Letter from the Editor: Building Holiday Traditions
This year, I finally have an excuse to shop in the toy section during the holidays. While my daughter will only be six months this Christmas, I am already shopping for new toys, books and clothes. It’s hard to hold back when it’s the first time around!
The most exciting part about this holiday season is having the opportunity to build traditions with my family that we will cherish every year. I am so excited to take my daughter to the Toledo Zoo’s Lights Before Christmas. It’s fun at any age, but I am already imagining her face when she sees all of the colorful, moving lights.
In this issue, we provide ideas for gifts for the whole family from local businesses in our Holiday Gift Guide. We offer tips on how to create a sensory friendly holiday for your family and we also focus on helpful resources in Toledo in our Disability Friendly Guide. Don’t forget to check out our November/December giveaway to receive a free gift from us!
Scorpio (October 23 to November 21)
Your Scorpio child is very intuitive and finds amazement in the stars. This year is a perfect year to help them learn about the celestial bodies. The Ritter Planetarium offers birthday parties where your child and their friends will experience exciting educational programs and a ride on a space-themed rollercoaster! If you choose to have a party at home, show space movies, decorate with planets that hang from the ceiling and serve space food. Perhaps create a selfie booth with space related costumes. Decorate with inexpensive blue lights or purchase paint that glows in the darks.
Toledo Area Holiday Gift Guide 2024
We’ll Frame It
328 W Dussel Dr, Maumee.
419-897-0591
We capture your family’s memories. Every frame tells a story and we can help you showcase your cherished milestones, such as photos, kids art, jerseys and much more. Make your frame story unique with your own personal style with our many frames and mat combinations. All work is done in the store with quality materials by experienced staff. We’ll Frame It has been in business for 29 years and is owner operated. We offer custom framing, matting and photo frames. Oversize framing is also available. Custom picture framing makes a great personal gift!
SafeSplash / SwimLabs
Various locations
Give the life skill of swim lessons this Holiday season! This is the PERFECT time of year to start swim lessons to give you a JUMP for when the weather starts turning warmer again. Because we teach all ages and abilities, we can help anyone become water competent and learn how to swim.
We have a proven curriculum and professionally trained swim instructors. Our approach is simple. We want to teach water safety skills AND we want it to be a positive experience. This is what creates lifelong swimmers and a love for the water.
So, HOP on IN to swim lessons at SafeSplash. Our water and our welcome will be WARM to you and your family.
Boyd’s Retro Candy
954 Phillips Ave.
419-720-7387
A true old time candy store where you’ll find candy from all time periods. Specializing in the 50s, 60s and 70s but satisfying candy lovers of every generation, patrons can purchase by the individual piece or in bulk. Take home some candy for you and your loved ones, treat your party or wedding guests to the corner store loves of your childhood, make special retro gift bags for gatherings and more. With over 1,000 candy choices, it will be easy to find a holiday gift choice for your loved ones.
Sidelines Sports Eatery
Various locations
419-474-0000
Sidelines Sports Eatery, in conjunction with Sidelines Italian Grille, Smokehouse 734, 734 @ The Yard and Brick House Commons, offer several area locations and food styles for you to enjoy. Whether you need an event fully catered, a small room to hold a meeting or an event space for your wedding, shower or party, Sidelines has you covered. Purchase gift cards at any of these locations to give the gift of a meal at a later date.
The Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts
1838 Parkwood Ave UNIT 310 Toledo
419-246-8000
The Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), a performing arts organization consisting of the Toledo Symphony, Toledo Ballet, Toledo Symphony School of Music, Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras and more, hosts performances year round for the Toledo community to enjoy. This holiday season, don’t miss the annual performance of “The Nutcracker” Dec. 13 through Dec. 15. Showtimes vary. Tickets start at $27.
Franklin Park Mall
5001 Monroe St., Ste. 700
419-473-3317
The mall is a place you know and love, but the holiday season brings more events and fun for the whole family while taking care of your holiday shopping. Enjoy visits with Santa, Nov. 22 through Dec. 24 at Santa’s Wishing Garden, CenterCourt. There’s nothing quite as enchanting as the time-honored tradition of sharing wishes with Santa. Franklin Park Mall warmly welcomes you to Santa’s Wish-ing Garden for visits, keepsake photos and the magic of wishes.Times vary. Enjoy special treats and cozy moments from Franklin Perk Cafe with each Santa visit.
Toledo Area Trick-or-Treat Times 2024
Starting on Saturday, Oct. 26, children dressed as ghosts, princesses, superheroes and other creative characters will walk the sidewalks in pursuit of filling their candy bags. Trick-or-treating will take place on different days depending on the community. Read on to see when your community is holding trick-or-treating.
Saturday, Oct. 26
These communities will be holding trick-or-treating the weekend before Halloween. Make sure you have your candy ready to go!
Findlay: 6-8pm
Fostoria: 5:30-7pm
Grand Rapids: 4-6pm
VanBuren: 6:30-8pm
Weston: 6-8pm
Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024
Fremont: 4-6pm
Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024
These communities are holding trick-or-treating on the day of Halloween!
Archbold: 6-7:30pm
Bowling Green: 6:30-8pm
Delta: 6-7:30pm
Elmore: 6-8pm
Fayette: 6-7:30pm
Genoa: 6-7:30pm
Holland: 6-8pm
Jerusalem Township: 6-8pm
Lake Township: 6-8pm
Luckey: 6-7:30pm
Lyons: 5:30-7pm
Maumee: 6-8pm
Metamora: 5:30-7:30pm
Millbury: 6-8pm
Monclova Township: 6-8pm
Napoleon: 6-8pm
North Baltimore: 5-7pm
Northwood: 6-7:30pm
Norwalk: 6-7:30pm
Oak Harbor: 6-7:30pm
Oregon: 6-8pm
Pemberville: 5:30-7pm
Perrysburg: 6-8pm
Perrysburg Township: 6-8pm
Port Clinton: 6-8pm
Rossford: 5:30-7:30pm
Springfield Township: 6-8pm
Sylvania: 6-7:30pm
Sylvania Township: 6-7:30pm
Swanton: 5:30- 7pm
Toledo: 6-8pm
Walbridge: 6-8pm
Washington Township: 6-8pm
Waterville: 6-8pm
Wauseon: 6-7:30pm
Whitehouse: 6-8pm
Woodville: 6-8pm
Donate Extra Halloween Candy for Cash and a Cause
Trick-or-treating is a fun activity for kids to dress up, get outside and bond with friends and family. However, kids often come home with an excess of Halloween candy.
Instead of consuming too many sweets, Frankel Dentistry is encouraging families to make the healthy choice to turn in their Halloween candy for cash. They can bring their extra candy to any of Frankel Dentistry’s locations of Talmadge Rd., Keystone Dr. or Dustin Rd.
RELATED: Toledo Area Halloween Parties, Trunk-or-Treats and More
For every pound of candy brought in, they will receive one dollar. Candy must be wrapped.
“Regular dental checkups and daily brushing are important, but reducing sugar intake, especially after Halloween, is an easy way to protect your teeth and overall health,” Dr. Frankel said. “By trading in that extra candy, you’re making a healthy choice.”
This candy will not go to waste, instead it will be sent to local organizations supporting our troops overseas. Last year, Frankel Dentistry was able to donate over a ton of candy to troops and the goal is to get even more this year.
Frankel Dentistry’s candy buyback will take place right after Halloween day, Nov. 1-8.
5012 Talmadge Rd., Toledo. 419-474-9611.
4359 Keystone Dr., Maumee. 419-893-0221.
3150 Dustin Rd., Oregon. 419-693-0781.