This article originally appeared on Avvo.com. The holidays bring out the generosity in people, whether that means buying the perfect gift for a loved one or giving money to a nonprofit organization. Approximately 40 percent of charitable contributions come in December, according to Slate, right in time for the holidays (and to qualify as year-end,…

There’s something both sweet and foreboding about Rachel Denny’s work—her animal “trophies” bring taxidermy to mind, but instead of fur, fins or feathers, these mounted specimens are clothed in human trappings: cashmere cable-knits, lace tatting, felt, coins and in at least one case, candy wrappers. Her new show, Strange Menagerie, includes a blue-yarn billy goat,…

Yes, the NBA season is underway, and no, we still don’t have a team, but there’s another lineup in town that survived the 2008 buyout and continues to take Seattle by storm. We have to wait until June for their games to restart, but we didn’t want the year to pass without toasting to the…

As promised, there was another protest at Westlake Center last night opposing the grand jury’s decision not to indict the police officer who shot and killed black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. In efforts to not to replay Friday’s mall swarms, the police came in larger numbers yesterday and managed to contain the crowd….

Must SeeAham Oluo’s New Show at On the Boards (12/4 to 12/7, times vary) Musician/composer/comedian/writer Aham Oluo’s show Now I’m Fine combines monologues with original jazz compositions performed by a live orchestra and chronicles a specific six-month period in 2006 during which he went through a host of health and emotional issues. Must Get Festive…

Local actors Jessica Skerritt and Dane Stokinger don’t have to stretch too far for their roles this holiday season. The married couple plays a married couple (Ralphie’s mother and father) in the musical A Christmas Story (11/25–12/30; times and prices vary. The 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave.; 206.625.1900; 5thavenue.org). And it’s not the first…

For those of you who didn’t get all the shopping out of your system on Black Friday, today is Cyber Monday. And there are steals and deals to be had. But before your bank account dwindles even further, let’s read up on what’s going on around the city: There will be another Ferguson-related protest this…

Must CheerThe Seahawks Take on The 49ersThursday (11/27) The Seahawks play sworn enemies the San Francisco 49ers for the first time since beating them out for last year’s Super Bowl slot. San Francisco may have a fancy new stadium, but we must’nt let them forget: we have those shiny rings. Must DrinkFremont Brewing’s Abominable Release…

Work has finally begun on the stalled Fifth + Columbia tower. The building will soar to 44 stories–one of the tallest in Seattle–and will house a four-star luxury hotel on the third through the 15th floors. The rest will be office space. Look for Fifth + Columbia to open sometime in 2016. More development news:…

Your turkey has settled and it’s time to swap the PSL for eggnog, for the holidays are here. Whether you prefer to celebrate with burlesque dancers, towering wintry ice sculptures, good old-fashioned ice skating (available at Seattle Center, in Bellevue or in Redmond) or all of the above, this index of more than 40 events…

Thanksgiving is supposed to be a joyous occasion wherein relatives young and old gather ’round for an epic feast, convivial conversation, sports (if you’re into that), parades with accident-prone balloons, and general family togetherness. Some of the time, however, it’s a completely dysfunctional event from which you’d like to escape. (Lest my family read this…

Nordstrom has announced some big changes with its semi-annual sales: The luxury department store is abandoning those four semi-annual sales and instead plans to hold six clearance sales each year. According to The Puget Sound Business Journal, “the six clearance sales will be storewide, rather than broken up by specific department, as the half-yearly sales…