Arts + Culture

A Holiday Tradition Woven in Heart and Heritage

Keegan Theatre's An Irish Carol Returns for Its 15th Season Article by Bianca Bain Villegas | Photography by Provided by The Keegan Theatre In the Washington region, the holidays arrive not quietly but in a glittering crescendo. Streets glow with wreaths and white lights, hotel lobbies transform into cinematic displays, restaurants trade menus for mulled cocktails, and families, from infants bundled in velvet to grandparents wrapped in tradition, venture out in search of wonder. From the...

Arts + Culture

Around Town

Your Guide to the Holidays! Article by Bianca Bain Villegas | Photography by Provided Holiday Markets Bethesda Winter Wonderland (URBNmarket) Dec 6 urbnmarket.com Sparked by the charm of handmade and vintage markets beyond the D.C. area, our curated gatherings celebrate exceptional makers, creators, collectors, and designers offering a shopping experience as unique as the treasures you’ll find. This season, experience a festive market filled with holiday cheer, discover extraordinary...

Food + Beverage

Holiday Eats Roundup

Festive Dishes, Drinks & Cozy Local Favorites Article by Emilienne Gabriel | Photography by Provided Where to Eat This Holiday Season The chill in the air calls for comforting bites, festive cocktails, and good company. From seafood to steak to sweets, here are some of our favorite local spots serving holiday warmth and cheer this season. Hanks Oyster Bar | As the leaves change, so do the flavors of our favorite libations. Cozy up with seafood classics and seasonal cocktails. Dupont...

Life + Culture

Filomena Ristorante

Heritage, Heart, and the Holidays Article by Bianca Bain Villegas | Photography by Provided Few places capture the soul of the holidays quite like Filomena Ristorante, the beloved Italian institution tucked along the historic canals of Georgetown in Washington, D.C. For forty years, Filomena has been more than a restaurant. It has been a cherished tradition, a place where the season comes alive through old-world hospitality, heartwarming food, and a spirit of generosity that feels like home...

Life + Culture

The Greenbriar

A Home for the Holidays Article and Photography by Provided There’s a certain kind of magic that descends upon the Allegheny Mountains when winter arrives. The kind that makes twinkling lights sparkle a little brighter and fires crackle a little warmer. At The Greenbrier, that magic transforms America’s Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, into a holiday wonderland where traditions old and new come alive, inviting guests to truly come “Home for the Holidays.” From the moment you...

Food + Beverage

Chouquette Chocolate

From corporate America to caramels, she’s crafting confections inspired by Paris. Article by Deborah Lynn Blumberg | Photography by Jennifer Varriale For Sarah Dwyer, life’s sweetest moments have always started in the kitchen. Growing up near Annapolis, she spent hours baking gingerbread cookies and building houses with her mom, Regina, and making chocolate chip cookies with friends. By high school, Dwyer was whipping up Julia Child’s Cambridge chocolate cake for fun. After a decade in...

Health + Wellness

Paws with Purpose

How Starfleet Service Dogs is Redefining Training for Working Dogs Article by Debra Wallace When trailblazing scientist and animal advocate, Dr. Jennifer Barnhard, instructs her eight-week-old Siberian husky, Dauntless, for a future career, she knows she is changing her corner of the world.  Dauntless doesn’t have a career yet, but the pup is learning foundational skills for search and rescue, water rescue, and service work. As she grows and her personality develops, her career path will...

Education

Caring Pilots Make a Difference for Families in Need

Taking to the Skies to Help Children and Veterans Article by Debra Wallace   "Our families are dealing with so much –  pain, finances, and an uncertain future – and are quite honored that someone cares enough to gift them a flight.”   In 2010, a group of pilots got together to offer free flights for medical care for sick children undergoing treatment and it’s still going strong.   The impactful nonprofit,  Patient AirLiftServices   (PALS SkyHope), encourages pilots to use their skills...

Life + Culture

Giving Back

Husband and Wife Team Edward and Christina Sledge Focus on Family, Philanthropy, and Community Article by Debra Wallace | Photography by Christa Booth When it comes to hitting one out of the park,  Christina and Edward “Eddie” Sledge  not only created a media company in the middle of a pandemic, but they are also using  Sledge House Media  to share their own remarkable love story, while remaining focused on giving back to the greater community. The couple, who were former high school...

Life + Culture

Giving Back

Husband and Wife Team Edward and Christina Sledge Focus on Family, Philanthropy, and Community Article by Debra Wallace | Photography by Christa Booth High school sweethearts Christina and Eddie Sledge reconnected in 1999, eloping during a snowstorm with “two quarters in their pockets.” Twenty-five years later, they are proud parents of two daughters, Tiara (24) and Olivia (17), and the founders of Sledge House Media, a company built during the pandemic to share their love story, and help...