Poinsettias are the unquestionable queens of holiday flowers. Did you know they were named after a South Carolinian? Well, people in Mexico, where poinsettias originate, have always known it as the “flame flower” or cuetlaxōchitl, an Indigenous Nahuatl name. The flower got its English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, a Charleston botanist, arts supporter and diplomat who served as the first United States minister to Mexico.
Unfortunately, Poinsett was also involved in some unforgivable stuff, like slavery and the Trail of Tears. Wow, that sucks. Why would I include such an un-fun fact? As for many things in our shared Southern history, the satisfaction of learning something new comes with a responsibility to do better. Don’t think of it as a burden. Think of it as an opportunity.
A TINY CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND
Credit: Sarah Peacock/AJC
Credit: Sarah Peacock/AJC
Oh, to be shrunk down and live in Don Mathis’ festive Christmas train garden.
Every year, the Savannah man clears out his garage to make room for hundreds of little houses, trees, people and other delights, all carefully arranged among working train tracks with six trains. Included in Mathis’ sprawling winter wonderland:
- a harbor filled with boats
- Winnie the Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood
- Santa’s North Pole (of course)
- a carousel
- a Polar Express train that puffs candy cane-scented smoke
It takes Mathis a month to put it all together, but it’s well worth it for the look on visitors’ faces. Savannah neighbors in the know have been peeping the Christmas train garden for nearly two decades.
“From the first time I put a train garden under the tree many, many years ago, the best part was the reaction of the children,” Mathis says. “It’s still my favorite.”
🎄 READ MORE: Photos and details from Mathis’ masterpiece
TIME TO UPDATE YOUR TBR
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
Is there anything better than cozying up with a good book around the holidays? Even the phrase “cozying up with a good book” makes me want to snuggle (and I am not a natural snuggler).
The AJC has two great lists of books by Southern authors that will give you some late 2025/early 2026 reading inspo.
📕 From the AJC’s top 10 Southern books of 2025:
- “Make Your Way Home: Stories,” by Carrie R. Moore: A moody collection of short stories that tie together essential themes of family, history, nature and resilience.
- “Junie,” by Erin Crosby Eckstine: A speculative historical fiction that follows a young woman enslaved on an Alabama plantation as she explores her past and present — with a ghost story thrown in.
📗 From the AJC’s most-anticipated Southern books of 2026:
- “Ruby Falls,” by Gin Phillips: Historical fiction meets mystery meets spelunking in this whodunit set after the discovery of Ruby Falls in Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee. We love a rich sense of place.
- “When We Were Brilliant,” by Lynn Cullen: The Atlanta author specializes in stories about women at the margins of fame. Her latest is a dive into the friendship between documentary photographer Eve Arnold and Marilyn Monroe.
BE SOMEONE’S SANTA CLAUS
One of the easiest things to be grateful for this time of year is the gift of shelter, heat and proper clothing. If you are so blessed, now is a great time to consider blessing others who aren’t as fortunate. I bet we all have some blankets and old, sturdy coats lying around.
Make a donation run to a shelter or local organization. Make it a festive outing. Or, if you feel safe doing so, just walk up to an unhoused neighbor and ask them if they could use some warmth. Now you’ve made a friend.
🧦 Did you know? There’s one essential item shelters and unhoused people could really use this time of year that sometimes falls off the radar: socks!
SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH
🎁 Geneva County, AL: Police had to make an unexpected “arrest” at Geneva County Elementary when the Grinch swung by, green frown and all. He was charged with “Conspiracy to Ruin Christmas Cheer,” “Possession of a Heart Three Sizes Too Small” and other Christmas crimes. More from WTVY
🍬 Marietta, GA: Now to another Christmas icon. “The Elf on a Shelf” turns 20 this year, and as this origin story reveals, it all started with a Marietta mom’s fun holiday idea for her daughters. More from the AJC
✊🏿 Farmville, VA: In 1951, 16-year-old Barbara Rose Johns led a strike against school segregation at R.R. Moton High School in Farmville. The girl’s courageous actions changed history: A case brought by Moton students was included in the seminal Brown v. Board of Education decision. Now, a beautiful statue of Johns resides in the U.S. Capitol, replacing one of Robert E. Lee. More from EBONY Magazine
🚚 Lafayette, LA: Trucker and Marine Corps veteran Stacy Batiste was named Pilot’s 2025 Road Warrior Champion. Batiste has covered more than 5 million accident-free miles in his career. A custom semi and a $50,000 prize sounds like the perfect recognition for such a feat. More from the Acadiana Advocate
🦝 Hanover County, VA: Remember that raccoon that wandered into a liquor store, got soused and passed out paws-out on the bathroom floor? His iconic exploits inspired a line of limited-edition merch, and it’s raised more than $200,000 for a local animal shelter. More from WWBT
TELL US SOMETHING GOOD
Is there a cool event we need to know about? Something great happening in your town? Let us know. This is your space, too. SweetTea@ajc.com.
SOUTHERN WISDOM
Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.
Ward, a Louisianan by birth, had a bona fide dream job: He was known for writing positive sayings for greeting cards, posters, commercials and publications.
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