Check out SouthCoast Health in Savannah’s healthy holiday gift ideas here. 

Some healthy suggestions include cooking classes at Chef Darin’s Kitchen Table or 700 Kitchen Cooking School (both in the Savannah area) or personal trainer session with Giddy Up Personal Training or Train Me 24/7 (both in the Savannah area)

See SouthCoast’s complete list of healthy tip ideas here.

SouthCoast Health is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Local fire departments will have their annual Santa fire truck convoy through certain neighborhoods during the 2020 Holiday Season in Savannah, Wilmington Is. & Bluffton.

_____________________________

Islands Fire Santa Truck 2020

Islands Fire on Wilmington Island will escort Santa with their full fleet again in 2020 as firefighters help deliver candy canes and holiday cheer.

Date will be as follows: 12/12/20 – Wilmington Island | 12/13/20 – Whitemarsh & Talahi Islands.

Please use the maps here as reference for the routes. Also find interactive maps for a closer view here.

Live tracking of Santa and the Fleet will be available on the days from this page.

_________________________________

Isle of Hope/Dutch Island Santa Fire Truck 2020

The Isle of Hope Volunteer Fire Department transport Santa around Isle of Hope and Dutch Island Sat. Dec. 12 2020, 1-3PM. The truck will leave the station at 1PM, head down Paxton Drive and around IOH. Then the convoy will travel to Dutch Island.

__________________________________

Southside Santa Fire Truck 2020

Southside Fire’s Montgomery Division will have their annual Santa Truck detail when Santa visits various Savannah neighborhoods on a firetruck.

The 2020 Southside Santa firetruck holidays dates and route:
Dec. 20-Whitfield Ave.
Dec. 21-Ferguson Ave
Dec. 22-Burnside Island

Southside Fire will post updates and additional information here leading up to the event and during the event. This will include departure times from the station and their starting point for each area.

This will allow you to plan out an approximate time in which Santa should be coming to your neighborhood.

Free & open to the public.

_____________________________________

Bluffton SC Santa Truck 2020

The Bluffton Fire Santa Truck will visit various Bluffton SC neighborhoods during the 2020 Holiday season Nov. 30-Dec. 17.

Santa will ride nightly on the dates listed in the schedule above between 6-8:30PM, depending on weather.

_________________________________

Find more Savannah-Lowcountry Holiday Happenings 2020 in our Event Calendar. 

Advanced Academics in Pooler

Wondering if your child is making enough progress this complicated school year. Set up a one hour evaluation and post-conference over winter break @ Advanced Academics in Pooler. Cost: $40.

Make an appointment online here or call 912.348.2017.

Advanced Academics in Pooler microschool offers full-day sessions for homeschoolers and early learners on a small campus in Pooler, as well as enrichment classes. Enrichment classes are open to the public.

Advanced Academics can customize education for each child.

Advanced Academics
email: adv.aca.mail@gmail.com
912-348-2017
405 Hwy 80, Suite 104
Pooler, GA 31322

Learn more about Advanced Academics here.

____________________________________

Advanced Academics is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Forget MAP scores.

Now it’s all about GPA.

The application process to Savannah-Chatham County Public School choice program will be handled differently in the 2021 application process due to COVID-19.

Test scores have been removed from the Choice eligibility criteria for the 2021-22 school year. Instead, Choice Grade Point Average (GPA) will be used to determine eligibility.

Choice GPA is defined as the end of quarter grades for the past three full semesters of core academic and world language courses (ELA/Reading/Math/Science/SS/World Language). All Choice Programs require a minimum Choice GPA of 80% or higher.

The Choice Program Application for school year 2021-2022 will open Feb. 1 2021 and close Feb. 19 2021.

What are Choice Programs? They are various specialty programs including kindergartens offered by Savannah-Chatham public schools. These public schools such as STEM Academy at Bartlett, Garrison Elementary, J.G. Smith Elementary, Charles Ellis Montessori Academy, Savannah Arts Academy,  etc. either don’t have an attendance zone/neighborhood district or they also accept students outside of their attendance zone/neighborhood district.

