Tag: holidays
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Through Light and Dark
“Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better to take things as they come along with patience and equanimity.” — Carl Jung
As we near the end of 2022, I’m reflecting on the year that was, one in which I learned more than any prior about the importance of taking things as they come with patience and equanimity. Personally, it was one of the toughest in recent memory, not counting 2020 — I think we can agree that was one big WTF for us all. But this year brought a great deal of loss for me (three of my grandparents and an uncle passed away). And a great deal of stress (one notable experience: I panic-bought a house). Though it wasn’t without its celebratory moments (panic or no, I did become a homeowner). And successes (I was promoted to editor-in-chief of this fine publication).
At my age, “I’m sorry for your loss” has become more a part of regular dialogue. And fumbles and foibles are standard fare. Getting older has its growing pains (literally and metaphorically), and consistently presents new learning opportunities. We’re all figuring things out as we go, and there are no perfect days — but some are better than others. And the not-so-great ones help remind us to savor the near-perfect ones and to take things in stride. Because there will always be more “things” to get through.
This year, too, has been one of losses and triumphs for Memphis, as you’ll read in this — our double issue. For our staff to have the fortunate ability to take some time off around the holidays, we present this year-end edition, dated December 22nd through January 4th, which will be on newsstands for two full weeks. Within, we’ve used the cover story “Let’s Get Wild & Free” for predictions, and a look ahead, for 2023 — in business development, politics, music, film, and sports. Our writers have utilized their regular column spaces for year-in-review features — a recap of news and more from 2022. It reveals some of the low, even horrific moments our city — and country — endured. But it also displays how much we’ve rebounded from the pandemic peak, with the sports, live music, and film worlds flourishing once again.
Even with all that’s happened in the last 12 months — the ups and downs and stagnant in-betweens — it still somehow feels like we just shot off the bottle rockets on New Year’s Eve. A strange thing, time. Maybe in 2023, we can embrace this chance to start anew, recognize the lessons in hardships, pause for clarity when necessary, and face what may come — the good and the bad — with empathy and courage.
We’ll leave you with this issue until our next newspaper hits stands (January 5, 2023). In the meantime, some final thoughts for you. This week, a friend shared a 2021 tweet from J.S. Park (@jsparkblog) that still resonates. It read: “My therapist, instead of saying ‘happy holidays,’ says, ‘May you have a gentle holiday.’ Her reason: The holidays are not happy for everyone. The hope is that they’re gentle for us, that we are gentle on ourselves. #selfcare.”
In the hustle of the holidays, remember that not everyone has family or friends with whom to celebrate — or the means to give as generously as they’d like to. It can be a solitary time for some, and an overwhelming time with many road trips and gatherings for others. The stores are packed, retail and restaurant staff are spread thin. Package sorters, delivery drivers, and postal employees are working overtime to get your gifts to where they need to be. In this often stressful season, remember to be gentle on yourself. But remember, too, to be gentle with the people you encounter. You don’t know what they’re going through, and your smile might be one that lights an otherwise dark day.
Best wishes to you all as we ready to rock a brand-new year, wherein there will surely be both light and dark but also a hell of a lot of promising possibilities.
The 20th Annual Toy Truck benefiting Porter-Leath has spent several weekends providing holiday gifts for children, but it still has one stop to make along the way. After several days each at the Poplar Collection Shopping Center and WMC Action News 5 (with a guest appearance by celebrated former Grizzlies player Zach “Z-Bo” Randolph), the Truck will make its final stop this weekend at IKEA to continue collecting toys for more than 2,500 preschool children.
For 20 years, Toy Truck has doled out presents to children up to the age of five who might not receive another gift for Christmas. Children are able to receive age-appropriate gifts that promote early learning, such as dolls, trucks, and building blocks.
“Every year, generous individuals, groups and businesses support the children of Porter-Leath by filling the truck with new toys,” said Rob Hughes, vice president of development at Porter-Leath. “Their
continued support not only helps Porter-Leath preschoolers learn through play, but also makes Christmas a merrier time for their families.”
