Every holiday season, Sacramentans enjoy their presence in malls, churches, parties and other venues as they sit on their chairs and take pictures with kids eager to tell their Christmas wishes – they are the many faces of Santa and Mrs. Claus. One of these Santa Clauses is Stefan Michael Philpott, 53, a painting contractor who lives in Yuba City. He has played the role during the holiday for three years. He worked as a Santa at a local Walgreens in his neighborhood in Yuba City and also for the Midtown Business Association at the MARRS building. For Philpott, he said he tries to prepare himself for the questions kids might ask him about Santa. Philpott said that kids have asked him,

While last-minute shoppers set out to get that final gift on Christmas Eve the Sacramento Zoo filled with visitors who took advantage of free admission as the Zoo held its annual PJ Party. Opening the Zoo on Christmas Eve has been a tradition for more than 12 years and while wearing pajamas is not required to attend, admission is free during the three hour event. Tonja Swank, the Zoo's public relations coordinator, said the Zoo typically draws 500 to 600 visitors on a regular Saturday but on days like Christmas Eve or Free Museum Day when admission is free the number jumps into the thousands.     

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, when most folks are sitting down to enjoy dinner with family and friends, public safety officers, doctors and nurses and others in service industries still have to work. It’s not always easy – crime and accidents don’t take a break on holidays. The Sacramento Press asked some of them to share their holiday work experiences. These are their stories. FIRE DEPARTMENT: “(Christmas) is a pretty loaded day,” Doug Bruce, an engineer with Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, said Friday. “There is a lot of last-minute things going on, so there is a lot of traffic out. We keep busy.” Bruce said calls to the fire station can be strange no matter what the day,

During the cold winter nights, the colorful Christmas lights on homes around town bring warmth to the hearts of passers-by. Each decorated house, big and small, has its own charm – front lawns filled with Santa Claus balloons and figures, brightly lit reindeer, colorful candy cane lights, and even cartoon penguins and bears. Some homes have lights overflowing their rooftops and trees, and some have their lights dance to the tune of Christmas carols. Cars slow down in amazement, smiles on their occupants’ faces, as they gaze at the festive decorations. Here are the photos from some of the houses Kalyn Ruijters and I took around our neighborhoods – East Sacramento, South Sacramento, and El

It’s that special time of year on Capitol Mall and Old Sacramento, Christmas lights are up inviting people to walk a few blocks and the Capitol Christmas Trees decked out in all its splendor. Over the last several years, it appears as if more lights have gone up to enrich the overall experience as an inviting destination to visit and enjoy. The Wells Fargo Center has done a fantastic job with a beautiful tree in the lobby and twinkling lights inside and out. Merry Christmas!  

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving, but the former may prove challenging – especially when you need financially friendly ideas. Even when it’s the thought that counts behind a gift, you still need to look like you’ve thought about it, and socks don’t always leave that impression. To make this Christmas challenge a bit easier, The Sacramento Press looked at local stores in Midtown that have some fun options, each of them under $20. The Beat Location: 1700 J St. Store hours: Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. The Beat is an independent music store that sells all genres, new and old. Here, a unique gift can be bou

Little kids all over look forward with excited anticipation to Santa coming into town. They know he has a list that shows who’s been “naughty” and who’s been “nice.” Saturday night several hundred “naughty” people attended Trash Film Orgy’s (TFO) showing of “Don’t Open Till Christmas,” a film directed by Edmund Purdom. The film was one of several films featured at the Crest Theater’s “Santa's Cool Holiday Film Festival.” Doors opened at 10 p.m. for an 18 and older crowd that had been waiting outside the Crest Theater. Audience members dressed in costume were given a discount on admission. Once inside the Crest Theatre, a Christmas tree was decorated and included gifts that were given

About 20 people performed in the two performances of the 2011 Holiday Show on Saturday at Iceland Skating Rink and raised over $1,000 to help repair the large roof, the next project to make the rink a year-round facility once again. This is the first ice show since the March 2010 fire. “The performers have been practicing twice a week since the ice rink opened in November,” said Terrie Kerth, daughter of one of the two co-owners. Janelle Cardoso is the director and choreographer of the show. “All the skaters are very technically sound,” said Cardoso. “Most of them have show skating experience.” Towards the end of the hour-long show Carmen Melissa, who was sitting next to the author, s

Show the NBA you don't need their back-to-back B-ball to enjoy the holiday spirit. During those lulls in family "How have you been?" catching up, endless high calorie snacking, and playing (breaking?) the kid's brand new toys, enjoy local holiday programming made by your neighbors right here in Sacramento County. Here's the schedule of special events - a "snapshot" of our Christmas weekend programming on Channel 17 and streamed on our web site at www.AccessSacramento.org - ENJOY - Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Saturday, December 24, 2011 “Celebration Of Lights” – 9:00am “Kid’s Corp Christmas Special” – 11:30am “Giving – Winter Wonderland & Raley Field” – 12:00Noon “Terry Moore

“Real Relationships” will be taking a two-week hiatus for the holidays. I will be back to dish both solicited and unsolicited relationship advice on Monday, Jan. 2. Email your questions to sacpress@live.com.  Questions will be featured and answered anonymously. Have a merry Christmas and a happy new year! ~Janna  

Light up Midtown – the second annual event designed to bring holiday cheer to Midtown storefronts – crowned a winner on Dec. 14. Tres Chic Boutique, a dress store on J Street, claimed first prize for the second consecutive year. The runner-up was French Cuff Consignment, a secondhand store also on J Street, and third place was awarded to Cheap Thrills Costumes and Party Clothes, a vintage clothing and costume shop on L Street. Fifty participants competed in the contest to create “the most whimsical storefront,” which is three fewer than last year, said Heather Philpott, events and communications manager with the Midtown Business Association. For winning, Tres Chic Boutique has $1000 in