Savannah-Chatham County Public School System offers roughly two dozen Choice (or specialty) Programs throughout the district from elementary through high school including kindergarten. Each Choice Program has entrance requirements. See the full list of choice programs here. 

A review of previous minimum test scores can help guide Choice Program decisions. See Choice program at choice.sccpss.com to review the previous testing criteria for each choice program.

The COVID-19 pandemic also lead to the cancellation of the SCCPSS traditional annual Student Success Expo. This year a Digital Expo will replace that event and be held Feb. 1 2021.

New Choice programs include the Innovative Learning Academy at Hubert, Cinematic Studies at Southwest Middle, STEAM at Marshpoint and a Drone Pilot Prep Program at Windsor Forest High. Learn more about the new programs here.

___________________________

Savannah-Chatham public school Choice Program open houses 2021 

Learn more here. 

Savannah Classical Academy is free, public K-12 charter school with an entirely open enrollment.

Savannah Classical Academy’s annual lottery is now open for all students from kindergarten to twelfth grade for the 2021-2022 school year.

Don’t miss the deadline for your family to enroll in this free public charter Savannah school as part of the local school system!

Apply for the lottery now here.

The mission of Savannah Classical Academy is to provide every child with a classical and academically rigorous education while instilling a commitment to civic virtue and moral character.

Savannah Classical Academy is the only public school in Savannah that has been opened since August 2020 to in-person classes during the 2020-21 school year. SCA has discontinued its dual-learning model (online and in-person) and all SCA students returned to campus Nov. 2. The last day of SCA’s virtual learning model was Oct. 30.

SCA says the school has remained free of any COVID-19 cases since the start of the 2020-21 school year.

SCA has taken many steps to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the risk to students and staff

SCA upgrades to keep students and staff safe include:
*Entryway equipped with a germicidal UV-C light.
*Specialized mats designed to sanitize footwear.
*Social distancing markings at entrances/exits throughout campus.
*Installation of ionization systems HVAC to purify circulating air and disinfect surfaces.
*Over 100 strategically placed automated hand sanitizing stations.
*Touchless thermometers and thermal imaging cameras.
*Isolation lounge space.
*Installation of cameras in all classrooms.
*Contracted with custodial vendor with trained staff using appropriate virucide, sanitation chemicals, and foggers, with increased staff for whole school sanitation each day.
*Personal protective equipment provided to all students and staff including face masks, face shields, and gloves.
*Individualized furniture purchased and arranged to maximize classroom square footage.
*Clear desktop barriers for all students.
*Alteration to student and staff traffic and meal schedules to reduce interactions to smaller groups.
*Posting signage for reinforcement of proper personal hygiene and social distancing.
*Installation of additional water bottle refilling stations for upper school students.
*Bottled water provided for lower school students.

Savannah Classical Academy
705 East Anderson Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 395-4040

Savannah Classical Academy is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Love, love, love this use for those store-brought gingerbread kits: Substitute peanut butter for frosting and nuts, seeds, and fruits for candy, and you have an adorable house built for birds.

This comes to you from LiveSeasoned.com.

Apparently this Christmas Eve, my kids will start what they hope will become a new family tradition: whacking a festive poop log.

Tió de Nadal (Christmas log) is a hollow log with stick legs, a smiley face, and a floppy red hat. My middle-schooler son learned in Spanish class about this Christmas tradition in Spain’s Catalan region. The log’s other name is Caga Tió, or “poop log.” Once he heard about it, he was hooked and we now have a homemade Catalan log under our tree, too.

Here’s how the tradition works:

On Dec. 8 each year — the Feast of the Immaculate Conception — families bring out the log. Every night until Dec. 24, children “feed” the log by offering him nuts, dried fruit etc. Kids must also cover Tió de Nadal with a blanket.

On Christmas Eve, kids tap the log with sticks while singing the traditional Tió de Nadal song, then peek under the blanket to find that the log has pooped out a pile of candies including a Spanish nougat called turrón and presents.

