucks, I’ve gone on days that it’s icing and snowing and they’re still out there working and happy about it.

If you’ve ever had a problem with a Christmas tree dying early I’d check a few things: where you bought it from, what type of tree, when you bought it and how often you watered it.  So far, knock on wood, I have not had any issues with Christmas trees and I attribute that in large part to where I get my tree and when.

There are plenty of other places to get pre-cut Christmas Trees in the Poconos, but if you’re looking to cut your own tree here is a list of places to check out.

CUT YOUR OWN / CHRISTMAS TREE FARM
All of these are in Lehighton which is about 35 minutes away from Stroudsburg, almost an hour from Mount Pocono, but the closest locations I know of.  Many of the locations below also offer pre-cut trees as well.

Old Homestead Tree Farm
Crystal Spring Tree Farm
Beisel’s Christmas Tree Hill -  A Pennsylvania Evergreen Farm
Hill Farms
Walker’s Tree Farm

In today’s world scandal and gossip seems to travel faster then the speed of light, and good news, well that can be hard to get a hold of sometimes.

Yesterday I received a check in the mail for $420 from my bank, it was an overage from them calculating my taxes because the Homestead Tax Relief Act had kicked in.  Simply put, I finally got my “casino discount”.  If your taxes are not escrowed in(mine are), or are already calculated with this discount(mine were not) then instead of a refund you would just not be paying that money up front.   So next year, I will just pay that much less in taxes and might even get a greater discount depending on how the casino does.

So the question is, did you get a break this year?  Are you eligible?  And why is no one talking about this?!

It all begins with the Mount Airy Casino and Resort which opened up a little over 2 years ago, and although it was surrounded by scandal and controversy, it still was a welcomed addition to the Poconos.  Many of the resorts of the Poconos of the past have shut down, been knocked down, or reinvented in some form.  Mount Airy Casino and Resort was previously Mount Airy Lodge which was 100+ years old, but that’s a story for another day.

With the opening of the casino, and all of the additional revenue that it was now providing for the state I had heard through the grapevine that some of it would be put back into the community in the form of tax relief.

I only live about 10-15 minutes from the casino, in the same township so I was for sure certain that I would be available for some sort of tax break.   So I called the person who I assumed would know the most about it – my tax collector.  The conversation went something like this:

Me:   “Hey I heard that with the casino going in that we should be getting some sort of tax cut”

Woman who answered:  “I haven’t heard anything about that”.

Me: “Are you sure? I know it’s a small cut but I’m almost positive I should get something”

Woman:  “Nope”

So I figured it must have been hearsay, I mean the people who I pay my taxes to would be aware of a tax break right?

A few months passed and I received my tax bill in the mail.  I didn’t see any type of discount so I once again made a call to my tax office and asked them again.  The person who answered again told me they didn’t know anything, after hanging up I decided to call back again and just make sure.  I talked with a different woman who said that I should contact my county assessment office if I want to find anything out.

After a few phone calls I talked with a woman who explained to me that the color of your tax bill shows whether the “Homestead Act” is in effect on your bill.  I am a bit fuzzy on the colors but I think it’s black if it is not in effect and red if it is in effect.  By looking at the color of my tax bill I was able to determine that I was definitely not getting a tax break.  After a few questions(township, school district) she told me that I was indeed eligible for the Homestead Act.  Ok, so what the heck is the homestead act anyway?

The Homestead Act is quite deceiving until you read the fine print, it sounds like something for farming or agriculture or something, but look:

Homestead Tax Relief Act

The Taxpayer Relief Act special session Act 1 of 2006 was signed into law by Governor Rendell on June 27, 2006. Act 1 required each school district to appoint a tax study commission to make a non binding recommendation regarding additional earned income tax or a personal income tax to fund homestead/farmstead exclusions. As part of the 2007 primary election, a referendum question must be approved to levy, assess and collect on earned income tax or a personal income tax to fund the homestead/farmstead exclusions. Act 1 also provides school districts the means to lower property taxes by using the funding that may be provided using gaming revenues.

