December 2025 | Volume 16 | Issue 9
MOUNTAIN BROOK’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE VILLAGELIVINGONLINE.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM
Winter Wonderland
Mountain Brook is lighting up for the holidays with sparkling displays and festive events for all ages.
See page 18
Heating Up
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Making the season bright A Mountain Brook dad turns hundreds of inflatables and thousands of lights into a joyful neighborhood tradition
The Lady Spartans aim to prove last year’s historic run was just the start.
See page 20
INSIDE Sponsors............. 4 City....................... 6 Schoolhouse....... 8 Business............. 14
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Real Estate........ 17 Events.................18 Sports................20 Community....... 22
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By EMILY REED
M
att Crane is officially in his Christmas dad era, and it’s a season his family, friends and Mountain Brook neighborhood are embracing. “I think at the root of it, I just get to be a kid again, and my love runs deep for the Christmas holiday,” Crane said. “I used to be the guy before having kids where I was completely minimalistic with Christmas lights. I was the person with clear light strands all in a perfectly straight line, and I would kind of outwardly scoff at inflatables. I now have two boys who are 5 and 6 and I am like, ‘Bring on the inflatables.’”
See HOLIDAY | page 28 Main: Matt Crane stands proudly in front of “Candy Crane Lane,” his ever-growing holiday yard display that delights kids and neighbors each Christmas season. Inset: Crane’s yard display features nearly 250 inflatables drawing in visitors from across the community. Photos courtesy of Matt Crane.
New council raises allotments for community traffic islands By SOLOMON CRENSHAW JR. Certain land formations can be found in certain locations. Eastern Tennessee is home to mountainous terrain, and Hawaii boasts impressive volcanoes. In Mountain Brook, a different type of terrain can be found: traffic islands. Shanda Williams, the parks and
recreation superintendent of Mountain Brook, said traffic islands are somewhat unique to that city. Those islands could be afforded some more care because of an action taken at the Nov. 10 city council meeting.
See TRAFFIC ISLANDS | page 30
The traffic island along Stoneridge Drive and Dunbrooke Drive in the Dunbarton neighborhood in Mountain Brook. Staff photo.
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