Judge Judy, Revamped Mall and Santa's Little Helpers: Pick of Our Patches

This week's roundup includes a new clinic, answers to some light rail questions, a man's fifth DWI-related charge and concerns about a bandshell's location.

Editor’s Note: Every week we bring you a sampling of stories from Patch sites in the west metro: Eden Prairie, Edina, Fridley, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Richfield, Southwest Minneapolis, St. Louis Park and St. Michael. St. Michael Couple, Now Split, Takes Troubles to 'Judge Judy' A disagreement about a man's loan to his then-girlfriend for Homeowner Association dues was featured on the popular TV court show. See the video for Judge Judy's no-nonsense attitude and her ruling. Take a Digital Tour of the Revamped Southdale Center Just in time for holiday shoppers, extensive renovations at Edina's iconic Southdale Center are nearly complete. The mall has been open for business all along, of …

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12 Days of Hannukwanzaamas

The Christmas Tree Tradition

Do you know how the Christmas tree tradition began?

Long before the advent of Christianity, ancient peoples hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. Some cultures believed evergreens would keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness. The beginning of the Christmas tree tradition, as we know it, began in Germany in the 16th century. As waves of Germans arrived in  America, in the 19th Century, many Americans found Christmas trees an oddity. Which U.S. state is credited with having the first Christmas tree on display? Editor's Note: Select your answer in the poll below and tell us how you know the answer in the comments section. We'll post the correct answer with our next holiday trivia question.

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Caitlin Burgess

10:15 pm on Monday, December 19, 2011

Oh and by the way everyone, those who answered Pennsylvania were correct!   more ›

Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Minnesota Christmas-tree growers say their crop offers numerous economic and environmental advantages over artificial trees.

There’s more to love about a real Christmas tree than the pretty ornaments. Tree-growers in Minnesota cite a number of factors—both environmental and economic—that make their products preferable to their artificial competition. “Bringing a real Christmas tree into the home is a tradition that goes back centuries. The tree's pleasant aroma gives an instant reminder that Christmas is in the air,” says the Rum River and Hampton Hills Tree Farms website at CutYourOwn.com. Living trees, the site notes, are a renewable, recyclable resource: “Artificial trees, on the other hand, average a lifespan of only six years; then [they] are tossed in a landfill, where they lie in a composed state for centuries.” Adds Krueger’s Christmas Trees of Lake Elmo…

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Timothy Larsen

1:08 am on Sunday, December 18, 2011

Real tree for us every year. We meet up with some friends at a local tree farm every year on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. We cut down our trees, then retreat to their house for food and games. It makes for a wonderful start to the Christmas season.   more ›

Keep Your Tree Fresh and Green

Minnetonka Patch has got tips to help keep your Christmas tree healthy and green.

Christmas trees can set you back a fair amount of change these days. And nothing is more frustrating than shelling out the dough and a week later seeing your once glorious green Christmas tree, now wilted, dry and brownish. So Minnetonka Patch headed over to the experts at Tonkadale Greenhouses to talk trees. Their resident tree expert, Bill Porter, gave us his top five tips for keeping this year's Christmas tree healthy and green.  1.     Pick out a good tree from the get go. According to Porter, the best way to judge a tree's health is by its needles. If you pull on a needle and it breaks off right away, that's a sign that the tree is dry. He said Balsam, Canaan Fir and Fraser Fir trees are the longest lasting varieties. 2.     Ask …

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