Ah ha! There it is! Tax relief from the casino, I knew it existed!  Yet I didn’t get a letter, I didn’t get a phone call and I had to get the run around for months regarding this situation, when all along I was eligible for a tax break!!!

The website states that you will receive a letter,  so the question is, did you receive this letter?  I sure as heck didn’t, nor did any of my neighbors or friends I talked to.  I mean it’s essentially free money, you think they’d have billboards up right?  Maybe I got lost in the bunch, who knows, but now you know and maybe you’re eligible too.

2 Things of Importance regarding this:

1) You MUST submit the application prior to March 1st, if not you can submit it but you won’t see that deduction for another year(which is what happened to me the first year).

2) You must actually be eligible.  If you live near the casino you are most likely eligible, but even if you’re not it’s worth a shot to at least ask right?

To apply you simply need to fill out a form and mail it in.  You can get the form on this page:  Homestead Tax Relief Act page where it says “download the application and instructions”.

It seems a bit deceiving and the wording makes it seem like you need to own a farm or something, but that is definitely the form.

I am personally putting that money straight back into the bank to pay for next year’s taxes, even though there was a reduction with the casino there was still a few hundred dollar increase over the previous years taxes as they continue to increase each year.

The Giant in Bartonsville opened about a month ago and I have stopped by twice to check the place out.  Many of the supermarkets in the Stroudsburg-ish area are older, smaller and have narrow isles.  The new Giant has large isles, a wide selection of food(I picked up some tasty healthy frozen soups that I haven’t seen at other local supermarkets), and is overall just more modern, as you would expect with any new store.

As much as I dislike the expansion of the area in the past few years, I secretly applaud the competition that new stores bring.  Case-in-Point, the new Giant has a gas station and offers you a certain amount off your gas purchase depending on the amount you spend in the store.  It’s available in a lot of areas, it’s similiar to the turkey discounts near the holidays or the % off your total bill.  Prior to the Giant being built none of the supermarkets in the area offered discounted gas, the only place I knew of was the Giant down in Wind Gap.

Over the summer Weis (which has recently dropped the Mr. Z’s it seems) started requiring you to sign up for a new discount card saying that the old cards will no longer be available to use for discounts.  That alone I thought was pretty untechnology-friendly on their part, how they couldn’t transfer old users to the ‘new cards’ without requiring everyone to resign up is beyond me.  I went and was able to get my Giant card that was still on file from 7+ years ago when I lived in an area that had them.

So Weis new card went hand in hand with their promotion to get discounts off gas (the same way Giant and other supermarkets have for years).  The only problem…there was no gas stations near those supermarkets, at least not within a good 30 minutes of the ones I shop at.  The Giant was being built, with a gas station and I guess Weis finally started to get their act in gear and opened up a gas station on 611 near the Weis that is located near the Stroud mall.  Up in Mount Pocono I noticed they also opened a Shop Rite gas station right up the street from the Shop Rite.

In the case of supermarkets the competition of Giant coming into the Stroudsburg area looks like it has made it’s competitors step up their game.  Hopefully the prices stay competitive(it seems the Giant is a bit more expensive), there needs to be some type of trade off as the “natural” parts of the Poconos get run over with new businesses the least it can do is provide the area with some discounts!

Change is inevitable and growth at a time when the economy is slow and people are losing their jobs (or struggling to find new ones), to know that we live in an area that is actually EXPANDING and providing new jobs is slightly comforting.

Monday was Columbus Day so we left work a little bit early to head out to do some pumpkin and apple picking.  The problem is I really couldn’t find anywhere that had both available.

PUMPKIN PICKING
When “pumpkin picking” you really need to be sure that you read the fine print so that if you’re actually expecting to pick pumpkins off the vine that they have it available.  Many “pick your own” places pre-pick the pumpkins then lay them out in a field for you to choose from.  It’s a fun step up from getting them out of a bin, but there is something great about being able to actually pick them off a vine.

