See Ya Next Year || Nos vemos el año que viene  

Stella is back! Take a stroll to 3721 36th to say hello to Stella the Dragon and drop off your letter to Santa!

📣 Welcome

Date 12/5/2025

Issue 18

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?

Winter dormancy: if it’s good enough for the trees, it’s good enough for us. We’re tucking in for a short winter rest and will be back in February. Wishing you a cozy holiday season.

My Top 5: 

• Second Hand Holiday Gift Exchange at MiXt

• Santa Runs for Christmas!  

• Harry Potter Burlesque at Joe's

• Library Book Exchange

• Snow Angel Sign Up

Rachel Bush
LGN Editor
rsbush01@gmail.com

🏛️ City Updates

Pepco Customer Relief Fund

PGC Housing Choice Voucher Waitlist Opens

Brentwood: 

• 12/19 Fr - Town of Brentwood Holiday Celebration

• 12/21 - Brentwood VFD Santa Run starting at 5:15 PM

Colmar Manor: 

• Every Tues/Thurs (Not Christmas Day) - Zumba

• 12/9, 23 Tue - Rise and Shine Seniors

• 12/11 Thu - Dance Dance Party 

• 12/16 Tu - Town Council Meeting

• 12/19 Sa - Open House and Christmas Event

• 12/19 - Santa Run Starting at 5:15 PM

Cottage City: 

• 12/10 W - Town Hall Meeting, 7 PM

• 12/16 Tu - Green Team Meeting, 6:30 PM

• 12/19 - Santa Run Starting at 5:15 PM

Mount Rainier: 

• 12/6 Sa - Sweaty Sweater Fun Run 

  • Mount Rainier MD at 9 AM

• 12/6 Sa - Shop with a Cop

• 12/10 W - Deadline for Mural Voting

• 12/11 Thu - Recreation Committee Meeting

• 12/16 Tu - Mayor and Council Work Session

• 12/20 Fire Department Santa Run

• 12/22 - CERT Meeting

North Brentwood: 

• 12/8 M - NBHS Annual Christmas Luncheon

• 12/21 - Brentwood VFD Santa Run starting at 5:15 PM

🎒 School News

PGCPS Calendar

Public Comment is open for Policy: 8265: Evaluating the Superintendent of Schools

12/13 PGCPS Hiring Fair

MRES Winter Concert (Advanced Chorus and Band)

🦅 Mount Rainier Elementary

As we wrap up another awesome semester at MRES, we’re grateful for the hard work, growth, and resilience shown by our students, staff, and families. We wish everyone a joyful, restful holiday season and look forward to welcoming you back in 2026!

Community Ask! The Mount Rainier Mall happening this month is a beautiful event the school puts on for families in need to shop for the holidays, for free. Please consider donating new and slightly used toys, clothing and household items. Donations are now being accepted through December 12 at the school, 4011 32nd St. Mount Rainier, MD. 

📅 Upcoming Dates

• 12/6: Mount Rainier Holiday Craft Fair - MRES PTO will have a Cocoa stand, come say hi! 

• 12/19: Early dismissal 

• 12/22-1/2: Winter Break, school closed

Donate to help TSE replace their murals!

🐅Thomas S. Stone Elementary 

Our raffle of a 55” TV and Stand is raising funds to replace the murals on the fence and temp building that are in desperate need of repairs. Last day to get your ticket 12/08 @ 8pm.

• 12/8 - 📚 TSES Book Club 

  • 5:30pm- 6:30pm. 

• 12/19: Early dismissal 

• 12/22-1/2: Winter Break, school closed

Subscribe to PTO updates

🌎 Stay Local

🎉Business Announcements

Shewa Studios, a new film studio from local filmmaker Mignotae Kebede and her company THR33 Productions, is opening this December inside Brentwood’s Gateway Arts Center. The studio will be housed at 3901 Rhode Island Ave., in the nonprofit’s building right next to miXt Food Hall via Hyattsville Wire.

