ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I won an award named for F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose The Great Gatsby remains one of America's most enduring novels. It was presented in an outdoor ceremony at The Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.
"You can even spend the night in the house," said Daron Harris, who phoned from the historic home to tell me the good news.
What person who even pretends to call himself a writer would balk at an invitation like that, to lay his head under the roof where both F. Scott and Zelda wrote, where they clinked glasses and talked of zeppelins, ocean liners, and Paris cafes? I remember thinking at the time, "What could possibly go wrong?" But Harris, whose job is to spread the word about this landmark, warned that its past was not all Champagne and roses.
F. Scott and Zelda had lived, at times, a volatile existence, and it was believed that an uneasy spirit resided within those walls.
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Thumbs Up
Three twists on the classic chocolate-filled cookie
SUPPERTIME: Elegant Made Easy
Tender braised short ribs are fancy enough for Christmas dinner or any special occasion. Bonus: They're even make-ahead
A Big Easy Christmas
Let the good times roll in New Orleans
TIMELESS DECOR: Good as Old
Natural elements and folksy finds infuse this 1886 Georgia cottage with warm-fuzzy charm
Classic Pattern, New Spirit
Four tastemakers put their fanciful spins on an old-faithful Spode collection
MEET HER IN ST. LOUIS
Trimmed with ribbon and wrapped in wallpaper, designer Amy Studebaker's 1950s Missouri home proves there's no such thing as too much of a good thing especially this time of year
A TENNESSEE TREASURE
For nearly 115 years, The Hermitage Hotel has been Nashville's holiday mainstay
The Powerg Poinsettias
A little while back, a neighbor knocked on my door, hoisting up a ruby red plant so enormous it concealed her completely from midriff to head. I was new to the area, and this was her way of welcoming me. A poinsettia, vividly colored, overflowing its pot, and endearingly ill-timed-it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet. But the plant seemed to brighten up the whole world just a bit, as if daring anyone to reject the early holiday spirit. You could say it kick-started my love for the leafy shrub and what it seems to represent: a simple kind of goodwill.
WRAPPED WITH CARE
In San Antonio, Christmas isn't complete without a plate of steaming tamales on every family's table
PARTY LIKE IT'S 1984
Entertaining now is quite different than it was 40 years ago, but our recipes stand the test of time