The National Park Trust has dubbed May 19 National Kids to Parks Day, a day when they invite every family in America to visit a national, state or local park.

Ask four experts about how to make a garden grow, and you’ll get four different pieces of advice. What the experts have to say about cultivating healthy soil and when and where to water varies, but then, so do backyards.

So many gifts exchanged during the holidays scarcely outlast the wrapping paper and big bows they came packaged in, and their broken and discarded pieces meet their festive wrappings in landfill. This year, consider giving gifts that last — tokens of love and friendship that will be cherished well beyond this holiday season.

The winter solstice is here, and the season’s chilly weather has already driven most of Colorado’s flora and fauna to take cover inside. We — and our kids — however, don’t need to be deterred from connecting with the natural world because of the cold weather.

In the spirit of creating and supporting community, many Boulderites ignored the Black Friday buzz and made the decision to allocate their gifting dollars to local businesses and artists this holiday season. In an effort to foster commitments like these and to promote community and simplify local holiday shopping, Firefly Handmade is again offering the Boulder community a one-stop, local shopping experience.