Every kids’ dream. Not making this up. Watch this.  

Santa visits during 2020 Holiday Season in Savannah & the Lowcountry

Some Santa visits/photos will be outside with masked Santas. Others at indoor malls will be through Plexiglass Santa shields. Kids can even zoom with Santa from home. Here’s a look at how your child can visit with Santa in Savannah during the pandemic.

(Outside) Morning with Santa @ Children’s School at St. John’s, downtown Savannah, Dec. 12
Sat. Dec. 12 2020, 10AM-1PM COST: $40 per family.
Celebrate the season with a festive fundraiser for the Children’s School at St. John’s, outside in the mall between St. John’s and the Green-Meldrim House. One ticket per family will include a photo with Santa (by a professional photographer with digital copy), an oyster shell craft activity, 4 Chick-fil-A chicken biscuits, a bag of chocolate chip cookies, cider (served on-site), and hot chocolate (served on-site).
Please pay online here. Extra Chick-fil-A biscuits will be available day of the event for $5 (cash/check). COVID protocols: This is an entirely outdoor event. Social distancing and masks are encouraged.

Details here.

_________________________________________

(Outide) Santa & Mrs. Claus @ Brendlen’s Christmas Light Display, Ridgeland, SC Dec. 12
1570 Drigger’s Lane
Ridgeland SC 29936
Nightly lights display, plus Santa & Mrs. Claus will be there Sat. Dec. 12, 6-8PM

Details here. 

_________________________________________

(Outside) Plant Riverside District Santa Meet & Greets, Photos

Santa visits, photos will take place outdoors during the holidays @ Savannah’s Plant Riverside District @ 400 W. River Street in downtown Savannah. Children will not sit on Santa’s lap but be positioned next to Santa. Two elves will help direct. Santa will have a white mask and children are encouraged to wear their mask. Parents or caregivers can take photos of children in the Santa setting. Visits start Fri. Nov. 28-Sat. Nov. 29, then resume Dec. 5-24.

Details here.
____________________________________________

Santa @ Children’s Museum of Pooler, Dec.21 

Children and families are invited to deck the halls of CMOP Mon. Dec. 21 2020, 9AM-2PM. Santa will there 10-11AM
A reading of The Night Before Christmas, photos with Santa, Christmas crafts, “snowballs”
This event requires a special event ticket for both members and nonmembers. Tickets can be purchased at the door the day of the event.
Cost: Members: $8; NonMembers $10

Details here.

_____________________________________________

Santa shield @ Bass Pro Shops, Savannah Mall 

Already under way @ Bass Pro Shops Savannah Mall are in-person Santa Claus visits, photos for kids using a “magic Santa shield” at the store’s FREE Santa’s Wonderland experience.

Details here . 

_______________________________________________

Find more kids’ holiday happenings in Savannah & the Lowcountry here. 

First Day Fitness Hikes
Wormsloe State Historic Site, Savannah
New Year’s Day, Fri. Jan. 1, 2021

Start the year off with Wormsloe State Historic Site in Savannah with a healthy 2.5 mile hike though the coastal maritime forest.

A Wormsloe Ranger will lead the way and answer any questions that might arise. Pets welcome on 6 ft. leash. Pre-registration is required, space is limited. Please call (912)353-3023 to make reservations.

Your choice of 4 hikes during the day. Hikes start at 9:30AM, 11AM, 1:30PM, and 3PM.

___________________________________

Skidaway Island State Park in Savannah will also host first day hikes on New Year’s Day 2021.

First Day Hike
Friday, Jan 1, 2021 1-3PM
Skidaway Island State Park – Savannah, GA
Kick off 2021 with a 3-mile hike on the Big Ferry Trail. Please make sure to bring appropriate footwear, water bottles, and bug spray. The terrain for this trail is flat with occasional roots. $5 parking. 912-598-2300. Details here. 

