November 20, 2023

A Hallmark Christmas Movie Costume Designer Shares His Secrets

Keith Nielsen, who oversaw costumes for four Hallmark Christmas movies out this year, shares his approach to dressing festively. (It does not involve ugly sweaters.) Several […]
November 18, 2023

Holiday Preset: Focusing on Self-Care Before the Festivities

Some people are pulling back — in socializing, spending, eating — not to avoid Covid, but to bolster their mental health. Right after Halloween, Ashley Guerra […]
December 30, 2022

December Birthdays: A Curse, or an Unexpected Blessing?

Those who were born in late December are often met with well-meaning pity when they tell people their birth date. Isn’t it hard, they’re asked, to […]
December 24, 2022

Listen. Can You Guess These 12 Christmas Movies?

The holidays are the ideal time to see friends and family, reflect on the year that’s passed and, of course, sit down and watch that beloved […]
December 23, 2022

When a Doorbell’s Ring Means Hope

It was as if someone was saying to us, “You are seen. You are loved.” The doorbell rang one mid-December evening. I frequently had unexpected visitors […]
December 23, 2022

Day 23: On Christmas Day, No Rest for the Weary. (Or the Guy Who Feeds the Penguins.)

Until the African penguin starts observing federal holidays, Sparks Perkins won’t either. Which is to say the morning of Dec. 25 will bring not presents and […]
December 19, 2022

Day 19: A Bird Watcher Looks Back on Christmases Past

On Dec. 19, 2019, I led my last Clemson, S.C., Christmas Bird Count. For almost 30 years, I’d been the compiler, the person responsible for organizing […]
December 15, 2022

Surviving 10 Hours and 32 Minutes at Bergdorf Goodman

It seems wrong that a yellow mop bucket should be on the main floor of Bergdorf Goodman. Or that a Windex bottle and dusty pink rag […]
December 15, 2022

Surviving 10 Hours and 32 Minutes at Bergdorf Goodman

It seems wrong that a yellow mop bucket should be on the main floor of Bergdorf Goodman. Or that a Windex bottle and dusty pink rag […]
December 15, 2022

Day 15: Finding Christmas Joy in ‘The Nutcracker’

For about a decade now, seeing “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” at New York City Ballet has been the enchanting kickoff of the Christmas season for my […]