The final stop, taking place at IKEA, will be on Saturday, December 18th (10 a.m.-3 p.m.), and Sunday, December 19th (11 a.m.-3 p.m.). Those in the giving spirit can drop off new, unwrapped toys at the Truck, as well as cash, check, or credit card donations. Donations can also be made by texting TOY to 50511. Each one will be matched by a Secret Santa in the community.
Businesses across Memphis have different ways of giving back during the holiday season, but these four organizations will accept toy donations. All four locations require that donations are new and unwrapped.
The Memphis Police Association holds its toy drive every year in early December, but they will be accepting toys and monetary donations for special needs children of any age at its office location until December 12th. Toys most needed are for children ages 11 to 14.
628 Jefferson
Oasis of Hope, a faith-based organization in North Memphis, has a pop-up store that sells discounted toys to families in the neighborhood, who may not be able to afford full prices during Christmas. The community store, a part of Oasis Appliance, Bike Shop, and SweeT-Shirt, will accept toy donations for children of all ages from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until December 14th.
1294 N. Thomas
Stop the Hurt, Start the Healing Foundation, an organization that aims to continue Michael Jackson’s mission of healing the world, is having its fifth annual toy drive at Walmart in Raleigh from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. The drive will benefit Hope House, an organization that provides help for children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Toys for children of all ages are needed.
3950 Austin Peay
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital is not doing a holiday toy drive, but accepts toys throughout the year for patients. Toys for children ages 13 to 15 are especially needed. Donations can be dropped off during business hours from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
850 Poplar, Building 2
Categories
Calendar 2008
JANUARY 2008
Elvis Presley Birthday Week
Only a king deserves a weeklong birthday celebration. Celebrate at the annual dance party, the scavenger hunt at Graceland, or play Elvis Bingo at the Heartbreak Hotel. January 5-8. (332-3322)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday
Celebrate the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with various local events sponsored by the National Civil Rights Museum. (521-9699). In 2008, the civic holiday will be observed January 21.
FEBRUARY 2008
Black History Month
Celebrate the history and achievements of African Americans at various sites around the city. National Civil Rights Museum (521-9699), University of Memphis (678-2135), Memphis Brooks Museum of Art (544-6200), and the Memphis/Shelby County Public Library. (415-2700)
International Blues Talent Competition
The blues may have originated in the Mississippi Delta, but the genre has spread all over the world. Hear everything from Midwest blues to Middle Eastern blues at this annual international showdown on Beale. Bands play in various clubs along Beale Street, including the New Daisy Theatre. Early February. (527-2583)
Beale Street Zydeco Music Festival
More than 20 zydeco bands perform at this two-day tribute to Cajun music, during the last weekend in February. (529-0999)
MARCH 2008
Southern Women’s Show
Leave the men at home, ladies. It’s time for a girl’s day out with the annual traveling expo of all things female. See the latest fashions, shop from hundreds of vendors, and learn beauty tips and relaxation techniques. Agricenter International. March 7-9. (800-849-0248)
St. Patrick’s Day
Drink green beer and pretend you’re a leprechaun this
St. Paddy’s Day with various parties at local clubs and restaurants. Don’t miss the annual Raising of the Goat at
Silky O’Sullivan’s on Beale March 17. (522-9596)
APRIL 2008
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial March
Dr. King’s dream lives on as members of the AFSCME AFL-CIO union march through downtown. Early April. (525-2458)
Africa In April Cultural Awareness Festival
In its 22nd year, Africa In April offers Memphians a chance to sample native foods, hear African music, shop for imported goods, and learn all about this year’s honored country through workshops and forums. The main event takes place in downtown’s Robert R. Church Park. Mid-April. (947-2133)
MAY 2008
Memphis in May International Festival
Rockers, foodies, and culture lovers unite for this annual month-long celebration of music, barbecue, and an honored country, which for 2008 is Turkey. Catch plenty of live music at the Beale Street Music Festival. Nosh on pulled pork at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. And chill out to the soothing sounds of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra at the Sunset Symphony. Events take place at Tom Lee Park all month long. (525-4611)