___________________________________

First Day Hike @ Fort McAllister State Park, Richmond Hill, Ga
Friday, Jan 1, 2021 10-11AM
Join @ 10AM for a 3 mile nature hike with Ranger Autumn on the Magnolia Trail. This hike is medium difficulty and requires sturdy shoes and water. At 2PM there will be a History Hike in and around the fort. Ranger Mike will walk you through the past and tell you about the history of Fort McAllister during during the American Civil War. $5 parking. 912-727-2339. Details here. 

Due to the pandemic, The Savannah Ballet Theatre’s traditional performance of The Nutcracker has been changed into an on-air broadcast in partnership with local NBC affiliate, WSAV-TV.

A 90-minute Savannah Ballet performance of The Nutcracker will be broadcast twice on Christmas Day 2020 5:30-7AM and 5-6:30PM.

The performance will also be available for streaming on WSAV’s and SBT’s websites as well as via their social media channels.

Some of the performance is filmed in Savannah locations.

Low Country Counseling: 5 Bonding Experiences for Couples 

Not everyone feels completely in love constantly over the span of a lifetime.

Couples can be out of sync, where one may feel more deeply connected than the other. And then it flip-flops.

Low Country Counseling in Savannah shares tips on how to strengthen the bond between you and your partner here. 

_________________________________

If you or a loved one is in need of support, Low Country Counseling offers specialized therapy for individuals, moms, couples, families, and teens. Contact Low Country Counseling for any questions or to schedule an appointment. Help is available.

Low Country Counseling is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Dr Misal Patel

Proper handwashing is important now more than ever.

Physicians at SouthCoast Health in Savannah say to avoid buying hand sanitizer with less than 60 percent alcohol content. Studies show that antibacterial gel with any less alcohol doesn’t consistently kill germs.

“You touch your mouth, your eyes, your nose throughout the day many many times without realizing it,” Dr. Misal Patel of SouthCoast Health said. “You touch doorknobs, desks, phones, keyboards, so many things that other people come into contact with as well so the best thing to do is to keep your hands clean and be mindful of what you’re touching.”

Learn more here. 

Dr. Patel is now seeing patients at the newly-expanded Pooler location (Godley Station Professional Park, 1000 Towne Center Blvd., Building 1200, Pooler). A Savannah native, Dr. Patel specializes in a variety of primary care services, and specializes in preventive care and management of chronic diseases.

SouthCoast Health is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

This is the week!

Join  Kindermusik Savannah with your 0-7 year old on Saturday, December 12 for monthly musical Kindermusik playdate!

Celebrate the beauty of winter through music, movement, instruments, stories and more!

Each child will take home an instrument and 10 Kindermusik songs from this musical playdate. Class held in studio at 10AM and virtually over Zoom at 11AM. Enrollment is limited for the in studio class, so reserve your child’s spot today: kindermusikwith88keys.com.

Also, new December themes for weekly studio classes start this week. First weekly studio trial class is free! Text 912-432-5885 for more info.

Enroll at kindermusikwith88keys.com.

Kindermusik…A Good Beginning Never Ends.

Kindermusik Savannah is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Find fun family Holiday happenings in Savannah & the Lowcountry in SouthernMamas.com Holiday Events 2020.

Santa fire truck tours; outdoor holiday happenings; drive-thru holiday lights @ Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens in Savannah; Santa visits; Christmas tree lighting & more.

See the holiday family-things-to-do list here.

Want to advertise your organization or business in this list? Email us at anne@southernmamas.com

School searching in Savannah?

Join Savannah Christian Preparatory School at an upcoming open houses, school tours.

Open houses @ Savannah Christian Preparatory School 

Wednesdays Jan. 13, Jan. 27, Feb. 10 & Feb. 24 2020, 9:30-10:30AM @ Eckburg Auditorium.

Find more information here. 

Reservations are required. For more information on this event or admissions at Savannah Christian Preparatory School, please email Kathi Strickland, Director of Family Relations, at kstrickland@savcps.com or call the admissions office at 912.629.5544.

______________________________________

More about SCPS

Savannah Christian Preparatory School (SCPS) is an independent, non-denominational PK-12 college prep Christian school.

