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Some of Jamaica’s most popular and influential artists will come together at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood in the new year to raise money for Hurricane Melissa disaster relief.

The Stay Strong Jamaica benefit concert on Jan. 2 will feature performances by Shaggy, Julian Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Inner Circle, Third World, The Wailers and Wayne Wonder, among others.

All net proceeds from the concert will go to the designated beneficiary from the Hard Rock Heals Foundation, Jamaica’s Promise, which is providing housing, infrastructure repair and humanitarian aid to those affected by the Category 5 hurricane that hit the island on Oct. 28.

“Stay Strong Jamaica represents the extraordinary spirit of our people and the unwavering support of our global community,” Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a statement. “Given the magnitude of the damage, there is little doubt that it will be a long and arduous journey. But together we will rebuild stronger than before.”

Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are available, starting at $67.20, at Ticketmaster.com.

Other acts on the bill include Ernie Smith, I-Octane, Etana, Teejay, Shuga, Mykal Rose, Ed Robinson, Chalice, and Brick & Lace. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Olivia “Babsy” Grange, Jamaican minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, said reggae music is “the bridge to take us over troubled waters.”

“This concert is more than a fundraising effort.  It is a reminder of the resilience of our culture and the unity of our diaspora,” Grange said.

For more information, visit JaPromise.org and MyHRL.com.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell. 

By LINDSEY BAHR

Rob Reiner made the kind of movies that we all rewatch already. They’re the films that we quote without having to think about it, the ones we hold up as gold standards of comedy, romance, drama and suspense, the ones we wish they made today.

Before his death Sunday, it was not uncommon, or unwarranted, to marvel at his incredible streak of films from 1984, when he made his directorial debut with the mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap,” through 1995 with “The American President.” Not to mention his comedic excellence in front of the camera, where he made a feast out of even the smallest roles, whether it was telling Tom Hanks about tiramisu in “Sleepless in Seattle” or yelling at Leonardo DiCaprio for his credit card bill in “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

When people bemoan that they don’t make movies like they used to, Reiner’s genre-spanning films from that decade are often the kinds they’re talking about. There might not be a best picture winner in the bunch, but it hardly matters. He made films that we remember.

Here are some of the best and where to watch them.

“This Is Spinal Tap” (1984)

“There’s a fine line between stupid and clever,” Christopher Guest’s guitarist Nigel Tufnel observes in “This Is Spinal Tap” and Reiner’s almost entirely improvised film about a British heavy metal group’s disastrous tour is proof. In its unabashed commitment to silliness, it captured truths about rock ‘n’ roll, the music industry and ego. Reiner even based his documentary filmmaker character Marty DiBergi on Martin Scorsese in “The Last Waltz,” which he might have been a little upset about at first but has come to love over the years. While Reiner and his friends never dared take credit for the mockumentary, he did say that perhaps they made they first “mock rock doc.”

MOST MEMORABLE LINE: “These go to 11.”

WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Roku, TCM, DIRECTV Stream and HBO MAX. Also available to rent or buy.

“Stand by Me” (1986)

This coming-of-age classic, adapted from a Stephen King story, follows four 12-year-old boys on a search for a missing kid in 1950s Oregon. It helped make a star out of River Phoenix, along with Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell, and it came to Reiner only because Adrian Lyne had dropped out.

In 2021, Reiner told The Guardian that the film meant more to him than any other he’d made. “It was the first time I did a film that reflected my own personal sensibility; it had a mixture of melancholy, humor and nostalgia,” he said. “I was 12 in 1959, so the music was the music I listened to and the feelings I had in relation to my father, I injected into the film. When it came out and was accepted it validated me.”

MOST MEMORABLE LINE: “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12. Jesus, does anyone?”

WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Netflix, fuboTV and Philo. Also available to buy.

