With Christmas right around the corner, everyone’s got holiday gift shopping on their minds. Whether you’re hunting for the perfect something for your picky mother-in-law, school-age nieces and nephews, or that one friend who seems to have it all, there’s something to be said for picking a gift out in person rather than simply hitting “add to cart” on a website.

One of the best things about the holiday season is the hype. Hear us out. Not only do we celebrate the holidays on the dates of their actual occurrence, we get to spend several weeks preparing for their arrival with events, activities, and parties all jam-packed into the month of December. Since the four weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas often feel like a mad dash to get everything done—from buying gifts to decorating and baking—we’ve narrowed down the endless list of holiday activities into seven manageable categories. Whether it’s seeing a holiday movie, going ice skating, or sipping on a festive cocktail, here are our favorite ways to get in on the holiday hype this year. 

With the holidays creeping closer and closer, there’s no time like the present to get in the Christmas spirit. When you’re not busy baking gingerbread cookies or trimming your tree, there are plenty of festivities across the state. One of our favorites? Checking out Alabama’s many extravagant holiday light displays. From zoos and parks to the historic grounds of historic homes, some of our favorite Alabama attractions have transformed into dazzling light displays just in time to ring in the holidays. Check out a few of our favorites below. 

Paul Attaway retired from a 30-year career as a small business entrepreneur to pursue his calling as a writer. In his debut novel, “Blood in the Low Country,” Paul tells the story of Monty Atkins who attended college at The University of Alabama, and yes, thinks Bear Bryant walks on water. He’s a good man who loves God and his wife and kids. But he also loves the Lowcountry, Charleston specifically, golf, baseball, college football and Shrimp ’n Grits.

Every fall, monarch butterflies travel thousands of miles to escape south for the winter. Their striking orange-and-black wings are often seen as a symbol of transformation and growth. In Mexican culture, they’re thought to represent the souls of ancestors bringing comfort to loved ones on earth. 

A new book from Gritty South, an imprint of Bluewater Publications, aims to remove the rose-tinted lenses and cut the sugar-plum sweetness often associated with holiday stories, and instead replace them with true-life tales of what it means to celebrate the season in the South. “Gritty Southern Christmas Anthology,” out now, is a collection of short stories from 16 Southern authors telling the authentic story of Christmas in the South. 

Founded in 1881 as the Negro Normal School in Tuskegee, Tuskegee University was built on a dream from Booker T. Washington and Lewis Adams to provide a top-tier educational institution for African Americans. Since then, the school has consistently been ranked as one of the country’s top five HBCUs by the U.S. News and World Report. Tuskegee University is also the only college campus designated as one of the National Park Service’s National Historic Sites. 

Beauty queens, a parade, blue-ribbon cooking contests, livestock shows, carnival rides, musical performances—and of course, goobers—are all part of the attraction at the 77th National Peanut Festival in Dothan, from Friday, November 5–Sunday, November 14.

Hoover’s Moss Rock Festival is throwing an extra special Sweet 16 bash for the city’s beloved nature and art festival. This year’s festival, held Nov. 6-7, will continue its tradition of introducing festivalgoers to a bevy of talented local and regional artists. A new venue, the Hoover Met Complex, will host more than 150 artists, as well as other exhibitors focused on nature and sustainable living, a dozen food and drink vendors, a live music stage, kid’s craft workshop, and the return of the ever-popular Beer Garden. 

For 3,000 years, Mesoamericans have celebrated the period when, tradition says, the barrier between the living and dead lowers enough for loved ones on either side to briefly reunite. People create shrines to their dearly departed, adorning the altars with marigolds and candles, and setting out the deceased’s favorite foods and drink for the visit.

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Louisiana-born and Alabama-raised, artist and interior designer William McLure doesn’t remember a time when he wasn’t creating. As one of four boys growing up in the tiny town of Troy, finding outlets for his passion took a bit of resourcefulness. As a kid, he could often be found rearranging furniture, repainting his bedroom walls, and DIYing canopy beds by nailing sheets to the ceiling. For birthdays, it wasn’t bikes or action figures he asked for, but lamps and duvet covers. Though McLure excelled in high school art class and painted throughout his upbringing, he never imagined he would make a living through art. After graduating, college wasn’t in the cards, so he got a job at the Alabama Board of Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement changed the course of history in America forever. Many of the places that created the environment for such monumental change are right here in our own backyard. Alabama’s role in the Civil Rights Movement is undeniable. All across the state, our cities and towns became the backdrop for sit-ins, marches, demonstrations, and protests that opened the world’s eyes to the inequality, injustice, and bigotry prevalent throughout our country. Nearly 70 years later, the sacrifices many Americans made to advance the cause for equality are more important than ever. And now more than ever, it’s important to reflect on that history. 

Legend says that the first tailgating party before a college football game was in 1869, but it wasn’t until after the University of Alabama first hit the gridiron a couple of decades later that its rabid fans perfected the art of the pregame party.

If a greased pig chase and a frog jumping contest sounds like you’re idea of a good time, then you’ve come to the right place. Each September, the small town of Eva in North Alabama comes together for a week of old-fashioned fun and games at Eva Frontier Days. The family-friendly festival, September 17-25 this year, includes the aforementioned greased pig chase and frog jumping contest, as well as a parade, hayrides, showings of antique tractors, and a rodeo. 

How many 20-year-old homeowners do you know? How about 20-year-old homeowners who also built their homes? In Birmingham’s Ensley neighborhood, a first-of-its-kind nonprofit private school is working to add to that number by making the dream of homeownership a reality for low-income students.

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Regarded as the father of contemporary country music, Hank Williams is without a doubt one of the most legendary music superstars to ever live. Despite his short career, which met […]

As it turns out, delicious BBQ is a perfect reason for the entire family to get out of the house and celebrate the end of summer. Gather your family and friends on August 28 to enjoy good music, Alabama’s best BBQ and fun activities for all ages!