Today is the last day of gophila.com's Holidays promotion. Until midnight tonight you can book a hotel room through their site, and if it’s over $150 (which, who are we kidding, it will be) you’ll get $50 off. You just have to enter the code “HOLIDAYS” when you’re checking out. Phillyist has considered getting a hotel room in the city on a few occasions, but the price is usually just too steep. Fifty dollars......

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The best of the internet, squirted out in flavorful neon globules, just for you. Let's round up some Christmas leftovers to enjoy this afternoon, shall we? The Movie Blog posted its All Time Top 10 Christmas Movies, and we agree with... six of them. Meanwhile, XPN had a bunch of free downloads of holiday-appropriate tracks by local Philly bands. Then there's a documentary on the making of Chuck Jones' animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas,......

Fun around town, for $10 or less: FRIDAY Mikronesia: GATE presents Mikronesia, Isabel, Alka, M.A.D., and Marge at the Rotunda (4014 Walnut), 8PM. Free Carbonaut: Carbonaut, Glorious Filaments, the Loose Roosters, and Cheers Elephant at The Underground (40th and Spruce), 9PM. $5 An Improv-ed X-mas: The N-Crowd X-mas special at the Actors Center (257 N. 3rd), 8PM. $10 SATURDAY Maybe the Last Chance You Have to Laugh: Comic Energy presents ''No Place Like Philly For......

Last week, I was invited, through Phillyist, to an RSVP-only event. The invitation indicated that there would be a 7PM reception prior to the 8PM event. When left without an adjective (cocktail, book-signing, meet-the-artist), the word "reception" indicates, especially given the timing of this one, that there will be drinks and light snacks available for the guests. This reception had drinks. It apparently had snacks, too – but when I arrived, all of seventeen......

The Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia's December On Stage listings make note of four productions of A Christmas Carol (one of which, admittedly, I loved), plus productions of A Christmas Story, Christmas City Follies, Comet, the Fifth Reindeer, The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, The Holiday Goose - A Musical, Holiday Show at the Swing Club, The Nutcracker, O'Henry Christmas, The Santaland Diaries, Tiny Tim's Christmas, and Winter Musicale 2007. In short, the season is saturated......

Good morning, readers, from a Phillyist on a plane, killing time on the way to Louisville via Chicago. Yeah, I know that's really out of the way. But then, so is Louisville. Air travel is generally hated by most people. Strangely, though, today's experience has been almost pleasant. Here's why: (1) Tuesday afternoons in December are apparently an awesome time to fly. Business travelers are out of town, going about their midweek business, and......

It has been brought to my attention recently that I have neglected to bring the hate over the last couple months. Something about the holidays and watching the Eagles spiral downward every week has just made me feel so warm and fuzzy! But lately some people have really been annoying me. So with respect to my “hate partner,” Pencopal—Miss Penco, if you’re nas-tee!—I am going to fly solo with some pure, unadultered hateration. If you......

The holidays kind of snuck up on us this year. Perhaps because Thanksgiving was so early. After Turkey Day was over, it was still too early to get into the Christmannakkanzaa spirit. (This Phillyist adheres to a strict "No Christmas music before December 1" rule.) And then we got caught up with other things, and we didn't really notice that, yep, we're in holiday season. It took Thursday night's WXPN Musicians On Call benefit concert......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. Paranormal State (Mon, 10PM-11PM, A&E) - The debut of a new reality show featuring members of Penn State University's Paranormal Research Society investigating reports of paranormal phenomena. During this hour, they seem to be playing two episodes, one about a boy who can supposedly see dead people, and another about a supposedly haunted house where murders were committed. Independent Lens (Tue, 10PM-11:30PM, WHYY) - It's another Penn......

This weekend, at Standard Tap (2nd and Poplar), start your Christmas shopping with one-of-a-kind gifts created by local artists. PositiveSapce hosts its annual holiday craft sale, showcasing the goods of almost 20 local artists. Forget about buying yet another DVD boxed set and choose from beautiful glass, jewelry, paintings, prints, crafts, and original artwork. Holidays are for multitasking. Get your brunch downstairs, and eye up PositiveSpace's wares upstairs. More information is available here. Standard Craft......

Every weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2008 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know! Phillyist likes a good excuse to shop, and the holidays provide that in spades. This year we wanted to stay closer to home with our gift choices, and give things that were more......

You know how we love the Reading Terminal Holiday Railroad. It's the holiday model train display that's set up annually just up the escalator from the Gallery, and when we see it going up, we know Christmas and the holidays are really on their way. You can see photos from the last two years' displays, and read us gushing about them, here and here. This year they've brought back more of the interactive elements......

Okay, so your significant other has met the parents, and things weren't a disaster. In fact, everyone got along swimmingly. When the holidays were approaching, your parents even encouraged you to bring your significant other along. One problem: your parents are normal. The members of your extended family, who will be in attendance at Thanksgiving/Chanukah/Christmas dinner... are not. If left unprepared, your significant other might freak out and, tragedy of tragedies, leave you out......

What's new and/or interesting on TV this week. All-Star Holiday Spirit (Mon, 9PM-10PM, Food Network) - The Food Network stars - including food nerd Alton Brown, freakish bird-woman Giada De Laurentiis, the hated Rachael Ray, Ina Garten, Tyler Florence, and obsessive lush Sandra Lee - prepare holiday party dishes. Should be a good time! Charlie Brown Christmas (Tue, 8PM-9PM, ABC) - The 1965 classic, accompanied by a behind-the-scenes making-of special hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, and......

