Holiday Spirit Along Henderson Road In Tucker

What are some of your family's favorite holiday traditions?  During Christmas, Paul, my in-laws, and I enjoy driving through Tucker and metro Atlanta neighborhoods and "ooh" and "aah" at the holiday decorations and lights.  Reindeer, miniature trains, candy canes, and shrubs wrapped in twinkling lights add that special touch.  There's always one Tucker home on our tour.  From Henderson Road, you've seen the brightly colored lights on the rooftop.  Turning down Lake Road towards the home's driveway, there are even more surprises.  Interested in how their holiday tradition began, we asked Sharon and her husband if they could tell us more:

“Thanks for asking about Mickey's Christmas lights.  He spends hours putting them up and taking them down each year.  Honestly we lose track because it is so many hours of work.  He also has no idea how many thousands of lights he puts out each year, but I can tell you that his favorite decoration is the train with the turning wheels in the front yard.  His tradition of decorating started 20 years ago when our oldest daughter was 2.  We started with a small Nativity scene that included Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  Every year we added to the Nativity and then when that was complete he started acquiring other decorations.  Although Mickey threatens yearly to quit decorating because it is so much work and our children are older, he is thrilled when people enjoy the lights.  One year a young girl with her grandmother's help wrote him a letter about how much the lights meant to her.  Our hope is that people will drive or walk down the drive way so they can get a really good view.”

** Health and weather permitting, Sharon and Mickey plan to have all the lights and decorations ready by December 10th. **

One evening, Paul and I plan to make the short walk down to Lake Road and tour Sharon and Mickey’s Christmas lights.  Maybe we’ll see some of our Henderson Road neighbors there! 

By Sharon, Lake Road Homeowner

By Jenni, Website Coordinator 

Bring the family for the annual Christmas tree lighting and arrival of Santa Claus on Tuesday, December 6th, 7-9pm.  Santa arrives at 7pm and lights the Christmas tree.  Festivities include a bonfire, caroling, luminaries lining the decorated streets of Tucker, children’s activities, and live music.   Several of the shops on Main Street will be open.  The festival is hosted by the Main Street Tucker Alliance (MTA).

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II. Proposed "Quality of Life" Ordinance – Commissioners Vote 12/15

There’s a lot of discussion and news coverage on the topic of “infill” in DeKalb County.  In the November 21^st DeKalb County Board of Commissioners meeting, the Commissioners deferred the decision to vote on a proposal by DeKalb’s Infill Task Force.  Learn more about the “Quality of Life” ordinance by reviewing some of the online documentation available:

DeKalb Infill Task Force

III. Crime Prevention News, Etc.

Neighborhood News

I’ve received no reports of any crime/safety issues occurring in the neighborhoods along Henderson Road.  (Jenni)

“Just a reminder to be more vigilant than you normally are this holiday season, and as always, please report any suspicious activity by calling 911.”  For example, the Winding Woods Neighborhood Watch sent the following notice:  “A 9ft. lighted white string Christmas tree and 3 light-up Christmas package decorations were stolen over the weekend (Nov. 26th-27th) from Wender Drive (Winding Woods).  Parents, please check with your teenagers to see if they may know where these decorations can be found. Hopefully, this is not the beginning of a trend.”

Watch Your Car Program Update

In the November issue of the hendersonroad.com News Updates, the following information was included: 

The DeKalb Police Department (DPKD) Auto Theft Unit wants to stop thieves in their tracks.  In an effort to ensure citizens are informed and protected, two proactive programs have been implemented.

WATCH YOUR CAR PROGRAM (read more)

VEHICLE VIN ETCHING (read more)

Sergeant Slade with the DKPD’s Auto Theft Unit will be sending more information on the programs.  I’ll forward this information to the hendersonroad.com distribution list for determining community interest.  (Jenni)

Handbills

Have you ever received restaurant menus and miscellaneous business cards taped or wedged behind the mailbox flag?  “Some information is sought after, while other types bombard us whether we want it or not.  One type of information distribution residents often find aggravating is the proliferation of flyers, business cards, leaflets or circulars placed on their doorsteps, tossed onto driveways or stuck to the mailboxes. Different from the flyers, or junk mail, for which postage is paid and have been delivered from your mail carrier, these pieces of paper have been delivered outside of the postal system and therefore often end up on lawns or curbs, doorknobs and porches, or collected on mailbox lids. Additionally, too many of these accumulating can signal that the property is unoccupied, which is a safety risk.” 

It wasn’t until a recent conversation with a business placing a flyer on our mailbox that I learned the name for this paper is a “handbill”.  The Tucker Post Office confirmed that it is permissible for businesses to place these handbills on the outside of mailboxes.  The mail carrier will contact the business if the handbill has been placed inside the mailbox without properly going through post office process.  In DeKalb County, the DeKalb Police Code Enforcement confirmed there is no ordinance to regulate or prevent handbills.  This is an ordinance that citizens can propose if interested.

For example, see Roswell’s Handbill Distribution Ordinance.  (Some of the background for the Ordinance has been referenced above.)

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DeKalb Infill Task Force

About hendersonroad.com

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Thanks,

Jenni, Website Coordinator