Religious Flash Mob Surprises Mall Shoppers [VIDEO]

More than 100 people broke into song at West County Center as Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus made an appearance.

More than 100 people participated in a flash mob over the weekend to remind shoppers at West County Center of the religious significance of Christmas. The majority of the mob included participants singing Christmas songs. The singing culminated in the appearance of the Holy Family. Jennie Marino and two friends were behind the event that took place Saturday. "I had seen a video done by a professional group of singers and thought it was a great idea. When I could not find a group doing something similar, I felt the Lord's leading to start one myself," Marino said. The flash mob started with a post on Facebook on Nov. 30. Marino and other organizers were able to pull the performance together in less than two weeks, including two rehearsals …

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Hitting the Road This Thanksgiving? You're Not Alone

AAA is forecasting that 43.6 million people will be driving to their Thanksgiving feast. And here's some good news - gas prices are expected to drop by Thursday.

AAA projects 43.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. That's an increase of 0.7 percent over the 43.3 million people who traveled last year. This increase marks the fourth consecutive year of growing holiday travelers since 2008 when Thanksgiving travel fell by 25 percent. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 21, to Sunday, Nov. 25. “Thanksgiving travel hit a decade low in 2008 when only 37.8 million Americans traveled,” said AAA President and CEO Robert Darbelnet in a news release. “Since that year we have seen a steady increase in the number of travelers taking to the roads and skies for the holiday. Americans continue to find ways to economize …

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Editor's Notebook

The Week in Review

The holidays and some news set the mood for the season.

The past week focused on one consistent theme: the holiday season. Leading up to the day of giving, though, there was a ton of holiday features as well as news sprinkled in from around town. Here's a recap of the week that was:

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Editor's Notebook

All Wrapped Up

Florissant Patch editor demonstrates how to gift wrap all of those Christmas gifts.

Have you bought all of your Christmas gifts, but you're not the best gift wrapper? Gift-wrapping can often turn into a heinous and treacherous experience, instead of a fun and pleasant one. Florissant editor Aja J. Junior showcases her quick and easy steps to decorate your gift and make a pretty gift for underneath the tree.

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Adventures in Parenting

I Believe in Santa Claus

Let the make-believe and innocence of children last as long as it can.

I can still remember the day I found out there was no Santa Claus. I asked my mom for a pad of paper, and while I sat there flipping through the pages, I saw what I soon realized to be a list of everything I had received for Christmas that year and how much they cost written in my mom's handwriting. Very upset, I ran to my mom where she confirmed my biggest fear: There was no Santa Claus.  I then asked her if that mean that there would be no more surprises. I was in third grade at the time, and I think that on some level I already knew there was no Santa Claus, but to have it confirmed that he wasn't real was still upsetting. I  recently spoke with someone who said that classmates at school were telling their first grader that Santa didn't…

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The Sound of Christmas

Setting the mood ahead of the holidays, local concerts and programs celebrate the season.

Decorations are up on every street and bitter cold has swept through the area, which can mean only one thing - the holidays are here.  As the holiday season swings into full gear, schools and other organizations in Florissant will be putting on free concerts and other winter arts programs to get residents and visitors into the holiday mood. On Monday, December 13, Cross Keys Middle School hosts its orchestra concert at 7 p.m. On the same night and at the same time, Wedgwood Elementary School  hosts a concert performed by the combined band for Duchesne, Combs and Wedgwood elementary schools. Six events will be taking place on Tuesday, Dec. 14. Duchesne Elementary School puts on its Christmas program at 6 p.m. at McCluer South-Berkeley High …

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New Option for Holiday Shopping

New fashion and home accessories boutique opens its doors officially in Florissant.

Guys have a closer and more intimate option as they prepare to shop for that special woman in their lives for the holiday. Andrea's Boutique, 1145 N. Lafayette, hosted its grand opening celebration at noon Friday.  The shop originally opened on Oct. 23. "It's really real now," said boutique owner Andrea D'Angelo. "Let's bring some flavor [to Florissant]. Let's have some fun." More than 15 people, including Greater North County Chamber of Commerce members and D'Angelo's family and friends, were on hand to commemorate the event as D'Angelo cut the purple ribbon to her boutique. "I'm so excited to have Andrea's Boutique in the city of Florissant," said Carolyn Marty, the new Chamber of Commerce president. "It's a great specialty shop that …

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TEAMwork Needed for the Holiday Season

With a higher need among families, supply is running low.

The Emergency Assistance Ministry is gearing up for the holiday season, and in the process is asking for all the help they can get from Florissant residents. Despite the rise in donations that accompanies the holiday season, the TEAM Food Pantry continues to find demand for its services increase among Florissant and Hazelwood households. Traditionally, the group worked with disabled, elderly and single mother households. The troubled economy has brought with it more challenges for TEAM, particularly in regards to intact households. Many families are living with both parents unemployed, and with their unemployment benefits coming to an end, they must look to groups like TEAM to help them get by. "Our crisis is the amount of people coming in…

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Editor's Notebook

The Week in Review

A look back through meetings, events and more for the week of Nov. 29-Dec. 4.

This week was a busy week around town. Florissant welcomed a new business to the area, held an annual ward meeting and rang in the holidays with a number of events. We also saw the end of football and the steady trend of basketball games amp up. Here's a look back - in case you already forgot.

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Patch Picks

The weekend is here, and it's time to plan it.

Saturday Christmas in Old Town Florissant It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially around Historic Old Town Florissant. Grandparents, parents, kids and others will enjoy a romp through "Winter Wonderland" sipping hot cocoa and snacking on cookies as well as a parade, Christmas tree lighting and the possibility of a special jolly old guy. The celebration starts at 1 p.m. Breakfast with Santa Here comes Santa Claus! Good ole St. Nick pays a special visit to a few churches around town for eggs, bacon and a cup of juice (a little different from his normal milk and cookies). Kids can dine with Santa and get a chance to move over to his "nice list." Festivities start at different times, visit our Events section for more …

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