Well hey there, Neighbor! Pull up a chair, and welcome to the coziest corner of the internet this side of the Scenic City.

Ya might notice things lookin’ just a tad different ‘round here today. Yep… we’ve been quietly hammerin’, paintin’, pokin’, proddin’, and sprucin’ up our website behind the scenes! It’s still very much a work in progress (so if you spot any weird little quirks, just consider ’em part of the charm for now). But goodness gracious, we’re mighty excited to keep shapin’ a home that feels just as warm and neighborly as this porch aims to be.

And what better time for a fresh lil’ glow-up than the start of the holiday season? The lights are twinklin’, the cocoa’s steamin’, and the whole town’s hummin’ with that soft winter magic once again. We’re real glad you’re here to step into December with us: stuffy noses and all.

Make sure ya crank the tunes for this week’s theme song if ya wanna little song to pep along to while ya read!

Our Front Porch Partners help keep our lil’ digital porch lights on, and this week’s is an extra helpful one — every single click on their ad puts $1.65 straight into the Chattynooga piggy bank, no sign-up needed!

If ya got a second to tap it, it truly goes a long way in keepin’ this cozy corner hummin’. Take it away, Flowkey!

flowkey gives you everything you need to play the songs you love on piano – whatever your level.

Start learning from scratch with step-by-step courses, or dive right into the sheet music library and choose from thousands of pieces across all genres, including Classical, Film & TV, Pop, and Jazz. You can follow along with a professional pianist, practice each hand separately, and play sections on repeat until you’ve mastered them – flowkey listens to your playing and waits for you to find the right notes.

Wherever you’re starting from and whatever your learning style, you can make real progress on the piano – and you only need 10 minutes a day. Take advantage of their biggest sale yet and start learning today with 70% off.

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Got somethin’ cookin’ that the Scenic City oughta know about? Wanna talk about how cool your weekend was? Tell us all about it! Just reply to this message, or send a separate one to [email protected]!

Hey neighbor, grab yer mittens and maybe a lil’ packet of Swiss Miss, because we’re heading just up the road to one of the shiniest corners of the county: NoogaLights in Soddy-Daisy!

If you’ve never made the trek north for this one, imagine drivin’ straight into a Christmas card; except the card is alive and synchronized to music, and occasionally features a glowing forest that makes Clementine yell in awe, “THIS IS ART!!!”

Anyway, it’s nestled right off Dayton Pike, and is (in my humblest opinion) Tennessee’s Ultimate Holiday Light Show, and buddy… we ain’t lyin’.

This year, they’ve got two ways to experience the magic:

NoogaLights runs select nights between November 21 thru December 31, with both drive-thru and walk-thru options clearly marked on their calendar. Most weeknights go 6–9pm, with weekend hours stretchin’ all the way to 10pm!

I used to think the magic of the holidays came from big shiny stuff. Y’know, like gifts, parades, that one uncle who insists on wearin’ a Santa suit even though he gets mistaken for a mall employee every year.

But the older I’ve been gettin’, the more I realize the magic lives somewhere else entirely: in the moments that feel borrowed or shared.

Sometimes it’s carrying a paper bag of oranges to a neighbor who ain’t been feelin’ too spry. Hearin’ Christmas music drift out of a Weigel’s at 10PM. Gettin’ a text from an old friend you haven’t talked to since last December, or just sittin’ on the couch in mismatched socks, drinkin’ cocoa you forgot you even made earlier for a surprise treat.

When yer little, the season is loud and cheerful. But when ya get grown, the season is soft. But soft ain’t lesser — soft is sacred.

Maybe that’s why the holidays hit different now, because we finally realize how fleeting those moments are.

So here’s my question this week: What soft moment found you lately? What’s a gentle thing you wanna hold onto?

Tell us in the comments or reply directly to us in yer email, I think we could all use a lil’ reminder that softness counts too.

This weekend was Small Business Saturday, so Saturday morning, Bubby and I headed out to do two of my favorite things, eat local and shop local!

We started out at Hungry Mother where I had some of the best cookies of my whole life. I had three of them. Seriously, two double chocolates and a snickerdoodle. I talked about those cookies all weekend. Bubby and I both had the fancy ham sandwiches with the fancy pickle relish, too. Top it off with a coffee for Bubby and a tasty tea for me and we had ourselves a delightful lil lunch.

With our bellies full, we headed over to a brand new spot downtown - Studio Ours. Our friend Chan just opened up this space as a makers mart and creative space for local artists in the community. The curated mart has jewelry, snacks, home decor, art, toys, and so much more! They even host classes and workshops in the studio. This place is a true one-stop wonder.

While we were there, we got to say hey to our pal Mallory! She was there signing copies of her poetry book and coloring book, both of which are for sale at Studio Ours. But books are just the beginning. The shop has candles, crafts, musical instruments, Labubu costume, and about a hundred more magical must-haves. There’s something for everyone! We got a handmade Christmas ornament that’s going on the tree (just as soon as we get it up).

I love this time of year more than any other, and I’m excited to check out all the holiday happenings around town. If you’ve got a lead on something good, loop me in! Clementine McBride never skips a good local shopportunity!

Whether your week ahead is full of errands, quiet moments, twinkly lights, or just tryin’ to keep your fingers from freezin’ on the steering wheel, we hope you carry a spark of sweetness with you. And if our freshly revamped lil’ website gives ya any trouble, don’t worry — we’re right here patchin’ things up as we go, just like any good Southern fixer-upper.

Thanks for spendin’ a moment on the porch with us today. Stay warm, stay gentle, and keep an eye out for the tiny bits of magic hidin’ in the week ahead.

— Bubby & Clementine