When Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 B.C., he found the natives already imbibing a beverage made from tart and inedible crabapples. The Celtic Brits have a long-held tradition of brewing cider.
While cider was, and is, an enduring favorite in Britain and Ireland, colonists brought it to America and people like John Chapman—a man we know as Johnny Appleseed—promoted its popularity here by creating apple nurseries at the edge of the frontier during the early 19th century.
Two Cidermeisters and a Passion Project
Fast forward to 2014. Two true believers in a better way to source, ferment, and create a smashing apple-centric cider put their heads together to form Artifact Cider Project. Jake Mazur and Soham Bhatt founded the Massachusetts-based cider brand on a hard and fast rule: their cider must be of the highest quality, made from only locally-sourced Northeast apples, and use the most advanced fermentation practices. Their cider had to be exceptional as well as reflect, and express, the Northeast. They committed to helping sustain local orchards, especially those in Western Massachusetts. You’ve heard of craft beer; this is craft cider. And Artifact’s goal? They aim to change “cider culture” with novel processes and a new approach to cider-making.
Who Drinks “Wild Thing”?
Artifact Cider drinkers tend to be boundary-pushers, individual and eclectic, and they like their cider the same way. The small, resourceful team responsible for this artful drink are themselves boundary-pushers, bringing new insight to Artifact Cider and their innovative, outsider perspective to the company and industry.
Thanks to the solid partnerships it has built with orchards throughout the Connecticut River Valley, Artifact can source apple varieties that are unexpected and compose cider blends that sing. The portfolio, which can be enjoyed year-round, consists of monikers like Wild Thing, Magic Hour, Slow Down, and Feels Like Home. Seasonal blends include By Any Other Name, Wolf at the Door, and No New Friends. And the can designs are as vibrant as the cider inside.
Great Cider, Great Vibes
Headquartered in Florence, Massachusetts, which is home to its production facility, Artifact Cider invites people into The Cellar, its onsite tasting room. In October 2020, it expanded into the Central Square area of Cambridge, opening a taproom called The Station and hosting food pop-ups with local chefs and culinary personalities.
Artifact Cider’s tasting room in Cambridge, Mass. (Courtesy of Artifact Cider Project)
Those who are obsessed with Artifact Cider’s brews on tap can take it home with them by joining The Regulars, Artifact’s in-person club. Membership gets you early access to new releases, reduced pricing, and a plethora of member goodies. Those who prefer to enjoy ciders at home can join The Good Vibrations Series. Members are shipped three different ciders—some familiar, some new—every quarter.
Artifact Cider is committed to remaining true to its ethos as a regional, sustainable brand. It’s the drink designed for those progressive folks who want their cider to speak to them, as only Artifact Cider can.
(From L to R) The Soom sisters: Jackie, Shelby, and Amy Zitelman, co-founders of Soom Foods. (Jillian Guyette)
Say the word “tahini,” and most Americans might conjure up an image of a jar gathering dust on the bottom shelf of the international aisle in the grocery store. Press them for one of its uses, and the answers will generally be one of two foods: hummus or tahini sauce.
Amy Zitelman, one of the three sisters who founded the Philadelphia-based tahini company Soom Foods, knows this because she used to feel ambivalent about the sesame seed paste herself—until a cake changed her sister’s mind.
“My middle sister, Jackie, moved to Israel after high school,” she said. “She went to college there and met her husband, Omri. Omri has been in the tahini business for 20 years now.”
Tahini is a paste made with roasted and pressed sesame seeds. It’s rich and nutty, and healthy, too: full of omega-6 fatty acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, and vitamins. What Jackie noticed in Israel was how integral sesame seeds and tahini are to Middle Eastern culinary traditions. An ancient food, tahini is not only an often-used ingredient, but central to many dishes, taking on far more interesting roles than a supporting act for hummus.
She also noticed how much better it tasted: rich and smooth, earthy and nutty, with just a hint of bitterness. It was a far cry from the often dull, chalky options back in America.
Jackie started talking to Amy and Shelby, their oldest sister, about the tahini she found in Israel, and its superior texture and flavor. When Shelby went to visit Jackie, she finally tasted what Jackie had been raving about.
“We started asking a lot of questions,” said Amy. “Why was this tahini so much better than anything in the United States? Why was it so much more revered in Israel than it has ever been in the United States?”
The sisters went to see Omri’s mother, who made them a carrot cake that changed the trajectory of their lives.
“When Shelby tasted that carrot cake and learned it was made with tahini instead of oil, that’s what pushed us to start this business. We realized, if you can use tahini in carrot cake, the possibilities are endless.”
The idea for Soom Foods was born, with a mission: to make tahini a staple ingredient in the American pantry.
Though all three sisters were new to the tahini business, they were no strangers to the food industry. Their maternal grandfather was a butcher, and their father was raised in the restaurant industry.
“Because our father was raised in the restaurant industry, it was family law we couldn’t go into the restaurant industry. Our grandfather always said he didn’t work so hard for his grandchildren to have to go into restaurants. We joke that we ended up going through the backdoor,” Amy said.
The Soom sisters. (Jillian Guyette)
As they worked toward making tahini a more visible product in the United States, Shelby asked Amy to do some market research. She went to grocery stores and took notes on the labels of tahini, what they cost, what they tasted like.
Her findings? The labels were generic and uninteresting, and the tahini itself tasted bland and unexciting.
The next step was to find out what Americans thought about tahini. The sisters began asking friends, neighbors, even strangers at the farmers market what came to mind when they heard the name. Most people, if they had even heard of it, said it was something you put in hummus. Few people could think of any other use for it.
“We saw an opportunity in making tahini accessible to American consumers by educating them, and branding it more familiarly than brands coming over from the Middle East,” Amy said.
To do that, they would also need a premium product. Since the only ingredient used to make tahini is sesame seeds, they needed to start with premium-quality seeds.
Omri had long been in the industry, buying tahini from large manufacturers and distributing it to his own network of restaurants and caterers. Through Omri, the sisters found a manufacturer in Israel that used the seeds they liked: Ethiopian White Humera sesame seeds. Grown around the town of Humera, in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, this buttery, nutty variety is the world’s most prized. Most sesame seeds are used to make oil, but Humera seeds are used solely to make tahini. The sisters ordered a container-load of the tahini to be shipped to the United States.
