TAMPA - A little after 10 o'clock Christmas morning in back of the 301 Truck Stop near Interstate-4, Ricardo Perez is under the hood of a semi-truck installing a new water pump. ...more

December 25, 2007

When I was 11 years old, there wasn't a lot of reason to pine for a stack of presents piled under a Christmas tree. ...more

December 25, 2007

On behalf of the residents of Sun 'N Lakes, Lake Placid, we would like to thank the Highlands Little Theatre and its group known as "The Glad Hatters." They came to our club house and their program consisted of great skits, stories and songs brought us all into the "Festive, Christmas mood." This group, when not busy in the theater, are really entertaining. Give them a call and at no charge they will perform for your group. I would be remiss if I failed to thank our Barbara Huff and her hard-working group who prepared the delicious food and did a great job of serving and cleaning up. Another of our hard workers, Barbara Scott did an awesome job putting up a huge Christmas tree and decorating the entire building (including the bathroom.) If all of this didn't lift our spirits and make us happy, well it did! So, once again, a sincere thank you to everyone. We're all so lucky to have such friends. ...more

December 24, 2007

SEBRING — Often, kids who enter the Highlands County Courthouse are more afraid of the front lobby than they are of actually going inside a courtroom. With this in mind, bailiffs at the courthouse have been celebrating the holidays by handing out stuffed animals to kids. After going through the building's metal detector and letting their items pass through an X-ray machine, children are allowed to choose a toy amongst a group of stuffed animals sitting underneath a Christmas tree. "It's been pretty successful," said bailiff William Dilling. "We had a little girl come in a few days ago who was afraid to go through the metal detector, but we were able to convince her that she'd get a (stuffed animal) out of it." ...more

December 24, 2007

Every year I hear the same questions: How politically correct is it to celebrate Christmas or have Christmas tree in public? Is it OK to send a Christmas greetings to your coworkers and colleagues? ...more

December 24, 2007

This time of year reminds many of us of fond memories of the splendid gifts we found waiting for us under the Christmas tree when we were kids. ...more

December 23, 2007

With pitchforks and heavy coats, three teenage cousins brave below-freezing temperatures and learn how to pitch straw into a sheep pen - something their teacher, 27-year-old Matt McClain, has been doing since he was a kid. ...more

December 23, 2007

At least they're not going to lose money, but members of the South Hillsborough Lions Club are hoping more people will pick up a tree this weekend before Santa shows up looking for a place to stack the presents. ...more

December 22, 2007

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Growing up, it was tradition for Jason Dittman to help his father decorate their house for Christmas. ...more

December 22, 2007

Donations were down this year, but Alex Cooks didn't want to disappoint the hundreds of schoolchildren who would find new bicycles under the Christmas tree. ...more

December 22, 2007