“The Princess Bride” (1987)

Carl Reiner famously gifted his son William Goldman’s novel, which became his favorite and set him on path to adapt it for the big screen, which many had already tried and failed to do. Norman Lear came to the rescue once more (he funded “Spinal Tap”) and gave Reiner the money to make “The Princess Bride.” They assembled one of the great ensembles with Robin Wright, Cary Elwes, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal, Peter Falk and André the Giant to bring to life this very singular, very clever tale of love, adventure and storytelling that would have many more lives as a home video staple.

MOST MEMORABLE LINE: “Have fun storming the castle!”

WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Hulu, Disney+ and DIRECTV Stream. Also available to rent or buy.

“When Harry Met Sally…” (1989)

Reiner enslited Nora Ephron to help take an honest look at dating and relationships in what would become one of the most beloved romantic comedies, following Meg Ryan’s Sally and Crystal’s Harry across 12 years. Reiner’s mother, Estelle, was the key to the most iconic scene in Katz’s Delicatessen, a location which took on a new fame as well.

Around the film’s 30th anniversary, Reiner reflected on its longevity.

“I think people see some basic truths about men and women when they watch that movie,” he told The Associated Press. “To me, the dance that happens between men and women is forever.”

MOST MEMORABLE LINE: “I’ll have what she’s having.”

WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on Roku, STARZ and DIRECTV Stream. Also available to rent or buy.

“Misery” (1990)

Reiner re-teamed with Goldman to adapt King’s “Misery,” about a famous novelist (James Caan) who after a car crash finds himself in the captive care of a crazed fan (Kathy Bates). Warren Beatty was initially attached to star and told Reiner that he didn’t see it as a horror movie or a thriller but a prison movie. It’s also kind of a comedy. When Reiner rewatched the film to talk about it earlier this year at the TCM Classic Film Festival, he said even he was surprised at how many laughs there were.

MOST MEMORABLE LINE: “I’m your number one fan!”

WHERE TO WATCH: Available to buy on Prime Video and Apple TV.

“A Few Good Men” (1992)

The death of a Marine at Guantanamo Bay provides the backdrop for the Aaron Sorkin-penned courtroom drama, which went to Broadway before the big screen. In Reiner’s hands, pitting Tom Cruise as a cocky, plea-happy junior lawyer against Jack Nicholson as an intimidating commanding officer, it became a hit that would score a best picture nomination. Nicholson would reunite with Reiner 15 years later for “The Bucket List.”

MOST MEMORABLE LINE: “You can’t handle the truth!”

WHERE TO WATCH: Streaming on BBC America, Philo and DIRECTV Stream. Also available to buy.

“The American President” (1995)

Working with another Sorkin script, Reiner returned to the romantic comedy to tell a story about a widower U.S. president (Michael Douglas) who begins dating an environmental lobbyist (Annette Bening). Roger Ebert wrote in his review, “It is hard to make a good love story, harder to make a good comedy and harder still to make an intelligent film about politics. Rob Reiner’s ‘The American President’ cheerfully does all three, and is a great entertainment — one of those films, like ‘Forrest Gump’ or ‘Apollo 13,’ that however briefly unites the audience in a reprise of the American dream.”

MOST MEMORABLE LINE: “You fight the fights that need fighting.”

WHERE TO WATCH: Available to rent or buy.

One of the best things about South Florida is that our subtropical climate means that we can have festival fun just about all year long. With that in mind, welcome to “SoFlo Festivals, Festivities & Family Fun,” a new feature that will give you a monthly look ahead to celebrations throughout Palm Beach and Broward counties. Here’s our list for December, but keep coming back to this post because we’ll continue to add events.

CELTIC WINTER FAIRE

“The Year of the Gnome” is the theme for this event, which celebrates Celtic folklore and food with live music, artisans and immersive entertainment (World Famous Gnome Race, Horseless Joust, free sword classes, archery range, belly dancers, falconry demonstrations, blacksmithing demonstrations/classes, Bells 2 Go’s mobile carillon). There will be more than 100 local vendors and performers. “The Year of the Gnome celebrates humor, craftsmanship, and community,” said organizer Ben Kerr, of Fae Festivals. “It’s a chance for everyone, from families to fantasy fans, to step into a world of music, laughter and magic. We want guests to feel like they’ve joined a living story … a place where holiday magic and Celtic tradition meet.”
WHEN: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Dec. 21
WHERE: John Prince Park, 2700 Sixth Ave. S., Lake Worth Beach
COST: $30 a person, or $25 a person for groups of four or more
INFORMATION: faefestivals.com