Places I know of that you can actually pick them off a vine(please call them to make sure, late in the season they have them pre-picked).

OFF THE VINE
Klingels/Mazezilla: We took my son there with his preschool and they take you on an open hayride of sorts out to the patch to pick your own pumpkins:

http://www.mazezilla.com/patch.html they are probably the closest in the Poconos.

Donaldson Farms (NJ): Again, we took our son out there last year with his preschool, we actually got to walk in the field and pick out our pumpkins.  They also have flower picking early in the year(I really want to try that as well!)  http://www.donaldsonfarms.net

PUMPKIN PATCH
Strawberry Acres(near Allentown): They are available off the vine but for the rest of this season YOU CAN NOT GET THEM OFF THE VINE.  If you want to go there be sure to go early in the season. They have pumpkins available to choose from in a field.   http://www.strawberryacres.com/pumpkins.html

Old Homestead(in Leighton): They are also available in a field, there are farm animals, a pumpkin sling/shooter thing, they also have food stands. http://www.oldhomestead.com/ppatch.html

APPLE PICKING

Apple Picking

So I really really really wanted to go and pick apples this year.  I am constantly teaching my 6 year old son about where fruits/vegetables come from and it’s really cute to see his reaction of  “so carrots are in the ground?” or “bananas in trees?”.  I searched around and found that many places that normally have apple picking available do not have it this year due to the weather(I assume the rain).  I also wanted to combine that with pumpkin picking – but I unfortunately could not find a place that did both at this time of the year that was close.

So we headed down to Strawberry Acres which is right past the Allentown mall to do some apple picking.  Like many of the places we visit it had farm animals(I love llamas), a big “tube slide” for the kids(if you haven’t seen/tried one they’re a good laugh), pony rides, pumpkin picking(available off the vine usually, but we went to late in the season so they were in a field), a farmers market with Mums, fresh fruit, and of course APPLE PICKING!  We grabbed 2 boxes and hopped onto what I can only best describe as a school bus convertible…it’s like a hayride in a school bus, with the top off, minus the hay…you’d have to see it…and were taken a few minutes up the road to where the trees were.  I was slightly disappointed that the trees are so close to houses…it looses that “outdoor” feel that you get with being up here in the Poconos.  It is about an hour away though and should be expected, but it seems that their pear trees are a lot further out so if you went there to do pear picking(you can also do cherry picking and peach picking) it would seem a lot more rural.

Regardless, once you’re in a sea of apple trees everything else seems to fade away.  I’ve been apple picking before where you use baskets on a stick to collect them since the fruit is up so high.  In this case the trees were on the “small side” being that the apples went from almost the ground all the way up to about 20 feet or so.  It was great for my son since he could grab the apples himself and it really gave him a hands on feel.  Since there were a lot of riper apples up top my husband hoisted him up a few times to grab them off the trees which delighted him.  All in all we picked probably close to 40-50  apples which ended up costing us about $35.  more expensive then store bought but definitely worth it for the experience.

Needless to say I’ll be baking a lot of apple pies in the next couple of days…

Lastly, Christmas is quickly approaching so I thought I’d mention that if you’re looking for a place to cut your own Christmas Tree in the Poconos   that Old Homestead Tree Farm has tree cutting available:  http://www.oldhomestead.com/xmas.html I have yet to cut my own Christmas tree so maybe we’ll try it this year!

Apple picking, pumpkin picking, cutting your own Christmas tree…they’re all great ways to get some quality family time together and to create some lasting memories.  It takes a lot more time and money then the pre-cut/picked stuff, but it’s well worth it!

Pocono Parent Magazine held its 4th annual spring expo this past Saturday from 11am – 4pm at Stroudsburg Intermediate Elementary School.

The expo is free to attend and had a lot to offer for Pocono Families.   We were greeted warmly by Pocono Parent staff and were given information on their “Local Values” which you could sign up for free to receive coupons for the Pocono area.

