Santa Claus needs to let loose before handing out all those presents.
On Christmas Eve this Wednesday, Jolly Old St. Nick is returning to the Potomac River for the 40th annual Waterskiing Santa show. The show starts at 1 p.m. outside BARCA Pier & Wine Bar at 2 Pioneer Mill Way.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Rocket Fizz, the soda pop and candy store in Fairlington Plaza.
Owner Tanya Kemp’s store at 1721 Centre Plaza is full of stocking stuffers, from vintage soda and candy, to tchotchkes and gag gifts like wind-up chattering teeth, Pez dispensers and bobbleheads. She told ALXnow that her shop does more business during the Christmas season than any other time of the year.
This recurring Most and Least Expensive Home feature is sponsored by Adrianna Vallario of Compass. Based in the North Ridge area of Alexandria City, Adrianna is more than just a real estate agent – she is a trusted advisor, relocation expert, and community advocate.In October 2026, 26 detached homes sold, 50 condos sold, and 41 townhomes sold. Detached home sales are down 40% when compared to the same time period last year, condos are down 52%, and townhomes are down 18%.
Most Expensive Detached Home Sales:
Least Expensive Townhome Sales:
If you have any questions about these listings, or are looking to make a move in the DMV, please contact Adrianna Vallario – Your Alexandria Real Estate Agent.
The number of unemployed Alexandrians is up by a third from a year before, according to September jobs figures that were delayed by the federal government shutdown.
A total of 96,711 city residents were counted as employed in the civilian workforce, with 3,479 reported unemployed, according to figures reported Dec. 18 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
Join artist Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha’p’o Owenge ([Santa Clara Pueblo]), creator of Always Becoming, and the community that cares for the museum’s ephemeral outdoor sculpture family, to learn about the project’s evolution over the past two decades, and what the future holds.
Learn about the art of clay, traditions of sustainability in Pueblo building techniques, and more. Visitors can enjoy family-friendly art activities, dance performances by the Zuni Olla Maidens, watch a short film, and multiple opportunities to hear from the artist, her family, and museum experts that have contributed to the care and revitalization of the sculptures.
Government offices in Alexandria will close on Wednesday and Thursday to observe Christmas.
Closures this week will affect Alexandria courts, the Alexandria Library, the Department of Motor Vehicles, health facilities, the city’s impound lot and more. Metered parking restrictions and residential permit parking will not be enforced during this period.
**Sips & Shells: Holiday Oyster Shell Workshop at Hank's Oyster Bar**
Gather your girlfriends for a creative night out in Old Town Alexandria!
A man was assaulted and robbed at a bus stop early Saturday morning in Alexandria West.
The victim reported at around 3:30 a.m. that two men assaulted him as he sat at a bus stop in the 400 block of N. Armistead Street and counted money, according to Alexandria Police Department radio dispatches.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating the stabbing in the Landmark area after midnight on Saturday.
A man walked into an apartment building at the 6300 block of Stevenson Avenue around 12:45 a.m. and told police he was stabbed nearly a mile away — at another apartment building at the 300 block of S. Reynolds Street, according to APD radio dispatches.
Visa Barriers Cut ACHS Teacher’s Time Short — “Over a year and a half, [Misa] Suzuki has established herself as a valuable member of the ACHS community and connected with students through ASL, however, her time has been tragically cut short due to an inability to acquire a new work visa … ‘Under the Trump administration’s policies, the options for obtaining this work visa are extremely limited,’ said Suzuki. ‘It is hard to accept, but I will treasure my two years of work experience and strive to do my best in Japan.'” [Theogony]
APD Warns of Funeral Home Scam — “As part of APD’s Holiday Crime Prevention Plan, we want to make our community aware of a scam affecting parts of Virginia. Scammers are posing as funeral home employees and calling families to demand immediate payment. They often use real business names and staff names to sound credible. No cases have been reported in Alexandria at this time.” [Alexandria Police Department]
Good Friday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Dec 19, 2025.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Expect a mostly sunny day with a high temperature near 44 degrees, as calm winds in the morning shift to the south, ranging from 5 to 9 mph. For Saturday night, skies will be partly cloudy, with the temperature dropping to around 36 degrees and a south wind blowing between 8 to 11 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
– Mark Twain
We hope you have a great weekend, Alexandria!
After a contentious discussion, the Alexandria City School Board last night (Thursday) approved its $282.3 million Capital Improvement Program budget for fiscal years 2027-36.
The 5-4 approval of Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt’s proposed budget comes in at $3.5 million below the recommended amount from City Manager Jim Parajon’s office. The CIP includes $23 million in funding for non-capacity projects next year, including $1.8 million in school bus/vehicle replacements, $1.8 million for emergency repairs and $1.3 million in curriculum and instruction materials. It also accounts for the $2 million development of the Alexandria City High School’s Chance for Change Academy.
