This is normally the time of year where I’d put in some holly jolly post, telling you to be of good cheer and such. But December has been an unusually violent month in the otherwise sleepy Preston Hollow.

In addition to two gunpoint robberies, there have been eleven home burglaries, three of which occurred during the day while the owners were home.

Most commonly, the robbers rang the doorbell repeatedly with no answer before entering a home, presumably (and incorrectly) thinking the owners were away. But on Dec. 6 there was a home invasion at 11:30 a.m., where armed robbers forced their way into a home in the 7100 block of Brookshire Circle and stole $5,000 worth of jewelry.

For comparison, there were only four home burglaries in Dec. 1 through 20 in 2010, and none of them occurred while the owners were present.

My holiday message to you, faithful PHP readers, is to lock your doors, set the alarm, get a dog, and have a very merry— and safe— Christmas.

City Council members’ adopted redistricting map got the go-ahead today from the Department of Justice.

In the Preston Hollow area, this means (in brief) that Bluffview and Devonshire will have a single Council representative after the 2013 elections, and Midway Hollow neighbors will be united in District 6 — which will also absorb Highland Meadows, a neighborhood bordered by Forest Lane, Marsh Lane, and Interstate 635.

City attorney Tom Perkins said the DOJ’s pre-clearance indicates the plan doesn’t create a retrogression of minority voters’ rights to elect candidates of their choice, per the Voting Rights Act — a big point of contention, especially in South Dallas, when the majority of Councilmembers approved the map through in October.

Prompting legal action from civil rights groups such as MALDEF, it shows four Hispanic voting-majority districts, four black districts, and six white ones. Hispanic leaders have pushed for five, four, and five, respectively, in a city where 42 percent of residents are Hispanic, one-fourth are black, and 29 percent are white.

“I am pleased with the outcome,” Mayor Mike Rawlings said in today’s press release. “It is my belief in the future we will see a majority of minority council members sitting around the horseshoe.”

At 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 14, an 84-year-old Preston Hollow resident was robbed at gunpoint in the 4300 block of Woodfin Drive, near Midway Road. The robber threatened to shoot the woman before stealing nearly $500 worth of property including a $200 pair of reading glasses and a $50 Saks purse.

According to police, the robber fled in a gray two-door vehicle.  The woman, who lives on Thackery Street, was not harmed.

Hanukkah begins at sundown tonight, and the Galleria is prepared. The first candle on the mall’s menorah will be lit at 5 p.m. by Rabbi Mendel Dubrawsky of Chabad of Dallas. Meyer Denn, director of the Center for Jewish Education, will read an interactive children’s story, and Dubrawsky’s son Zelmen will then lead guests in a short song session. The festivities will be capped with a round of kosher snacks.

Candles will be lit at the same time for the next seven nights on the Galleria’s first level, near the guest reception center.

Thousands of shoppers searching for last-minute goodies, crowds of families screaming and laughing, salespeople running through the racks hoping to please their customers: nothing new at Christmas time at NorthPark Center. However, on my latest trip to the busy mall, I could not help but notice this year’s extra emphasis on giving. Outside Dillard’s and Macy’s, a variety of charities were soliciting busy shoppers to support their cause.

United States Marines stood strong in the center of the Toys for Tots booth. Along with sponsor Jack FM, the Marines collected unwrapped toys for underprivileged children in Dallas.

One by-product of a gift-hunting afternoon: hunger. It must have been hard for any weary shopper to pass up savory Christmas treats, especially when the profits benefit a good cause. Treats of Christmas was a display of treats that puts any high-school bake sale to shame. The goodies were donated by the Texas Chefs Association, and the sales supported the Union Gospel Mission and the North Texas Food Bank.

After sifting through clothing racks for hours, some shoppers gave up on finding that perfect material gift, and instead opted for one that is full of life. The SPCA was auctioning puppies for $185-$285 and older dogs for $95-$195.

As school has finally come to a close, it got me thinking about the week before the end of the semester at Ursuline. When I first enrolled there, I remember thinking how lucky we were that we didn’t have end-of-first-semester exams. But after experiencing the week before the end of term, my views alternated. Our last week before Christmas break is what students fondly refer to as “the worst week of [my] life.” It is plagued with tests, papers, and projects in almost every subject.  The teachers say, “But at least you don’t have midterms!” Would that be better though? Only having to study for one big test instead of writing three papers, working on a project, and studying for a test in every class?

I asked my friends, and they agreed that not having midterms may be more of a curse than a blessing. Some students may disagree, however, that although projects and papers are time-consuming, they count for less and tend to be grade boosters. I don’t know the real answer … just wondering if the other Dallas-area high schools have it right by giving their students just one big test. Just food for thought, Ursuline!

Looking for family-friendly activities during the break from school? The Norwood Flynn Gallery has extended its holiday exhibit through Jan. 28.

Enjoy the work of Gregory Horndeski, Faith Jessup, and Ray-Mel Cornelius, whose “Winter Berries” painting decorates this post.

The gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, from noon to 5:30 p.m. It will be closed, however, Dec. 21 through Jan. 3.

As a Houston native, I’m somewhat very familiar with the Spec’s chain of gourmet food and liquor stores. They’ve been around as long as I can remember. Oh, and most have an epic humidor.

Which leads me to ask, did anyone check out the new Spec’s at Walnut Hill and North Central Expressway? We all know Teresa Gubbins did, but that’s a given, right?

Thoughts?

This gem from Salon.com came zooming into my inbox this morning via my handy dandy Preston Hollow Google alerts. It’s total nonsense, of course, but it is hilarious nonsense. A teaser:

Sources interviewed for this article said that Mr. Bush spends at least eight hours of each day at the Preston Hollow Shopping Center, a popular retail destination near his home in suburban Dallas. “Other than that chimichanga lunch he doesn’t really have a set routine,” said one source. “Sometimes he’ll hang around Lenscrafters trying on glasses or head over to Abercrombie & Fitch and watch the girls fold pants. Last week I saw him inside Pottery Barn sleeping in a leather recliner.”

David Braemer, Greenhill School’s well respected head of Upper School since 2003, has announced that this school year will be his last at Greenhill. Next year he will be the head of school at Ensworth School in Nashville, Tenn. While many students’ were surprised and disappointed by this announcement, his leave was no surprise to the Greenhill administration, which has known from the start that Mr. Braemer’s ultimate goal was to someday take on a head-of-school position at an independent school. Mr. Braemer, his wife, and his children, who currently attend Greenhill, will be missed by students and faculty alike. Greenhill has already started searching for a replacement, and hopes to fill the position by this spring.