“A PAW PATROL CHRISTMAS —  PAJAMA PARTY & HOLIDAY SPECIAL”

Everyone’s favorite heroic pups of Adventure Bay star in this “paw-liday” animated special at the AutoNation IMAX Theater at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale. The museum encourages families to wear holiday pajamas or sweaters and enjoy winter science fun, a tropical “snowball” challenge, crafts and hot chocolate topped with liquid nitrogen-frozen marshmallows. The screening includes “pupcorn” and a small drink. Also, from 11 a.m.- to 2 p.m., there will be a special Touch-A-Truck and Pet-A-Pup meet-and-greet with community first responders and their K-9 partners.
WHEN: 9-11 a.m. (10 a.m. screening) Saturday, Dec. 13
WHERE: Museum of Discovery and Science, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale
COST: $38 a person
INFORMATION: mods.org

PROMENADE AT COCONUT CREEK’S ANNUAL CHANUKAH CELEBRATION

The open-air shopping center and Chabad Lubavitch of Coconut Creek will celebrate the Festival of Lights and light the Grand Menorah. You can also enjoy live music, fire juggling performances and traditional jelly doughnuts. There will be hands-on crafts and other activities for children.
WHEN: 5-7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14
WHERE: Promenade at Coconut Creek, 4467 Lyons Road
COST: Free; first 100 RSVPs get a gift
INFORMATION: promenadeatcoconutcreek.com

VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS TOURS

The Historic Stranahan House Museum is hosting yuletide tours to show how pioneers in Fort Lauderdale celebrated Christmas in the authentically decorated venue. There will also be holiday classics played on a vintage piano.
WHEN: 5-8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, Dec. 16-20
WHERE: Stranahan House, 335 SE Sixth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
COST: $30 a person
INFORMATION: stranahanhouse.org

WINTER WONDERLAND AT THE BEN HOTEL

The Ben Hotel, Autograph Collection in downtown West Palm Beach is bringing back its Winter Wonderland for a second season, the centerpiece of which is a now expanded 50-by-66-foot ice rink. There is also — with free admission — a Holiday Tree Forest grove, “chalets” with retail pop-ups, a full-service holiday bar (also offering hot chocolate, s’mores, seasonal treats) and weekly themed activations such as Live Music Saturdays, Santa Sundays, Ugly Sweater Day.
WHEN:

• Daily 10 a.m.-9 p.m., through Sunday, Jan. 4
• Closed all day on Saturday, Dec. 13, and from 4:30-7:45 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14

WHERE: The Ben Hotel, 251 N. Narcissus Ave., West Palm Beach
COST: Skating passes are $25 for guests age 12 and older and $10 for children ages 4-11 (ice skate rentals included in price)
INFORMATION: thebenwestpalm.com

DELRAY BEACH HOLIDAY VILLAGE

The City of Delray Beach presents a Holiday Village in Old School Square with ice skating, a carousel, mini golf and Santa greeting visitors inside his house.
WHEN:

• Through Thursday, Jan. 1
• The Holiday Village starts at various hours depending on the day, but ends at 9 p.m.
• Santa’s House opens at various hours in the late afternoon and generally ends at 8:30 p.m.
• The last tickets for the carousel, ice skating and mini golf are sold at 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Old School Square, 51 N Swinton Ave., Delray Beach
COST:

• Free admission
• $6 per carousel ride
• $6 for ice skating
• $6 for mini golf
• $20 for ride all day wristband
• $10 for photo with Santa Claus

INFORMATION: delraybeachfl.gov

FORT LAUDERDALE WATER TAXI’S HOLIDAY LIGHTS CRUISES

These 90-minute cruises feature views of holiday decor along the Intracoastal Waterway’s illuminated docks and estates. There’s also live music and beverages for purchase. “Our holiday lights cruise has become a favorite tradition among locals and visitors alike,” said Bill Walker, president and CEO of Water Taxi of Fort Lauderdale. “It’s a great opportunity to cruise into the holiday spirit and is an excellent experiential gift that all ages will enjoy.”
WHEN:

• 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. nightly, through Saturday, Jan. 3 (arriving 15 minutes early is recommended)
• There are no cruises on Dec. 13, Dec. 24-25.

