Chicago Sun-Times :: Lifestyles ::

Lending a hand for holidays can be the best gift of all

BY SHARON HOYER Talk2Us@CenterstageChicago.com — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

The holidays are always a time of surplus good cheer and great food, when we're reminded of our own good fortune and inspired to share it with those not so luck. In this period of economic strain, acts of generosity are increasingly welcome. The following organizations, committed to fighting hunger and homelessness, count on donations and the work of volunteers to keep needy Chicagoans fed and housed.

Mexican legend comes to life for schoolkids

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Some of the younger grade-schoolers yawned and fidgeted as the 93-year-old man with the thick white mustache and a cane walked stiffly toward the microphone inside the Orozco Community Academy gym Thursday afternoon. The children were perhaps a little too young to realize they were looking at a piece of living history -- the man believed to be the last surviving child of Mexican revolutionary leader and folk hero Pancho Villa.

Dine-out, take-out Thanksgiving meals

BY STACY WARDEN Talk2Us@CenterstageChicago.com — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

We bet whipping up a Thanksgiving feast brings sheer bliss to the kind of people who subscribe to Martha Stewart's magazine and TiVo the Food Network. But the rest of us -- those of us with a Chinese takeout number on speed dial -- dread the dance of whipping up a turkey dinner with all the fixings.

Black Friday may disappoint stores

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

After pushing steep discounts throughout November that are usually reserved for the day after Thanksgiving, retailers from Kohl's to Toys ''R'' Us are offering even bigger cuts and promotions for Black Friday in a frantic bid to pull in shoppers. But the bargain hunters showing up for the early morning specials on toys and TVs are not expected to buy with the same gusto as a year.

Warm spirit of music cuts through shock of tragedy

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

Shortly after sunrise one Tuesday last month, tragedy visited my backyard. A yelp and a crash broke the early-morning silence and led my husband to discover our upstairs neighbor unconscious in the garden.

For tickets dated Nov. 20

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:00 CST

ILLINOIS