The Town of Los Gatos has just announced that due to the heavy rains, tonight's Holiday Tree Lighting has been postponed until next Friday, December 7.  The festivities will start at 4:30pm with the official program beginning at 5:30pm.  The tree will be lit at 6:00pm. The Children's Holiday Christmas Parade will go on tomorrow, Saturday, December 1, as scheduled, rain or shine. At this time, Holiday Carriage Rides are still scheduled to run tonight and tomorrow night as well. Contact the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce if you have any questions ( 408)354-9300.

As you venture out to all the Holiday festivities, parties and events, you will be needing gifts for the host or hostess and thank you gifts as well. We have just what you need ... and we will wrap it or bag it with tissue so your presentation is as wonderful as your gift. Here are some ideas: Gifts for the Hostess Little Porcelain Boxes Micro-Pixies Vintage Vanity Jars and Bottles Handmade Pottery Bowls, Vases and Planters Handcrafted Flowers , Scarves and Charm Necklaces Handmade Silver Solder Charms and Pendants Vintage Holiday Pins Gifts for the Host Candy Jars with Peppermints Handcrafted Computer Disc Clocks Compasses and Telescopes A Variety of Flasks -- for the Hostess as well Magnifying Glasses Mugs, Cheese Boards and Platters Gifts to Say Thank You Handcrafted Clocks Limoges Porcelain & Halcyon Days Enamel Boxes Holiday Magnets Paris and Los Gatos Notepads A Wide Variety of Tree Ornam...

I found this full page advertisement in the Woman's Section of The Sunday Journal (Decmber 2, 1906, Minneapolis, Minnesota). The headline says it all: Holiday Gifts for All Bring an Itemized List of Things  To Buy Each Member of the Family Fun to see both the list of gifts and how the family members are described. How times have changed!

Ever wonder how much it would cost to purchase all the gifts in the classic Holiday song The Twelve Days of Christmas ? Well, the past couple of years we have passed on the tabulation from the folks over at PNC Wealth Management who calculate the PNC Christmas Price Index . Here we go again for 2012, which is the 29th time they have done this index that totals the cost of items gifted by a True Love who repeats all of the song's verses.   The 2012 Holiday season is the most expensive year ever for this index. Very thoughtful True Loves must fork over $107,300.24 for all 364 gifts, an even more generous jump of 6.1 percent compared to last year. Swans, which tend to be the most volatile gift in the index, rose by 11.1 percent, continuing the momentum of last year’s 12.5 percent increase, to $7,000. Costs for other gifts in the index moved as follows: Six items (the Partridge, Two Turtle Doves, Four Calling Birds, Eight Maids-A-Milking, Nine Ladies Dancing and 10 Lo...

With December first fast approaching, you need to have your Advent Calendars in place. I still remember the thrill of opening a window each morning in December to find the surprise scene hidden inside ... and our children were just as excited with their calendars. This year we have a nice selection of traditional German Advent Calendars (made by the same company that has made them in Germany for a century). These are wonderful lithographed scenes of villages, Christmas trees and even a train, a carou se l and a h ot air balloon! Supply is limited and time is sh ort so come on in while they last. These all are priced from $11.95 to $14.95. We also have a few very special, non-traditional pixie and garland advent calendars . I posted these a few days ago so check those out too.

Los Gatos is a town that is full of spirit and fun. All year long there are wonderful events , from runs and bike rides to wine walks and music. The Holidays bring their own list of family events to our town. Here's a rundown of what's up. Friday, Nov 30: Tree Lighting in the Town Plaza. Tree Lighting festivities start at 4:00 pm at the Plaza Park at the corner of Main Street and Santa Cruz Ave. Actual lighting of the tree is at 6pm. Santa arrives on a red fire engine at 6:01pm and goes back to North Pole at 7pm. Saturday, Dec 1: 56th Annual Los Gatos Children’s Christmas/Holidays Parade . The parade starts at 11 am . It proceeds down Santa Cruz Avenue (right in front of Vintages, which is a great spot to watch the happenings as the judging location is across the street!) and then on to Main Street. We will open a bit early, so stop in. Nov 23 through Dec 31: Fantasy of Lights at Vasona Park . A dr...

Now that the Holiday Season is in full swing, you'll need to have the perfect hostess gift for parties and dinners ... or maybe pick up some delightful stocking stuffers while they are still available. We have some really wo nderful items to satisfy your desires. See what we mean below! Candy Jars Filled with Peppermint Candies ($24.95 each) Festive Holiday "Poppers" ($28.95 for a box of 8 poppers) Little Holiday Porcelain Boxes ($13.95 each) Cute Little Bird Ornaments (starting at $2.95 each) Heart Ornaments • Perfect for Someone Special ($10.95 each) Frosted Holly Berry & Bay Leaf Sprays ($24.95 each) Holiday Magnets • Made in the USA (from $10.95 each) Holiday Mugs ($14.95 each) • Cheese Boards with Knife ($29.95 set) Holiday Platters and Plates in Various Sizes (from $18.95 each) These are only available in our Los Gatos shop at this time.

We have searched out and acquired a nice collection of vintage Christmas decorations, jewelry and ornaments. These come from many places, as we accumulate them when we travel and from local estates as well. This year we have several Santa Claus lights ... and a snowman as well. Some of the decorations ar e vintage 1950s picks and Shiny Brite ornaments , including a couple of sets in the original boxes! We even have a small collection of Victorian tinsel ornaments. Equally f un are candle holders, village scenes, old cards , postcards, tags and sheet music. Come in and check out our selection. You might even recognize a few items from ... well, you know when! Choir Boys ($39) Vintage Christmas Pins (from $29 each) 1960s Plastic Santa Claus & Snowman Lights ($65 each) Christmas Village Houses & Churches (from $18 each)