5 Things You Need To Know Today, Tuesday, Dec. 11

Here are five pieces of information designed to start your Tuesday with a smile and to help make you the smartest person at the coffee shop.

1. Your 3-Day Local Weather Forecast:

• According to the NWS, today there will be a chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 40. Northwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Tuesday A chance of showers, mainly before 8am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 47. West wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Tuesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 24. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.
• Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 39. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.
• Wednesday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 27. Calm wind.
• Thursday Sunny, with a high near 40.
• Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 28.

2. It's Happening Today: The Tewksbury High girls basketball team opens its 2012-13 season tonight when they play host to North Andover High. Game time is 7 p.m. for the varsity game. Meanwhile, the boys are on the road at North Andover.

3. Reader Comment of the Day: "Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety." Reader Banks Snodgrass, commenting on the story, "Should Massachusetts Gun Control Laws be Loosened?"

4. And About That Power Outage: Would you believe that because of something that happened in ... Wait for it .... Wilmington. It's looking like a transfer wire went down in Wilmington, knocking out two transfer stations impacting Andover and Tewksbury. Why did the wire come down? As soon as we know, you'll know.

5. It's Also Happening Today: Not feeling Christmasy quite yet? Then swing by the Tewksbury Public Library. Not only will you have the chance vote for your favorites in The Festival of Trees, but tonight you can take in starting at 7 p.m. Join Dave Downs, the New England History festival's "Best Exhibitor," as he explores fascinating topics surrounding Christmas.  Why was it against the law to celebrate Christmas during early colonial times?  What year did the first electric Christmas tree lights appear?   Visit the past with Dave as he recounts favorite personal holiday memories.  Remember walking "up town?"  Almost every town had a Five and Dime, a hardware store and a drug store where we could buy almost anything for our siblings and parents wished for!  Lamp posts and store fronts were decorated cheerfully for the season!  Step back in time when Christmas trees cost only $2.00 and we'd sing Christmas carols using the "John Hancock Carol Book."  We'd almost always receive a small box of hard candy, complete with a handy string for a handle, at church or school Christmas parties.  No Christmas program would be complete without music!  Sing along with Dave, as he strums on his ukulele, to celebrate Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer's birthday!