“I think they [the manufacturers] were surprised to hear from three American girls who wanted to buy tahini,” said Amy, “but we were committed to our idea and seeing if it worked.”
Grown around the town of Humera, in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, buttery, nutty Ethiopian White Humera sesame seeds are the world’s most prized. (Photo copyright Jillian Guyette, courtesy of Agate Publishing)
In 2013, Soom Foods received their first import of tahini and hit the streets—literally, taking samples to markets and restaurants, trying to sell to chefs, restaurant owners, and vendors. They were given the opportunity to meet with Michael Solomanav, owner of Philadelphia’s award-winning Israeli restaurant Zahav.
“When we asked him what tahini he was using, he said, ‘I don’t have access to good tahini and I’m looking for something better.’ So his restaurant was actually one of our first customers.”
Today, Soom Foods is going strong. The company sells both to restaurants and directly to consumers, both online and in retail stores. It ships and distributes to restaurants and chefs in over 25 states, and more than 500 retail stores across the country.
One Ingredient
Most surprising to Amy about her journey with Soom Foods is that they’ve built an entire business around one ingredient.
“It’s something that I take a lot of pride in,” she said, “doing one thing and doing it well. It would have been easy to get distracted by launching other products, and we almost did. … But when we took a step back and really focused on tahini, we saw our most success.” Soom Foods also sells Chocolate Sweet Tahini, a chocolate spread made with their tahini, cocoa powder, and cane sugar, and silan, an all-natural date syrup, but their original tahini remains the heart of the business.
(Jillian Guyette)
All three sisters are still involved with Soom Foods, now balancing work, family, and motherhood. “We often bring our children into our warehouse,” said Amy, who lives in the Philadelphia area near her sister, Shelby (Jackie still lives in Israel). Their children are being brought into the family fold of food and entrepreneurship.
Last November, Amy released a cookbook called “The Tahini Table,” about incorporating the versatile ingredient into everyday cooking. Packed with gorgeous photos and simple but delicious recipes, the cookbook is all about making good, uncomplicated food with quality ingredients—which has been the heartbeat of Soom Foods all along.
And yes, the recipe for the carrot cake that started it all is in there, too.
Rachael Dymski is an author, florist, and mom to two little girls. She is currently writing a novel about the German occupation of the Channel Islands and blogs on her website, RachaelDymski.com
(Courtesy of Kristina Cho/Mooncakes and Milk Bread)
These Chinese sausage and cilantro pancakes are a deviation from the beloved classic green onion pancake. I would take a plateful of crispy green onion pancakes topped with a big spoonful of chili oil over a stack of buttermilk pancakes any day. They should be salty, crispy, and a little greasy (in a good way). Some people like them thin and crunchy, bordering on cracker territory, while others prefer them thick and doughy. In my world, the perfect pancake is light and flaky on the outer rings and progressively doughier and chew- ier toward the center. That chewy center nugget of dough is the best piece to dunk into a generous amount of chili oil.
Thin layers of unleavened dough are rolled up with sesame oil and chopped fillings to create a quick lamination of sorts to create all those layers. The Chinese sausage renders into crunchy bits of sweet and salty pork, and the cilantro brings a welcome freshness. The combination is so delicious, complex, and textually more exciting than the classic green onion pancake.
Don’t stop at Chinese sausage and cilantro though—consider filling your pancakes with other tender herbs such as basil, dill, and tarragon, and maybe swap out the Chinese sausage for crisp bacon or crunchy fried garlic.
Makes 6
300g (2 ½ cups) allpurpose flour
½ teaspoon coarse salt
170g (¾ cup) warm water
¼ cup canola or other neutral flavored oil, plus extra for brushing
3 Chinese sausages, finely chopped
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and warm water. Mix with a pair of chopsticks or flexible spatula until a shaggy dough forms. Knead with your hands until you form a smooth ball, 6 to 8 minutes. Lightly brush a medium bowl with canola oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours. (The longer the dough rests at room temperature, the flakier the pancakes will be.)
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and sausage is crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl to cool completely.
On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into six equal pieces, preferably with a digital scale. Lightly brush a wooden cutting board with canola oil. Roll one piece of dough into a roughly 6 x 10-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with some sesame oil and sprinkle some sausage and cilantro evenly over the surface. Starting at a long edge, tightly roll up the dough into a 10-inch-long rope, pressing out trapped air. Starting at one end, form the rope into a coil shape, tucking the opposite end underneath at the end. Set aside and repeat with remaining dough, sesame oil, sausage, and cilantro to form six pancakes. (Brush the cutting board with more canola oil as needed.) When you’ve formed the last pancake, cover the coils with a kitchen towel and allow them to rest for 15 minutes. (Don’t be tempted to skip this step, as the pancakes will not roll out as easily without a proper rest.)
Working with one piece at a time, gently flatten each coil with the palm of your hand, then roll into a 6-inch round. Place on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. If the pancake bursts in some places, don’t panic! That’s natural! It will still cook just fine. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the ¼ cup canola oil over medium-high until shimmering. Cook one pancake in the oil until the underside is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook the other side until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes more. Place the pancake on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining pancakes and serve. (The pancakes are best eaten soon after frying.)
Uncooked pancakes can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Sandwich the pancakes between 7-inch squares of parchment paper, then place the stack in a resealable plastic bag and freeze. Do not thaw the pancakes before cooking and frying as you would fresh pancakes.
Cooked pancakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat the pancakes on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven until hot, 8 to 10 minutes.
(Courtesy of Kristina Cho/Mooncakes and Milk Bread)
Every Chinese bakery must have a pineapple bun in their case. Despite the name, the bun has no pineapple—it’s a soft milk-bread bun with a sweet, buttery, crackly cookie-like top that, after it’s baked, resembles pineapple skin. The simple, iconic treat has a loyal following, even beyond Asian cultures: everyone loves a good pineapple bun. When I was younger, I’d slyly pick off the cookie topping and leave the plain bun behind for my brother. (When you’re the older sister, you can get away with things like that.)
