💅 Mass.’ biggest slay of the year

Happy Friday, Boston!

🎬 You’ll see a lot of “10 best movies of the year” lists this week. But you’ll likely only see one “10 worst movies of the year” list, courtesy of the Globe. Sorry, Timothée Chalamet! Sorry, “Hot Frosty”! 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• State legislature side hustles

• Cambridge’s steamy new bookstore

• The shortest day of the year

Up first…

12 DAYS OF B-SIDE

And the B-Side Award goes to …

On the 12th day of B-Side the newsletter gave to me: The B-Side Awards, fortune-telling locals, holiday traffic warnings, tips for surviving family drama, holiday good news, five delish hot chocolates, Phillip Eng’s Spotify Wrapped, volunteer opportunities(!) … tips for Boston winters, one pop-up review, local gift recs, and a Boston holiday tree. 🎶

Phew. That intro was getting LONG. 

Anyway … Welcome to the first-ever B-Side Awards! All month, we’ve been asking YOU to vote on the best, worst, silliest, floppiest, and wildest things we covered in the newsletter this year. The time to reveal the winners is finally here:

🏆 The biggest slay of the year goes to … The C’s taking home Banner 18 (and 27% of the vote). We accidentally toggled off reader comments for this one, so we’ll leave you with this Joe Mazzulla press conference moment instead.

🏆 The buzziest idea that got our attention goes to … Bringing back happy hour with 48% of the vote. In a brief glimmer of hope this summer, we thought this might actually happen. Lol. One reader said: “Let the people be happy!!”

🏆 The most unhinged “One Last Thing” story goes to … A turkey literally keying someone’s car with 34% of the vote. This story should serve as a PSA against all Boston turkeys … and all Boston street parking. One reader said: “That was a targeted attack.”

🏆  The most tragic restaurant/bar closure goes to … Fajitas & ‘Ritas with 37% of the vote. R.I.P to the best frozen margs in town. One reader said: “It'll never get that cheap again.”

🏆  The biggest eye roll goes to … Beacon Hill’s $500k parking spot with 28% of the vote. The only thing more shocking than that price tag is that the spot’s real estate agent called the price “not that shocking.” One reader said: “Unbelievable!”

🏆  The best viral moment goes to … Pommel horse guy “sleeping” at the Olympics, with 40% of the vote. Long live Stephen Nedoroscik and his dancing, Rubik's cube solving, and somewhat thirst trappy videos. One reader said: “There's a reason my Halloween costume was Pommel Horse Steve!”

🏆 The best viral moment that only chronically online Bostonians would know goes to … WCVB unknowingly showing Zendaya as b-roll with 47% of the vote. Though at this point, Zendaya is basically a local. One reader agrees: “Zendaya - she's just like us!”

🏆 And finally, B-Side’s local icon of the year goes to … MBTA GM Phillip “Train Daddy” Eng with 43% of the vote. There was never really another option, was there? He’s on track to rid the T of slow zones, he sent us his Spotify Wrapped, and he inspired this terrifying Instagram post. One reader said: “We bow down in gratitude to train daddy, thank you for changing our lives.”

TOGETHER WITH THE MGH FUND

Last call to make a life-saving impact 

💸❤️‍🩹 Tick tock, Boston — now is the time to make your kindness go 3x as far. Today is your final chance to donate to the MGH Fund and have your gift be triple-matched by a generous anonymous donor — meaning $50 can turn into $150 of life-saving potential. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to power essential research, top-notch patient care, and funding for unexpected emergencies at Massachusetts General Hospital. Donate now and make a difference. 

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🤫 You’d think that state lawmakers wouldn’t need a side hustle … after all, in Mass., they’re paid as full-time employees, and most make six-figure salaries. But as it turns out, many juggle other businesses, side hustles, and full-time jobs to rake in even more cash. The Globe recently did a little *digging* for its “State Secrets” series and discovered that roughly one in eight make over $100,000 a year outside of their government salaries … begging the question of exactly how much time they’re dedicating to, you know, legislating.

