If ever there was a time that required an extra helping of holiday cheer, 2020 is it.
Please allow me to send each of you an extra-big helping of cheer this winter. Thank you for sharing the book life with me during these crazy times.
And if you’re looking for some particular examples of holiday happiness, here are a few I’ve collected.
Fauci’s Christmas Eve: Turning 80 and fighting the pandemic
Start with this story of Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who turned 80 yesterday.
Peep These Wondrous Holiday Light Displays Around the World
From Atlas Obscura, a reminder that “Evenin 2020, the world is aglow.”
Mariah! Dolly! Carrie! 2020 Can’t Quarantine This Cheer
The New York Times reports on streaming holiday specials by Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, and Dolly Parton.
Scenes from the holiday season
UPI offers a slideshow of 68 images featuring “people observing the holidays in the United States and around the world.”
A Christmas Story: 25 Things to Look for During the 24-Hour Marathon
If your Christmas traditions include at least one complete viewing of the film A Christmas Story, here’s how to raise your game this year, thanks to the folks at Mental Floss:
we’ve got a way for you to watch A Christmas Story in a whole new light: by keeping your eyes—and ears—peeled for these 25 blink-and-you’ll-miss-‘em gaffes, anachronisms, and other fun facts that make watching the classic film an entirely new experience.
Meet the People Who Can’t Bring You ‘Messiah’ This Year
If, like me, you include a performance of Handel’s Messiah as part of your holiday ritual, the New York Times offers this article, which includes videos, of nine performers guiding you “through the emotional arc of Handel’s classic, from comfort to grief to jubilation.”
Holiday Nostalgia Train
Another treat from Atlas Obscura:
WHILE WAITING ON THE F train platform on a Sunday in the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you might think you’ve stepped into the Twilight Zone when eight vintage subway cars barrel up to your station. This is the holiday train, a once-a-year treat courtesy of the MTA’s New York Transit Museum, which whisks MTA patrons back in time.
© 2020 by Mary Daniels Brown