Few things transcend enjoying a fresh pineapple bun still warm from the oven. You can eat it plain, or if you want to be like a true Hong Konger, slice the bun in half and stick a thick slice of cold butter inside.
Makes 12
For the Buns
Mother of All Milk Bread Dough (see below), made through step 4
All-Purpose flour, for dusting the work surface
For the Topping
250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
113g (½ cup; 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
100 g (½ cup) sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 drops yellow food coloring
For the Egg Wash
1 large egg, white and yolk separated into two small bowls
While the dough is proofing, line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
Make the buns: After the first proof, punch down to deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Pinch and pull the ends of the dough to form a smooth ball. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions with a bench scraper (for accuracy, weigh with a digital scale if you have one). Form each portion of dough into a smooth ball by pulling the ends of the dough underneath and then rolling between the palms of your hand, and arrange on the prepared sheets, spacing at least 3 inches apart. Cover with a damp, clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot until the buns are doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the topping: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter and sugar with a flexible spatula until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and food coloring, mixing until smooth. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture to form a sandy dough, then knead by hand until smooth. Pat into a disc and divide the dough into 12 equal portions with a bench scraper (for accuracy, weigh with a digital scale if you have one). Roll one piece into a smooth ball, then flatten into a 4-inch round with a dowel rolling pin. Score a crosshatch pattern into the dough with the edge of a bench scraper or knife, being careful not to cut all the way through. Use the edge of the bench scraper to lift the topping off the work surface. Repeat with remaining topping dough, setting each round aside until ready to top the buns. (Alternatively, you can skip making the crosshatch pattern. The topping will still crack beautifully as it bakes, just not as neatly.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg white to help the topping adhere. Place one topping dough round on each bun, gently pressing to cover the entire outer edge (you want the dough to fully encase the top of the bun, if possible). Whisk the egg yolk in a small bowl and lightly brush over the topping of each bun.
Bake the buns until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack. Let the buns cool for 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to the rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Buns can be kept in an airtight container (a resealable bag works great) at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat room temperature buns in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes, until soft and warmed through. Reheat frozen buns on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
Milk Bread
For the Tangzhong:
100g (¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons) milk
20g (2 tablespoons) bread flour
For the Milk Bread:
125g (½ cup plus 1 tablespoon) warm (110°F) milk
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar, plus a pinch
335g (2 ⅔ cups) bread flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 1 large egg
55g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
1 teaspoon canola or other neutral-flavored oil, for bowl
Make the tangzhong: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the flour and milk and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer the paste into a small bowl, scraping the sides of the saucepan with a flexible spatula; let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes. Texture should resemble mashed potatoes.
Make the milk bread: In a clean or new small saucepan, scald the milk over medium heat, bringing the milk to a gentle simmer (watch carefully as milk tends to boil over). Pour milk into a small bowl and cool until warm to the touch (about 110°F). Stir in yeast and a pinch of sugar, and set aside until the surface of the mixture is foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the sugar, flour, salt, and egg. Add the tangzhong and milk and mix on low until shaggy. Add the softened butter one piece at a time, mixing until fully incorporated before adding the next. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to knead the dough until it is tacky and slightly sticky, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Wet your hands to prevent the dough from sticking, pinch and pull the ends of the dough to form a smooth ball.
Coat a large mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the dough to the bowl, gently turning it to cover with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size, about 2 hours (or place in the refrigerator to proof for at least 8 hours or overnight).
The holidays at this time of year are as diverse as America itself, but nearly all have one thing in common: gifting. It is, after all, called the season of giving—no matter which holiday is observed. But if you’re hearing crickets when you try to put together this year’s list, keep reading for ideas that will slay those crickets and have you on your merry way in no time.
(Junhao Su for American Essence)
Want to give a present that can be life-changing in a very real way? Look no further than America’s beloved icon and maker of magic, Disney. But this gift doesn’t require a trip to California, Florida, or even a mall. It’s a school, and it’s online—and it teaches coding. It’s Disney’s Codeillusion, available to anyone age 8 and older. Codeillusion aims to alleviate the type of tedious learning so often associated with coding, promising students they will “play online coding games while learning more than just the basics.”
Besides playful learning sessions, Codeillusion also features top-notch instructors with real-life experience working for recognizable names in the industry, such as Sega, Marvel Comics, and Disney itself. Sound good? Codeillusion offers a free trial, so you can test it out before committing to a three-week course.
When it comes to holiday celebrations in this land of plenty, there’s bound to be plenty of good eats. We are a nation of foodies—which is why food can also be a much revered gift. If you’re looking for tried-and-true yummies, check out Harry & David, a company renowned for its fruits and jams for nearly a century. Its roots go all the way back to 1910, when Samuel Rosenberg traded his Seattle hotel for 240 acres of Oregon farmland. After his ambitious sons Harry and David began peddling what were literally the fruits of their labor, business boomed and eventually expanded until the namesake company was selling its goods nationwide via colorful catalogs and stand-alone shops. Though sold throughout the year, at holiday time, Harry & David’s fruity jams and jellies become a familiar sight across the nation, either as gifts under the tree or on family buffet tables.
(Junhao Su for American Essence)
Like a lot of companies, Harry & David went through some challenging times in recent years, resulting in the closure of all of its stores except the flagship location in Oregon. Also like so many other American retailers, the company has tenaciously survived by reinventing itself online at HarryAndDavid.com. Here, you’ll find luscious, signature jams, preserves, and other fruit spreads such as tart cherry butter and blood orange marmalade. These can be purchased solo, in groupings, or as part of a lavish collection teeming with a bevy of baked goods, snacks, or chocolates. Each collection is then tucked into an attractive, reusable wooden crate, tin, or basket to be whisked away for a speedy delivery.
(Junhao Su for American Essence)
When it comes to food, though, it’s clear that some like it hot. Not only has hot sauce consumption in the United States been trending upward for the past 20 years or so, but experts predict it will only keep rising in the years to come. For those on your list who crave the hot stuff, it can be made personal with a customizable bottle of habanero sauce at BarProducts.com, where the bottle can feature the recipient’s name or any other message. And at just under 11 bucks, it won’t break the bank.
Speaking of hot sauce, you can opt for a variety of pourable peppers at FuegoBox.com, with deliveries of craft or small-batch hot sauces every month, bearing the absolute warmest of wishes.