🔥 Mass.’ year of wildfires was so not fire. The state saw a whopping 1,285 wildfires this year, according to WBUR. But despite that number seeming pretty big, it’s actually not a far cry from our norm. What’s more significant is the 4,579 acres that burned this year, which is the most we’ve seen in decades. Thankfully, all the fires are out now, but cross your fingers for sustained wet conditions this winter to knock out any that are still smoldering, replenish ecosystems, and prevent more fires in the spring.

❤️‍🔥 A steamy new bookstore has set up shop in Cambridge. Please give a warm welcome to Lovestruck Books, a romance bookstore slash cafe and wine bar that recently opened its doors in Harvard Square. You can now shop its massive selection of romance books and other romance-themed trinkets, or check out its events calendar (which looks sick). According to its IG, there will be coffee and wine to sip on in the future. What a dream. You can find more info here.

❄️ Don’t jinx it, but we might smell snow. According to the Globe, there’s a chance that Boston will see a bit of snow that could maybe, just maybe, tee up a white Christmas. Per usual, we can’t make any promises about the weather, but depending on how a few factors shake out, Greater Boston could see an inch or more of snow into Saturday morning. That said, there’s also a chance it’ll end up as just another rainy Friday, but what’s the fun in that? Keep up with the latest here.

THINGS TO DO

Weekend plans

🤮 Celebrate the ugliest holiday in STYLE. We’re talking about National Ugly Sweater Day (today). And both of Lamplighter’s locations are throwing down with prizes for the fugliest threads, festive beers, and candy canes. 

🎄 Set sail on Boston’s most festive boat ride. If you’ve got a few bucks and a boat-load of holiday cheer, you can cruise around three different tricked-out holiday bars via the Ho Ho Ho Boat Hop.

😂 Cozy up with your new favorite comics. Head to Upstairs at Bow tonight for its comedy showcase to get in the holly jolly spirit. 

👯 Meet new pals, two ways. Option 1: Dance the night away at The Sinclair with the “Make Friends After College” FB group. Option 2: Explore Boston’s holiday lights with the same squad.

🛍️ Squeeze in some last-minute shopping. This weekend’s local markets include Brighton Bazaar’s Holiday Bazaar with 130+ vendors and Small Mart in Davis Square.

🎁 Strike out shopping? DIY your own gift. Help your stressed bestie unwind with a bath salt blend you made at this class at Short Path Distillery on Sunday. 

💃 Pour one out for The Eras Tour. The days of seeing TikTok clips of “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs” may be over, but don’t let it stop you from rocking friendship bracelets and your best Eras outfit at this Swiftie Sunday event.

🏠 Suss out Southie’s best stoops. The neighborhood is hosting its first-ever holiday stoop crawl, where you can see who decked the halls the best (while supporting the South Boston Neighborhood House).

MEDIA SPONSORSHIP

There's still time to donate!

While it’s the shortest weekend of the year, we here at Globe Santa ask you to help make it the brightest for our neighbors in need. For nearly 70 years now, Globe Santa has raised funds to fulfill our mission of delivering holiday gifts and joy to local children in need each holiday season. To date, we are proud to have delivered joy to more than 3 million children, and with your help we hope to continue brightening spirits this season and beyond. 

ONE LAST THING

Let there be (sun)light

We’ve nearly arrived at the darkest day of the year. Tomorrow, Dec. 21, is the winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year (not to mention the first official day of winter). In numerical terms, that means the sun will rise at 7:10 a.m. and set at 4:14 p.m., giving us just 9 hours, 4 minutes, and 35 seconds of daylight. Bummer. 

But there’s a bright spot in all this (literal) darkness. Starting Sunday, we’ll begin to regain our lost light day by day, and by March 20, we’ll have about three more hours(!) of daylight. 

If you’re interested in the science behind all of this (or if you’re just that desperate to not wake up in the dark), the Globe put together a few really fun graphics, including one that shows exactly how much sun we’ll gain every day — with a very cute little sun character. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

☀️ Thanks for reading! T-79 days until we spring ahead, people!

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, The MGH Fund, for supporting local journalism and keeping our city healthy. 

🎤 The results are(n’t) in: We’re fresh out of results for today, but thank you all so much for voting and writing in. Reading your comments, hot takes, and (amazing) jokes is one of the best parts of our day. We’d also like to thank all of our nominees and winners for providing us with a never-ending source of absolutely wild news to cover. Never change, Boston.

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