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What a wonderful weekend packed full of lighting events we had.  Once we got thru the mini-blizzard on Friday evening, the weather was great.  Lindstrom and Chisago City were both jam-packed with families enjoying the festivities.  We have two pages of photos from both events in this Press on pages 8 and 9.  Thanks to everyone who volunteered to make these events so special.  Thanks to the Chisago Lakes Choir and the Chisago Lakes Band who kept us entertained at both places.

In this edition of the Press you will find our winter sports preview.  The section is filled with stories on our local high schools and their winter teams. Jeff and Chuck interviewed the coaches from Chisago Lakes and North Branch and put together some great insight on the upcoming seasons.  We hope you enjoy it. And as always, you don’t have to have kids in the school system to enjoy high school sports.  Come on out and see how talented our local teams are.  It’s cheap and very entertaining.

This Saturday, the good folks at Chisago Lake Lutheran Church in Center City invite the public to come enjoy a Christmas celebration as it was celebrated in Sweden many years ago.  The Sankta Lucia program is Saturday at 9 a.m. in the fellowship hall and is a wonderful step back in time.  At 8:30 a.m., there will be goodies available to enjoy with a hot beverage.  Come on out, and bring the family!

I know Christmas isn’t for a few weeks, but if you will be alone this Christmas, I have a suggestion.  How about enjoying a great Christmas meal with fellow community members at First United Methodist Church?  Some super volunteers have set aside their Christmas mornings to put together a wonderful Christmas meal free of charge.  All you have to do is pre-register by calling 651-257-4306.  Reservations must be made by December 16.  

So far we have had a pretty good turnout with the Gift Guide coloring contest.  There is still time for your children or grandchildren to submit their colorings that were in the Gift Guide.  If by chance you didn’t get one, or missed seeing it, we have extras here at the Press.  Entries are due by December 19 and a prize will be awarded for each of the three age groups. Send them to us at PO Box 748, Lindstrom, MN 55045 or drop off in our front door here at the Press, we are located at 12631 Lake Blvd. in Lindstrom.

Lost a good friend Ross Johnson this week.  I have known Ross forever and he has always been such a kind soul.  Many of you will recognize Ross when you see his picture.  He was a wonderful guy and will be sorely missed.

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