Surprisingly, hot sauce makes a great gift for those oh-so-hard-to-buy-for grandparents or any other seniors on your list. Believe it or not, the baby boomer generation is buoying this hot trend that’s giving more traditional, all-American condiments, like mayonnaise and ketchup, a run for their money. It’s believed that as Americans age, their sense of taste diminishes. So, they’re turning to hot sauce to give their food a much-needed flavor kick. All it takes is one or two drops, and voila! Mission accomplished.
(Junhao Su for American Essence)
Got a dog lover on your list? With nearly 77 million domesticated dogs in the United States, it’s clear America has gone to the dogs. Chances are good you have some dog parents on your list who would delight in twinning with their beloved pooch in matching ugly Christmas sweaters. Found on Etsy.com in a variety of patterns and colors, most sets are priced around $30—a small price to pay for what are sure to be some super cute selfies.
Etsy.com is the place to go for those extra special gifts, too, like a hand-painted portrait depicting a beloved home, boat, person, or pet. Etsy.com artists will take a photo and bring it to life with paints, watercolors, or pencils, and if desired, they can add in extra family members or other details. Popular style options include cartoon, faceless, and romance-novel-inspired. Prices vary among artists and according to finished picture size.
Last but not least, you can help keep America bee-u-tiful with honey bee adoption via the World Wildlife Fund. In case you haven’t heard, the survival of bees has become threatened, and these donated fees will help finance the World Wildlife Fund’s ongoing conservation efforts. Keeping in mind that bees are the grand masters of pollination (as well as sweet honey), ensuring their survival seems worthwhile, doesn’t it?
On Christmas Eve more than a century ago in New York, Clement Clarke Moore’s sleigh slid over the snow in the light of a full moon. He had one hour to keep his promise to write a holiday poem for his children. Moore glanced at his driver—a Dutch handyman named Peter. The man’s nose was red, and his belly shook as he sneezed in the cold night air. Moore was inspired.
By the time they reached home, he was reciting: “His eyes how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry.’’ The resulting 14-stanza poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” is better known for its first line, “‘Twas the night before Christmas.” The poem remains the bedrock of the Swaney family Christmas. After we decorate the 14-foot blue spruce Christmas tree with some 300 antique decorations, family members in frayed frock coats stand in front of the living room fireplace and deliver, from memory, Moore’s holiday classic. This tradition began when my grandmother became too feeble to read the poem, and my father then stepped in to lend a hand at reading the poem, which he knew by heart after all the years of hearing it from his mother. The poem also was an inspiration for my father to hand-carve a set of three hobbyhorses one Christmas for the family. The hobbyhorses now sit in several downstairs rooms over the holiday season, each with a pudgy Santa Claus toy as the jockey.
The tradition of making handmade gifts stuck; every Christmas since 1953, my family has been blessed with handmade gifts ranging from music boxes and delicate wooden bracelets to hand-knit argyle socks and a giant nutcracker that still stands guard over Christmas presents underneath the tree every holiday. After we decorate the tree, we take a break for some eggnog laced with apricot brandy. And then we sing Christmas carols, accompanied by three turn-of-the-century Regina music boxes. Christmas Eve may be winding down, but our last two tasks before heading to bed are hanging our stockings by the fireplace and making sure all of Mom’s antique dolls are wearing their holiday garb. One doll, in particular, is placed on a chair with a sheaf of wheat, facing the Christmas tree, in memory of my late mother. She was an avid doll and antique collector. In fact, Clement Clark Moore would be right at home at my house in Pittsburgh because we still have functional, old-fashioned dial telephones and no television.
Christmas Day arrives with more novel traditions. We pop out of bed and immediately race to the living room to open gifts. Before we can open them, the family gathers around the Christmas tree to sing “Auld Lang Syne,” written by the great Scottish poet Robert Burns. My family has roots in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. While some family members clean up the gift wrappings, a handful of relatives head to the kitchen to prepare the evening meal. For the past 40 years or more, it has always been the same menu: baked salmon appetizer, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade stuffing—with a pinch of love, as my grandmother used to say—homemade dinner buns, caramelized brussels sprouts, and Hungarian spice cake for dessert. The spice cake is from the recipe book of my father’s beloved nanny Mariska, who came to live with my father and my grandmother after my grandfather’s death in 1930. Dinner is concluded by a family pledge that my mother created in 2005: “May the many happy moments shared by us in the forthcoming holidays be kept always in our hearts and memories.’’ The day concludes with a reading of the Christmas story in the Bible and a few long kisses under the hallway mistletoe. I’ve learned to enjoy every moment of Christmas, because there are no rewinds.
One hundred and twenty-four years ago, an 8-year-old girl wrote a letter to the editor of The Sun, a New York newspaper, asking, “Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?”
The answer, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” is the most reprinted newspaper editorial of all time, a classic appearing in dozens of languages—in newspapers, books, movies, and even the Old Farmer’s Almanac, and on posters and stamps. What makes it endure? Is it because “Yes, Virginia” perpetuates the best traditions of Christmas? Is it because it touches on the connection between parents and children? Is it because it makes us long for the days of the great American newspaper? Or is it something more?
The author, Sun editorial writer Francis Pharcellus Church, grumbled when he was handed the little girl’s letter. “Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus,” wrote Virginia O’Hanlon. “Please tell me the truth.” Something in the innocent query touched the veteran newsman. Church quickly turned in a 500-word reply, printed on September 21, 1897, on Page 6 with no byline. “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” Church wrote.
“He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life the highest beauty and joy. Alas, how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.”
The editorial was destined to live on, far beyond Church’s death in 1906, The Sun’s demise in 1950, and even Mrs. Laura Virginia O’Hanlon Douglas’ passing in 1971.
“You couldn’t stop it if you wanted to,” said Jim Temple, grandson of O’Hanlon. For generations, O’Hanlon’s descendants have quietly become ambassadors of the Christmas spirit, crossing the country to events honoring her and reading the famous letter and the responses. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Temple and his wife read the famous letter and editorial to college students at a Marine Corps Toys for Tots event held in 2017.
“My grandmother gave us all a reason for believing,” said Temple in a recent interview. “It also has been a way for generations of parents to address the skepticism of their children about Santa Claus,” he added.
