A whopping 14 years ago, I wrote one of the statistically most-read posts of my blogging career about Valentine’s Day. Apparently I struck a nerve with couples who were more… ahem… mature in their relationship. If you need the “TL;DR” summary, here goes: Don’t waste money on flowers, chocolates or stuffed animals. Give your special … Continue reading The evolution of our Valentine’s
Quick, how many age-related cliches can you quote? You’re only as old as you feel. Age is just a number. I’m having a senior moment. You’re not getting older, you're getting better. Or my personal favorite, the twist on this last one which was used by the “Keenagers” senior adult ministry at our church in … Continue reading Discovering a new way to measure age
When is the best time to book a beach trip? It’s a trick question. The answer is any time. As has been well documented in this space, our family takes a beach trip each summer. For 20 of the past 21 years we’ve been to Santa Rosa Beach on 30A along the Gulf Coast of … Continue reading Wanna get away?
If snow falls and ice coats the streets but you weren’t planning on leaving your house anyway, does it count as a snow day? The majority of America will experience Winter Storm Fern this weekend, and by the time you read this, you may have already been beset with arctic temperatures, snow, ice, sleet, and … Continue reading Weekend snowdays
Raise your hand if you’ve heard yourself respond to a question recently with an overly enthusiastic and unnecessarily mathematical “100%!” No one? Just me? Oh, there you go. I see your hand. When a simple "yes" isn't mathy enough for you, opt for a percentage. It's way cooler, and it's not a fraction. Yes, this … Continue reading Playing the percentages
It’s the first week of the year, and if you’re like me, it’s important to know now what the weather and moon phase will be on March 26. (That’s warm with scattered showers and first quarter on the way to waxing gibbous, by the way.) How did I know that with 88% certainty? The Old … Continue reading Preparing for 2026 with The Old Farmer’s Almanac
I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the Year of Our Lord 2025 is waning. With five days to go, we’ve reached that magical time of year between Christmas and New Year’s when the writers at all the media companies want to take some time off. So instead of covering actual news (they leave that … Continue reading The State of New South Essays 2025
There is something wrong with time. I don’t know what “science” would say, but my astute powers of observation lead me to conclude time is accelerating. Why, just yesterday I was sitting here at this very desk on this very MacBook writing the Official Wallace Family Christmas Letter 2024. Seriously. What is going on here? … Continue reading The Official Wallace Family Christmas Letter 2025
Apparently there are filters on my email and social media accounts preventing any content from getting through without the words “gift guide” appearing somewhere in the text, meta description or ALT tag. This is the season of giving, and to help me prepare, my algorithm and the host of online retailers with whom I’ve ever … Continue reading The official guide to gift guides
Unlike every other internet influencer that has been serving up Christmas content since August, New South Essays observes a rigorous adherence to a holiday schedule that allows each celebration to have its own, dedicated season. With Thanksgiving now in the rear view, we can officially turn our attention to Christmas. And in this season of … Continue reading The definitive must-watch Christmas movie list
New South Essays 