Lakewood's tree lighting tradition continues this year with a special, expanded evening program outside The Centre at Sycamore Plaza on Friday, December 4. The Civic Center plaza along Clark Avenue at Hardwick Street will sparkle with new features including snow, sing-a-longs, and food trucks. Face painting and free carnival games will be sponsored in part by Lakewood Center. Corner Bakery will offer free dessert bites and hot coffee to attendees. Several holiday photo opportunities will also be available, including one with Santa!

Families will enjoy photo opportunities at the tree and its adjacent large red sleigh. Games and food trucks will be open for guests starting at 5:30 p.m. City Council Members will welcome the crowd at 6:30 p.m. and join in the official lighting of the decorated tree. More 

The opportunity to make a difference in a child's holiday returns to Lakewood this week with the sprouting of "Teddy Bear Trees" citywide. They're decorated with lots of paper bear ornaments. Each holds a hoped-for gift and the first name of the child in need.

Since 1995, children from families enrolled in Project Shepherd have hung their holiday gift wishes on "Teddy Bear Trees." Their hope is to have them filled by an anonymous "Santa."

Volunteer St. Nicks need only choose an ornament off a tree, fulfill the wish listed on it and return the unwrapped gift to any of these city facilities and businesses. Trees are located at the Burns Community Center, Weingart Senior Center, City Hall (Recreation Department), AARP in Lakewood, F&M Bank in Lakewood, Cassidy's Corner and Nifty After Fifty.

Gifts can also be dropped off at most City of Lakewood facilities during business hours prior to Monday, December 7.

There's also a Rotary-sponsored weekend event coming to Lakewood Center on December 5 and 6. While shopping for their own families, residents can fulfill the holiday wish of a child in need. Rotary Club of Lakewood volunteers will be on hand to assist. More 

Hard-core deal hunters should know that dozens of the mall stores are opening earlier this year on the evening of Thanksgiving Day. Typing "Black Friday Lakewood California" into Google brings up pages of local Lakewood deals and "door busters" from Best Buy to Target, and Home Depot to Forever 21.

Lakewood Center is opening at 6:00 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and closing at midnight.

The Greater Lakewood Chamber of Commerce and the City of Lakewood are encouraging shoppers to embrace "Small Business Saturday" on November 28. News reports say Small Business Saturday resulted in $14 billion in spending at small businesses nationwide last year, up from $1 billion in 2010, the year the campaign began.

Lakewood Mayor Jeff Wood has signed a proclamation declaring November 28 as Small Business Saturday in Lakewood and throwing the city's support behind the effort. "There are some excellent small businesses here in Lakewood," said Wood. "You'll get service with a personal touch and support a small business that's good for our community." More  

Created through a partnership between the HGTV Network and Macerich (Lakewood Center's parent company), the special holiday addition to the mall turns getting a photo with Santa into a creative and innovative activity where families can take "ELFIE selfies," star in their own holiday videos and explore Santa's Observatory using "ELF-RAY Vision." New this year, the Elf-Ray vision has expanded with more viewing locations inside as well as outside of Santa's Observatory. There's even a "Naughty O' Nice Meter" to try out. More