Recently, my mother gifted me “A Christmas Carol and Other Holiday Treasures” (Canterbury Classics, 2013, 540 pages). While I’ve read “A Christmas Carol” many times, I was pleasantly surprised to find Dickens had written plenty more festive tales just like it. 

It’s Thursday. Early afternoon. In the original plan for this week, I would, in my mind’s eye, be cruising along right now somewhere in southcentral Upstate New York, probably just east of Binghamton on Interstate 88, onward to I-87 North to my parents’ farmhouse on the outskirts of Plattsburgh. 

In late fall, after all the Halloween candy has been consumed and the fall décor removed from store clearance aisles, we step on a conveyor belt heading straight for Christmas. Even those hangers-on who kept their rotting pumpkins on their porches through Thanksgiving finally pull out the twinkle lights and decorate their trees. Christmas music blasts in every store. Eggnog and cookies are consumed at will. For many people, the span of weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas is a blur of planning, partying and shopping. 

Embrace the spirit of the season with two festive events at Great Smoky Mountains National Park this December.

Visitors are invited to celebrate Appalachian holiday traditions and create new memories during the “Festival of Christmas Past, Present and Future” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, and the Holiday Homecoming on Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Sugarlands Visitor Center and Oconaluftee Visitor Center, respectively. 

The Christmas season, dreaded by some, beloved by others, especially children. Already you’ll find houses festooned with lights and yards dotted with inflatable Santas, “Jingle Bells” and “Silent Night” on the radio and grocery store shelves stuffed with cards, chocolates and holiday cookies. 

Normally, when I’m interviewing storied Haywood County musician Darren Nicholson, we’d be talking either about an upcoming gig of his or a new album coming down the pipeline. But, today, we’re talking all things Christmas trees. 

“Well, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Nicholson tells me when I ask him about how to pick out the perfect tree for the holidays.

The Summit Charter School Foundation announced that the 2025 Cashiers Festival of Trees will open on Friday, Nov. 28, at 370 Mitten Lane in Cashiers. The festive fundraiser — accessible both in person and online — will run through Saturday, Nov. 29, with doors open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce announced that plans are underway for the Annual Christmas Parade, which will officially ring in the holiday season. The celebration will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30. 

This evening, I realized that a wine bottle ordered at a restaurant (half-off bottles on Mondays) never lasts long enough when you’re with someone you love (friend, family, partner, etc.). And it never seems to empty itself when you’re by yourself. 

On Saturday morning, Dec. 14, Becky reminded me that she was going to hear Darren Nicholson and his band play at the Tuckasegee Trading Company’s annual holiday open house, and she hoped I’d go too.