The 2017 Holiday Almanac

From old-school Richmond traditions to handmade markets, winter fashion and filmmaker John Waters’ offbeat holiday tips, we’ve got the early holiday feels.

Unlike many American cities, we don’t have an urban center or major league sports teams or even big-time college football to rally around. The college basketball season is still young. Therefore, Richmond is ready for something big and goes all out at the holidays.

While there are hundreds of Christmas activities and more to be announced, the following 15 events, listed in approximate sequence of their origin, stand the test of time and together define a very Richmond Christmas.

For further instructions on how to navigate many of these classic holiday traditions, as well as getting the scope on many other events that should make the season jolly and bright, we present our annual holiday almanac.

A Season for Traditions: A guide to Richmond’s most venerable holiday traditions.

Ways to Give Back: A helpful list of places to donate your time.

Cool Yule: Legendary filmmaker John Waters gives his tips for holiday gifts, Christmas specials and how to stop Santa abuse.

Holiday Television: A look at some new contenders for holiday specials this year.

Going Local: A list of one-of-a-kind local markets and fairs where you can find handmade gifts.

Bundle Up: Some winter fashion tips beyond the ugly Christmas sweater.

Project Holiday: A group of VCU Brandcenter students teams up with Westhampton merchants to start a new window tradition.

Holiday Theater Picks

A Holiday Almanac Calendar of Events: Nov. 22 through Dec. 30.

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