🎄🥳 The weirdest week of the year

Happy Friday, Boston!

🥳 And a happy early B-day to reader Mandile Mpofu! We love ya.

👋 Quick note: See you next year! We’re going dark next week for the holidays, but will be back in your inbox on Jan. 2. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!

👀 What’s on tap today:

• A doozy of a COVID season

• Next steps for Mass. shelters

• A merry housing crisis

Up first...

12 DAYS OF B-SIDE

Holiday things to do

The time between now and New Year’s can get a little … weird.  What do you do? What time is it? Are cookies an acceptable breakfast … or dinner? If you know what we mean, never fear! We compiled some local activities to get you through the rest of 2023, from finishing your shopping to NYE plans. 

GET IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

😡 If you’re still feeling kinda Scrooge-y… You can kill an entire day soaking in the holiday vibes at this holiday movie marathon at the Mattapan BPL Branch. Or, you can sweat in the holiday spirit during a holiday-themed cycle at Rev’d Indoor Cycling’s Copley studio. For a holiday celebration with a dash of community joy, consider this Boston Community Kwanzaa celebration in Roxbury. 

🎁 For last minute gifts that double as a good time … Make something anyone would love at a holiday themed paint n’ sip in Somerville or create something totally unique in Cambridge at one of these crafty workshops, like a hand-painted ornament or a knitted hat. Delightful! 

HOW TO SPEND YOUR CRIMBO LIMBO

😆 Shake out of your funk between Xmas and New Year’s with a laugh … For an assortment of humor, enjoy a night of hilarious standup comedy at Bow Market. Or, if you like your comedy slightly more … quirky, check out this well-reviewed (holiday themed?) “Die Hard” parody at The Huntington Theatre.

🧘 Or with some deep breathing …  What better way to get in your post-holiday zen than with some low-key intentional movement? For yoga plus a sound bath, try this Sound & Flow yoga class in Roxbury. For yoga plus a beer, try this Somerville class at Remnant with Andrea Savino. And for yoga with a view, zip to the top of The Pru at View Boston for a stretch out with Lululemon.

NYE PLANS UNDER $25

💸 If your resolution is to stick to your budget … check out a free NYE activity like some tunes and fireworks at First Night Boston at City Hall Plaza, or this waterfront ice-sculpture stroll along the Boston Harbor. For something a little less chill, Night Shift Brewing is throwing a Super Mario-themed party downtown with music, dancing, drinks, and yes, Mario Kart!

🕺If you want to go all out … For something a little more fancy, you can ring in the new year by going back in time at Aeronaut’s NYE Prom in Somerville. And if your plans include rolling out of the party and right into bed, hit up Lamplighter’s pajama party in Cambridge.

QUICK QUESTION

😬 Do you feel the weirdness of Crimbo Limbo (a.k.a. the week between Christmas and New Years)?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

💉 This COVID season is looking to be a doozy. Between a new variant, low overall vaccination rates, and serious racial disparities, this COVID season is shaping up to be tough. Though JN.1, (the new variant) is highly contagious, the good news is that the most recent vaccine does offer protection against it. Although, that news might be a little more reassuring if the vaccination rates in Mass. weren't the lowest since the beginning of the pandemic at 17%, with wildly disparate rates in terms of race and income.

🏘️ The shelter crisis’ next steps. Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is planning to open an overflow shelter for migrant and homeless families in a former Cambridge courthouse. The news comes as Healey faces a Dec. 31 deadline to open one or more shelters, and as the state grapples with mounting expenses to maintain the shelter system under unprecedented demand, (it currently houses 7,520 families with 310 more on the waitlist). The new temporary shelter is expected to house up to 70 families.

🤕 New England ski resorts are on the mend. Among the many terrible effects of Monday’s storm was the impact on New England’s ski resorts: Rainfall and high temps melted snow, high winds knocked down trees, and mountain roads were ravaged, forcing many places to close down during one of the year’s busiest weeks. But despite the gloomy picture, many mountains have learned to be quite resilient in the New England weather, and most are on the road to recovery, expecting to reopen by the end of the week.

🍝 Sometimes, you just don’t want to cook on Christmas. We get it! After all of the planning, the shopping, and the small talk with your in-laws, you might not be up for cooking a Christmas Day feast. If that sounds like you, Boston.com just released a list of local places to either dine in or take out a meal on Christmas Day, and there’s a little something for everyone. One recommendation, though: If you want to snag a spot, act fast, many places are reservation only.

ONE LAST THING

A very merry housing crisis

Want to think about the housing crisis in the jolliest way possible? Look no further. Boston.com recently published a story that asked one question: Is it possible for a normal person to afford the iconic homes in holiday movies? And the (unsurprising) answer is a hearty: Ho, ho, no shot.

Among the list’s most depressingly unattainable prices are the “Home Alone” house, estimated to cost a whopping $2.39 million and the “The Family Stone” house, which is estimated at $3.9 million. 

But there is one beacon of hope: The house from “A Christmas Story” is estimated to be $291,912. It's a pretty sweet deal, so long as you don’t mind a seriously outdated interior. Or moving to Cleveland. Or living in a functioning museum.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

💸 Thanks for reading! If you’re not looking to buy, you can just spend a night in the Christmas story house starting at $295. Now that’s a deal.

🍽️ The results are in: The B-Side certified item that readers are most excited to try is a meal at Comfort Kitchen, with 41% of the vote. One reader said: “I have a reservation coming up in January - can't wait!”

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