Happy Zach Randolph Day! I hope you had a wonderful holiday this week with your family and friends, that you had lots of turkey/ham/tofurky and eggnog, and that you're ready for a few more days of celebrating. Speaking of which, here are five super fun things to do in Memphis this weekend. 

Merry Christmas Eve Eve! I'm taking a few days off, but I'll be back later this week. In the meantime, here's some holiday reading.

Taken at the Bar-B-Q Shop on Madison Avenue. Photo via @ilovememphisblog on Instagram.

2013 in Memphis: we laughed, we cried, we hid from a giant owl. 

If you feel like sharing a 2013 Memphis memory or milestone, I'd love to hear it. Leave a comment or Tweet at me @ilovememphis.

(Ed. Note: Here's a guest post from Erin Williams, who has a teaser on a very cool crowd-sourced exhibit that's on display at the Brooks Musuem until January 12. Read, go see, enjoy.)

It's time to meet the family. Tradition continues this Saturday night at Minglewood Hall when Lucero hosts their annual "Family Christmas" party. I have two pairs of tickets to give away.

Memphis must be ready to party. We haven't quite made it through Christmas yet, but several folks have already asked for New Year's event recommendations. Because I aim to please - and because it's never too early to make party plans - here are some fun and festive ways to celebrate 2014 in Memphis.

Happy Thursday. This past week in Memphis, we survived the storm, the art community got major props from Mr. Koeppel, and a former Tiger football QB auctioned off his keyboard. There's all that and more (but purposefully nothing about the Grizzlies because I am not emotionally available to discuss it) in today's news update.

Literacy Mid-South is hosting their annual Art of Reading/Book Sale Preview combo party this Friday, and I have two pairs of tickets to give away. 

The Growler is a bar and growler filling station near the intersection of Cooper and Young, and it's now open six days a week. I went by one morning to meet David Smith, who co-owns The Growler with his business partner Anthony Bond, and his future son-in-law Kevin Elbe, who will manage the location.