Is there a busier time of the year than the holidays? Family get-togethers, office parties, Secret Santa swaps—and let’s not forget the rushing around to decorate, shop for gifts, and meal plan.

Despite the busy season, there’s nothing I love more than cold winter evenings huddled around a table with those I love the most. There’s an energy in the air that isn’t always present the rest of the year. It’s a spirit of gratitude and cheerfulness that I can’t help but join in on.

This issue is all about helping you get the most out of this season. We have all of the tips you need to create the perfect wine and cheese pairings for your holiday table, thanks to Everyday Sommelier. Flip to page 125 to read how wine experts create a delectable cheese board at any price point. On page 31, you’ll learn how to navigate any holiday stress so you can truly remain present throughout the season. And on page 35, you can learn or rediscover the Kwanzaa holiday traditions of family and unity.

We have some topics to share to keep the conversation around the table lively, too. On page 58, you’ll read the story of Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, a local artist residency program that was the birthplace of Dopesick, the book that has been turned into a wildly popular Hulu series. On page 102, you can find the story of Dr. David Horton and his Hellgate ultramarathon. Read about the 66.6 mile race through the cold Virginia mountains, and maybe get inspired to start training for next year’s race. Or learn how to tap local trees for syrup on page 129 and share your newfound knowledge with your friends and family.

As you’re prepping for the holiday season, we have your local gifts covered as well. Read the story of EmGe Naturals, a local, all-natural skin care business with an online and in-store presence, on 43. Their scrubs, lotions, and body butters are perfect gifts for anyone in your life. We have also compiled our annual Holiday Gift Guide full of local products for you to snag for your loved ones. Find the start of the Gift Guide on page 74.

There are so many holidays and celebrations across these next few months, and I hope it’s a season of joy and gratitude for you. However and wherever you are celebrating, I wish you moments of ease and comfort, gathered together with the people you love the most.

Megan Williams, Managing Editor, megan@lynchburgmag.com

Over the past decade, but more so in the past five years, we have watched my mother-in-law slowly progress through the devastating stages of Alzheimer’s.

While there were plenty of benchmarks that gradually revealed her decline, cooking was one of the top indicators—long-time family recipes that usually didn’t need to be referenced became overwhelming and confusing.

In an effort to preserve her cooking legacy, and other family recipes as well, my sister-in-law compiled some well-known favorites into a cookbook by scanning in original, handwritten recipes. How special it is to flip through and see these weathered, yellowed, sometimes barely legible pieces of paper sharing Southern dishes, including my favorite: the Mayonnaise Cake, a to-die-for chocolate cake that tastes nothing like mayo, by the way.

Not long after receiving this cookbook as a gift, Taste contributor Mikael Blido pitched the idea of “Heritage Recipes” in Central Virginia. My nostalgic soul said absolutely, yes—what a creative concept for our annual Food Issue.

Of course, he proposed to go much further back than my “Family Recipes” cookbook, to the roots of Central Virginia’s ancestors. The amount of time Mikael spent reading history books, interviewing local experts and even experimenting in the kitchen was absolutely incredible. Starting on page 96, learn more about how three groups of people from our region’s history ate back in the day, culminating with Mikael’s modern spin on a 300-year-old meal.

Fast forward to the 20th century, and “going out to eat” became a part of mainstream culture. Tying in with our nod to the past, we wanted to spotlight homegrown restaurants that have been a part of the city’s dining culture the longest. In “Legendary Eats,” we’ll tell you about four spots that have been serving hungry guests for about 335 years combined.

All restaurants, old and new, need our support as we continue to recover from the ongoing pandemic and its restrictions. This year marks the 10th anniversary of our Lynchburg Restaurant Week, a time for local restaurants to showcase their best dishes. We have 13 restaurants on board this time; several just opened their doors this year. Check out their menus starting on page 86 and make it a point to support these small businesses June 12-19.

Whether you are making Great-Great-Grandma’s famed chicken and dumplings or heading to that quaint diner where you remember eating as a kid, I think we can all agree that food—both the preparation and enjoyment of it—is not only a big part of who we are today, but it also connects us to our past.

For my mother-in-law, that past is slipping away, but we find some comfort in knowing that even when her mind is gone, we can still celebrate who she once was with a savory slice of Mayonnaise Cake.

All My Best,
Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

While I can’t remember everything I learned in my college journalism program, there is one foundational lesson that I carry with me: Always plan for
Murphy’s Law.

Murphy’s Law is loosely defined as: “If anything can go wrong, it will.”

So—let’s chat about this issue of the magazine.

If anything could go wrong, get delayed, be quarantined, be running late, be canceled, be snowed/sleeted/rained on in the past month, it did.

I hesitated even writing this editor’s letter—because isn’t that what we do nowadays? Sob uncontrollably behind our phones (an exaggeration… maybe) but then post all of the perfect stuff for everyone to see?

But I thought, maybe it’s okay to admit there were plenty of challenges in making the 2021 Lynchburg Living Idea House a reality, because anyone who has built a new home or attempted any type of major home/garden project—especially during a pandemic—is familiar with the concept of Murphy’s Law. When there are so many balls in the air, something WILL go wrong. It’s how you handle the issues that determines the final outcome.

That being said, after all of the ups and downs, I believe our final outcome is a showstopper—from the classic Colonial-style exterior to the elegant gold fixtures to the high-tech amenities. We are thrilled to take you room by room through this year’s Idea House in our main feature, starting on page 42, and sincerely hope it gives you “ideas” for your next project. Also in our Home & Garden Issue, learn more about the latest in smart home technology, colorful cabinetry, starting plants indoors, Virginia Garden Week, and much more.

