Weekly Tails From Southeastern Guide Dogs

12 Days of Christmas, Guide Dog Style

We took the classic 12 Days of Christmas and put our own spin on it!

On the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me….A puppy in a cape, just for me. On the 2nd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…2 licks of love On the 3rd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…3 furry friends On the 4th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…4(0) training words (crazy, but true, guide dogs learn 40 commands!) On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…5 golden dogs On the 6th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…6 dogs a-playing On the 7th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…7 puppies snoozing On the 8th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…8 dams a-whelping On the 9th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…9 students singing On the 10th day of Christmas, my true love gave to …

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Christmas Eve at Cork's is a Benefit for Manatee Children's Services

Several events around town on Thursday...just in case Friday is the end of days!

Before we get to the pre-Mayan parties and other celebrations, let’s recognize a special Christmas Eve party in downtown Bradenton. Cork’s Cigar Bar, 424 Old Main St., is partnering with Manatee Children’s Services to bring Christmas joy to a few local children “adopted” by the crew at Cork’s. If you can spare a gift for a child in need, check out the flier accompanying this story for ideas. Bring an unwrapped gift to Cork’s Cigar Bar during its Gift for Kids party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday. If you can’t make it to the bar on Christmas Eve, drop it off sometime this weekend. Cork’s opens daily at 11 a.m. That's Monday. Here's what the weekend has in store:

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Check Out Our Holiday Guide for Events and Gift Ideas

Are you getting excited yet?

Santa Drops In on Bradenton and Brings Some Snow

Manatee County Parks brought “A Night Before Christmas” celebration to G.T. Bray and transformed a part of the park into the North Pole.

Santa landed in Bradenton Saturday to finish making his Christmas list. G.T. Bray played host to Santa, Mrs. Claus and a few elfs. The county park boasted a field of man-made snow a rare treat in Florida. In addition, there were plenty of booths, and places for kids to play. But Santa was definitely the star of the show.

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Bradenton Business Spotlight

Shop Local for the Holidays with Bradenton Patch

Bradenton hosts a range of special events, deals and sales this holiday season so that you can get one-of-a-kind gifts while supporting local business and charitable organizations that support the community.

Several of Bradenton’s resident holiday-shopping pros were up long before the crack of dawn last Friday to battle the chaotic hordes that characterize Black Friday in the United States, while others hunkered down at their computers and scoped the deals online Monday. For their efforts, many earned the reward of breathing that sigh of relief that accompanies the completion of gift-buying and heralds a December of worry-free, sugar plum-tinted dreams. For others, however, ‘tis the season of stress and store-to-store scrambling on a frenetic quest for holiday gifts — but with a little planning, shopping can still be a breeze. Check out the list below for deals and gift ideas from local businesses and organizations offering holiday specials. …

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Weekly Tails From Southeastern Guide Dogs

Holiday Gift Giving: Countdown

With just two weeks left for holiday shopping, here are some gift ideas that may not have crossed your mind.

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday now faint memories, and just two more weeks left before Christmas, we bet there are still people on your list that you haven’t checked off.  Whether it is that uncle who has everything or your boss, shopping can be difficult. So why not avoid the lines and mayhem and do something for the greater good instead? Newly expanded and opened on Southeastern Guide Dogs’ Palmetto campus has a fabulous Gift Shop!  Visitors can shop in a homey atmosphere for a wide variety of pet-centered gifts, and the best thing…all proceeds go toward funding Southeastern’s mission. For those of you to our south, the unique pet boutique in Southeastern’s Discovery Center on Main Street in downtown Sarasota is chock-full of goodies…

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What's Your Holiday Tradition?

A Bradenton resident speaks about her family's gift-giving tradition Dec. 15 at the Prime Outlet Mall in Ellenton

As far as holiday traditions go, giving the gift of a silver coin is pretty unique. Jo Newberry, a Bradenton resident, said Dec. 15 at the Ellenton Premium Outlets that her family has been doing just that for generations. But, she said, it's becoming an expensive tradition to keep up.

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