WHERE: Departure from Riverside Hotel/Stranahan House Museum stop, 335 SE Sixth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
COST: $45 for adults and $15 for children age 4 and older, with free admission for guests younger than 3
INFO: watertaxi.com/tickets

For many South Florida diners, 2025 affirmed the obvious: Our food scene is not only emblematic of national trends but trailblazing.

In many ways, we set the pace. When it comes to the increasingly prominent trend of dining alone, South Florida restaurants get more requests than many other parts of the country. Other shifts, from noisy restaurants to patrons who bring their own food for a night out, may be happening elsewhere too, but in South Florida, diners make sure to voice their opinion, whether it’s approval or displeasure.

A popular place to share grievances, as well as restaurant news and reviews, has become the Sun Sentinel’s foodie Facebook group, “Let’s Eat, South Florida.” The site continues to grow, reaching a milestone 224,000 members recently. If you’re already a member, you may be familiar with these fads below. If not, keep reading and begin your journey as a South Florida dining trends expert.

Restaurants got LOUD

Many restaurants have gotten super-noisy, to the point where it’s hard to hear the server or the person sitting next to you. Delray Beach resident Steve Ruprecht put it this way: “Somewhere along the way, restaurants decided that dinner should come with a side of eardrum damage.” Some restaurant owners say loud music adds to the atmosphere, but others are trying softening techniques, such as sound-absorbing ceilings and stereo systems with volume control on each speaker.

Dining alone

It’s now no big deal to walk into a restaurant by yourself and request a table for one. The reservation platform OpenTable reported that 52% of consumers planned to go it alone at restaurants in 2025. A report by Resy, another booking service, said solo dining in Miami was up 14% in 2024, higher than Chicago at 12% and New York at 6%.

First Michelin stars

In a culinary coup for Broward and Palm Beach counties, two restaurants — the Chef’s Counter at MAASS in Fort Lauderdale and Konro in West Palm Beach — earned one Michelin star apiece in April. All told, five Fort Lauderdale restaurants picked up Michelin accolades, including Bib Gourmand designations, while Palm Beach County spots earned nine awards. Just a few months later, however,  Konro closed after its co-founder, Jacob Bickelhaupt, was charged in the assault of a woman who was left in critical condition with a brain hemorrhage, and Michelin later stripped the restaurant of its star.

Closings

Restaurants close all the time in South Florida, and open too. But 2025 seemed to be an especially rough year, according to Sun Sentinel food reporter Phillip Valys. “We seem to shed hundreds of great eateries every summer like an old snake skin, and this year was especially brutal. (Not unprecedented … just brutal),” he said.

Here are just a few that we lost.

• July: Grandview Public Market, West Palm Beach. Reason given: Operator asked to terminate lease.
• August: Racks Fish House and Oyster Bar, Delray Beach. Reasons given: high costs of seafood, slow traffic over the summer, a lease renewal with higher rent.
• September: Christine Lee’s, Hallandale Beach. Reason given: Owner decided to retire.
• December: Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q, Fort Lauderdale (closing Dec. 21). Reason given: Owners retiring and selling land.

Kosher restaurants

Kosher restaurants, with foods from the Middle East to Eastern Europe to South America to China, are flourishing, with new ones opening regularly. It’s easy to keep track of the eateries, as the Orthodox Rabbinical Board of Broward and Palm Beach Counties maintains an updated list online. Here’s the Sun Sentinel’s most recent story on new openings: SunSentinel.com/kosher.

Bring Your Own Food?