Finally, to everyone involved in making this publication a reality—from our numerous Preferred Partners (found on pages 52-67) to the Custom Structures team to the incredible group of freelance writers and photographers I consider myself lucky to work alongside—I thank you for working hard, pushing through to the end, but most importantly, showing a lot of grace. You all are proof that in a world where lots can go wrong, there is plenty going right.

All My Best,
Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

Roll out the red carpet and give me a trophy, because I actually kept one of my New Year’s Resolutions last year.

As 2020 began, I told my husband, “I’m going to reclaim reading this year.” As a child, my nose was always in a book. (Humble brag: I was the number one Accelerated Reader in my elementary school for a couple of years in a row.) But through the years, reading became less of a priority, usually saved for the beach or a plane ride.

So, I set a modest goal to read 15 books in 2020. I figured that was reasonable after only reading maybe one or two books each year in the recent past. Well, not only did I reach that goal (in September as a matter of fact) but I also managed to read five more titles before the ball dropped.

I can now officially say that reading has reclaimed one of my top hobby spots. Getting lost in a book at night after my kids have gone to bed gives me something that’s just for me—it’s a way to refill my cup when I’m often running on empty.

I think there is a stigma that New Year’s Resolutions, or goals in general, have to be something that’s either super hard or something we don’t really enjoy. But with all that’s going on in the world, who has time for that?

As I saw on a fitness-related Instagram post the other day:
If you don’t like running, don’t try to run as a way to shed pounds. If you love breakfast, don’t choose the intermittent fasting diet.

Remember to be true to yourself when goal-setting or resolution-making as we enter what’s expected to be another roller coaster year. And also, remember to take care of yourself first, before trying to help others. There is a reason why flight attendants tell you to put on your oxygen mask first. An empty cup has nothing to pour out.

What will you change this year to improve your life? I would love to hear from you.

Also, book recommendations are welcome—I’m shooting for 30 in 2021.

All my best,

Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

After moving to Lynchburg in 2008, I was desperately trying to “find my place in this world”—as Michael W. Smith poignantly described in his 1990 song. Just a green 24-year-old adjusting to a new job and trying to (awkwardly) make new friends.

I started looking for ways to get more connected and learned about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Virginia through a co-worker. With a camp counselor background, it was a no-brainer. After signing up, I was matched with an 11-year-old girl named Nicole who had just recently been adopted by her foster family.

Life had been tough for Nicole the past few years—lots of people had come and gone.

We spent Saturdays going to movies, hanging out at my apartment or working on projects for her school. She talked to me about her family some days; other days we just focused on fun. I arranged for her to get baptized—something she had always wanted to do since becoming a Christian in a previous foster home. Down the road, she was there to celebrate with me on my wedding day.

With an entry-level salary that barely paid my rent, I didn’t have much money to hand over to Big Brothers Big Sisters. But what I did have was a few hours each week to give to Nicole—and so many nonprofits are desperate for just that… your time.

In fact, about half of the top 25 nonprofits featured in this year’s Giving Back Awards listed “volunteers” as their greatest need right now. For example, Gleaning for the World, our #1 nonprofit, has only 11 paid employees that run its international disaster relief efforts—an astounding 1,200 volunteers help keep the place running.

There are numerous other inspiring stories of volunteerism in this issue—from dozens of artists who donated their talents to a Beacon of Hope auction fundraiser to our Person of Interest, David Stokes, who logs 950 volunteer hours a year helping local veterans.

You’ll find two kinds of holiday spirit in this issue—the festive baked goods, beautiful Christmas décor and local gift ideas will have you ready to slip on those Santa jammies ASAP. But my hope is you’ll also embrace the spirit of giving. Not just throwing a few coins in the Salvation Army bucket, but being so bold as to ask a local nonprofit: what can I do to serve you?

It may be as simple as lending an ear to an 11-year-old girl.

Cheers,

Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com

My husband is really starting to wish we had never planned a Lynchburg Living Idea House.

He loves the house itself, of course—but me being at the house so often during the month of June was starting to put a strain on our marriage.

“I showed you the kitchen already, right? Look at it again… Are you looking? Isn’t that gorgeous? We should have tried to do that with the shelves. Should we try that backsplash?”

“John—they used this stuff in the house that looks like shiplap… but it’s not!!! It’s this other stuff that’s easier. Oh, I already told you? Well… could we do that maybe in the kids’ play area?”

“You know how we need to stain our deck? They used this really light gray stain. What do you think? Could we do something like that… and maybe before Brooks’ first birthday party? Possibly?”

Bless his heart.

I’ve explained in prior editor’s letters about how we built our own house in 2016-2017 (and we are still finishing it… which apparently is completely normal when you are on a budget and have two small children). But because of that experience, I was in absolute awe of the Idea House as it came together over the past month. Scott Elliott and his team at Custom Structures paid attention to every single detail in this home. From the appliances to the flooring to the décor, they went above and beyond to truly make this a house full of ideas for you.

This project has been a labor of love from everyone involved: Custom Structures, our Preferred Partners, other various subcontractors who worked on very tight deadlines, Woody Watts with Watts Creative Studios who helped photograph and promote the house, and the entire Lynchburg Living team. Summer, for many, is a time to let work take a backseat for a bit so you can take a few extra days off. But those who were a part of our Idea House worked overtime in May and June—and it shows.

You can find the full Idea House feature starting on page 60. And if you want to see it for yourself—or even get your hands on a piece of furniture or décor—save the date for one of three open house weekends in July. Find event details on page 75 or at lynchburgideahouse.com.

I hope to see you there! (And if you notice a guy walking around taking notes and looking overwhelmed, that’s my John. He’s about to start about 10 new projects around our house!)

All My Best,

Shelley Basinger, Managing Editor
Shelley@lynchburgmag.com