The Community Presbyterian Church of Ben Avon, 7501 Church Ave. is opening its doors to the community with several events being held in the next few weeks.

A Christmas concert and dinner will be held Sunday, Dec. 11. The concert will begin at 4 p.m. and will feature chancel choir, junior choir, bell choir and soloists. Following the concert, dinner will be served in the Fellowship Hall. There is no cost for the dinner. A basket for a free will offering will be available.

Holiday celebrations around the North Boroughs kicked off last Friday when Bellevue welcomed Santa Claus and friends. Pictured here, 4-year-old Troy Arluf of Bellevue gives Santa a list of what he hopes to find under his tree on Christmas morning. Sponsored by the North Suburban Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Borough of Bellevue, the celebration featured a variety of entertainment and business-related events for those willing to brave the cold. Emsworth will host its annual tree lighting tonight, while Avalon has an entire day of festivities planned for Dec. 11.

A celebration of the holidays in Bellevue will be held Friday, Nov. 26, beginning with the lighting of the Christmas tree on the Central Methodist Church patio at 6:45 p.m.

Santa Claus will arrive at the patio by firetruck at 7 p.m.. There will be a number of activities, entertainment and refreshments along Lincoln Avenue.

The event is sponsored by the North Suburban Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the Borough of Bellevue.

The vast majority of Lincoln Avenue building and business owners missed a great meeting this week about the Allegheny Together program.

By "vast majority" we mean all but about a half-dozen. Actually, less than that.

Believing that Christmas can still change the world, Emsworth United Presbyterian Church has partnered with the Advent Conspiracy to celebrate the holiday by spending less, giving more, worshiping fully and loving all during this special season.

Reverend Susan M. Rothenberg, pastor of the church, said that the partnership provides the congregation with the opportunity to purchase alternative gifts to benefit non-profit groups that answer Christ's call "…to seek His presence in the 'least of these,' as urged in Matthew 25:40."

Holly Hunt, 16, has returned to Avonworth High School after spending a year in Japan, where she learned of a new culture and developed an appreciation for a different way of life.

The junior traveled to Niigata, Japan, where she spent 11 months as an exchange student through the American Field Service program.

The largest city on the Japan Sea coast, Niigata has a population of over a half million and is home to several cultural events throughout the year.

Items were reported stolen from three different vehicles in Avalon during the past week.

A purse was reported stolen from a car on Hemlock Street on Dec. 11, and Christmas presents valued at $400 from a vehicle on Chestnut on Dec. 12. Someone also attempted to steal the On-Star unit from that vehicle. Tools valued at $500 were stolen from a vehicle on Fisk Avenue on Dec. 14, after an attempt to steal the car itself was unsuccessful.

So much about Christmas can be summed up in the face of a child. Pictured above, a toddler enjoys the festivities at Emsworth’s tree lighting and holiday celebration held last Friday.

Area residents are invited to help “Brighten the Season” in Avalon with a variety of events throughout the borough.

The day will kick off with the annual “Cookie Walk” at Greenstone United Methodist Church, 939 California Ave., from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Shoppers will be able to buy a variety of homemade baked goods.

Trinity Lutheran Church on california Avenue will host a pancake lunch from noon until 2 p.m. Proceeds will be donated to the NHCO Food Pantry.

"Believe it or not, but this is going to be finished by the end of next week."

Jerry Santucci applies finishing touches to the drywall work he's wrapping up in the area behind the bar of the new dining room scheduled to open as a celebration of the one-year anniversary of the Ohio River Boulevard restaurant, Café Notte.

The grand opening of the room, scheduled for Nov. 26, marks the latest phase in the development of Santucci Plaza and will feature entertainment by two Pittsburgh legends, saxophonist Kenny Blake and drummer Roger Humphries.

While the thermometer nudged its way toward the 90 degree mark on a recent Sunday, a gathering of friends and residents of Metowers in Avalon sang along to the strains of "Winter Wonderland" and "White Christmas" while dining on a sumptuous buffet luncheon, playing games and enjoying a nip or two, all as a way of celebrating Christmas in July, an indoor picnic held in Avalon.

Sally Adams, a Metowers resident, explained how this early version of the "season to be jolly" came about.

Christmas dinner came to Bellevue a little early for Kim Roney and her sons.

And Santa came almost two weeks ahead of schedule, with presents exchanged on Dec. 13.

But the family was not rushing the season. They were just fitting everything in before Josh, 24, and Mark, 22 had to report back to their ships, Josh to the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, and Mark to the USS Enterprise in Norfolk, VA.

The family last spent time together in August, 2008, just before Josh deployed to Japan.