The abundance of dietary restrictions among Americans today, coupled with shrinking menus post-COVID-19, have been dwindling diners’ options. Thus, a new trend has emerged: People bringing their own meals into restaurants. South Florida restaurant owners are not happy about it, but the diners say they usually buy something, whether it’s a side dish or a soft drink or dessert.

Growth of international markets

We’re lucky to have an abundance of these grocery stores in South Florida. Mediterranean, West African, Eastern European, Caribbean, South African, British, Scandinavian, Brazilian: Give yourself an extra hour sometime soon and lose yourself in the markets’ colorful shelves, filled with products unfamiliar to many Americans. Check out the Sun Sentinel’s sampling at SunSentinel.com/markets.

Dubai chocolate

Dubai chocolate continues strong sales across South Florida, where bakeries, chocolatiers and candy stores are prominently displaying the crunchy-creamy confection, a bricklike, hollow milk chocolate bar bursting with pistachio cream and kataifi (shredded phyllo dough). See our list of local stores carrying the bars at SunSentinel.com/dubai.

Bagel creativity

A plain bagel with cream cheese became quite passé in 2025. Look at Jeff’s Bagel Run, which opened in May in West Boca and this month in Coconut Creek, featuring 15 styles of chewy-soft bagels from cacio e pepe and asiago to cinnamon sugar and rosemary salt, alongside creative spreads (cookies and cream, cannoli, cake batter). Also new this year: PopUp Bagels, serving light, fluffy dough rings straight out of the oven that customers tear up and dip in schmears with creative flavors like vodka sauce, dill pickle and honey chipotle.

Robots

This new technology is slowly making its way into South Florida restaurants, mostly delivering food to tables and occasionally cleaning up, too. Which brings up the question, as Pembroke Pines resident Angelica Gigi Garbis asked in “Let’s Eat, South Florida“: Should we still tip the humans who work at these restaurants?

“When you go to a restaurant with robot service, how do you tip for service?” she asked. “We go to Kura (an Aventura sushi bar) and you help yourself to the rotating sushi. The robot only brings drinks and no other service from a person. You put your dishes in a slot to be counted. Yes, someone comes to wipe the table when people leave, but is 20% still what should be left?”

Can you help Angelica with this dilemma? Get ready for more restaurant robots and other AI food issues in the coming year. If you have experience with restaurant robots or have witnessed any other notable South Florida restaurant trends, email AskLois@sunsentinel.com.

It’s boom time for Santa in South Florida, with requests for visits from St. Nick simulators during public events, office parties and private festivities at an all-time high and the local Claus community struggling to keep up with demand.

Yes, South Florida is running low on Santas.

It’s a nice problem to have if you’re one of the men whose voluminous, natural, white beard allows them to fetch top dollar to play Kris Kringle. Not so much if you need someone to play the jolly ol’ elf at your party.

Jenna McIntosh, principal at St. Anthony Catholic School in downtown Fort Lauderdale, was looking for a Santa for a free community festival on Dec. 18 at the school, with students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. But when she reached out more than a month ago to the Santa she hired last year, she found he was booked, as was another recommended Santa.

McIntosh turned to Instagram and found three candidates, only one available. He texted her his rate: $400 an hour, nearly twice what she paid last year.

“My response, sitting in my office, was literally, ‘Holy [excrement].’ So I talked to my assistant principal and we said, ‘Well, it’s this or no Santa,’ ” McIntosh says. “And we need him there, because Santa represents Christmas, the magic of Christmas. The kids look forward to that. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it.”

Pat Sterling was in a similar predicament when trying to hire a Santa for a recent party at her home in West Boca Raton. The only one she liked who had availability quoted a price of $675 for a two-hour party, about $175 over the top end of her budget. So she gave up.

“Oh, it’s got to be a real beard. The kids are smart, they can tell.” — Pat Sterling, West Boca Raton

Sterling says she did not consider a cheaper option, such as going with a Santa in a fake beard — known as “designer beard Santas.” The best sport faux facial hair that can cost hundreds of dollars.

“Oh, it’s got to be a real beard. The kids are smart, they can tell,” she says.