Handy Awards
The 29th annual Blues Foundation awards show is like the Grammy of the blues world. Early May. (527-2583)
Memphis Greek Festival
Celebrate the culture of the Mediterranean with home-made Greek food, dancing, music, and more at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church. May 9-10. (327-8177)
JUNE 2008
Stanford St. Jude Championship
Veteran golfers compete in this PGA event benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at the Tournament Players Club at Southwind. June 2-8. (748-0534)
Memphis Italian Festival
Stroll through the wine and cheese garden while you send the kids to play in Luigiland. This annual festival at Marquette Park celebrates Italian culture with plenty of food, a grape-stomping session, a pizza-tossing contest, and more. Early June. (767-6949)
Juneteenth
The oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery is held at Douglass Park. Enjoy live music by local hip-hop and blues acts and see educators honored for their work educating African-American youth. Mid-June. (385-4943)
Carnival Memphis
Memphis was once the cotton king of the South, and this annual festival honors that heritage with a parade, “krewe” coronations, and the grand finale, a Crown and Sceptre Ball. Early June. (278-0243)
Germantown Charity Horse Show
Equestrians and their horses have been gathering in Germantown for this multibreed show since 1948. Held at the show grounds next to Germantown High School. Early June. (754-0009)
The Orpheum Classic Movie Series
The Orpheum isn’t just for Broadway shows and concerts. At this annual summer series, the performance hall becomes a vintage movie theatre, screening favorites like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” and even “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” June through August. (525-7800)
Live at the Garden Concert Series
Commune with nature while catching shows by classic touring rock and pop acts. Last year’s performers included Al Green, Chicago, and Chris Isaac. Pack a picnic and lounge on a blanket throughout the show. June through September. (685-1566)
JULY 2008
Red, White, & Blues Star Spangled Celebration
Celebrate America’s independence with a massive fireworks show, live bands, and activities for the whole family. Tom Lee Park. July 4. (529-0999)
August 2008
Southeastern Indian Heritage Festival
Get in touch with your Native American heritage. At this annual festival, American Indian communities gather to celebrate social dance, music, food, spiritual activities, and something called stick-ball. See for yourself at the Chucalissa Museum. Mid-August. (785-3160)
Elvis Week ’08
Elvis fans from the world over descend on Memphis for this annual tribute to the King of Rock-and-Roll. The celebration includes tours of his childhood apartment at Lauderdale Courts, as well as plenty of parties, lectures, and concerts. Mid-August. Candlelight vigil at Graceland, August 15. (332-3322)
SEPTEMBER 2008
WLOK Stone Soul Picnic
Pack your picnic basket and head to Tom Lee Park for this annual event where the best of Memphis gospel music meets the Mississippi River. Labor Day weekend. (527-9565)
Memphis Music and Heritage Festival
Who says nothing good is free? At this annual musical extravaganza on the downtown Main Street mall, bands perform blues, rock, rap, and more on indoor and outdoor stages, and it’s all completely free. Also, don’t miss the arts and crafts and food samplings from local restaurants. Labor Day weekend. (525-3655)
International Goat Days Family Festival
Shelby County isn’t exactly farm country, but we still love our goats. At the annual Goat Days fest in Millington, celebrate our four-legged friend with goat-barrel races, goat-inspired food items, goat-chariot races, and milking contests. Early September. (872-4559)
Germantown Festival
Germantown is more than just an upscale suburb and a nice place to shop. It’s a place for family fun. For over 30 years, families flock east to celebrate two days of entertainment at this annual festival. Don’t miss the Race of the Weenies, where weenie dogs compete to see whose little legs can go the fastest. Early September. (757-9212)
Cooper-Young Festival
Head to the hippest intersection in Midtown for this annual festival. More than 300 artisans peddle their wares, local bands jam on an outdoor stage, and vendors sell fair food and beer. Mid-September. (276-7222)
Zoo Rendezvous
Sample cuisine from over 60 local restaurants and check out live bands at the zoo’s biggest fund-raising party of the year. Mid-September. (333-6757)