Many years ago, Temple’s own granddaughter Maggie questioned Santa’s existence. She had doubts, questions, and theories. Her grandparents stared silently ahead as they drove down the road, pretending not to listen. It was more than just a right to challenge the existence of Santa Claus. “It’s a family tradition,” quipped Temple.
Maggie is a symbol of the millions of children who ask that very question each holiday season. In fact, the question and the history behind the “Yes, Virginia” line have spawned a cache of collectible Christmas tree bulbs, dolls, books, and advertising campaign memorabilia. Inspired by the “Yes, Virginia” story, Macy’s launched its first “Believe” campaign in 2008, benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“I remember Grandmother sitting near the fireplace and reading the letter and editorial, and thinking she is the spirit of Christmas,” Temple recalled. O’Hanlon, who loved to tell her story, led a life of achievement. “She was a modern woman ahead of her time,” said Temple. She earned a master’s degree and doctorate in education. And for decades, she was a New York City school teacher and principal.
She loved baseball. She took her grandson to his first movie and showed him how to use the subway system. She always wore a string of pearls around her neck, high heels, and an elegant coat. “She raised my mother as a single parent. I don’t know why there was a divorce; they didn’t talk about that kind of stuff,” said Temple, a retired manager for the New York State Department of Transportation. As for her childhood home in Manhattan, it is now home to the studio school where her legacy is celebrated.
Temple said he first realized how famous his grandmother was after he and a group of classmates at the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, were watching the Ed Sullivan show one evening and saw his grandmother on the show. “I think down deep we always realized she was a special lady,” Temple said.
And special she was. O’Hanlon received a steady stream of mail about her letter throughout her life. She would include a copy of the editorial in her replies. In an interview later in life, she credited it with shaping the direction of her life quite positively. Historians have pointed out that the editorial and letter are about a time when America was beginning to define its Christmas—a Victorian Christmas.
Lori Falce, community engagement editor for the Tribune-Review Newspaper, says the story speaks about generations. “It’s about respect, respecting the child and the adult who asks questions,” said Falce. “My own son went through that questioning phase about Santa Claus,” she recalled. “Virginia O’Hanlon’s father cleverly dodged the question by pointing his daughter in the direction of The New York Sun.”
Crusty newspaper editors have a particularly soft spot for “Yes, Virginia.” The editorial evokes the days of the journalist’s newspaper, like The Sun—a time when newspapers were the most trusted news medium, when the great American editorial was really the great American editorial. As Virginia put it in her letter: “Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun it’s so.’”
Andrew Conte, director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University, points out that “Yes, Virginia” is more than just a century-old story about a bygone era in journalism. It’s not just about a girl in New York. It’s about children everywhere and grownups big enough to remember. “It’s about faith, wonder, joy, and love,” said Conte.
“No Santa Claus!” wrote Church. “Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.”
A foggy Appalachian Trail at Newfound Gap in Great Smokey Mountains National Park. (William Silver/Shutterstock)
A few weeks ago, after years of searching, my husband and I bought our dream property: an old but beautiful farmette in Pennsylvania. We both grew up in rural settings, but we have lived in cities or neighborhoods our whole married lives, so to find a place together and build the life we’ve imagined for so long has been an exciting adventure.
One of our favorite aspects about our new home is that it borders the Appalachian Trail, the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, stretching 2,193.1 miles from Maine to Georgia. I remember feeling amazed that I would be able to hike parts of the trail, and meet travelers from all over the country, once we moved to Pennsylvania. Now that we’re going to be living so close to this American treasure, I decided to do a little bit more research into the trail’s history.
The Trail’s Beginnings
Exactly 100 years ago, the idea of the Appalachian Trail was born when regional planner Benton MacKaye put out a proposal for the trail with an article, “Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning,” for the October 1921 edition of the Journal of the American Institute of Architects.
In it, he writes something that rings perhaps even more true today than it did in 1921: “We civilized ones also, whether urban or rural, are potentially helpless as canaries in a cage. The ability to cope with nature directly—unshielded by the weakening wall of civilization—is one of the admitted needs of modern times.”
By 1937, the footpath connecting Maine to Georgia was complete. Three years after the Second World War ended in 1945, recovering veteran Earl V. Shaffer became the first person to hike the trail in one consecutive journey. His motive for hiking was to “walk the Army out of my system.” He hiked the trail three times, completing his third trip at the age of 79.
By 1968, the National Trails System Act became law, putting the Appalachian Trail under federal protection. Today, the trail draws over 3 million visitors every year. Many serve as volunteers to maintain the trail’s beauty and cleanliness.
The Trail by State
The trail crosses through 14 states, from the rocky wilderness of northern Georgia, to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, to the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in West Virginia, to the trail’s most challenging sections in Maine. To hike the trail is to see the country in its wild beauty and diversity.
Each decade, the number of “2,000 milers,” the name given to hikers who hike the trail in its entirety, grows dramatically. In the 1930s, only 5 people completed the hike from start to finish; in the 2010s, 9,946 hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, according to statistics compiled by the Conservancy.
The Draw to Hike
The first person I met who hiked the trail from start to finish was Emily. She was the sister of a college friend, and we met up with her years ago in Pennsylvania as she was passing through on her way to Maine. As we ate dinner together at my in-laws’ farm, Emily told us story after story about sleeping under the stars, foot injuries, and meeting others along the trail. While we lounged in the candlelight, drinking coffee after a delicious dinner, she talked about listening to audio books; what it was like to have only your thoughts for company day after day; how fulfilling it was to live so close to nature.
This was long before I had ever hiked portions of the trail myself, before I had seen hay bales glowing in the golden hour before sunset on a Pennsylvania farm, before I had picnicked with my daughters by the trail’s streams, before I had ever imagined that we would one day be able to hike the stretch behind our own home after dinner. I was already drawn to it then, when I heard Emily’s stories.
I don’t know if I will ever hike the trail from start to finish like Emily did. With small children in tow, it feels like a distant dream. But I love to get out and hike the trail around me whenever I can, meeting people from across the country when I do. In a polarizing, tense time for our country, I love the reminder that the states of Maine and Georgia are connected by a footpath; that on a ground level, none of us are really all that different. Now, I only have to venture into my backyard to be reminded of this truth.
