Living Here

It was a historic day for North Greenville University. During the school’s recent commencement ceremony, three students were received diplomas from the criminal justice and legal studies program, marking the program’s inaugural graduating class.

For local children, Saturday morning presented an opportunity that couldn’t be passed up—the chance to see Santa Claus.

Through requests for Ninja Turtles action figures, “Frozen” dolls and even cold hard cash, Santa sat and visited with hundreds of local Christmas lovers, hoping to spread a little joy and happiness.

The Greenville Little Theatre is offering audiences the chance to relive Christmas through a child’s eyes with its two holiday productions — and giving area actors the opportunity to perform dual and opposite roles.

Thanksgiving is synonymous with humbly reflecting on what we have that we are grateful for and eating an abundance of good food — both of which could be found at Plate 108 on the Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving, when several students from Five Oaks Academy prepared and shared a meal together.

When the Gap Creek Singers was founded in 1995, it was all for fun. But since then, the group has taken a melodic hobby to create scholarship opportunities for high school seniors who are going to college to major in music-related fields.

Susan and Chip Fink unexpectedly found themselves immersed in Christmas after they purchased property that was home to more than 500 Virginia pine trees--or Christmas trees. That was in 1983. Since then, the pair, along with their children and grandchildren, have maintained about 5,000 trees creating what’s now known as Mystic Farm.

In the spirit of Christmas, the S.C. Children’s Theatre is performing “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” beginning Dec. 5 through Dec. 14 at the Peace Center Gunter Theatre, located at 300 S. Main St., Greenville.

Operation Christmas Child is a charity that provides shoeboxes filled with needed items for children in poverty-stricken areas of the world in more than 150 countries, and drop-off centers are open now through Monday, Nov. 24.

The Greer area drop-off is at Joshua’s Way Inc., located at 1001 W. Poinsett St., Greer.