For more than a week, complaints have been circulating that this year’s tree is thinner and scragglier than usual. But as the lights flashed on, precisely at 4:30 p.m. Friday, a crowd of hundreds cheered.
christmas
Posted inArts & Entertainment, Books
‘Brightly Shining’ is a bittersweet tale of Christmas past
In Ingvild Rishoi’s novella, two Norwegian girls with an alcoholic father begin working at a Christmas tree stand to scrape by.
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Posted inFood, Maine Gardener
The Giving Tree: Christmas trees provide joy, and they do so much more
Are you feeling guilty about cutting down a young, living tree? The head of the Maine Christmas Tree Association says the trees do lots of good.
Posted inLocal & State, News
In photos: Portland’s holiday tree makes its jolly journey from Deering to Monument Square
On Wednesday morning, a 40-foot blue spruce tree was cut from a yard in Portland’s Deering neighborhood and trucked to Monument Square, where it was installed as the city’s 2024 tree for the holiday season. Staff photographer Ben McCanna was there to follow it every step of the way.
Posted inFood
Do you schmear what I schmear? Bagels are the new Christmastime tradition
Local bakeries say demand for the once quintessential Jewish bread spikes during holidays, including Christian ones.
Posted inFood, Recipes
My mother’s Sicilian cassata cake nods to her smart frugality and love
The recipe for layered pound cake, covered with chocolate fudge, is a family favorite for the holidays.
Posted inDo This, Food, Local & State
Where to eat out on Christmas Day in Maine
From prix-fixe meals and buffets to Chinese takeout and bagels, several Maine restaurants will be open Monday and ready to feed you.
Posted inTimes Record
Faith Notes: No ordinary babe
For many people, Christmas is the high point of the year, but this year, suffocating under the weight of so much sorrow, it might feel harder to celebrate. Families slaughtered in their safe houses. Others taken hostage. Still others buried beneath the red rain of rockets. The diaspora of the desperate, crossing oceans and mountains […]
Posted inTimes Record
Spirit of Life: Fragile, handle with care
It used to be that “Fragile: Handle with Care” were instructions printed on packages to alert mail carriers that delicate contents could break. Fragile packages need to be treated with intention, caution, gentleness and … well, care. The hope in labeling packages “fragile” is that the warning will cause those reading it to modify their […]
Posted inFood, Recipes
Bonus Points: Feast of the Seven Fishes extras
These 2 recipes for roasted oysters and bourride make more great choices for feast night.