On the trail, whether for hours or months, we become what MacKaye hinted at: freshly uncaged canaries, learning how to be free.
The American South has a reputation for its warm hospitality. This cultural feature has even influenced the way houses are decorated and built in the region.
Susan Sully has written several books about Southern architecture and design, highlighting the design principles and traditions that give the region’s aesthetic its distinctly unique identity—a “Southern style anthropologist” of sorts, as she describes herself.
The culture of hospitality has led to a local emphasis on making one’s home comfortable and welcoming.
Remembering the Past
Sully explained that before the advent of modern transportation, people spent a lot of time on the road. “They would sometimes just have to stop at a stranger’s house and at least ask for water, and sometimes ask for a place to spend the night. So there was this sort of readiness of providing hospitality to the stranger.”
(Courtesy of Susan Sully)
Southerners have thus adopted a real affinity for welcoming guests to their house. “Southerners are social. They’re more garrulous. And in a way, when you think of a Southern house, with the porch on front, it’s like the house is almost reaching out towards you…So I think, architecturally, the Southern house speaks about that friendliness,” Sully explained.
The hot, humid climate also played a hand in the emphasis on socializing: people would cool off by sitting on their porches, relaxing, and chatting for hours on end.
Southern homes also tend to have elaborately-decorated sitting and dining rooms. “They have a little bit of a ceremonial quality…so that, you’re really saying, ‘Hey, we’ve made this really special for you, because we’re glad that you’re here.’” At the same time, the furnishings would be comfortable, so that guests are encouraged to stay a while.
(Courtesy of Susan Sully)
Entrance halls are also important, as it is the first thing a visitor sees upon entering. “If they enter a place that kind of instantly engages them with something interesting, that’s more welcoming than something that just hasn’t really been thought about, or it’s kind of bland,” Sully said.
Above all, Southerners have a real nostalgia for the past. This, too, has roots in history.
Prior to the Civil War, the region was home to many wealthy aristocrats who bought the latest wares and beautiful things. But after the devastating conflict, “they couldn’t afford the best anymore. So they really hung on to what they had. Part of that was just a way of holding on to memories of your forebears,” as well as a way of life that was lost, Sully said.
The South’s strong sense of family tradition is also reflected in people’s preference for using heirloom furnishings. “There really is…a deep sense of fondness…for using your grandmother’s things and using it to tell stories. Southerners love to tell stories, and they love to have their houses full of things that tell stories.”
Decorating with Antiques
If you have inherited antique pieces, Sully suggests using them to add meaning and character to your living space. For example, Sully places a large 1936 unabridged Webster dictionary that she inherited from her grandmother in her living room. Her grandmother was a librarian.
“It’s a connection to something that my family valued, which is language,” she added.
Antiques can easily be incorporated into the home as accent pieces. The key to preventing the look from veering old-fashioned or kitschy is to offer contrast. For example, a French Louis XVI chair, with its curvaceous shape, can complement modern furniture pieces that have simpler silhouettes or straight lines.
(Courtesy of Susan Sully)(Courtesy of Susan Sully)
Sully also suggests reupholstering antique furniture with a bolder color that you don’t usually associate with the time period. If it is not a fine piece, you can also paint it a new color or apply a high gloss.
Antique tableware can also be repurposed for everyday use. For example, instead of using silver cups or teacups as formal china, they can become flower vases.
For those who are new to antiques, Sully recommends going to antique stores and flea markets, or flipping through auction catalogs to see what you gravitate toward. That would be more personal and “lasting” than collecting something old at random, Sully said.
Pennsylvania Station, New York, NY, April 24, 1962. (Library of Congress)
In 1862, arguably one of the darkest and most uncertain years for our republic, President Abraham Lincoln pressed Congress to pass the Pacific Railway Act. As North and South were being ripped apart, Lincoln, a former railroad attorney, sought to use the rails to tie East and West together.
America was still involved in the process of recovering from her terrible civil war, when on May 10, 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was celebrated as complete. The railroad had been constructed in a mad dash, as the two competing lines, Union Pacific and Central Pacific, raced to complete as much track as possible. The prize, 6,400 acres of land and $16,000 for every mile of track completed, led to a spirited competition. Union Pacific’s Thomas Durant and Central Pacific’s Leland Stanford pushed their crews on. When they met in Utah, they kept on pushing right past each other.
In a photo of a trestle by Andrew J. Russell, the bridge itself is built of fresh cut timbers—quite a contrast from Benjamin Henry Latrobe II’s beautiful railroad viaducts. This photo reveals another graded right-of-way beside the completed track, bearing witness to the competition between the two companies.
The next few decades saw the nation steadily crisscrossed with railways, as communities and permanent infrastructure replaced the rolling “hell on wheels” camps of railroad workers. As the 19th century drew to a close, railroads became the primary connection between great cities, and the various companies sought to show their importance by building grand terminals. Their desire for architectural significance would create grand entrances to the cities they served.
Of course, the great classical forms of the 1893 World’s Fair would inspire many of them. Washington, D.C., as a result of the McMillan plan for the Washington Mall, built a grand station, “monumental in character,” designed by Daniel Burnham and William Pierce Anderson. Burnham had planned the great Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893, and for the Washington station, he chose a mixture of classical motifs. This station replaced a hodgepodge of railroad connections through Washington, placing tracks in tunnels and freeing the National Mall to become a grand avenue.
Burnham would also design the Pennsylvania Union Station for the growing manufacturing center of Pittsburgh, with its distinctive rotunda. It seems that every prominent city sought a great entryway in the form of her railway stations. America’s great classicists would find many commissions as they fulfilled that mission.
Cornelius Vanderbilt’s New York Central Railroad built a monumental terminal in New York City, beginning in 1869. Designed by John B. Snook in the Second Empire Style, it would be expanded and eventually replaced in 1913, with the present Grand Central Station, designed by Charles A. Reed and Allen H. Stem. Reed & Stem were hired to build a station that would compete with another great station being built by McKim, Mead & White in that same city. That great railroad rivalry would lead to New York City having two great entryways.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was only one great railway into Manhattan—the New York Central. Cornelius Vanderbilt owned Manhattan, or so it seemed. Though the Pennsylvania Railroad was actually bigger than the New York Central, it was not able to come into New York City. Pennsylvania Railroad trains only came to the shore of New Jersey, and passengers would then ride a ferry to the docks of New York.
