Cathy writes in and lets us know that the First Christian Church of Decatur’s Frazier Fir Christmas trees are now on sale!  Click here for prices and details.

My wife saw the trees being arranged on the lawn yesterday (fresh from North Carolina according to Cathy), but I wasn’t quite sure when they officially went “on sale”.

So if your looking for a live tree this year, stop by First Christian!  Or just go online and order…they offer free delivery within a 5 mile radius.

Brent, a DM fan currently living in D.C., writes in with this question about Decatur eateries…

We’re flying in [to Decatur] Christmas Day to visit my mom (who lives in downtown Dec) for a few days.  Are any restaurants in/near Decatur open Christmas NIGHT?  We won’t be there until maybe 4:00, so the usual mid-day options (some major restaurants and hotel buffets) will have shut down by then.  Must we just make a quick dinner at home (Mom’s in her 80s and doesn’t cook much anymore) or will the Majestic on Ponce be our only option outside the apartment?

Isn’t Denny’s always open on Christmas?  (Just kidding Brent!)

It’s way better than standing in line at the mall waiting to spend a mere 30 seconds on Santa’s lap!

This Thursday (Dec 20th), take the kids up to Decatur Square and roast marshmallows with Jolly Old Saint Nick over an open bonfire. Perhaps a couple of perfectly toasted marshmallows will convince Santa to put that Transformers Ultimate Bumblebee action figure under your tree.

From the Decatur Business Association homepage…

Holiday Bonfire & Marshmallow Roast
December 20, 2007 • 7-8 p.m.
Make plans to join the community and roast marshmallows around the popular 10′ x 10′ bonfire on the square. Enjoy special music and visit Santa in the Community Bandstand. Free. Sponsored by Decatur Business Association.

No chestnuts?

If you happen to see a group of well-dressed people with clipboards trolling the streets of your neighborhood this Sunday, don’t be alarmed.  They aren’t checking to see if your lights are on timers or want you to give money to the Democratic Party of Georgia.  These folks are compiling a list of the “best dressed” holiday houses in Decatur.

On Sunday, December 16th, these unaccredited “decoration judges” will ride along the city streets looking to dub one Decatur home as the best decorated house in the city.  The top ten homes will be displayed on the city’s website.

What do you win?  Well the overall winner gets the “Commissioners Cup” according to the city’s website, while runners up get a pic on the website and 364 days of bragging rights (if that’s the kind of neighbor you are).

So, when the sun rises tomorrow, get those semi-wet leaves off the lawn and down to the curb, get up on a ladder and deck the freakin’ halls with lights, swags and giant inflatable snow globes.

If you’re still looking for inspiration after that motivational peptalk, check out the 2006 winners here.

Are the plethora of holiday happenings around Atlanta a bit too overwhelming? Here a few of my and other bloggers’ picks…

The Decatur Arts Alliance blog notes the Decatur Civic Chorus‘ Christmas Concert at the First Baptist Church this coming Sunday…

The ladies over at Pecanne Log highly recommend the ASO Gospel Christmas Concert next Friday Dec 14th at 8p, while I suggest (with rather strong bias) Christmas with the ASO, which is going on this weekend (though I’ve heard Saturday performances are already sold out).

Also don’t forget that the Decatur Tour of Homes ($20) starts this evening at 5:30p and runs tomorrow night too. (See this previous post for more details) If you’re too busy singing Christmas concerts and can’t do the Decatur Tour of Homes (like me) consider checking of Avondale’s Christmas Tour of Homes and Market ($12) on Sunday from 3p-8p.