December 9, 2024

December 9, 2024 5:55 am Published by Chris McLeod

December 9th is the 344th day of the year. There are 22 days remaining until the end of the year.

Toy hamper packing begins tonight with the Chatham Goodfellows. This is the 70th year of the No Child Goes Without a Christmas campaign.

All are welcome to help with toy packing, beginning tonight at the former Monsignor Uyen school (255 Lark St., Chatham) Packing will happen nightly until December 12th, between 6-8 p.m.

For more information on the annual campaign, go to ChathamGoodfellows.ca, or join the Chatham Goodfellows Facebook Page. You can donate by mailing a cheque to P.O. Box 114 Chatham, ON N7M 5K1 or by e-transfer to donate@chathamgoodfellows.ca and receive an automatic receipt.

This Friday and Saturday is the annual Street Sales. Go here to volunteer.

Chris and Allanah are volunteering their time this morning at Sobeys Chatham to watch a Salvation Army Kettle.

The goal this year is $550,000 and that will stay local and support local initiatives.

Please make a donation (some kettles are equipped to take debit and credit cards) and volunteer your time to watch a kettle over the holidays. To help out call the Chatham-Kent Salvation Army at 519-437-1784 or 519-437-1769 or check out the Facebook page for info.

Stop by and see CKMORNINGS between 10-noon this morning at Sobeys Chatham.

The Salvation Army is also collecting toys for the holiday season. At the moment they’re packing toys for 500 children and are running low on toys for all ages. Toys are needed early this week. Connect with them if you’d like to make a donation. The Salvation Army works closely with the Chatham Goodfellows to make sure both organizations are helping as many families as possible.

Tolls at the Ambassador Bridge will be going up next month.

The toll for a passenger vehicle on the bridge going from Canada into the United States is going up to $12. That’s up from a previous rate of $11 Canadian. Paying in U.S. dollars, the rate from the U.S. to Canada is now $9 US, up from $8 US.

The toll adjustment will be effective January 1, 2025.

Winter is bad for your health, appearance and your sex life.

A poll of 2,000 adults found the cold and dark winter months result in an increase in illnesses, a lower mood and an overall lack of motivation. People in the survey said they have less energy, struggle to wake up, have sore and achy joints and muscles, and are more likely to consume unhealthy or sugary foods than in the summer months.

By the way, Winter doesn’t officially start until December 21.

Today is Green Monday.

Its always the second Monday of December and experts say it is the busiest sales day of the month, due to looming holiday shopping deadlines.

It’s also, specifically, the last Monday with at least 10 days prior to Christmas — which is important if the gift you bought needs at least 10 business days to arrive.

The “Green” in Green Monday refers to money, which shoppers are more willing to spend with less than two weeks remaining until Christmas. There is a sense of urgency, and that translates into online sales as people rush to complete their holiday shopping lists.