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and......

This week's quote comes from the movie A Christmas Story, and is likely repeated in the play, opening next week at The Players Club of Swarthmore. It's what pretty much everybody tells Ralphie whenever he mentions that he wants a BB gun for Christmas. Now, on with the listings! A Christmas Carol - Marley was dead, to begin with. November 30-December 30. Tickets online. A Christmas Story - Now, about that BB gun... November 23-December......

Last year, we told you what we like to do with our Thanksgiving leftovers. Others take the leftover turkey and make soup or pot pies. Some eat hot turkey sandwiches for weeks. We'd imagine that the week after Thanksgiving isn't a good time at establishments like Bassett's Original Turkey or Boston Market, because, let's face it, it'll be at least a few weeks before anyone is ready for turkey again. But we've gotta eat something......

Ah, Turkey Day. The official kick-off of six weeks of too much eating, too much drinking, and probably a little too much carousing. If you're like Phillyist, part of this weekend will be devoted to making sure all the Thanksgiving fixings are squared away in the pantry (or else, trying to find someone who will feed you that day). In the rush of the holidays, though, it's easy to forget those that can't stock up......

The Inquirer has the story of an American soldier from Bucks County who worked hard in Iraq trying to rebuild the country and is now home for the holidays. Princeton University scientists announced yesterday that they'd discovered a way to reproduce the chemical signals that the bacteria that cause cholera use to communicate with each other, which opens up the possibility of a new way to fight bacteria: talking to them in their own......

Dear Philadelphia Winter: The fact that I've started putting on a scarf for my walk to work means you're right around the corner, and there's no stopping you. For a significant portion of my life, I considered you a necessary evil. After all, without you, there would be no Thanksgiving, no Christmannakkanzaa, no New Year, right? But about three years ago, I decided that was a ridiculous idea. After all, people in, say, San Diego......

With the frosty mornings this week, there's no doubt fall has arrived, and with it thoughts of the impending winter holidays... and chilly commutes. The folks at Starbucks will be easing the transition to both tomorrow morning in celebration of the return of their red cup; greeters will regale commuters at 30th Street with oodles of goodies from 7-10AM. There will be samples of appropriate winter drinks, including Christmas Blend, Peppermint Mocha, and Hot Chocolate.......

Did anyone else see where September went? It was Labor Day, we went to the closet to pack up our white shoes, and suddenly it's the terminal week. Next year, September, give us a little more transition time? Also, knock it off with the 90s. One good thing about September's passing is that October is beginning, and all the lovely holidays and festivals that come with it. This weekend kicks off Oktoberfest in our......

Dear God (go with me on this one – if someone can sue Him, I can sure as hell write Him a letter): Hey up there! How's it going? Long time no talk! Sorry about missing Rosh Hashannah last week. The holidays aren't on a consistent date every year—not on the Western calendar, at least—so I didn't know when they were when I made my PLAF schedule. But hey – the Torah indicates that......

Happy first weekend of September - and happy Labor Day weekend, too, for our American cities! Let's take a look at what's been happening around the Ist-a-verse. The deaths of two firefighters shook Bostonist this week. Boston's firefighters bent over backwards all week long - first, they fought flames pouring from the Boston Tea Party museum, and then a restaurant fire killed two and injured many more. Their efforts make everything else - like Tom......

Ma Phillyist is visiting later this week. We're totally psyched to see her—it's been since the holidays—but unfortunately, her visit coincides with the BlogPhiladelphia "unconference," which we do plan to be at. Mom assures us that it's okay, she can keep herself busy on Friday. But the problem is, she's done most of the busy-keeping activities in the city that we can think of: she's been to the Art Museum, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell,......

Dear Philadelphia: It's official. Life is a joke when I leave you. There was my struggle to return over the holidays. There was the time you almost didn't let me leave. And then there was this past weekend. My boyfriend and I, as you no doubt know (you always know these things, Philly!), headed a few hours south to our nation's capital. We were visiting some friends and just generally in need of a weekend......

All across the Ist-A-Verse (or at least the American parts thereof), writers and editors are in the midst of enjoying their three-day weekend. But after the week we've all had, we feel like the break is not only needed, but deserved. Just look at everything we've been doing! Gothamist headed into the Memorial Day weekend with a number of tasks accomplished. They worried about Long Islanders giving New Yorkers a bad name. They tried......

Title: Studies in Hysteria Authors: Sigmund Freud and Joseph Breuer Year: 1895 Now that the holidays are over and we can go back to our regularly scheduled leisure reading, now that Christmas Freud is unemployed in the window over at Barney’s in New York City and all of the alcohol left over from the New Year’s party has been polished off, psychoanalysis of the whole damn thing may seem a thing worthwhile. And so this......

Dear Philadelphia: Never have I been so happy to be here, safely nestled in my unforgivably messy little one bedroom apartment in the Gayborhood. You see, for a while there, it didn’t look like I’d make it back. I was back home in El Paso, Texas visiting my family for the holidays, which was nice. What wasn’t nice is what happened when I tried to leave. I was running late, mostly because I couldn’t......