Man Made DIY

We all know the story. Most of us could recite the narrative from memory, and probably not miss any key points. But, this holiday season, I decided to snuggle up to the original, and read the whole of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. 

And? It's good. It's really good. Dickens is a good writer...duh. It's festive and seasonal, and the template for what many of us think of as an old fashioned Christmas...also duh. But something else happened to me, and I think you should read it, too. Not in the "let's gather 'round the fire while dad recites " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas..." sorta way, but because this is a book about men.… read more

I've never had a sugarplum, and I'm still not totally sure what figgy pudding actually is, but of one traditional holiday treat I'm convinced: roasted chestnuts are amazing. And not like in that quaint, old timey "I could see why people thought these were tasty before we figured out how to make more delicious things" (like hard candy or [in my case] jelly beans), but in a "this things are awesome no matter what century it is."

Got an open fire? Go for it. But since most of us aren't quite used to heat control with a giant blazing inferno, roasting chestnuts in the oven is more than an okay way to go. If you've never had one, the… read more

Happy Holidays, ManMakers! Each year, I make this confession: I'm a total obsessive geek about collecting "modern rock" holiday songs: seasonal tunes by alternative, indie, and otherwise not-Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole artists. This year, my collection broke 500, making for thirty-two hours of non-cheesy holiday goodness.

No, they're not all completely amazing, but most are solid, and they serve as the soundtrack to my season, and, coupled with a candy cane, the most immediate way to inject the holiday spirit into my home and...uh, self. So, each year, I pick a few of my favorite tunes to share with ye merry gentlemen and women.

Along with egg nog and fruitcake, cranberries are amoung the most divisive holiday foodstuffs. Those who like 'em like 'em, and those who don't will likely not change their mind.

But nobody not nobody won't dig on this mesmerizing video of professional wakeboarders Ben Horan and Brian Grubb being pulled through the flooded bogs of Wisconsin, filmed in all its high-speed, colorful wavemaking, undulating goodness.   

A crew from RedBull visited "[traveled] to Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin, for one of the most aesthetically pleasing wakeskating sessions you will ever see. Watch what happens when some of the world's best… read more

As far as hot chocolate fans go, I'm among the biggest. Especially during December. I like it all kinds of ways - thick Mexican drinking chocolates with a churro, the powdered milk-cocoa mix from the stand at the holiday light show at the zoo, and the fancy versions from my local coffee shop. And marshmallows? I'm for 'em.   

Especially if they're homemade. Like lots of food crafts, the difference between a who-knows-how-old factory made 'shmallow and the pillowy complexity of a homemade version are simply incomparable. And while I like storebought marshmallows just fine, I love a homemade one. Especially when it's infused… read more