🚇🥹 It’s an MBTA Christmas miracle!!!

🍕🤑 Free pizza alert! Our partners at Dirty Water Dough, home to the (delicious) Dirty Water IPA pizza dough, are giving away a $100 gift card to one lucky B-Sider! Enter here before Dec. 17 at 11:59 p.m.

😂 P.S. We’re dropping five pairs of tickets to The Nova Comedy Collective’s Dec. 19 late-night variety show, A Very Nova Christmas Carol for B-Side Members. Start a free B-Side Membership trial to enter. You have until midnight! 

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

🚴 On the ninth day of B-Side, the newsletter gave to me … two weeks of free indoor cycling classes (a $150+ value)! Rev’d is one of Boston’s most energizing fitness studios, known for its music-driven rhythm rides, motivating instructors, and immersive dark-room atmosphere. Whether you're a seasoned rider or stepping into the studio for the first time, Rev’d makes every class feel empowering and community-centered. This two-week pass is the perfect way to reset, sweat, and find your rhythm as winter settles in.

👀 Want in? Just be one of the first B-Side Members to fill out the form in your email TODAY between 10–11 a.m.

Now, onto our regularly scheduled programming …

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin! Translation: It’s good news time, baby! 

Here are the feel-good local stories you might’ve missed this month:

🌲 Rainy spring weekends saved Christmas (trees). Our bone-dry summer had some of New England’s nearly 2,000 Christmas tree farmers seriously worried about their crops (the region cuts close to 500,000 trees a year). But against all odds, it was a surprisingly solid year, thanks to the deluge of rainy spring weekends that helped sustain them through drought conditions. Call it a Christmas miracle! 

🚇 Our year of MBTA shutdowns are paying off … Literally. Yes, the agency’s 2024 shutdown spree stunk. But the resulting uptick in service paved the way for some major W’s in 2025: Red and Orange Line trips are up 55% and 50%; the MBTA recorded the highest ridership numbers since the pandemic (a weekday average of 938,000, compared to 1.29 million during the same month in 2019); AND exceeded its fare-collecting goals by $8 million. Thanks, Train Daddy!

🍔 Students opened a bodega-style food pantry … then Burna Boy showed up. A regular old food pantry for their classmates wouldn’t cut it for Boston Arts Academy students. So they made a full-on bodega, complete with fancy signs, shelves lined with food, and even a (stuffed) bodega cat. And yes, Grammy-winning rapper Burna Boy even got involved. He stopped by the pantry to pledge his support before his show at TD Garden (and students understandably freaked tf out). You can donate to the bodega here!

👐 A local restaurant fed an entire community of SNAP recipients. Max Ritcey, owner of Watertown’s Ritcey East, fed so many people during November’s SNAP delay that Gov. Healey herself called him to say thanks. The day after he heard the SNAP news, Ritcey jumped into action, offering free frozen meals to anyone who wanted them, no questions asked. By the end, he’d given away enough to feed over 400 people. “It’s hard for me to stand by when people are in need,” he said.

👫 One teacher gave dozens of exchange students a seat at his table. A Worcester Tech high school teacher gave over 30 Brazilian exchange students a place to eat on Thanksgiving when they had nowhere else to go for the holiday. It was the first Turkey Day celebration for many of the students, and from the food (the mac n’ cheese looked bomb) to the practice of gratitude, they said it was even better than what they’d seen on the big screen. 

🎁✨ Holiday shopping: fun in theory, chaotic in practice. Luckily, Rockland Trust’s 5th annual Small Business Shopping Guide is here to simplify everything. With 100+ local gems across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, it’s your new cheatsheet for thoughtful gifting. From handmade goodies to one-of-a-kind experiences, this guide makes it easy to shop small, stress less, and support the businesses that keep our communities feeling like home. Explore the guide and start crossing off your list the feel-good way.

🚨 Before you answer: This pop quiz has a special twist! The first two B-Siders to respond to this email with a screenshot of their CORRECT answer will win a $50 giftcard to Snacks Box — the local food truck behind this viral meringue hot cocoa. If you win, you’ll hear from us soon. Ready, set, GO!

❤️‍🩹 The Brown University shooter is still at large. As of Monday evening, police had released a person of interest and continued the search for the man who opened fire in a Brown classroom on Saturday afternoon (here’s a harrowing “day in my life” carousel from a student’s POV). The university also identified the two students who passed away: freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov and sophomore Ella Cook. Thoughts and prayers poured in from local and national officials, while nearby schools continued to ramp up security. Here’s a list of free resources for anyone impacted.

🔍 The verdict is in: Brian Walshe is GUILTY. On Monday, Mass.’ second splashiest murder trial of the year came to an end, with Walshe convicted of first-degree murder for killing his wife, Ana, following years of legal issues and an illicit affair. Yes, it’s wild. Although the trial drew lots of comparisons to Karen Read (see: a messy love triangle, an unfortunate search history), it was certainly speedier, clocking in at just around two weeks. Walshe will be sentenced to life in prison without parole on Wednesday.

⚽ BREAKING: Boston World Cup tickets DON’T cost an arm and a leg. OK, maybe just a finger … ICYMI: The 2026 World Cup is coming to Gillette Stadium, and a random ticket lottery is currently underway through Jan. 13, giving us a peek at ticket prices for each match. Unsurprisingly, a seat at the Quarterfinals will run you between $650 to $1,270, but for less high-profile games, like Haiti vs. Scotland, seats are going for as low as $180. Here’s how to enter the drawing!

📚 Tired: Spotify Wrapped. Wired: BPL Wrapped. Yes, the Boston Public Library dropped its very own 2025 Wrapped! Highlights include: 7.5 million physical and digital items borrowed, 3.2 million visitors, 129,745 new cards issued, and 179 weddings at the Central branch (including one we attended!). Beyond the numbers, the BPL’s top three books of 2025: “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros, “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas, and “Happy Place” by Emily Henry. Dive into all the data here.

There’s game-days, and then there’s Bleacher Bar game-days (which are objectively way better). Use code BBGLOBE for $8 off $30 and bring Fenway-famous snacks straight to your living room. Think burgers, tenders, nachos, and everything you want to stress-eat during overtime. This one’s a win before the game even starts.

What would happen if Buddy the Elf came to Boston? We can actually tell you, thanks to local food influencer Colton Cunningham a.k.a. @beefeatsfirst. 

Cunningham recently bought an elf suit for a local 5k race, when inspiration struck: Why not use the fit to re-create the movie “Elf” with a Boston twist? The results went viral. 

Cunningham, dressed as Buddy, headed to Kowloon, slid down the cop slide, met Wally the Green Monster, dumped maple syrup into more than one Guinness, and even loudly congratulated the Boylston Street Dunkin’ on having the world’s best coffee (lol). Let’s just say, they were not amused. 

Check out the whole video here.

— Written by Gia Orsino, Emily Schario, and Claire Nicholas

🎁 Thanks for reading! Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite … city?

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Rockland Trust, for supporting local journalism and giving small businesses the spotlight they deserve this holiday season.

🥦 The results are in: B-Siders were split on whether they’d try a cannabis cafe, but 44% said no. One reader said: “I went to one in the Netherlands and let me tell you: it was much less rowdy than your average bar on a Friday night!” Not surprised, lol.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].