They had plenty of free fun things for the kids from characters walking around – we spotted Spongebob and Elmo, free face painting, tattoos and a painting craft by Home Depot.  The company that was suppose to be offering free kits, Digikids I believe was unavailable so the people from McGruff were offering their basic kit for free that day.

All in all it was informative, a lot of vendors had summer camp information and programs you could sign your kids up for from karate to soccer to music lessons.  It was a good array of vendors and information, my only complaint was that it was really really hot and our baby was very uncomfortable and cranky because of it.  Besides that it was a good and if you’re looking for local Pocono resources for your kids I’d definitely recommend stopping by next year or this fall for their next expo.

Last weekend was unusually warm for March in the Poconos (above 60 degrees) and after being holed up inside all winter we were more then ready to get out for some weekend fun.  My son was dying to play outside but the warm weather had caused all the snow to melt making our yard and the local parks one big mudfest.  My husband and I decided some indoor fun might be a better choice and after some thoughts we decided we would see what local factories would be open for the day for tours.  We considered a candle factory, which we’ve visited before, but decided on Callie’s Candy Kitchen and Pretzel Factories which would be both new and yummy.

Located in Mountainhome, PA it was a short trip for us and although it might be a bit of a drive for some it was definitely a fun time.  We visited the Pretzel factory first – having visited the Snyders factory in the past I had invisioned some huge building and wasn’t disappointed but semi-surprised that the pretzel factory was on such a smaller scale.  We walked in and you could see the pretzel making process right there – we went at about 11am so there was no one there but us.  My 5 year old was really excited to see the pretzels enter the oven and kept running around and coming back to see if they had finished cooking(they were slowing cooking on a conveyor belt).

They had a section of “left handed gifts” like a left handed spiral notebook for people like my husband who are always complaining “you right handed people have no idea how difficult it is to write in a spiral notebook”.   They had a large variety of pretzels(of course) both hard and soft and every color & flavor of popcorn that you could imagine (my son got the tutti frutti that is show in the picture).  One of the employees showed us how all of the different pretzels were made – he some dough and made a standard pretzel, their pretzel on a stick, and a funnel cake pretzel.  On our way out we all bought our choice of pretzels – I went with the soft pretzel on a stick(it just looked fun), my son got the funnel cake pretzel, and my husband got a standard soft preztel all of which tasted great.

We headed up the street to Callie’s Candy Kitchen which was about 5 minutes away.  They had your standard variety of candy, chocolate, fudge, holiday candy, etc. but they also had a huge variety of different candies as well.  There was a wall of chocolate molds you could buy (the ones you melt discs into) in probably 100+ varieties – so if you’re looking for a ski boot/skis mold or something for a special occasion like a baptism you’re sure to find it there.  There were premade chocolates from molds in all the current kids characters like spongebob, transformers, hannah montana, etc.

After walking around for a bit we spoke with Mr. Callie who said he would be doing a presentation in a bit.  Callie’s Candy Kitchen was established in 1952 and it’s amazing to see that he still is so passionate about candy all these years later.  Mr. Callie not only explained how the candy and chocolates are made – but about the simplicity of business and marketing.  How many different types of chocolate are there? 1.  How many different types of Ice Cream are there? 1.  It’s Ice Cream…not Ice CreamS.  That all probably makes no sense, but if you sit down with “The Candyman” he will be sure to tell you all about it.

Oh…and there were samples in the store and a bunch after the presentation – needless to say I had my fill by the time we got out of there!  So if you’re looking for an inexpensive(or even free if you don’t buy anything) trip this year be sure to stop by Callie’s – it’s definitely “old school” but unique, true to the Poconos and most importantly yummy!

I recently found out about this program that provides free ski passes for 4th and 5th graders through the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association Website http://www.skipa.com.  There is a $15 processing fee and requires the purchase of an adult ticket for most resorts as well but it’s a great opportunity if you’re a skier and looking to get your child involved.