Savannah Christian Preparatory School,  (912) 234-1653, www.savcps.com, On Facebook here. On Twitter here.  Follow SCPS on Instagram at savannahchristianprep   Savannah Christian Preparatory School is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Telfair Museums in Savannah is excited to offer local Chatham County artists an opportunity to feature their art in the Jepson Center.

The call to artists seeks entries for Boxed In/Break Out, a museum-sponsored public art installation that involves activating six windows at the Jepson Center facing Barnard Street in Savannah. The artist chosen should have a detailed plan for how to utilize all six windows in a cohesive manner through self-created art that fulfills the following criteria: creativity, originality, feasibility, visual appeal, as well as resourcefulness and suitability in the space.

The project will be displayed from May 14, 2021-April 29, 2022.

Find details here.

Deadline: Friday, Jan, 15, 2021
Application fee: None
Window dimensions: 95” high x 63 ½”wide x 13” deep.
Email proposals to: Erin Dunn, Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, at dunne@telfair.org with the subject line Boxed In/Break Out
Eligibility: Must be at least 18 years old and be an artist living or working in Chatham County
Honorarium: $1,000

Contact:
Erin Dunn
912.790.8800
dunne@telfair.org

Telfair Museums is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser 

Bring your kids for fun winter STEM, art, and other activities throughout The Sandbox Museum @ Tanger 2 Outlets in Bluffton, SC.

Reserve your spot and purchase your tickets online here or call Bluffton’s Tanger 2 location at 843-705-6235.

Winter Celebration
Wed. Dec. 30, 2020 @ 10AM-5PM
@ The Sandbox at Tanger 2

The Sandbox is an interactive hands-on children’s museum for children up through age 12 years.

The Sandbox Children’s Museum is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser

The Chanukah Menorah Parade and Livestream Menorah Lighting on Hilton Head Is. is Sun. Dec. 13 2020.

The parade, sponsored by Chabad of Greater Hilton Head, will start at Tanger Outlets 2 at 4:30PM Sun. Dec. 13 and end at Shelter Cove Towne Centre for the Menorah lighting at 5PM.

Learn more here. 

Best home holiday light displays, decorations 2020 in Savannah, Pooler, Richmond Hill

Driving around Savannah, Pooler & Richmond Hill looking at home holiday light displays and decorations is a favorite family tradition.

From colossal Santa snow globes to computerized Christmas lights animated with music, SouthernMamas.com has your guide to local home holiday light displays.

Kids especially love those computerized “dancing” lights display animated with music. Lights choreographed to blink, twink and fade in red, blue, green and white, in sync with a custom-mixed soundtrack of holiday tunes.

Want to add a home lights display to this list or let us know if one of the past favorites isn’t up this year? Please email us the info at anne@southernmamas.com

*476 Copper Creek Circle (NEW LOCATION, pictured above)
Pooler GA 31322
5:30-10:30PM
(this is the lights-loving owner previously @ 24 Greatwood Way Savannah in Godley Park in the Highlands Subdivisions)

*253 Cypress Creek Lane
Guyton GA 31312
Nightly 5:30-10PM
Animated to 99.3 F.M.

*Neighborhood community light display
Singing Christmas trees connected to radio frequency & lots of lights
Pennington Estates off Midland Road on Penny Lane
Guyton, Ga.

*154 Lake Dr
Midway Ga 31320

*156 Oakview Rd.
Rincon, GA 31326 (near Hwy. 21 @ Rahn Station Rd)
weeknights dusk till 9PM; weekend nights till 10:30PM extended hours later closer to CHRISTMAS

439 Egypt Ardmore Rd
Springfield, GA 31329

*165 Bald Cypress Lane
Bloomingdale, Ga.31302
Animated to 99.9 F.M. in front and large static display on side.
Lights on from dark til 9:30PM, unless raining.