For those whose Christmas season isn't complete without watching Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed stroll through Bedford Falls warbling "Buffalo Gals," Sacramento's Crest Theatre is bringing director-screenwriter Frank Capra's 1946 Liberty Films classic, "It's a Wonderful Life," back to the big screen for nine holiday screenings Dec. 22-24. It's just one of three yuletide-themed events scheduled for the 975-seat art deco movie palace during the week leading up to Christmas. Also on tap: the G-rated "Santa's Cool Holiday Film Festival" (Dec. 17 and 18), a syndicated package of "Greetings from the Theater Management" trailers, vintage TV segments, cartoons and the so-bad-it's-good 1964 theatri

As the song goes, Santa’s making his list, checking it twice and deciding who gets cool goodies and who gets lumps of coal. Between the budget, redistricting and facing dissatisfied citizens who took over a city park in protest, the City Council has been busy this year, so The Sacramento Press made its own “naughty or nice” list. If you were Santa, how would City Council fare? Here’s our list for 2011. Mayor Kevin Johnson: NAUGHTY Sure, he led the way to advancing green technology in the city and supported a citizens advisory committee’s effort to redistrict the city. But being absent for 10 City Council meetings in a single year? Tsk, tsk, Mr. Mayor. (And we’re not bitter about not b

Sacramento art galleries hosted small crowds of visitors during the last Second Saturday of the year. Many visitors took advantage of the smaller crowds to do Christmas shopping. Galleries and other businesses sold art, crafts, gift certificates and other items to Christmas shoppers. Festivities in Sacramento began earlier in the day with the annual Santa Parade. Thousands of children, along with their parents, lined the parade route. The parade started at the corner of 9th and I Streets and an anticipated crowd of over 25 thousand watched. The annual parade began at 10 a.m. and participants included marching bands, cheer squads, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, several floats, car clubs,

The holiday season is typically full of fun and festivities: work parties, family get-togethers, nights out with friends, and don't forget all the shopping! It is during this time of year that I find myself busy, tired and lacking in a little personal time. Don't get me wrong — I love the holidays, the parties, the decorations and all of it, but sometimes I get tired. The scheduling, the invitations and the cleaning followed by the cooking, shopping and general daily life are a lot! I feel like I always get sick shortly after New Years because my body just says, "Enough already." The solution: There isn't one. However, don't forget about yourself in the midst of all the fun. No, I am not

For the holidays, Plates Cafe and Catering is serving Christmas cookies, baked and prepared by the women in St. John's Shelter Program for Women and Children. St. John's provides shelter, education and childcare to homeless women with children. As part of the shelter's six- to 12-month training program, Plates Cafe and Catering, located at 14 Business Parkway, serves as an on-the-job training site for the shelter, where the women perform restaurant positions such as cooks, waitresses and hostesses, Stuart Edgcombe, 46, Chef at Plates Cafe and Catering, said. "It's more than just cooking," Edgcombe said. "It's teaching them life lessons." Teresa Kamekona, 39, said her experience at Plat

photographs by Barry Wisdom It wasn't the glitziest parade on the block, and more ads passed by than during a Talladega Superspeedway Nascar event, but the smiles that beamed from the shoulder-to-shoulder spectators at Sacramento's 2011 Santa Parade are the stuff that Christmas dreams are made of. Presented Dec. 9 by D&H Special Event Management, the capital city's 29th annual holiday tradition once again delighted young and old with an eclectic lineup of merry marching bands, a spate of sports cars, a bunch of Boy Scouts, a gaggle of Girl Scouts and a Santa in a pear tree. (OK – a Santa in a horse-drawn carriage.) Horses aside, chances are if it had an internal-combustion engine, it tr

“It’s getting cold out here.” Kelsey Cottle uttered this while ringing The Salvation Army bell outside Macy’s at Sunrise Mall.  Yet her fellow bell ringers did not care--they were having the time of their lives. “Yeah, they’re having fun,” Cottle said. Meet Carl Virgin and Eulogio Lizarraga--the jubilant bell ringers. Both have cerebral palsy and are confined to wheelchairs, but they do not let it deter their efforts to give back. “It just a good time for them to get out and people to see them,” said Cottle, who is Carl’s personal attendant through S.T.E.P. (Strategy To Empower People) services. “It’s great that they get to see them so happy and that they can do this (volunteer) like e

The North Sacramento Chamber of Commerce may have thrown its annual holiday tree lighting a 21st birthday party Dec. 8, but even the adults who donned skates, munched cookies and quaffed hot chocolate eschewed the slightest trace of yuletide cynicism in favor of youthful Christmas-morning smiles. Hosted by Iceland, the men and women, boys and girls who laced up courtesy of the venerable Del Paso Boulevard ice rink, barely noticed when the switch was thrown, and pumped current through the strings of multicolored lights that formed the "tree." Those who didn't hit the ice themselves, found plenty of pre-Christmas cheer in picking out rinkside vantage points to watch singles, couples and en

Ben Scrooge is the Founder and CEO—Billionaire Boy Wonder—of Humbug , a video game company that his now deceased partner, Jake Marley, helped put on the map. But Ben is not a happy guy, a bit of a… Scrooge as an 18-year old video game magnate? If you’re having trouble imagining it, that’s okay; I’d much prefer you buy a ticket and see it played out on stage. It’s well worth the ticket price! I, too, was a skeptic. No more. Karen Pollard has conceptualized and carried out a clever modernization of the Christmas classic—a dash of Rent here, a dollop of High School Musical there--without straying so far from the original as to be disconcerting. The staging and choreography are fairly int