Here's a last-minute holiday giveaway to make things a bit merrier.

I'm giving away a 2012 Chick-fil-A calendar and a card for a free milkshake.

The calendar, as you probably already know, is loaded with 12 coupons for FREE items at Chick-fil-A. The milkshake card is for one of Chick-fil-A's limited edition peppermint chocolate chip shakes. 

Leave me a comment on your last-minute holiday preparations and consider yourself entered to win both. It's a package deal.

This giveaway will have a quick turnaround, closing at noon on Wednesday so I can get them mailed out ASAP to the winner.

Good luck and happy holidays!

A few days ago, I told you about the new 2012 Whole Planet Foundation calendar being sold at Whole Foods.

Today, I'm giving one away.

Note: This is the latest installment in an occasional series of posts focusing on ways to celebrate the holidays without spending a lot of money.

I wanted to share with you one of my most favorite gifts for the holidays: the Whole Planet Foundation calendar sold at Whole Foods.

For just $3, you get a beautiful calendar filled with coupons for products sold at Whole Foods stores. And, every penny of your $3 goes to support micro-lending programs to help women in countries across the globe lift their families out of poverty.

Thanks to everyone who entered my giveaway for two of the new 2012 Chick-fil-A calendars, which are loaded with couopns for FREE items.

Judging from the number of entries, you folks love your Chick-fil-A! And you like it even more when you have couopns to use.

Sports fans, it does not get much easier than this. I subscribed to schedules for four ACC basketball teams and an NHL team in under 5 minutes.

The school board adopted all the 2010-11 school calendars today.

The only change made to the draft calendars was to reverse the order of a pair of traditional-calendar makeup days. Feb. 22 will now be used before Feb. 21, which is President's Day.

The vote on the traditional calendar was 7-1 with Beverley Clark dissenting because she wanted to give the public more time to comment. Other board members said it wasn't necessary to wait considering all the parents, administrators and community members who served on the calendar committee.

Click here for the post that had the various calendars.

It is not too soon to think about 2010-11 school calendars.

The school board is scheduled to vote Tuesday on the 2010-11 calendars for traditional-calendar schools, year-round schools, modified-calendar schools and the Wake Early College.

The traditional calendar continues to include the use of some spring break days in 2011 as possible makeup days. Due to complaints about them being used this school year, we'll see if it's discussed by the board tomorrow.

How are you observing Veterans Day today?

The General Assembly hopes that families will use the day to honor the nation's military veterans. That's why state legislators have amended the calendar law over the years to make Veterans Day a school holiday for students and staff.

No such status has been designated for Memorial Day. That's why, as some of you have complained about, Memorial Day (May 25, 2009) is a regular day of classes this school year for tracks 1, 3 and 4 for year-round students.

We told you about Jill of Orange Cat Art this week. This is one of the products that she sells at her Etsy shop: It's a nifty desk top calendar with photos of North Carolina. You can see a closer view here. We love this size calendar -- just right for a quick glance at the date without taking up much room. And with pictures of North Carolina -- all taken by Jill or her sister Sheri -- you can take a little vacation everytime you look. It's also great as a gift for someone who moved away from the Tar Heel State to seek their fortune elsewhere.

One of the most festive holidays of the year is just around the corner. Independence Day, which every calls the Fourth of July, is a week from Friday.

 Most folks get the day off, so if you're looking for something to fill that extra time off, you've got plenty of options.  The folks in Archer Lodge start the day off with activities all day long. They begin the day with a road race at 8:30 followed by a children's parade at 11 a.m. Free kids games start at 11:30 a.m., which, coincidentally, is the same time they start serving free homemade ice cream.

Barbecue lunch plates will be for sale for just $7 until 2 p.m., then its back to the fun and games.

July 4 doesn't end in Archer Lodge until the fireworks display is over that night. You can make a full day of it.

In Wendell, the Fourth of July is making a return. Thanks to Nora Cambiere and the members of the Wendell Historical Society, Wendell folks can celebrate the holiday without leaving town. Events begin at 4 p.m. at Main and Depot streets with the unveiling of a historical marker. A children's parade will move the show from there to the J. Ashley Wall Towne Square where there will be refreshments for everyone.

Zebulon gets into the act after the Mudcats game that night. Fireworks are an every Friday night occurence, but they go all out on the Fourth. If you're not going to see the fireworks in Archer Lodge, consider making the trip up NC 39, take in a ball game and watch the show afterward. It doesn't get much more American than that.