Karen Bender (and five people she chooses to take) is going to the Dec. 2 Family Night during the annual Festival of Trees and Lights on the South Shore.

Lake Tahoe News in collaboration with the Barton Foundation is giving away four packages of tickets to Family Night. The package includes tickets for six people to the festival and a group picture with Santa.

Thank you to everyone who participated. For those who did not win, tickets are available for purchase.

So often we give what we would like to receive and at this stage in our life we seldom want.

So, what about donating $20 to the Family Resource Center with a friend’s name listed? It is a win-win because the money is dispersed locally. Those in need receive and your friend is still acknowledged by your generosity.

The FRC is a solid organization that truthfully does provide much needed services and supplies to all of our Lake Tahoe Unified School District children’s families.

This idea was submitted by a South Lake Tahoe resident who wants to be anonymous.

Lake Tahoe News is looking for budget holiday gift ideas. Find out more about the budget idea by reading this story.

Select a fresh tree with good color and firm, flexible needles that do not easily pull from the branches.

Place the tree in plain water immediately after recutting the trunk at least one-half inch above the old cut. The container you use for your tree should hold 2 to 4 quarts of water.

The longer you wait to place your tree in water, the greater the chances are that it will lose the required moisture content to keep it fresh through the holiday season.

Never place your tree on a wooden stand.

Locate the tree away from sources of heat. Avoid placing the tree near heaters, wood toves, fireplaces, large appliances such as TVs, and direct sunlight.

Be careful not to block a door or other exit with the tree or rearranged furniture.

Use mini-lights on your tree and never place candles on or near your tree. Remove your Christmas tree as soon as possible after the holiday. Never burn your Christmas tree or wrap-ping paper in the fireplace. The rapid burning and excessive heat can damage the firebox and chimney, creating a serious fire hazard.

— Sallie Ross-Filgo, South Lake Tahoe Police Department

Shop — it’s a four letter word in a super negative way for so many people this time of year.

With the economy being what it is, household incomes such as they are and the pressure to buy, buy, buy this time of year, let’s help each other out.

Twenty dollars. What if that were the maximum amount you could spend on a gift? What would you buy? What would you make? What would you sell someone?

Send your suggestions to info@LakeTahoeNews.net. Put “holiday” in the subject line. Suggest ideas to other readers about what $20 or less can buy, who it might be good for if that’s not obvious, where to buy it, how to make it. Make the ideas as Lake Tahoe or Sierra Nevada oriented as possible. If you have a picture of the item, the store, yourself, then send it along as a jpeg. Include your name and contact information in case we have questions. If you are OK with your name being credited with the suggestion, indicate it’s fine to publish it. Your phone number and/or email address will not be published.

Keep what you write to 150 words or so.

Keep the ideas family friendly and legal.

Lake Tahoe News reserves the right not to print all of the suggestions and to edit them.

Austin’s House expects to have many children in crisis staying over the holidays. You can brighten their days with a simple donation.

The best donation is a gift card to a store or cash. This allows Austin’s House to purchase the exact gift that each child wants, even if they arrive on Christmas Eve. A gift card to any local store that carries clothing and toys is perfect. You may also donate gift cards for children’s entertainment such as local movie theaters, fast food restaurants and bowling.

Austin’s House also needs food to stock the pantry. Specific items needed are cereal: oatmeal, Cheerios, Corn Chex, Honey Bunches of Oats and Raisin Bran; canned fruit in light syrup: unsweetened applesauce, peaches, pears, mandarin oranges; crackers: Goldfish, Wheat Thins and Triscuits; snack bars: Nutrigrain or oatmeal bars; baking mixes: cookies, brownies, corn bread and cakes; canned chili, refried beans, canned soup, pasta sauce, pancake mix, syrup, ketchup, mayonnaise, and ranch dressing.

Other items needed are baby wipes, paper towels, toilet paper, Kleenex, napkins, laundry detergent, dishwashing soap, dishwasher detergent, Clorox cleaning wipes, baby shampoo and children’s hairbrushes.

The staff at Austin’s House has produced a beautiful 2012 calendar featuring artwork drawn by children who have stayed at Austin’s House. Each month brings a warm reminder of another young life that was changed for the better thanks to the fine care provided at this wonderful facility. The 2012 calendar is $10 and all of the money will directly benefit Austin’s House.

Call (775) 267.6711 to donate to Austin’s House — the only emergency children’s shelter in rural Northern Nevada.

The North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District will be pile burning on U.S. Forest Service urban lots in the Saddlehorn and Crystal Bay areas through December.

Smoke resulting from the pile burns will affect the surrounding area intermittently. People who are smoke sensitive are advised to please stay inside and close their windows and doors as much as possible until the smoke dissipates.

For further information, call (775) 831.0351, ext. 0.

RMC, a longstanding destination management and special events company with six operations in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, is moving west this month with the addition of its Lake Tahoe California/Nevada operation.

RMC was also recently hired to be the exclusive destination service provider partner for the Ritz-Carlton at Northstar.

The RMC Lake Tahoe division will serve high-end incentive and corporate event clients.

Christopher Oliphant will serve as director of national accounts and sales, and Andrea Emerson is operations manager of the Tahoe office.

• Two vacancies (chamber and at-large) will occur on the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee in Lake Tahoe Unified School District on Jan. 31. For more info, call (530) 541.2850, ext. 225.

• Sierra Nevada Alliance has promoted Kay Ogden to associate director. Ogden has served for the last six years as the development director.

• Nixon’s Heating and Air Conditioning has expanded its Lake Tahoe operation into the Carson Valley.

• Heavenly Mountain Resort is partnering with Snow Park Technologies. This means the return of a halfpipe after a four-year hiatus.

• This is the El Dorado-Tahoe roadwork schedule for Caltrans for next week, along with the Sierra schedule.

• Kirkwood Mountain Resort will be open Nov. 25-27 and Dec. 2-4, with full operation expected Dec. 9.

• The Donner Summit Safety Roadside Rest Area reopened this week. It was completely reconstructed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

• JW McClenahan Co. won one of four Pinnacle Awards from the Nevada Chapter of the Associated General Contractors for the work it did in replacing the boiler at South Tahoe High School. Q&D Construction was recognized for its sensitivity to the environment, history and culture for its work at Thunderbird Lodge.

• Unity at the Lake is moving into the old Child Development Center at 1195 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, in early December.

• Squaw Valley Institute on Nov. 30 at 6:30pm sponsors the test screening of “Dam California,” an independent feature film created and produced by a team of Tahoe-based filmmakers. It will be shown at the Resort at Squaw Creek. The film is entered in the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.

The Public Health Division of the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency has wrapped up its community flu clinics for the season and is now offering low-cost flu vaccine by appointment.

The seasonal influenza vaccine is available in the shot and nasal mist forms through Public Health for $10 per vaccination. No one will be turned away due to inability to pay.

Individuals must be at least 6 months of age to receive the influenza vaccine. The Tdap (whooping cough) booster shot and pneumonia vaccine are also available by appointment through Public Health for $10 per shot.

To schedule a vaccination appointment, call (530) 621.6100 in Placerville or (530) 573.3155 in South Lake Tahoe.