Clanjamfry Scottish Festival
Don a kilt and dust off those bagpipes for the annual Clanjamfry Scottish Festival. Held on the grounds of Evergreen Presbyterian Church, this event boasts traditional Scottish music, a Highland dance competition, and native foods. There’s even a border collie who spends the day herding sheep around the grounds. Late September. (274-3740)
The Blues Ball
Annual fund-raiser featuring live blues performances. Late September/early October. (527-5683)
OCTOBER 2008
Pink Palace Crafts Fair
Shop for goods from over 300 artisans at the annual Pink Palace Crafts Fair. The fair draws about 30,000 people every year, so arrive early. Also don’t forget to bring the kids; plenty of games and educational crafts demonstrations are available for the whole family. Early October. (320-6408)
Indie Memphis Film Festival
Since 1987, this annual festival has celebrated the soul of Southern film. Screen local and regional independent films, participate in workshops, and learn about the filmmaking process. Late October. (246-7086)
Annual Freedom Awards
For 17 years, the National Civil Rights Museum has been recognizing individuals from around the globe whose accomplishments embody the ideals of the civil rights movement. Late October. (521-9699)
Halloween
Dressing up isn’t just for kids anymore. Dig out that old pirate costume and set sail for one of many Midtown and downtown’s spooky soirées: P&H Café (726-0906); Memphis Zoo’s annual Zoo Boo costume party (726-WILD); Zinnie’s East (274-7101). End of October.
NOVEMBER 2008
C.O.G.I.C. Convention
Church of God in Christ’s annual convention. Early November. (866-522-1331)
W.C. Handy Birthday Celebration
Honor W.C. Handy, often regarded as the “father of the blues,” with a parade down Beale Street and the annual W.C. Handy Heritage Awards. Mid-November. (527-3427)
Enchanted Forest
Delve into a winter wonderland at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center’s annual Enchanted Forest holiday show. See specially decorated trees, a large-scale gingerbread house, and holiday characters. Mid-November through late December. (287-6308)
Subsidium’s Annual Carrousel of Shoppes
A weekend of shopping provides a lifetime of hearing, as proceeds from your purchases benefit the Memphis Oral School for the Deaf. Held at the Mid-South Coliseum. Late November. (448-8490)
DECEMBER 2008
Bank of America Downtown Holiday Parade
Get into the holiday spirit with a sneak peek at Santa at this annual parade through downtown. Mid-December. (575-0540)
New Year’s Eve Celebration
There are hundreds of ways to spend the last night of 2008, but opt to spend it in style at one of many local New Year’s Eve bashes, like the New Year’s countdown on Beale, the glitzy gala at the Peabody, or a night with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.
Related Stories…
With the holiday season comes not only “Jingle Bells” but also a chorus of corks popping. There are a bevy of choices when it comes to this style of wine — traditional and modern and sometimes even a little of both. Yes, bubbly can be expensive, but when chosen wisely, it is worth every single penny. Whether it’s dry, sweet, or in between, there are quality offerings in every category and some that do more than surprise.
Gosset was founded in France’s Ay region of Champagne by Pierre Gosset in 1584. He immediately established the level of quality and maniacal attention to detail that is still carried out in the winery today …
Read the rest of Michael Hughes holiday libation story from the Flyer here.
Categories
ABC Covers FedEx’s “Biggest Night”
ABC News has a nice piece online today about FedEx’s biggest night, coming up later this week.
Here’s a sample: You think Santa has a hard job delivering millions of packages on a single night? Well, he only does it once a year. FedEx does it every day.
FedEx is constantly moving packages around the world. At any given moment a container of fresh fish from Japan might be heading to a sushi restaurant in New York while a crate of car parts from Detroit travels to a mechanic in Houston.
Getting millions of packages from point A to point B — and having them arrive on time — is a mammoth challenge on the quietest of days. But no day compares to today, when those items are moving across the planet in addition to all of your Christmas gifts. It is expected to be the busiest shipping day in FedEx’s history …
Read it here.
Categories
Endpapers
You’ve got an A-list of book lovers to give to this Xmas, but you’re already short of ideas? Don’t be. It’s easy as ABC. Here you go: “A” is for art history and astronomy, Abe Lincoln and Alice Waters. “B” is for bacon, Balenciaga, the Bible, and bird songs. “C” is for cartography and craftsmanship.