The shortage is especially complicated this week, in advance of the Super Bowl of Santa Claus appearances on Saturday — the busiest party night of the season, midway between Thanksgiving and Christmas — when a unique accumulation of events in homes, offices, malls and parades has local Kringles wishing they had flying reindeer to get around.

One of South Florida’s most popular Santa Claus actors is Richard Adler, of West Palm Beach, who does 60 to 70 events in a typical season and has worked for Mar-a-Lago, The Breakers, the Miami Dolphins and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

A job can run all day or as short as 30 minutes, and Adler has performed at events for 1,000 people and also for a single child.

He says business continues to be ahead of his usual pace. On Sunday, he began his week with four jobs stretching from Miami-Dade to Palm Beach counties, starting his day at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 11 p.m. Looking ahead, he’s got seven jobs on Christmas Eve, and at least three more on Christmas Day.

This Saturday will set a record: He has 12 requests to appear across three counties.

“I can only be in one place at a time,” says Adler, who was already committed to an all-day job on Saturday at Miami Children’s Hospital and a house visit in Miramar that night. He reached out to his trusted posse of friends in the Santa business to cover the rest, more challenging this year after two of them died recently.

In between, Adler had another unique job offer — a charter flight for a lucrative Christmas event last Wednesday in the Bahamas. Of course, he already had multiple events that day, including a visit to a facility for special-needs kids in Miami. He chose the kids over the Bahamas.

“It is important to me. They expect me. Also being a magician, I can handle those situations. I’ve been in front of those kinds of kids before, and I’m going to be able to entertain them a little bit more than some of these other Santas,” says Adler, 65.

HOW MUCH FOR SANTA?

Fort Lauderdale-based All About Entertainment has been handling parties in the tricounty area for more than 20 years, and provides a Santa (real beards only) for about 50 events between Thanksgiving and Christmas. They happen for a range of clients, from Carnival Cruise Line, Aventura Mall and Town Center at Boca Raton to private home visits on Christmas Eve.

While the company still has some availability this month, the most popular days and times to secure one of their six Santas are long gone, office manager Katrina Young says.

“It has gotten very busy. We have packed schedules, and we do have to turn some clients away,” Young says. “Starting in the fall, we had people booking for next year. [The business] is changing a lot, and it’s changing quick. They want their Santas, and we have some of the best.”

Young says the company has seen increased interest across the board, for everything from city events to corporate gatherings and office parties, as well as from parents trying to “preserve the magic” for their children. She isn’t sure why more people are hiring Santa this year, guessing that general population growth has had an effect.

Adler, who works with All About Entertainment and also arranges gigs for himself and friends, thinks there’s just more money in South Florida now, citing the pockets of Palm Beach and Miami, in particular.

“I knew one guy and his minimum was $850 to go out. Minimum $850. He was worth it. He was a great Santa,” says Adler, pointing out that such a price quote in Miami elicits a shrug. “It’s like, ‘OK, when can you do it?’”

All About Entertainment has not raised prices in a couple of years, Young says, but may consider it if demand continues to rise. Their rates for a 30-minute home visit are $585 for Mondays through Thursdays, $660 for Fridays through Sundays, $775 on Christmas Eve and $930 on Christmas Day.

Corporate rates are for two-hour sessions: $1,170 for Mondays to Thursdays; $1,320 for Fridays to Sundays; $1,550 on Christmas Eve and $2,170 on Christmas Day.

With that kind of money on the table, it may be no surprise that out-of-town Santas have been working in the South Florida market. All About Entertainment has Santas from Wisconsin and Alabama, while Adler is acquainted with a pair from Michigan.

Santas at All About Entertainment must have well-maintained beards and their own premium-quality outfits, with a background check mandatory and certification from a professional organization such as the nonprofit Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School (Midland, Michigan) preferred. Other skills help, such as being able to do magic tricks or sing Christmas carols.

