Sunday Cartoon: Better to Give Than Receive

'Tis also the season for charity.

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Oak Brook Mall Prepped for Black Friday Rush

The center's official hours, plus stores that are opening at different times, for Black Friday shopping.

One of the biggest shopping destinations near La Grange, La Grange Park and Western Springs has already started opening stores as Black Friday, considered one of the biggest shopping (and deals) days of the year, kicks off, The Doings Western Springs reported. Oakbrook Center's official mall hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, although several stores have hours extending beyond that, the paper said. Read the full story at the Doings Western Springs website.

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Tips to Keep Spending Under Control This Holiday Season

Charter One Bank, with ATM machines in area Speedway locations, offers the following tips.

This year, if you want to take advantage of the Black Friday deals, you don't even have to get up early on Friday morning. You can just have one or two extra slices of pumkin pie and head out to area retailers just after midnight.  Heck, Wal-Mart is opening its doors at 8 p.m. on Thursday for the shoppers who just can't take another minute of Aunt Martha. But, all those great deals can still have a terrible effect on household budgets. So, the folks at Charter One Bank, who have ATMs in area Speedway locations, including 23901 Eames St., put together the following tips: Build a budget – To manage your holiday spending, an important first step is to create a realistic budget that will help you to understand how much you can afford. When you…

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How Early is Too Early for Christmas Shopping?

It used to be Black Friday was for the earliest of early shoppers. Not anymore. Look around. The stores are ready now.

Look around the Chicago area and you'll see all the signs: The early birds no longer wait until Black Friday to do their Christmas shopping. This year, Black Friday is on Nov. 23, but big retailers and mail-order companies are starting well in advance. Amazon, for example, is beginning its Black Friday on Nov. 14. Crazy or crazy smart? Just how early is too early to shop for Christmas 2012 gifts? Take our poll.

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Christmas 2012 Gifts: What Are You Hoping to Get?

Yes, already — even before Black Friday. We know the Christmas shopping tends to get done earlier every year in the La Grange area and everywhere else. So, here's your chance to tell your friends and family what Christmas gift you want in 2012.

Head to area stores and you'll see that it's already beginning to look a lot like Christmas 2012 in and around the village. All kinds of gift ideas are out there. For totally local, just for example, you can get to Vintage Charm, Glamour or Stitches So Sweet to find a one-of-a-kind gift in the heart of La Grange. Or perhaps Tuesday Morning, Clever Girl or The Uptown Shop in Western Springs. Maybe the big box stores are your thing? Walmart has already announced it is offering layaway again this year, with the iPad and HP Ultrabook-based laptops on the list of eligible purchases. The store has changed the policy on its open fee, which is kept if you ultimately can't pay for the item or refunded as a Walmart gift card when the item is fully …

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Patch Poll: Should Possession of Small Amounts of Marijuana be Legal?

Americans’ views on legalizing marijuana are changing and some governmental bodies are enacting or trying to enact laws to decriminalize possession of small amounts of the drug.

Fifty percent of Americans—the largest portion ever recorded—now favor legalizing marijuana, according to an October Gallup poll. That total is up from 46 percent last year. The Evanston City Council last month passed an ordinance amending the city’s marijuana laws so that any individual found in possession of 10 grams or less of marijuana will not be arrested. Instead, violators will be issued a notice to appear for a hearing, fined between $50 and $500 and possibly ordered to seek drug counseling, Evanston Patch reported. On the state level, State Rep. La Shawn Ford introduced a bill earlier this year that would lower the penalties for marijuana possession statewide. Rather than facing an arrest and potential jail time, anyone caught …

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Patch Poll: Has Black Friday Gone too Far?

This year, Black Friday was marred by violence and crime. Is it time for retailers to dial back the hype and promotion?

Should Black Friday be renamed Bloody Friday? Insane Friday? What-Has-This-Country-Come-To Friday? For some shoppers, Black Friday is all about the hunt for a good deal, and even a fun night, or early morning, out. However, in addition to a good deal on the latest electronics, Black Friday brought incidents involving pepper spray, shootings, looting and beatings. “Instead of a nice sweater, you need a bulletproof vest and goggles," Betty Thomas, 52, told the Associated Press Saturday while shopping with her family at a mall in Raleigh, N.C. Has this sales strategy gone too far? Should retailers be encouraged to dial back Black Friday hype and promotion? In addition to Black Friday, football is part of the Thanksgiving tradition, according …

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Joe Parkmoor

12:30 pm on Tuesday, September 18, 2012

God bless you, gina. You have my sympathies. I would never go shopping on Thanksgiving day or evening. Nor would I stand in line to shop before the crack of dawn the following day. I refuse to participate it an event which essentially robs people like you of their holiday.   more ›