That family member or friend with an interest in art history? Good chance he or she is familiar with the first two volumes of John Richardson’s biography of Pablo Picasso. Volume three, A Life of Picasso: The Triumphant Years, 1917-1932 (Knopf, $40), is now in stores. Look for it. Stargazers, look up. Starfinder (DK Publishing, $30) is a practical guide to navigating the night sky. Comes complete with maps and a flashlight for viewing the stars; comes with moon maps and a guide to the planets if you’re sticking closer to home: our very own solar system. From DK Publishing too and for that fan of all things Lincoln, see Lincoln: The Presidential Archives ($40) by Chuck Wills. It’s a biography, but it’s also a storehouse of reproduced notes and sketches. Vellum envelopes contain added treasures, including a facsimile of Lincoln’s handwritten Emancipation Proclamation. Go back about a hundred years, and you reach 1776. So reach for 1776: The Illustrated Edition (Simon & Schuster, $65), a new edition of David McCullough’s hugely popular history of the American revolution. The book comes with its own set of reproductions, maps, portraits, and what’s more: more vellum envelopes containing facsimiles of primary documents. And speaking of revolutionary … Alice Waters is at it again in The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution (Clarkson Potter, $35).
While you’re at it in the kitchen … fry up a mess of bacon, be it the everyday variety or artisanal. James Villas — a Southerner by birth, an award-winning food writer by trade — knows how to bring home the bacon, a world of bacon, in The Bacon Cookbook (Wiley, $35), a title that Gourmet magazine just named one of the best cookbooks of the year. The years 1947 to 1957? It may have been a lean postwar decade in Europe, but in Paris and London it was a golden age for Balenciaga and Balmain, Dior and Givenchy. Richard Avedon and Cecil Beaton caught it on film. See for yourself in the pages of The Golden Age of Couture: Paris and London 1947-1957 (Victoria and Albert Museum, $45), edited by Claire Wilcox. Then settle down with another book — the good book: the Bible. But have at hand Karen Armstrong’s The Bible: A Biography (Atlantic Monthly Press, $21.95), a scholarly but readable history of who wrote the Bible and when and a history of biblical interpretation, be it by Jew or gentile. The word for Armstrong: brilliant. But that sound you hear … it’s bird song, and it’s coming from Bird Songs From Around the World (Chronicle Books, $45) by Les Beletsky. It comes with its own built-in digital audio player, and it contains a description of the over 200 songbirds sampled. The world’s within earshot.
The world’s at your fingertips in Cartographia: Mapping Civilizations (Little, Brown, $60). Authored by Vincent Virga and drawn from the collection of the Library of Congress, Cartographia offers an outstanding array of 200 of the most beautiful and important maps the world has known, and that includes imaginary territory: a 17th-century map of the “soul” and William Faulkner’s hand-drawn map of Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. Two hundred is the number too in Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects (Clarkson Potter, $60) by Jo Lauria and Steve Fenton — two centuries in 200 images of signature objects in wood, ceramic, glass, fabric, and metal, from Native Americans to African Americans to Shakers to contemporary artists. Make it or any book from you to a loved one this Christmas. — Leonard Gill
Happy Hanukkah?
Let’s face it: The potato is extraordinarily ordinary, even when it’s baked, fried, mashed, or shaped into pancakes called latkes with a little onion and salt. So how did this workhorse of the Jewish kitchen take center stage for the celebration of Hanukkah in The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming (McSweeney Books, $9.95)?
Kicking and screaming in a pan of hot oil, that’s how, then leaping out a kitchen window into a snowy night for a break beneath a pine tree, too weary to compete with the glitz of Christmas. Happily, this misunderstood latke finds peace and purpose with a family who knows that “different things can often blend together,” much like Lemony Snicket’s holiday storytelling and the infectious illustrations of Lisa Brown. — Pamela Denney
Got a dog- and book-lover on your Xmas list?
Memphian Jack Kenner’s Dogs I’ve Nosed is a collection of Kenner’s photographs of Memphis dogs (all shapes, all sizes), with a few shots thrown in of the owners too, including Cybill Shepherd, proud owner of not one but two German shepherds. For the record (and for the book’s cover): That’s Murphy and Winston (above), Kenner’s own West Highland terriers.
axmen
“Only a Gibson is good enough.”
