Christmas Eve

Tim Willert Christmas Eve in my family was usually marred by bad blood of some sort while I was growing up. Nana Kathryn, my grandmother, usually hit the sauce early, became belligerent and picked a fight or three. My mother, Suzanne, prepared dinner for about a dozen relatives, and was usually on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She often made a point to bad-mouth my Aunt Pat and Uncle Dick for being late. Every year. My two younger brothers and I would just grin and bear it, knowing there was a payoff or two underneath the Christmas tree.

Gretchen Hoffman Shoppers are looking for more than yuletide presents between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. About a quarter of the couples who get engaged each year pop the question amid holiday cheer, and Glendale-based Robbins Bros. is gearing up for the nuptial rush. Robbins Bros. executives estimate that about 2,500 customers will go through the doors of the store, 300 W. Colorado St., in December alone, accounting for about 25% of the store's annual sales.

Alecia Foster DOWNTOWN -- A faulty fireplace was the cause of a house fire that caused $60,000 worth of damage Sunday morning. Six units of Glendale firefighters responded to the fire on the 300 block of N. Louise Street at about 10:54 a.m. on Christmas Eve. Preliminary investigation showed a leak in the fireplace's flue between the first and second floors of the two story home, said Battalion Chief Don Wright....

Temple Sinai has Hanukkah party GLENDALE - Temple Sinai of Glendale will celebrate Hanukkah with a family party at 5 p.m. Saturday at Temple Sinai, 1212 N. Pacific Ave. A Chinese dinner will be served and a magic show will be presented by Dean Dill. Reservations are required. Hanukkah is an eight-day festival known as the Feast of Dedication and also the Feast of Lights. For more information, call 246-8101. Menorah lighting ceremony planned GLENDALE - Congregation Hugat Haverim will host a Hanukkah celebration at 6:30 p.m. today in a private home.

On both the first Sunday and the first Christmas Eve after their church burned down, Christian Life Church goers found sanctuary down the road. The Christian Life Church went up in a fire Wednesday night, completely destroying the 85-year-old building. On Christmas Eve, La Crescenta Presbyterian Church members opened their doors and shook the hands of their neighbors displaced by Wednesday night's fire. "Merry Christmas," said La Crescenta Presbyterian Church elder Charles Hazelton.

For more than 34 years, Kathy Anthony has trekked to Oregon in the hot summer months dressed in a tank top and shorts and armed with a keen eye for what will be the focal point of many homes in the upcoming holiday season -- the Christmas tree. Though the summer heat gives no hint of the coming cold months of November and December, Kathy knows that the trip north is essential in order for her to hand-pick the majority of the 1,500 trees that will make it to the lot that houses Kathy's Trees at 8421 Foothill Blvd.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- Santa's helpers went back to work on Friday to deliver a few more Christmas presents and brighten up the holiday for patients at Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center. Wearing Santa hats, student volunteers brought good wishes and loaves of raisin bread to dozens of Armenian patients on the day that many people around the world recognize Christmas Eve. The Armenian Apostolic Church and others celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6, following a tradition older than that of observing the holiday on Dec. 25. Eliza Derderian of Arleta was lying in bed next to her 2-day-old daughter, Lara, when her braided loaf arrived.

Twin sisters Janet Boggs and Judy Brock are known for their musically charged contributions to worship at La Cañada Presbyterian Church. “The church loves them,” Director of Music and Worship Arts Tony Chunn said. “They have a huge following.” Brock leads the Cherubs and Celebrate Singers, two choirs for children in kindergarten through second grade and third through sixth grade. She also headed the church’s youth orchestra for six years. Boggs volunteers as a mandolin player, and her children are part of Brock’s choirs.

GLENDALE — It might not qualify as a Christmas miracle, but sales and traffic around Glendale retail hubs exceeded last year’s numbers, mall operators said. The Americana at Brand is anticipating its best Christmas season on record in its short history, and the parking lot at the Glendale Galleria has been filled to capacity for seven days leading up to the big day, representatives for the two properties said. “People are shopping with confidence,” said Jennifer Gordon, a senior vice president with Caruso Affiliated, which owns the Americana.

For those celebrating the birth of the Lord in the Philippines, being an early riser comes with the territory. During annual Simbang Gabi celebrations — a nine-day novena leading up to Christmas Eve — people in the Philippines celebrate Mass as early as 4 a.m. According to “Origin of Simbang Gabi” published by St. Bede’s Parish, “Filipinos were farmers or fishermen who either began or ended their day at dawn....