IN OUR COMMUNITY

The North Pole Express Mail Service has officially arrived in Washington! The festive red mailbox is back on the Washington Square, located between Faire Coffee and Country Financial.

Drop off your letter to Santa in the mailbox any time before Friday, December 19th at 5:00 p.m., and make sure to include a return address so you can receive a reply letter!

Spread the holiday cheer and let the North Pole Express team handle the rest! 

It’s time for the 2025 WFD Santa Parade and W.H.I.P drive-by food collection! The parade will be held on December 18th at 5:30 p.m.

Our local food pantry, W.H.I.P. (Washington Helps Its People), continues to see record demand this year. The need in our community is higher than ever.

During the 2025 Santa Parade, we’ll once again be collecting non-perishable food items as we make our way through town. If you’re able to help, you can place your donation in the trailer following at the end of the parade. If you can’t give the night of the parade, W.H.I.P. accepts donations during their regular drop-off hours, and we also have a collection container at the front door of the fire station for anyone who wants to swing by.

Parade route will be updated soon!

On December 4th, join in for a Candlelight Stroll. Enjoy free carriage rides from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The Christmas Tree Lighting in the middle of the square will be at 6:00 p.m. along with the Community Sing with ICC Choir.

Visits with Santa available at Martin Financial, and food trucks will be present.

This night always feels like a Hallmark Movie on our cute Town Square! Can’t wait to see you! 

Ho! Ho! Ho! The Christmas season is upon us, Santa is making a special visit to Washington, Illinois to see you!! Each child will have an opportunity to speak to Santa so bring your own camera for a picture with Santa Claus. A continental style breakfast including donuts, rolls, bagels, juice, milk and coffee will be served. All attendees must purchase a ticket to attend the breakfast (regardless if you plan to eat). Santa will be available during the breakfast hours from 9:00- 11:00 AM. Pre- registration is highly recommended, although walk-ups will be accepted if space is available.

December 6th at  9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. 

$5/person (age 1 and up)

Location: Washington Five Points Banquet Rooms

Sponsor:  Washington Community Bank

The HOME AGLOW: Christmas Decorating Contest officially opens December 1st, and submissions are now live!

If your home is decked out, glowing, shimmering, sparkling, or generally giving “Kevin McCallister preparing for battle,” we want to see it.

Submit your photos here: https://bit.ly/COW-Christmas-Contest

Entries accepted December 1st thru 20th, and winners will be announced on December 23rd… aka Christmas Eve-Eve.

Bring us your:

✨ Best Themed Home

🎄 Jolliest House on the Block

🎅 Santa’s Showstopper

⭐ People’s Choice

Washington; time to flip the switch, plug in the inflatables, and show the “bandits” how festive we really get. Let’s light up the city.

The Washington Historical Society will hold its 40th annual Christmas Tour of Homes on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Five residences and the historical society building will be decorated for the holidays and open for viewing from 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m.

Tickets are $20 and are available through Dec. 8 via PayPal at washingtonilhs.com or at Nena Ace Hardware, Step Back in Time, and Homespun. On tour day, tickets will be sold at the historical society office from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, contact tour chair Sue Freeberg at (309) 360-8391.

Homes and homeowners featured for the Tour of Homes 2025 include:

Dan and Maggie Bagley, 1752 Kingsbury Road

Kevin and Katie Beale, 301 S. Main St.

Phoebe Lersch, 1110 Dixon St.

Scott and Stefani Lindsey, 1401 Aspen Drive

Ryan and Jenny Winne, 1 Winterberry Court

The historical society at 128 Washington Square will offer refreshments.

Join in at Five Points Washington every 1st Tuesday (November 4th) of the month in the Senior Room for Washington Park District’s monthly BINGO game. You do not have to be a Five Points member to attend. Bingo begins at 10:00 a.m. and runs to about 11:30 a.m.

Nomination forms are now available for 2026 Washingtonian Award, Outstanding Business Award and the Business Beautification Award. Entry deadline is March 1, 2026.