That was the guitar company’s slogan for years, and for countless musicians around the world, they were right. More than half a century after tinkerers at different companies finally coaxed tunes from an electrified guitar, most performers have still banded together into three fiercely loyal camps: Gibson enthusiasts, Fender fans, and all the rest.
The Gibson Electric Guitar Book (Backbeat Books, $24.95), written by former Gibson Company historian Walter Carter, presents the Gibson side of the “guitar wars,” but it’s not the glowing advertisement you might expect. The author makes that clear from the beginning: “Gibson did not invent the electric guitar and did not invent the solid-body electric guitar (nor did Les Paul).”
Those words might be considered sacrilege coming from anybody else, but Carter presents a detailed — and accurate — history of the development of rock-and-roll’s signature instrument, giving credit where credit is due.
With all its high-tech talk about humbuckers, patent-applied-for pickups, and other gizmos, this book may not appeal to beginners. But it does present an excellent, decade-by-decade overview of Gibson’s classic products, eye-catching designs, and technical contributions. The photos of such classics as a mint-condition 1952 Les Paul or a 1961 “reverse body” Firebird are enough to make any collector drool. — Michael Finger
Categories
The Zoo Lights Up
The Memphis Zoo is sure to dazzle when SunTrust Zoo Lights kicks off Friday, November 23rd.
Boasting more than a million lights — including $100,000 worth of new light features and activities — visitors can tour the display on Friday and Saturday evenings through December 8th and nightly from December 14th to 23rd and December 26th to the 30th.
Among the new features are a Victorian village and a Christmas Around the World display, along with a riverboat, swans, carolers, butterflies, a menorah, a castle, and a fishing Santa. The right jolly old elf will be on hand for photographs with his two live reindeer, Dasher and Dancer. Other activities include a ride on the zoo’s train, the North Pole Express, which is free with admission to the zoo. Horse-drawn carriage tours and the new motion simulator ride “Glacier Run” will be available for $3 per person.
For more information, visit the zoo’s website.
www.memphiszoo.org
This week marks the beginning of the annual “celebration of buying stuff” or, as some call it, “the holidays.” It starts with the consumer orgy known as “black Friday,” which is celebrated by going to the parking lot of any major chain retailer before dawn and standing outside in the dark for hours in order to be one of the first to get inside and, well, buy stuff. Why this is appealing to certain humans, I have no idea. It’s not like the stores are going to run out of things to buy.
For years, I prided myself on doing all my Christmas shopping inside the Parkways. I never ventured to mall-land. Ever. Then, a couple years back, things got even easier when I started buying everything online. Three hours in front of a keyboard and — voila! Holiday shopping done!
The only drawback is that you can’t actually see the stuff you’re ordering, just pictures of it. Which means you have to rely on descriptions of the merchandise when making your decisions. Sometimes, it works. Sometimes, not so much. For instance, I saw this corduroy jacket that I thought my son might like: “Sport-coat styling in a comfortable, unstructured fit that’s compatible with your disheveled indifference.” Perfect. He is totally disheveled and indifferent.
A fleece pullover for my dad was more problematic: “Wear it from predawn waxing sessions through afternoon corn runs.” Hmmm. He’s 84, and I don’t want to think about his “afternoon corn runs.” But, what the hell. Merry Christmas, Pop!
A shirt for my boss? “This suave polo can put in a hard-riding chukka at the Hurlingham Club, then go on and rise to occasions where ordinary polos have to mumble their apologies.” Perfect. If he doesn’t like it, hopefully he’ll accept my mumbled apologies.
A sweater I was considering for my brother really stumped me: “When the day’s crux smear has finally been freed, follow the darkened trail back to your car and retreat into the warmth and comfort of our classic cardigan.” I was afraid Chris Hanson of To Catch a Predator might follow my brother back to the car after he freed the crux smear. I sent him a gift certificate.
Happy holidays! And caveat emptor.
Bruce VanWyngarden