Show Us How You Celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Northern Virginia

Show us your best Cinco de Mayo party pictures.

Cinco de Mayo is Sunday, and many Northern Virginians are stocking up on tacos, tequila, and Coronas. Why do we drink all these margaritas, anyway? Cinco de Mayo is a holiday commemorating the Mexican army's victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War in 1862. The holiday has evolved into a celebration of Mexican-American culture, complete with parades and parties. How will you be celebrating Cinco de Mayo this weekend? Share your party ideas and events in the comments below, and be sure to upload your best Cinco de Mayo party photos to our gallery by clicking "Upload Photos and Video" above.

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Last Day to 'Deck The House'

Entries for Patch contest with prize of $100,000 due by 8 p.m. Sunday.

A little friendly competition never hurts, especially when there’s $100,000 on the line. So if you think your holiday decorations are the best in town, upload a picture of your house and enter our Deck the House Contest. And don’t worry about all those lights racking up the utility bill because if you’re voted a finalist Patch will give you up to $500 to cover the expense. And, the grand prize winner will also get $100,000 donated to their local schools.   The contest ends 8 p.m. Dec. 16. We know some of you may have decorations up that aren’t as extravagant as these. That’s OK! We’d still love to have a photo of your house in the gallery so we can show how our area has awesome holiday spirit. Have fun and happy holidays! Keep up with …

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At Home With Brutalism

Cringing All the Way

This holiday season, my spectacular rack is getting a lot of attention.

This time of year is rife with “to-dos”: attend events, visit family members, entertain, buy and ship presents and try not to ruin (again) the magic for every child within earshot. It feels like we are all hurtling toward the holidays at warp speed – and some of us are doing so in ridiculous vehicles. You see, even though I’ve always been adamantly anti anything on my car, I find myself driving around this holiday season in a car adorned with soft-sculpture antlers and a giant red nose, thanks to a promise I made to my child last year and deluding myself into thinking it would never actually become a reality. So now as my daughter marks down the days until the big event, I, too, am eagerly counting down the days until Christmas, albeit for…

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Kathleen Canedo

9:48 am on Thursday, December 13, 2012

Brian - I hear you. And I now give a wide berth to anyone wearing camo coming toward me. It's all very odd.   more ›

Photo of the Day: CHO Collects 82 Bikes

Saturday event part of effort to connect needy kids with gifts during the holidays

The Committee for Helping Others collected 32 bikes at a Saturday used bike donation drive at Bikes @ Vienna. Combined with another 50 bikes collected and donated to CHO by the Antioch Christian Church, the group will be able to give 82 needy kids a bike of their own this holiday season To read more on the project, click here.

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Mutts Matter Rescue

Make A Difference This Holiday Season: Help A Pup In Need

Do you love dogs and want to make a difference? Consider becoming a foster family for a rescue dog during the holidays.

I’ve written a few articles over the past two years about fostering dogs, and multiple readers from the Patch community have stepped up to become foster families. It’s great to see more and more people becoming aware of dog rescue, getting involved, and understanding the importance and vital need of fostering. Fostering is the backbone of rescue, and we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. It was only a few years ago that I learned about fostering and how it works. Fostering involves opening your heart and home to a pup in need, giving them a safe place to land and some TLC until they’ve found their new home. Some foster pups are easier than others, but all bring great joy and …

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Tysons Corner Stores Have Already Decked the Halls

Parts of the mall and other area shops are already decked out for Christmas. Do early decorations turn you off?

Macy's has rolled out its Christmas trees. Tiffany & Co. recently hung several huge wreaths bejeweled with signature Tiffany blue ornaments inside the store. Tysons Corner Center is prepping for Santa's arrival next week. Don't let the calendar fool you. Now that Halloween has come and gone, the December holiday season - at least at the mall - is officially upon us.  If you're already bracing yourself for Black Friday - or if you're strategically planning to hit the mall when it's less crowded - here are a few tips from local blogger "So You're New to D.C." about how to get in and out of the Tysons Corner malls as smoothly as possible. You should read the whole post. It's really very funny. Take our poll. Are these early mall decorations …

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