🎭 Neighborhood Happenings

• Every Tuesday at 10 - Gateway Aging Together Walk from Joe’s

• 11/15 - 12/20 A Fragile Strength Exhibition by Laurel Lukaszewski

• 12/6 Sa - Mount Rainier Craft Show

• 12/6 Sa - Sweaty Sweater Run

• 12/8 M - Thomas Stone Book Club 

• 12/11Th  - Holiday Toy Exchange

  • 7-9 PM at MiXt

• 12/13 Sa - Heauxs of Hogwarts: A Burlesque Variety Show 8 - 10 PM at Joe’s

• 12/19 Fr - Community Food Giveaway at the First Baptist Church of Mount Rainier

• 12/19 Fr - Nature Makers Space: Holiday Wreaths

  • Mount Rainier Nature Center 4-6 pm ages 13+

• 12/20 6-9 PM - 8th Annual Parade of Lights

  • Danielle Carter is looking for cider station volunteers! Email dscarter86@yahoo.com if you’re interested.

• 1/31 - Seed Swapping Festival at the Mount Rainier Nature Center

  • Activities for all ages!

☮️ Volunteering and Mutual Aid 

• Donate Money: 

  • Support neighbors impacted by ICE Detainments through various GoFundMes, organized by PGIRC. These funds help families pay attorneys, electric bills, rent, grocery bills, etc.

  • Thomas Stone Elementary is raising funds to replace the murals on their outdoor buildings. Buy tickets for a 55” TV raffle here, or donate.

• Support Food Banks

  • Every other Friday there’s a Community Food Giveaway at the First Baptist Church of Mount Rainier. They need volunteers - (301) 927-5565.

  • Rt 1 Mutual Aid and Indivisible Rt 1 Corridor are partnering with community organizations to help feed our neighbors, now through Feb 2026. They are seeking weekly or one-time donations of culturally appropriate food that can be dropped off at a number of porches and businesses in the area as well as fresh produce donations on Saturday mornings at the Lustine Center (5710 Baltimore Ave). For more information - including what, where, and how to donate - go to https://rt1mutualaid.org

• Toy Donations Needed:

  • Mount Rainier Elementary Mall Toy Drive (all ages) 

    • Drop off new or gently used toys  by Dec 12. School families in need will shop from the donations.

  • PG IRC Family Toy Drive

    • Purchase toys for families impacted by ICE detainments 

• Help Shovel Snow:

• Volunteer to shovel sidewalks and walkways for neighbors unable to do it themselves. Email DCarter@MountRainierMD.org to sign up as a Snow Angel. 

🩰 Joe’s Movement Emporium 

Full calendar of events

• 12/6 Mount Rainier Craft Fair: 12/6 11 am- 4 pm, #free!

• 12/14 Kuumba: A Kwanzaa Experience for Families at 1 PM

Joe’s Movement Emporium harmonizes with the artistic community this holiday season for an immersive Kwanzaa craft and activity experience for the whole family. Connect and create while sharing community on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at our Mount Rainier location. We're kicking off the Kwanzaa season with special performances, hands-on craft workshops, demo classes, diasporic cuisine, and more. See you there! #free but donations suggested.

📚 Mount Rainier Public Library 

Full calendar of events

Interested in joining a book club? Join the Solidarity Stories book club for our annual book swap on Tuesday, December 9th at 6:30 PM in the upstairs lounge at MiXt Food Hall! Participants bring a book (or two) they’ve enjoyed and would like to share with others. We chat about what we’ve loved reading this year and swap books so everyone has something to read over the holidays. We’ll also be announcing our 2026 book club picks. If you haven’t been to the book club before, it’s a great chance to meet everyone and check it out! Reach out to caitlin.clark@pgcmls.info with questions about this event or the Solidarity Stories book club. 

🌎 Slightly Less-Local Stuff

• 12/6 Sa - Santa Fly-In

• 12/6 Sa - 5th Annual Material Things & Friends Holiday Market Extravaganza

  • 4-9 PM

☕ Etc.