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How about that snow storm we had? That had to be the heaviest snow ever. We spent all day Sunday just playing in it. Our kids built a fort, a huge snowman, and some other very odd looking structures that leave you scratching your head. The snow was perfect for making snowballs, but as I learned, they hurt a little more than normal.

As I went out to shovel on Sunday morning, I was prepared for a hard workout, but a few seconds later I decided it was insurmountable. After a few seconds of deliberating about my white driveway, I decided to take the lazy man's way out. I hopped in my truck and proceeded to drive back and forth about a hundred times until the snow was packed down. I got to sit in a warm truck and listen to the radio while sipping my coffee. I think I am on to something here. All I need is some really wide tires and I can start a business.

We here at the County Press are proud to bring you our 2011 Christmas Gift Guide. The gift guide is filled with tons of great ads from local businesses offering you some spectacular deals this holiday season.

The guide is filled with recipes and decorating ideas that will make your holiday season memorable. There is once again a coloring contest for the kids with a chance to win some great prizes.

I really hope we all make a concerted effort to spend our Christmas presents money locally when at all possible. We really need to lean on each other in these tough times, so by spending locally we help ensure these great businesses will be here when we get out of this recession.

We here at the Press are getting started on the 2011 Chisago Lakes Community Guide and Visitors Guide and we need your help. If you saw our guide from last year, you know what a great local booklet packed with valuable information it is. In the guide, we have some really great photos of the area, some of which had been submitted by you. We would like to continue that tradition and offer you a chance to have your photos published in the 2011 guide.

We need your help once again. We are looking for some really great photos that emphasize the Chisago Lakes Area. The photos can be of whatever you think expresses Chisago Lakes. They can be of nature, events, people, or whatever you like. We will consider each and every picture we receive. If your photo is used in the guide, you will receive full photo credit.

Please send your photos to Chisago County Press, PO Box 748, Lindstrom, MN 55045 attn: Matt.

If you are looking for a Christmas gift for someone and are really stuck on what to get, I have an idea. What if you gave a subscription to the Chisago County Press? How many other Christmas presents come to your doorstep 52 times a year? How many Christmas presents are filled with valuable community information, school happenings, sports and great advertising from local businesses? If you purchase the Press as a gift, we will give you a gift certificate and a copy of the Press that you can wrap up and put under the tree. A subscription is a great idea for someone who has trouble getting out and about. Give us a call at 651-257-5115, we will be more than happy to help you solve your gift giving woes.

I know I have been writing about this recently, but it is worth repeating. The Chisago Lakes Senior High is putting on another great musical this year. Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma is the featured production. In North Branch it is: Seussical The Musical. The students have been rehearsing like crazy and promise to put on great shows. Both shows open November 18, you can purchase tickets online at www.chisagolakes.k12.mn.us or you can buy them at the ticket offices at the schools.

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