Given that we are officially in the thick of the holiday season, it’s no surprise that many of us are engaged in pursuits that relate to the coming of Christmas. Presents are being procured, trees are being trimmed, halls have been decked, lords are a-leaping and maids are a-milking. With a little fa la la la la la and some joy to the world, we will jingle all the way to a holly jolly Christmas.

When we do venture forth in search of entertainment, we’ve got everything from lighted boat

To this day, I still don’t know who he was or where he came from. The guy was just some nappy-headed, super-crunchy snowboarder who I once bumped into during one of my annual exploratory forays into the otherworldly backcountry splendor of Shuksan Arm.

The very first thing he said to me was, “When it comes to ambulating safely through the backcountry gnar, no single piece of gear, equipment or technology can supersede your innate human potential to make timely, well-informed decisions.” 

I don’t want to alarm anyone, but it appears the ultimate gift-giver, Santa Claus, has been cloned. I saw him in his white-bearded glory last weekend at the Holiday Port Festival—where he was calm and collected while a succession of toddlers tugged fiercely at his beard and squealed in his ears—but sightings have also been reported at various spots around Whatcom and Skagit counties of late. And judging by the growing number of engagements he has this coming weekend in Bellingham, he’s

I am not a hostess who requires everything to be perfect. As long as the toilets are clean, the house is free of clutter and the lighting is just right, I’m good to go. That said, in the past few years I’ve scaled back on holiday entertaining for the sake of my own sanity.

Instead of throwing anything-goes New Year’s Eve parties, for example, I’ve hosted intimate cocktail gatherings where people can show off their fancy getups, nibble appetizers, sip wine or spirits and get their glow on

If The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was a single-serving tribute to the fans of the J.R.R. Tolkien book that inspired it, its follow up, The Desolation of Smaug, offers a nod to the uninitiated movie-going audiences that made a prequel trilogy possible.

Eschewing the kitchen-sink minutiae of the first installment (or maybe just having used all of it up) Peter Jackson creates a rousing, immersive sequel that offers the same sort of sweeping action—and more crucially, emotional engagement—that

Director Alexander Payne marries an urbane sensibility with a rare awareness that there are entire stretches of the United States that are neither big cities nor the Wild West, and that life takes place there. His latest, Nebraska, in addition to being a strong showcase for Bruce Dern, is an authentic piece of Americana. There’s no lying or condescending from this director. Nebraska feels pure.
It’s also a fascinating entity, rather like a patient with no apparent vital signs who is yet alive

In case you haven’t noticed, holiday events have taken over our corner of the world. Citizens who want to get in the Christmas spirit can do so by listening to many-voiced choirs singing “Joy to the World,” experience a festive Celtic immersion, or, among many other entertainment options, purchase tickets to see a well-known seasonal ballet.

Those who’ve been in the area for a while know that when the Bellingham Children’s Theatre (BCT) presents its production of the holiday parody known as

Jodee Adams wasn’t born in Bellingham, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t belong here. We caught up with the 31-year-old potter and painter to ask her a few questions before she joins a roster of other area artists to show and sell work at the Holiday Make.Sale happening Sat., Dec. 14 at Make.Shift Art Space.

Cascadia Weekly: Where do you make your art?
Jodee Adams: I work out of the basement that I rent—there’s a mud room for my pottery—and fire the pieces at Persis Gayle’s Frailey