“And you have to have the joy, the love of what you’re doing, because it comes out,” Young says. “They’re performers as well. We don’t want somebody that just sits on the chair and says ‘Merry Christmas.’ You have to have, I don’t know what the word is, the Santa oompf!” [Laughs]

A LIFE AS SANTA

Adler is a longtime West Palm Beach entertainer known as the Amazing Mr. A., who works as a magician, ventriloquist and balloon artist until the holiday season heats up. A few days after Halloween, he meets with his crew of fellow Santas for lunch at Golden Corral in Royal Palm Beach to plot out the season.

“This year, we had 12 or 15 guys, all Santas, all showing up at the restaurant at the same time. That’s pretty funny,” Adler says.

The season begins for Adler on Nov. 1 with photo shoots for corporate clients and families getting an early jump on their Christmas cards. Like any good tribute artist, he has about $3,000 worth of outfits and other items to suit different themes, from country Santa to beach Santa. He even has a white sequined outfit that wouldn’t be out of place in Elvis Presley’s closet.

Adler got his start as a fake-beard Santa — he would paint his dark goatee white so it wouldn’t show — who also served as a driver and a magician elf for a group of veteran Santas. At 50, with his wife’s support, he grew his beard out and bleached it to join the ranks of real-beard Santas.

“The old guys, the real-beard Santas, they were really good. They taught me a lot of stuff,” Adler says. “I asked a guy one time, one of my mentors, ‘How do you make a good Santa out of somebody?’ And he said, ‘Just start with a good person.’”

For nearly two months every year, for the past 15 years, Adler has bleached his beard (every two weeks) and traveled all over South Florida, interrupting his own Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, to act as Santa — he calls himself “a becomer.” He says he keeps his prices lower to keep jobs coming in: His hourly rate is $350 in Palm Beach County, $400 in Broward and $500 in Miami-Dade.

Adler says he gets more out of it than just money, especially in these cynical times.

“The look in a kid’s eyes when they come toward you. They believe, and you can make them believe. It’s just incredible,” he says.

Kids being kids, Adler comes prepared for the skeptics, keeping a wallet in his pocket with a driver’s license identifying him as Santa Claus, along with a Bank of the North Pole credit card and a receipt for dry cleaning his robe.

He also carries what he calls a magic wishing coin, for the child who asks Santa for something intangible for Christmas.

“Like, if a kid says, ‘I hope my grandma gets better. I hope my mom and dad get together for Christmas, they’re divorced.’ I bring out the magic wishing coin and we make a wish together,” he says.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell. 

By ALICIA RANCILIO

If you’d rather stay in than deal with holiday crowds, it’s a great time to catch up on the year’s standout television shows. A number of titles got people watching and also talking.

In no particular order, here are 10 shows that broke out in 2025.

“Dept. Q”

When it comes to his TV credits, Matthew Goode has a history of being a “late add” to TV shows. He swept in to be Mary’s love interest on “Downton Abbey” after the death of Cousin Matthew. He joined Season 2 of “The Crown” as Margaret’s husband Antony Armstrong-Jones, known as Earl Snowdon. Goode was also added to “The Good Wife” during Josh Charles’ shocking final episode in the show’s fifth season. In “Dept. Q,” Goode leads as a curmudgeonly detective who assembles a team of misfits to solve cold cases. The show is based on a Danish book series and was renewed for a second season. (Available on Netflix)

“Paradise”

Sterling K. Brown stars in this drama as a U.S. Secret Service agent who arrives to work one day and finds the president is dead. It gets crazier from there. The show is part sci-fi, part drama, and definitely a mystery. It’s been renewed for a second season with Shailene Woodley added to the cast so now is a good time to catch up. (Available on Hulu)

“Love Island USA”

Because each season has a new cast, we’ll count the seventh season of “Love Island USA” as a new show. Chatter about this one dominated social media and watercooler chatter this summer as it aired five nights a week. The gist: cameras follow a group of single people sequestered at a Fiji villa as they couple up. New connections are consistently in jeopardy as contestants get sent home — by the cast or the viewers who can vote — and new people called bombshells arrive like fresh bait. About halfway through, the men and women are separated for a week of episodes and introduced to a whole new cast. (Available on Peacock)