You sign up on their website, or can pickup a form at some schools, and after giving required information(including a copy of their report card or other identification) and will be given a booklet that contains  three free lift tickets for participating ski resorts in PA.

You DO NOT need to be a PA resident in order to get the free passes, so even if you live in NY or NJ and are planning a vacation you can still apply.

The tickets are good at the following ski resorts:  Alpine Mountain, Bear Creek Mountain Resort, Big Boulder, Blue Knob Ski Area, Blue Mountain, Camelback Ski Area, Eagle Rock Resort, Elk Mountain, Hidden Valley Resort, Jack Frost Mountain, Liberty Mountain Resort, Mystic Mountain at Nemacolin Woodlands, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Shawnee Mountain, Ski Big Bear, Ski Denton, Ski Roundtop, Ski Sawmill Family Resort, Sno Mountain, Tussey Mountain Ski Area and Whitetail Mountain Resort

For more information visit www.skipa.com

The politics of it all makes me sick, and I’m not sure what the circumstances were that brought it to this conclusion, but all I can hope is that the animals that would be saved by the shelter (300-500 per month), find good homes.

If you’re looking to adopt, volunteer or drop off an animal please contact one of these other Monroe County Shelters.

Naomi Gauntlett
Animals Can’t Talk Rescue and Adoption
A special adoption event will be held at PetSmart on Feb. 13-15.

Camp Papillon Pet Adoption & Rescue group
www.camppapillon.org
(570) 420-0450

Waggin’ Tales
http://www.waggintailsrescue.com

Pocono Animal Rescue
http://www.poconoanimalrescue.org

‘

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090129/NEWS/90129013

The Pa. SPCA board of directors held an emergency meeting this week where it voted to close its Monroe County shelter, according to state Rep. John Siptroth, D-189.

Siptroth said PSPCA chief executive Howard Nelson told him of the decision.

Siptroth, in a phone interview with the Pocono Record, confirmed that the shelter will close as of 4 p.m. today. Any animals remaining will be placed with a local animal rescue group.

“They’re tired of all the outside groups that continue to charge the SPCA with allegations which may or may not be true,” said Siptroth. “I guess they were just so despondent.”

The Pocono Record published an investigative report examining allegations of abuse of authority by the agency in its procedures for seizing animals from individuals, as well as alleged use of a controversial euthanasia method called the heart stick. The coverage prompted the SPCA to have a lawyer send a reproving letter to the newspaper and remove the Pocono Record from its list of news outlets for publicity.

Siptroth said the agency no longer has the “wherewithal” to maintain the shelter here.

No one, to his knowledge, has responded to the agency’s request for proposals to take over management of the shelter. The PSPCA had said it would accept proposals until mid-February.

Siptroth did not know why the process was cut short.

A source familiar with shelter operations said trucks are expected to arrive tomorrow morning to take animals to other shelters. The Monroe shelter has about 15 dogs and 18 cats.

When asked why the public wasn’t given more notice to adopt animals before the closing, Siptroth said, “Who’s going to be there?”
The shelter manager was fired earlier this week but declined to say why when contacted by the Pocono Record.

There are two shelter employees remaining until the facility closes.

“It’s certainly going to leave a significant void in the community, especially for the animals,” said Siptroth.

There is no word yet on what will be done with the property, which is located on Wild Animal Farm Road just off Route 611 south of Stroudsburg.

Animals can still be adopted until 4 p.m. today.

Check back at PoconoRecord.com for more information on this developing story as it becomes available, and read the complete story in Friday’s print version of the Pocono Record.

First Significant Snowfall
It’s snowing!  We got a little bit of snow last week but this week is the first significant snow fall – we already have about 6 inches and we’re suppose to get heavy snow for at least another 4 hours.

