holiday joy | favorite thing EVER

Jan 30, 2012 Posted by kormantic

It’s never too late for Yuletide!

This may shock you, but my holiday traditions have a lot to do with gift exchanges. The catch is that these gifts have specific requirements: they must be rare, they must be personalized, and they must be handmade using only found materials. Yes, yes, it’s all very green, but it’s also entirely awesome, because I’m not talking about paperweights made out of sand dollars or decoupaged... read more

Dec 24, 2010 Posted by matt

Elf, and the case for Secular Christmas

For me, Christmas has always been entirely secular. And yes, I get that it has “Christ” right in the name. Most of the Christmas traditions I practice (tree decorating, gift giving) actually predate Christianity, but I’m not Pagan either. And although I have some pretty significant bones to pick with religion in general, I will tell you this: I love me some frickin’ Christmas. I... read more

Dec 7, 2010 Posted by kormantic

Right here in St. Louis!

While I think The Wizard of Oz is a cultural touchstone, integral to American culture, I’ve never liked the movie. I thought it was creepy as a little kid, and creepier still as an adult, but I would never deny that Judy Garland was a talented performer. In point of fact, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America named Somewhere Over the Rainbow as the... read more

Dec 3, 2010 Posted by melodie

Ho ho hobos! You know, for Christmas.

A lot of people would expect a story about a man who's abandoned his family and become a hobo to be kind of a bummer. It sucks for everyone, you know? Mom has to get a paying job... read more

Nov 25, 2010 Posted by matt

Of course we’re also thankful for YOU

To celebrate Thanksgiving, and since yesterday marked our 100th post (that’s a random coincidence I just noticed when I went in to set this up, but still) here’s a bunch of stuff we’re grateful for. For starters, I’m grateful to all these folks for sharing their favorite things with this site and with the world… Things we’re thankful for: MELODIE Ghetto Mochas. For... read more

Oct 29, 2010 Posted by kormantic

Fun size? What’s fun about less CANDY?

When I was a little kid, I lived on the East Coast and every Halloween I’d Trick or Treat my way home from school. Most people weren’t home from work yet, so it wasn’t very profitable, but it was usually crisp and sunny, with gutters heaped shin-deep with shuffled decks of glossy orange leaves. Other CANDY-intent kids (and in my mind, the word CANDY is forever in all caps) were... read more

Sep 9, 2010 Posted by rose

Happy New Year! In September!

Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. What a fantastic holiday! It’s so simple and yet so satisfying. First off, there’s the food: apples and honey for a sweet year, round challah bread for a whole year. My mom used to make matzoh ball soup, too, but I’m usually too disorganized for that. Besides, once you’ve eaten two apples and half a loaf of bread all smothered in... read more