*110 Sunbury Dr.
Richmond Hill, Ga

*116 Austin Way
Savannah

*701 Stuart St.
Savannah, Ga. 31405
Lots of inflatables including inflatable helicopter

*5610 Lafitte Dr,
Savannah, GA
Model train that encircles top of porch

*202 Blue Marlin Dr.
Seagate subdivision, Whitemarsh Is. (Lights on from at least 6-10PM nightly until New Years Eve, unless there is heavy rain. 100% of the money collected in donation box goes to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

*1 Old Mill Court
Windsor Forest neighborhood
Savannah, 31419

*116 N. Sheftall Circle
Wilmington Island, Savannah

*Wilmington Island house: Take Penn Waller to Deerwood and turn right onto St Andrews Way.

__________________________________________

South Carolina

Brendlen’s Christmas Light Display
1570 Drigger’s Lane
Ridgeland SC 29936
Nightly lights display, plus Santa & Mrs. Claus will be there Sat. Dec. 12, 6-8PM

Arborwood Lights display
9 Arbormeade Circle in Bluffton (Look for “Arborwood Lights” in Google Maps.)
6-9PM nightly
Decorated homes & yards off Buckwalter Parkway in sync to Christmas music.
Donations benefit three families
Santa and his elf helpers there on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, weather permitting.

43 Neligh Lane in Cypress Ridge off SC 170
Bluffton SC
8,500 lights in sync with music on 99.3 FM.
5:30-8PM Sunday-Thursday and until 10PM Friday & Saturday
Another home lights display @ nearby 211 Argo Circle.

Hilton Head Firefighters Christmas Lights
Fire Station 3
534 William Hilton Pkwy
Hilton Head Island, SC 29926
Donations of non-perishable food items are accepted

ALSO DECORATED IN LIGHTS: shopping centers Coligny Plaza @ 1 North Forest Beach Drive & Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina (w/ Neptune statue wearing his Santa hat) @ 1 Shelter Cove Lane, both on Hilton Head Island

_________________________________________

FREE lights displays @ businesses, organizations

TMT Farms Christmas Lights Drive-Thru in Statesboro
16710 Old River Rd N
Statesboro, GA 30461
Open now until Dec. 27 2020, 6PM-1AM nightly.
Drive-thru only.
Admission is free, however, please bring non-perishable food items to donate. Cash donations are also accepted. Donated food will be distributed to needy families throughout Bulloch County and surrounding counties. Monetary contributions are used to purchase gift cards for needy families.
Details here.

__________________________________________

Not yet confirmed for 2020

*290 Watts Road
Guyton GA 31312

*1429 Dean Forest Road
Savannah, Georgia 31405!

*Corner of Timber Trail and Boyd Drive
Richmond Hiil, Ga.

*152 Crossing Circle
Rincon Ga.
Tune radio to 88.5 in your vehicle.

*948 Zeigler Rd.
Bloomingdale GA. (Tune to 99.5 FM)

*9 Yorkshire Place
Kingswood subdivision
Savannah, 31406

*40 Long Creek Lane
Richmond Hill GA 31324

Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia will host a food distribution drive thru THIS FRIDAY Dec. 18 2020, 8-10AM at Memorial Stadium in Savannah.

Put Magic In Your Calendar For 2021

Ready to escape these unprecedented times and have fun with your family? Walt Disney World Resort is open, and the magic is alive.

For a limited time you can save up to 35% off your stay at Walt Disney World Resort hotels January 3 – April 17, 2021.

With limited capacity inside the theme parks, now is the perfect time to visit. Take advantage of the low crowds and incredible deals to experience new attractions or the classics.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios has opened 2 brand new lands, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land. Both offering exciting new attractions, entertainment and dining venues!

Not sure what visiting a theme park is like right now? Two Sisters Travel has visited them and can give you all of the insider details to make your getaway stress-free!

Contact your Authorized Disney Vacation Planner at Two Sisters Travel now and let’s plan your magical getaway. And remember, Two Sisters Travel concierge travel planning services are always FREE.

Tara McCoy
Travel Advisor @ Two Sisters Travel
843.284.3241
Become a Facebook fan at facebook.com/twosisterstravel

Two Sisters Travel is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser