EVENTS DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
Welcome to the tenth edition of the Saint Paul Almanac‘s blog, the Pig’s Eye Post! This will be our last blog post for 2010. We’ll resume in the new year. As always with the Almanac, your contributions are very welcome. If there are major events or news taking place that you think we should be paying attention to, please drop us a line.
We’ll keep this Pig’s Eye Post short so you can get on with darting to the kitchen to baste your Christmas Turkey or Kwanzaa Ham! If you’re in-between working out how to get the rubber part of the baster sealed better around the plastic nozzle so it actually works properly, do check out our holiday-themed new Almanac writing below.
If you’re looking for things to do with your family or significant other over the next week, definitely browse the Almanac‘s Saint Paul Calendar. There’s open family skating outside the Landmark Center, a ton of great theater and exhibits, downtown jazz and open mike poetry at the Artists’ Quarter, Trampled by Turtles band members at the Turf Club and more…
NEW WRITING FROM TOM HAAS, RICHARD BRODERICK AND SUAD AROUNI
The Como Lake Community Christmas Tree
By Tom Haas
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, something magical happens at Como Lake. Just off the side of the walking path stands a huge pine tree, and one by one, Christmas tree ornaments begin to appear on the branches. These are not the expensive, trendy decorations that you see for sale in matched, color-coordinated sets. No, some of these are the ragtag older ones used for years at grandma’s house. Read More
Revolt at the Midway Discount Shopping Mall
By Richard Broderick
The department’s floor personnel—Bobbi, Tess, Shaun, Alice, and the stock boy, Luis—received word in that week’s pay envelope, but rumors had been circulating for some time that the store was closing. It was, after all, impossible to ignore how the shelves were not being restocked. “No mas,” Luis would shrug, his palms turned upward, when one of the sales associates asked why a particular item—like those fleece-lined shoe inserts the old ladies liked so much—hadn’t been replenished. “A little shipping problem,” Mr. Beechner, the head buyer, had assured Alice, the oldest among them, when she’d worked up the nerve to ask. “Central’s working on it,” he said, then marched off in a rush. He was always in a rush. Read More
Christmas is One of the Best Holidays
By Suad Arouni
Christmas is one of my favorite holidays—there are a lot of differences between Christmas in America and in my country, Sierra Leone. In America, all they do is exchange gifts and go to work, but in Sierra Leone people will start celebrating a week before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, people will do lots of grocery shopping and buy lots of meats and chicken because they like to cook fresh food in the morning. On the day of Christmas, all you can smell is the good smell of different aromas—yum, yum. Read More
COMING ALMANAC EVENTS IN 2011: LOWERTOWN READING JAMS
The entire 2010–2011 season will be presented at the Black Dog Café, a popular Saint Paul venue for spoken word artists, and a co-sponsor of the series. Check back with us, or join our e-mail list or Twitter feed to be informed of coming events.
- Jan. 10, 2011 – May Lee-Yang
- Feb. 21, 2011 – Tou SaiKo Lee
- Mar. 14, 2011 – Carol Connolly
- Apr. 11, 2011 – Marcie Rendon
- May 9, 2011 – Desdamona
- June 13, 2011 – Melvin Giles
- July 11, 2011 – Diego Vázquez, Jr.
SUPPORT YOUR HOMETOWN ALMANAC
Stay in touch and tell your friends. Please join our email list. Sign up in the red box on the right column of every page on this site. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter. Use the share links on this page to let your contacts know about material on our site.
Buy the Almanac. You may have a copy, but do all your friends? Or your enemies? Scientific studies have shown that prolonged reading of the Saint Paul Almanac increases both longevity and quality of life, and reduces general crabbiness! Visit our online store.
Donate to the Almanac. The Saint Paul Almanac builds community through providing forums—in print, online, and at events around the city throughout the year—to share our individual stories. Every year, 2000 students in St. Paul’s public high schools receive a free copy of the Almanac. Your donation of $25 will help pay a poet, essayist, or short story writer, or make an almanac available to two Saint Paul Public School students. The Saint Paul Almanac is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and donations to our mission are tax-deductible. If you love Saint Paul as much as we do, and recognize the value of the Almanac, help us get it out there with a generous donation. Donate online now at https://saintpaulalmanac.org/about/donate
Photo of TSA-rewrapped presents courtesy of Erik & Anna at SwingShoes.net