Ask a Patch Pro: Last Minute Gift Ideas

Got someone on your list who is hard to shop for? We've got Twin Cities style consultants on deck to help you find the perfect gift.

We all have at least one person in our lives that presents a perennial problem during the holidays: They're impossible to shop for. Maybe they're a vegan who can't countenance any animal products whatsoever, or a friend who is allergic to everything from angora to silk, or worse, the one who never wants anything. Enter Melissa Hardin, creator of Flaunt, a mobile boutique run by a group of fashion artists and style consultants out of a studio in Fridley. Also on deck are Jennifer Zafft, Marketing Director for The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove, and Lisa Buck, a resident of the Lake Minnetonka area and veteran holiday shopper, and Kelly Bray of Zida Boutique in Burnsville. Stymied? Whipshawed by confusion? These ladies will help you …

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Your One Picture Could Be Worth $100,000 to Local Schools

National 'Deck the House' contest is as simple as snapping a photo of your neighbor's holiday display.

Enter Patch “Deck the House” Contest

Enter our "Deck the House" contest and you could win $100,000 for your school district, and/or $500 to pay your electric bills!

Enter Patch's “Deck the House” Contest

You could win $100,000 for your school district, and/or $500 to pay your electric bills.

Now That's a (Six-Foot) Nutcracker! Fridley Holiday Finds on Craigslist

Folks in Fridley are ready to part with items such as a Santa apron with matching hat.

You don't have to travel far or spend a ton to add to your collection of holiday items, judging by recent for-sale listings for Fridley on Craigslist. The biggest deal in terms of size is probably the six-foot nutcracker statue. According to the listing, "he is in amazing condition" and hasn't been seen on it's Fridley front yard for five years. ($100/best offer) Award for best holiday tie-in goes to the vintage Slinky toy, which the "Stocking Stuffer" listing says would make a "Great Christmas holiday gift." ($10) Runner-up: A little red wagon, an "Antique ... from way back" that "Makes for a great Christmas holiday display." ($40) Many of the items could help you start your own Christmas in the 1970s exhibit like the one at the Fridley …

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Nature Hike with Santa, Gingerbread Houses: Holiday Events at Three Rivers Parks

From the Candy Cane Hunt to making nature crafts, a variety of holiday activities are happening in Three Rivers Parks Dec. 9-15, 2012.

The following was provided by Three Rivers Park District. Make a Gingerbread House Saturday, Dec. 8, from 10:30-noon, or 12:30-2 p.m., at Kroening Interpretive Center, in North Mississippi Regional Park, Brooklyn Center. Create a gingerbread house and landscape its yard using crackers, cookies, icing, and a variety of colorful candies. Refreshments and all materials are provided. Cost is $8 and reservations are required.  Call 763-559-6700 to make a reservation and reference activity number #116901-19 for the morning session, or #116901-20 for the afternoon session. This program is for ages 4+. Nature Hike with Santa at Eastman Nature Center Santa’s elves have lost the magic reindeer food! Help Santa look for it as you walk along the …

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See 'Christmas in the 1970s' at Fridley History Center

New exhibit open Saturdays and Tuesdays through Dec. 18, 2012.