However, Pennsylvania Railroad President Alexander Cassatt would make a fateful trip to France to visit his sister, Mary, the Impressionist painter. There he would see electric locomotives being used to pull trains through tunnels beneath the ground. A great plan formed in his mind! It was a plan for not just one tunnel, but a series of tunnels that would bring tracks across New York’s Tenderloin District and continue on to Long Island. There, the Pennsylvania would connect with the Long Island Railroad.
But there was more. Crossing the Hell Gate Bridge would enable trains to connect with New England railroads as well. It was a brilliant, daring, and dangerous plan. The Hudson River was a mile wide, and tunneling had to be done in pressurized caissons through the muddy bottom. Engineer William McAdoo began the construction of the first Hudson tunnel in 1902, continuing an earlier tunnel begun and abandoned in the 19th century. This tunnel was completed in 1908, as were tunnels to Long Island under the East River.
Having acquired a significant amount of real estate in Manhattan—needed for right-of-way—the Pennsylvania Railroad commissioned McKim, Mead & White to build the greatest entry into New York imaginable. The result was the magnificent Beaux Arts Pennsylvania Station. Not to be outdone, New York Central hired Reed & Stem to design the competing Grand Central Station.
McKim, Mead & White would also design the James A. Farley Post Office Building as a companion to the terminal. Though this terminal was demolished in 1966, the Farley Building, with its fine Corinthian columns, remains. Its Moynihan Train Hall now provides access to the tracks of what once was Pennsylvania Station.
Cities of all sizes would build fine stations. Richmond, Virginia’s Main Street Station is an example of Italian Renaissance influence. Completed in 1901, it was designed by Wilson, Harris & Richards. It features a fine campanile, and a series of arches topped by a steep hipped roof. In Staunton, Virginia, Thomas Jasper Collins would place a bungalow style roof over a series of arches to create a distinctive train station. Built for the most part by private companies, these fine depot buildings would provide a unique identity for each metropolis they served—entering into the fabric of the republic’s civic architecture.
To chef Jake Wood, who began his career cooking at top restaurants in Raleigh, North Carolina, his grandmother remains the best chef ever. Growing up down the street from his grandparents’ house in rural North Carolina, Wood remembers many family meals featuring his grandma’s “country soul cooking.”
“In my memories as a kid, those times with all of our family, and just all of us coming together over food, was something that was always special,” Wood said in a recent interview. Today, at his Durham, N.C. restaurant, called Lawrence Barbecue, those flavors and memories inform the menu.
(Photo by Tennet Rich)
For example, his grandma’s favorite snack is hominy with pork cracklings. Jake’s restaurant does a version of that dish with buttered hominy. His family also cooked a whole hog over open fire coals every Thanksgiving Eve. Wood draws on those recollections to serve up North Carolina-style pulled pork, alongside some Texas-style brisket, at Lawrence Barbecue.
Even the dishes that he didn’t enjoy as a child, he now recalls with fondness. Some things that Jake would kind of turn his nose up at were, for example, “when she cooked turnip greens. That would stink the whole house up. But now it’s like that smell is reminiscent of my childhood. It brings back memories.”
Soul Cooking
After years of working in the fine dining industry, Wood wanted to be cooking something familiar and approachable at his own restaurant. “Southern cooking is close to my soul, my roots, and my family’s roots,” he explained. “So, it feels good to be in a position to have a shop where we’re serving food that’s close to my soul, with my family’s name on it.” Things have just come full circle, he noted. “This is where I wanted my hard work to pay off.”
(Photo by Tennet Rich)
He is grateful that he can still visit his grandmother’s house regularly, and draw inspiration from the meals she cooks, asking about her recipes and how she has perfected them or retained their traditional renditions. Many of the daily specials that Lawrence Barbecue serves come from those cherished conversations with his grandmother, Wood said.
Meanwhile, the restaurant is named after his late grandfather, Allen Lee Lawrence, who inspired the base sauce for pulled pork. Before he passed away, he was developing a sauce along with Wood, incorporating vinegar and the cayenne peppers he grew in his garden. He called it “Peak of the Heat.” When Wood’s son was born in July 2019, Jake and his wife decided to name him Lawrence, also after Wood’s grandfather. The restaurant’s logo is a small baby in a diaper, straddling a smiling pig.
Wood also noted that many of the techniques treasured in Southern fine dining today, such as pickling, canning, and smoking, are actually ways of cooking that rural communities have long adopted. Through talking to his grandparents, he realized their cooking philosophy was: “You live off the land to not only feed your family, but to make a living as well,” meaning that what they ate often depended on what they had growing and what they had on the farm and had access to, by way of their own farm or neighbors who lived on the land close by. One neighbor had cattle or hogs, he explained, “or a cousin or an uncle would bring fish back from the coast in coolers.”
(Photo by Tennet Rich)
Though Wood cut his teeth on elaborate plating and complex chef techniques, he now hopes to have a restaurant with a familial, homey atmosphere. He said they “just worry about the food being as delicious as possible and being here ready with a smile on our face every time somebody comes to our window. We’re always going to make that the base of what we do.”
A Community Comes Together
The restaurant opened in June, after a long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Wood called the change of plans “a blessing in disguise.” In 2020, pandemic-related restrictions devastated the hospitality industry. Wood was able to operate a ghost kitchen out of his restaurant space, with patrons picking up food orders from the premises. With the proceeds earned during the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, Wood served 500 free meals to people in the industry who were furloughed from their jobs. He said they just wanted to do their part “to provide any help that we could to some of our friends and fellow business-owners in the industry,” Wood said. Back in 2018, the local community had similarly rallied together in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which wreaked havoc on the Carolinas. Wood, along with top chefs in the South, took part in a culinary event that helped raise over a half million dollars for small businesses to rebuild or recoup their losses.
