Founded in 1982, Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe has evolved from a “ladies-who-lunch” joint to a launching pad for some of country music’s biggest stars. The new documentary Bluebird lovingly captures the little venue’s history and lore, blending scaled-back performances from Grammy-winning artists such as Maren Morris with an endearing stream of interviews: founder Amy Kurland recounting the first time a young kid from Oklahoma, Garth Brooks, showed up to audition (“Late, might I add!”); Jason Isbell looking back at a serendipitous flub on-stage; or songwriter Gary Burr remembering a young receptionist named Faith Hill asking to sing harmony with him (a move that would ultimately help land her a record deal). “When you’re on the road and you get out and play shows, you can feel disconnected from Nashville,” says singer-songwriter Eric Paslay in the film. “But getting to go back to the Bluebird, you’re filled with the songwriter Holy Spirit again.”

You can stream the documentary now before the film is released on DVD and Blu-ray January 21. And for a primer on the storied Music City listening room, check out our oral history, with input from Kurland, Kathy Mattea, Pam Tillis, and more.

A pair of jeans that fit just right can be as hard to come by as they are essential. Eight years ago, two Southerners set out to change that, launching Blue Delta Jeans out of an old welding shop in Tupelo, Mississippi. Winner of Garden & Gun’s 2019 Made in the South Awards Style category, the company crafts some of the finest bespoke jeans in the country from durable raw denim. Using sixteen precise measurements, Blue Delta creates a pattern for each customer, who can then select from a variety of cuts, weights, and colors. The result? Jeans that fit like a glove and only get better with time. Build your pair of perfect jeans today.

Growing up, Eudora Welty didn’t see much liquor inside her home in Jackson, Mississippi—with the exception of Christmas mornings, when her mother, Chestina, would break out the whiskey to make eggnog. Later, as an adult, the novelist could always be counted on to concoct a strong pitcher of her own, using the same handed-down recipe. See the recipe (in Welty’s own handwriting), and try the drink for yourself.

We recently asked, “What’s your favorite holiday tradition, and why?” Some of your responses:

On Christmas Eve, we cook a big batch of spaghetti and play games until midnight. Started when our kids were young, and now they’re married and in their 30s. —Kathy W.

One night every December we put on our Christmas pj’s, make hot chocolate in to-go cups, and jump in the car and drive around town to see all the beautiful Christmas lights. Our kids are in college and we are still carrying on this tradition. —Melissa D.

Every year while putting up the tree, we play Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again” over and over. Wacky Southerners! —Vicki A.

Having all of my seven grandchildren spend Christmas night and wake up to pancakes that are made to look like Mickey Mouse, with fresh maple syrup and crisp bacon. —John M.

Oyster stew on Christmas Eve before midnight church. —Anne P.

Our holiday tradition is one handed down from the Old South. In those days, the first person to say “Christmas Gift” to you had to be given a gift. In our family, we just try to catch each other to be the first to say it. —Sissy L.

Waiting, like my daddy did, until Christmas Eve to decorate the tree. —Kathleen M.

When my kids were little, we had a Chanukah party every year. All our friends loved my latkes and would devour them with ketchup and sour cream (a nod to my Atlanta upbringing), rather than the typical apple sauce. We’re restarting the tradition this year with a party at Delray Beach’s Death or Glory Bar, which has over-the-top Christmas decorations, but also a room on the patio filled with Chanukah decorations. —Debbie A.

My daughter and I always go to the movies on Christmas Day and see as many as we can. —P. Johnson

Sausage balls on Christmas morning. Some of my earliest memories of Christmas are of Mom in the kitchen mixing up the recipe in her ps’s, robe, and slippers and putting a full sheet pan in the oven. After the frenzy of opening presents, it was the most wonderful, warm, delicious thing. —Sherry B.

After our Christmas meal, we gather to listen to a reading of the Cajun Night Before Christmas, preferably read by someone who can provide the correct accent! —Becky R.

Catch the Geminid Meteor Shower alongside coyotes, wolves, and jungle cats during Wild Under the Stars, a viewing party at the Conservators Center in Burlington, North Carolina. 

Arlington National Cemetery and 1,600 other locations around the country will mark National Wreaths Across America Day with wreath-laying ceremonies to honor fallen service members.

An armada of glittering, decorated vessels cruises through Charleston Harbor and up the Cooper and Ashley rivers during Charleston, South Carolina’s Holiday Parade of Boats. 

John Paul White, Taylor Hicks, and Martha Reeves headline Alabama’s Bicentennial Concert at the State Capitol in Montgomery, capping a three-year celebration.