Publisher's note: While we love Hogwarts and the Harry Potter universe, we do not condone the author's views and transphobia.

I'm so happy to introduce you to my favorite celebratory cookbook, written by one of my favorite authors. The Unofficial Hogwarts for the Holidays Cookbook: 75 Recipes for a Year of Magical Celebrations, by Rita Mock-Pike, is a treasure for cooking delicious holiday foods all year round. 

One of our favorite Italian restaurants, Bravo! Cucina Italiana, is celebrating its 25th birthday, and we were invited up to our closest Bravo! location, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to celebrate. 

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Midsummer celebrations take place across Canada in the time surrounding Canada Day on the first of July. How about music to go along? Canada has poured forth a wealth of singers and songwriters, from legendary folk poet in song Gordon Lightfoot to million selling country musician Shania Twain. For this year’s Canada Day, here are four artists who make their homes in Canada’s west.

The year was 2555. Makeshift combat vehicles growled down the narrow streets of Khao Sok, armed with plastic weapons and an unending supply of ammunition. I watched as people scrambled to arm themselves for impending war, and I knew there was no way my comrade and I were going to escape the country without joining the fight.

Sunday, December 11, is winter holiday festival time in Norfolk, CT, where the town's merchants start celebrating at 10 a.m. with a day of extended store hours, dining specials, wreaths and trees, and special musical events.

A Bar Mitzvah is an integral component and rite of passage for any young Jewish boy - or preferably man. It is the culmination of months - some may argue years - of preparation and a day that most young men will remember and cherish for the rest of their lives. A Bar mitzvah in Israel undeniably provides a young man with the catalyst to form an unbreakable bond with his Jewish heritage while simultaneously making unforgettable memories with his family.