(Photo by Jamie Robbins)
Later in 2020, Wood partnered with a local pub to serve his menu offerings as the restaurant space was being finalized; and he also did pop-ups, catering, and other collaborations with restaurants in the South. Through these events, the word was getting out there about Wood’s future restaurant. He realized that the tight-knit hospitality industry in the Raleigh-Durham area looks out for one another.
Wood is also very thankful that patrons continue to support Lawrence Barbecue. He said: “We know that people have a choice when they support a local business and when they go out to eat. And people put that trust in our hands every single time they come to us. It’s your money with us. And it’s our job to create memories for them and make sure that we’re doing our best every time. Because without them, we’re not here.”
Voted as the best small town in North Carolina, Marion boasts one of the most impressive New Year’s Eve traditions—dropping a 6-foot gold nugget into a giant, 10-foot frosted doughnut—as part of their annual Gold Nugget Drop. The quirky tradition is inspired by the town’s gold mining past. Food and craft vendors set up stalls, and live music is provided all through the night, with the music hall hosting its own special New Year’s Eve tunes. The street party is not complete without its own scavenger hunt, costume contest, and annual New Year’s Eve road race—Resolution Run 5K, aimed toward encouraging residents to start the year toward a healthier lifestyle.
VAIL, COLORADO
The ski resort town of Vail is another perfect, family-friendly town for celebrating the holidays. With its picturesque winter wonderland backdrop and stunning snow-capped mountains, Vail offers some of the most memorable fireworks and light shows. The annual New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade on Vail Mountain features ski instructors and locals forming a train, holding glow sticks, as they zigzag down Golden Peak, sending glowing ribbons behind them. This spectacle is shortly followed by an equally impressive fireworks display.
EL RENO, OKLAHOMA
Oklahomans’ favorite way to kick-start their year is with a (loud) blast as they fire guns and cannons to ward off evil spirits and welcome the new year. The Fort Reno Christmas Guns event takes place every year at the Fort Reno Chapel and Parade Grounds and was adopted from a German tradition brought to America by immigrants. German and Italian prisoners of war built the chapel in 1944. Attendees receive hot chocolate as they sit together to listen to traditional German and American folk tales inspired by the town’s historic past.
WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA
The colonial town of Williamsburg is known as one of the first planned cities in America and dates at least as far back as 1699, when colonial leaders petitioned for it to become Virginia Colony’s new capital city. The town is home to some of America’s first colonial homes and is thus known worldwide as the premier center for the preservation and interpretation of American colonial history. Williamsburg hosts Hogmanay—Scottish for New Year’s Eve. During the late 16th century, Virginia had a growing influx of Scottish settlers that led to many Scottish traditions being incorporated into American culture. Hogmanay dates back to the Vikings and involved celebrating the winter solstice. In Williamsburg, locals celebrate the end of the year by taking part in singing, storytelling, and dining on fine food. It’s also a great time for some (early) spring cleaning—getting rid of the old and welcoming the coming year with a fresh start.
TYBEE ISLAND, GEORGIA
Every year, thousands of brave locals take the ultimate challenge—by plunging into the icy Atlantic Ocean at noon on New Year’s Day to commemorate the start of the year. Known as the Polar Plunge, the chilling festival is usually held at Tybee Pier and Pavilion but has been put on hold for the last two years. Due to the pandemic, the Tybee Post Theater invited all to instead join in virtually and take the plunge from anywhere they chose.
MOBILE, ALABAMA
Alabamans in Mobile are famous for their annual New Year’s Eve Moon Pie Drop at midnight. Locals in this town are said to be the nation’s largest consumers of moon pies, so it’s no surprise that the town’s New Year’s Eve mascot is the 12-foot sweet dessert. The history goes back all the way to 1916, when it is believed that a hungry coal miner asked for a snack “as big as the moon”—hence the creation of the moon pie. To show their appreciation and welcome the new year, locals drop a giant, mechanical moon pie in downtown Mobile. Residents enjoy live music and eat plenty of food to their hearts’ content. The evening is brought to a close by fireworks above the Mobile River.
PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA
Many towns host New Year’s Eve ball drops, but in Panama City, locals drop 10,000 of them—all at once! Thousands attend this fun, family event to watch as the small beach balls come tumbling down in a flurry of colors. This event starts in the early evening, to allow children and families to attend without keeping their children out too late. At midnight, the city continues with its annual Pier Park beach ball drop, where the gigantic beach ball drops from the illuminated SkyWheel Ferris wheel. Many local bands attend to play music for audiences to enjoy.
PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WISCONSIN
The town of Prairie du Chien takes great pride in its fishing heritage—so much so that carps feature center stage in its annual Dropping of the Carp holiday event. The locals have celebrated this family-friendly event for the last 19 years. Originally, the festival involved lowering a 20-pound, real, frozen carp onto its throne in Lucky Park. Since 2019, the town has revised its tradition, moving the celebrations indoors. The event is now named Carp Fest, and celebrations still incorporate a predominantly children’s theme with coloring competitions, games, and singing. The frozen carp has been replaced with an artificial one, and everybody still gets the chance to kiss the carp at midnight for good luck—as per tradition!
FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS
As the clock strikes midnight, people all over the world celebrate the start of a new year. The locals in Fredericksburg, Texas, however, prefer to travel back in time with a 1940s-inspired celebration. Strutting in their best vintage outfits, they meet up at the Hangar Hotel—designed to resemble an actual World War II airplane hangar. Visitors enjoy showing off their swing dance moves to jazz performed by Bill Smallwood and the Lone Star Swing Orchestra. Winners from the costume contest receive prizes from the Hangar Hotel, the Fredericksburg Brewing Company, and the Fredericksburg Herb Farm. A portion of the proceeds is donated to United Service Organizations (USO) Fort Hood.
SOUTH CAROLINA (and Other Southern States)
If you live in the South, you will be no stranger to a bowl of steaming black-eyed peas laid over a bed of collard greens and onions. The black-eyed peas are associated with good luck, and collard greens with wealth. Southerners are also big fans of cornbread—which represents gold and often accompanies the main meal. In South Carolina, locals enjoy eating their own rendition of this classic New Year’s meal with some steamed, brothy rice. The rice and pea dish is known as Hoppin’ John and is reminiscent of African bean pilau. Residents believe that for the best chance of luck, one must eat exactly 365 black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day!