I am definitely a “get the bread, milk and eggs” type of person – growing up I always giggled at those people and their ‘overreactions’ to being prepared for a snowfall when they usually turned out to be nothing.  As I’ve gotten older, and moved further away from the city, you start to realize that being overprepared far outweighs being underprepared. It never fails – the entire rest of the month you could care less about having bread, milk or eggs on hand – but in the middle of a snowstorm it’s inevitable – you get the great idea to make cookies…but don’t have any milk to drink(come on you can’t possibly have milk without cookies).  Let alone eggs to make the cookies.  Any other day if you were out of bread – no big deal, you’ll just find something else for lunch…nope, when it’s snowing not only do you want that sandwhich but hubby is jonesing for french toast, the kids can’t live without pb & j for the day…etc.

Besides the inconvenience of not having those items(which I’m sure you can suck it up and get past), it’s that if you decide you really want to go get them…it’s usually not the best idea.  Before I had kids getting stuck in the snow was laughable – it was a good story to tell people and I could live with the embarrassment of needing to be pushed out by strangers.  Now, the thought of getting stranded with 2 young kids in the car I always prepare for the worst so even if it only ends up being a dusting I’m better off safe then sorry.

The snowstorm last February in PA and on Route 80 was a worst case senario (some people were stuck for over 20 hours),  but just solidifies my new “better safe then sorry” mantra I’ve developed over the past few years.

“Fun Box”
My son’s “fun box” is something I put together 2 years ago not only to ease the above worries, but it’s kept a lot of calm for other situations as well.  The “fun box” is a small plastic container that is solidly built but was inexpensive to buy and contains some necessities as well as some luxuries.  There are always at least 4 or 5 juice boxes, individual snack packs (pretzels, chips, cookies), granola bars, trail mix(store bought), small coloring books & crayons, party toys and a few basic toys.  Whenever my sons goes to a party there are usually a few random toys in the party bags – small coloring books, stickers, whistles(although that may not be the best toy for inside a closed vehicle) – that would normally end up going unused or missing.  So I put them in the “fun box” which makes them that much more enjoyable(as they usually pale in comparison to the other tyos at home) and makes sure they get put to good use.  It’s came in handy many times – for those days he’s really hungry on the way home from school, when we’re out shopping and forget his juice cup and for longer trips.  It provides a feeling of safety(incase we’re stranded longer then needed) and sanity(no food/drinks available makes for cranky kids) that’s well worth the few minutes it takes to throw it together.
Christmas Lights
Around the holidays I’m always on the lookout for places that have great Christmas displays – I love just driving around the neighborhood and seeing everyone’s home displays.  This year we are planning to go up to Scranton and visit Nay Aug Park to see their drive thru Christmas Lights display for the first time.  Their website boasts:
“Don’t miss the incredible light show this year in Nay Aug Park. Every year we add to the display and this holiday season is no exception. You’ll see the newest addition, the Electric City sign. The display is a replica of the Scranton landmark that you can see up close. This special addition reflects the pride that scrantonians feel about the history of our wonderful city. The light show can be seen from 11/23 -12/31. The lights come on at dusk and will be illuminated until midnight. While you can drive through the park to admire the lights, a walk in the park will be a spectacular experience.”

I am all about being able to stay in our nice warm car and view Christmas lights – Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA has a beautiful outdoor display(as well as indoor) but it typically is pretty cold and takes too long to fully enjoy it and bring the kids along.  We were able to take our then 4 year old last year and we did alright(they sell hot cocoa outside so that helped), but this year we have a new 2 month old so we’re going to pass this year.

Christmas Lights in the Poconos
This year we’re staying pretty local(hoping to make it up to Scranton if the weather holds up), and while looking for a list of Christmas light displays in the area I stumbled across this: Christmas Lights map from Pocono Record which is a local contest for the best Christmas lights displays but currently only has 2 houses listed.  I wish it had more listed – maybe if it wasn’t a contest it’d spark more interest – so if anyone knows of a more complete local map (or even within 30 minutes or so) let me know!