See all the links for the nomination forms at https://washingtonilcoc.com/event/nomination-forms/

Join in for a heartwarming evening of music, laughter, and sweet holiday treats at our Christmas Dessert Theatre, presented in the style of a 1940s live radio show! The event is held on December 12th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Enjoy classic carols, nostalgic Christmas favorites, and a charming story brought to life with vintage flair! Savor delicious homemade desserts and coffee while soaking in the sights and sounds of Christmas past.

Net proceeds from this event will benefit IDES (International

Disaster Emergency Service). Tickets are $10 per person and are available at the WCC office Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and Sunday mornings, 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Join us for an evening of Motown classics as well as Christmas tunes to get you in that holiday spirit! Forever Motown provides a fun mix of classic and modern sounds that you can’t help but move in your seat to!

Performed by a cast of veteran entertainers, including former members of The Jones, Main Ingredient, The Temptations, The Spinners and The Marvelettes. Plus, talented Broadway performers who have had leading roles in “Dream Girls”, “Your Arms Too Short to Box With God”, “Porgy & Bess” and “Showboat.”

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Show begins at 7:30 p.m.

Ticket Information:

Balcony Seating $30

Floor Seating $40

Mark Your Calendar for Christmas at the Plaza on Monday, December 8th at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Washington Plaza.

Gather your family, grab your mittens, and step into an evening filled with holiday joy. The celebration begins with music from the District 50 Band and Choir and our first-ever Christmas Tree Lighting with the Mayor. Then, make your way to the library for a cozy reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Stroll the Plaza to meet Santa and The Grinch, enjoy festive crafts, warm up with hot cocoa, and take in all the twinkling lights.

For a little extra magic: Christmas cookie decorating and a special showing of Elf at the theatre!

Let’s make Washington shine bright this season.

Check out these 12 tech gifts for the holidays: https://www.wired.com/story/best-tech-gifts/

Or look at this list of 40 tech gifts under $100:  https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-gifts-under-100/

Google Maps is rolling out four new features that are meant to save time and find activities over the coming holiday season and more. They include Gemini integration, an EV charger locator, trending activities and helpful review tools for your favorite businesses.  Details at: https://www.tomsguide.com/computing/mobile-apps/google-maps-gets-four-new-features-to-help-cut-your-travel-time-during-the-holidays

Scammers take full advantage of the hectic holiday shopping season.  The image above is a sample of a package delivery text message scam you could receive.  

Notice the link does not lead to UPS or USPS, it is upss.update-aldress.  The scammer uses a domain that resembles a real website, and “address” in the link is misspelled. Next, the text says “Pls” which is lingo you would not typically see in correspondence from a business.   

MotorTrend, MTCO channel 552, will become Discovery Turbo on January 6, 2026.  

Discovery Turbo is the ultimate destination for car enthusiasts, thrill-seekers, and anyone who lives life in the fast lane. Whether you’re passionate about performance tuning, classic restorations, DIY culture, or the latest automotive tech, Discovery Turbo connects you to the people, inspiration, and tools that fuel your journey.

Is there a RAT in your computer?  Hopefully not!  A Remote Access Trojan (RAT) is malware that gives a hacker hidden control of your device to monitor your keystrokes, turn on your webcam, install additional malware, and more.

Signs that your computer has been infected by a RAT can include unusual network activity, sluggish performance, unexpected pop-ups, and unknown apps appearing on your computer.

To prevent RATs and other threats, stay cautious and never act urgently when receiving unexpected attachments and links in emails or texts, download only from trusted sources, keep software updated, and use antivirus and firewall protection.

The holiday season is a prime time for hackers, scammers, and online thieves.  The best defense against these threats is awareness. Here are three detailed steps to be more secure before and after we shop: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Holiday%2520Online%2520Safety_tip%2520sheets_2020-v5-DW_508%2520pobs.pdf