Take a holiday stroll through Strongsville’s Winter Wonderland: Strong Points

Be sure to check out the new, stunning Tunnel of Lights at Strongsville’s Winter Wonderland. (Photo Courtesy of City of Strongsville)

STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- The Strongsville community enthusiastically welcomed the holiday season with the Winter Wonderland Lighting Celebration Nov. 20, and the fun continues on the Commons through Jan. 1.

All are invited to take a walk through the Commons to see the decorations and lights. Holiday music is playing every evening throughout the season.

Be sure to check out the new, stunning Tunnel of Lights.

Winter Wonderland takes many supporters. Thanks go to the event sponsors who make the light displays, fireworks and decorations possible.

Swinging sounds: Strongsville United Church of Christ presents The Strongsville City Jazz Swing Band, featuring vocalist Cindy Smith, performing “The Swinging Sounds of The Season” at 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at the church, 13740 Pearl Road.

This high-energy, 19-piece “big band” will play traditional Christmas music with a jazzy touch.

A wine and cheese reception will following the concert. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or by calling the church at 440-238-6697.

Visit Strongsville’s incredible Winter Wonderland holiday display now through Jan. 1 on the Commons. (Photo Courtesy of City of Strongsville)

SouthPark Mall: Lots of fun for the whole family is happening at SouthPark Mall this holiday season. Here are some of the highlights:

• Elissa Coso’s Holiday Musical Performance, 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 10. Coso recorded her first album with her sister in the duo DeLissana, which earned a Grammy nomination in two categories right out of the gate -- Best New Artist and Album of the Year.

The album, “Embrace Abrazo Abbraccio,” includes ballads, blues, jazz, country, Latin and light classical. Several songs are performed in Spanish and Italian.

Coso has performed with her sister for the Patriot Tour at Camp Lejeune for our U.S. Marines and first responders, December Nights in San Diego, Funny Stop Comedy Club, Angelo’s Nido -- and the list goes on.

She is also a regular singer of the National Anthem for the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.

She recently finished recording a solo album in which she sings music from all genres. But her favorite is her holiday show, which includes an original Christmas song from her first album, “Christmas Garland,” in which she sings “Merry Christmas” in six languages.

And some great news: Coso will be performing her one-woman show at The 9′s Alex Theater Downtown Cleveland. A date will be announced in early 2023.

• Mall Walker Bingo & Breakfast, 8:30 to 10 a.m. Dec. 14. Enjoy free breakfast and 10-plus rounds of bingo, with a chance to win gift cards and prizes. This will take place in the food court near Play Live Nation.

• Photos with Santa are back at SouthPark Mall, now through Dec. 24. Reservations and walk-ins are both available. Go to www.southparkmall.com for specific times.

• Breakfast with Santa 2022 is an annual event at Applebee’s Grill + Bar that provides funding for Cure Duchenne. This year’s breakfast is at 8 a.m. Dec. 10. The restaurant is located at 17771 Southpark Center.

Tree planting: Sign-ups for the spring tree-planting program will be delayed a bit while the city continues to seek bids.

Jennifer Milbrandt, coordinator of natural resources, said prices for the trees have gone up this year, so she is getting more bids before purchasing.

Under the program, residents and the city share the cost of the trees, which city crews plant in tree lawns. The city was awarded funding through Cuyahoga County’s Healthy Urban Tree Canopy Grant program that has allowed Strongsville to continue to offer the street tree cost-sharing program.

Sign-ups to participate start in December. The city will post a notice on www.strongsville.org when they begin.

Kids holiday gift shop: Holistic Healing & Crystals presents its first Kids Holiday Gift Shop & Wrap with a Personal Shopper on Dec. 10. Kids get to shop for loved ones and wrap the gifts all by themselves.

Each child will be assisted with their shopping so that an adult can help them with budget, time and choices.

This is a very special opportunity to teach children about giving during the holidays, instill independence and surprise their loved ones.

The event is like a school book fair, but with crystals. Simply choose the dollar amount you would like to spend. Send in your child with a paper listing of all the people they are buying for, with a limit of five people. Include the individual budget for each person on the list as well.

Pricing you choose is titled as the amount your child will have to spend. Each pricing level then includes a material fee of $10 tacked onto the total when checking out.

The event includes one hour of adult-supervised activities: personal shopping time, gift wrap materials to wrap the gifts all by themselves (with help if needed) and crafting materials to make Christmas cards.

This is a drop-off event. One-hour time slots are available between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Kids should be dropped off at the start of the hour and picked up five minutes prior to the end of the hour.

Time slots are limited to 10 kids, so they have lots of space and individual help to shop and wrap. This event is recommended for ages 4 and older.

Call Tiffany at 949-330-0406 for more information. Holistic Healing & Crystals is located at 12974 Pearl Road.

Sewing craft: Teens in grades 6-12 can join in on a fun night of sewing at the Strongsville Library.

This is an in-person class at 7 p.m. Dec. 15. You will be taught the basic pieces and functions of the sewing machine, then sew a tote bag. No experience is necessary and beginners are welcome.

Visit www.cuyahogalibrary.org to register and to see more library event information. Or call 440-238-5530. The Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Strongsville Branch is located at 18700 Westwood Drive.

Let the Strongsville community know what is going on with your organization, church, school, business or family. Email me at shirleymac48@att.net.

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