“The Pitt”

Noah Wyle revived his leading man status this year by once again portraying a doctor. This time, he’s not an intern but leads a Pittsburgh trauma center emergency room. “The Pitt” won a number of Primetime Emmy Awards this year, including best drama series and an acting and producing win for Wyle. Watch before Season 2 premieres in early January. (Available on HBO Max)

“The Studio”

Seth Rogen plays Matt Remick, the newly elevated head of a Hollywood studio. Some critics say the show is too inside baseball about showbiz but if you liked cringey comedies like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Episodes” or “The Comeback,” this one is for you. It also has a great supporting cast including Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn and AP Breakthough Entertainer Chase Sui Wonders. It also has real Hollywood players like Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, and Olivia Wilde playing heightened versions of themselves. Rogen won Emmys for acting, directing, producing and writing on the series. A second season is in the works. (Available on Apple TV)

“Adolescence”

A teenage boy accused of murder is a disturbing premise, but watching this limited series is like watching great theater or even live music. Why? Each of the four episodes was filmed in a single continuous shot after extensive rehearsals. The show also introduced us to another AP Breakthrough Entertainer, Owen Cooper, who had never had a professional acting job before. Cooper, Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty all won Emmys for their performances. (Available on Netflix)

“The Beast in Me”

Two of today’s best TV actors, Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, grace the screen together in “The Beast in Me.” Danes is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Rhys plays a real estate developer suspected in the disappearance of his first wife. Danes’ character has a severe case of writer’s block as she’s working on her second book, so she pivots to writing a biography of Rhys’ character. (Available on Netflix)

“St. Denis Medical”

OK, this one debuted in November 2024, but it was so close to the end of the year that let’s just agree to say it was new in 2025. NBC loves a workplace mockumentary series and this one has Wendi McLendon-Covey, Allison Tolman and David Alan Grier as employees at an Oregon hospital. Comedies don’t get much time to hit their stride anymore, and this one deserved its renewal. (Available on Peacock)

“The Paper”

“The Paper” had a tough go as the official spinoff to “The Office.” It had its own niche — a mockumentary about the staff of a small, struggling newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, but the ghosts of Dunder Mifflin were hard to ignore. Many viewers went in looking for a new Michael Scott or Dwight Schrute and were disappointed. “The Paper” may not have carbon copies of its predecessor’s characters (although accountant Oscar Martinez returns), but it does have running jokes, quirky personalities and is worth a fair shake. If you recall, “The Office” wasn’t a hit right away either. A second season is in the works. (Available on Peacock)

“Forever”

This contemporary spin on the controversial Judy Blume novel from 1975 follows a young couple in Los Angeles as they experience first love. Lead actors Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr. both turned in strong performances, as did Karen Pittman. Like most young lovers, the couple’s relationship has highs and lows. A second season is confirmed, so there’s more story to tell. (Available on Netflix)

This weekend begins a two-week sprint through boat parades, Nutcrackers, holiday concerts, office parties, ugly sweater events, Santa-themed bar crawls and Matzoballs, when the joy and light of the season is unavoidable. But in Pottersville, why would you want to? As a great man once said, “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.” (Pretty sure it was Mike Tyson.) So let us get out there and embrace the season like there’s no tomorrow.

THURSDAY

Twice as nice: Musical theater star and Disney favorite Lea Salonga comes to South Florida for two stops on her Stage, Screen & Everything in Between tour, featuring songs from her iconic roles in “Miss Saigon,” “Les Misérables,” “Aladdin,” “Mulan” and other shows. Salonga will be at the Arsht Center in Miami on Thursday at 8 p.m., with tickets starting at $53.24 at ArshtCenter.org. She will then move to the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach on Friday at 7:30 p.m., with tickets starting at $39.11 at Kravis.org.

Love saves: Beloved South Florida vocalist Nicole Henry will share jazz standards and personalized R&B covers during a fundraising concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the beautiful Miami Beach Bandshell to support the work of the SAVE Foundation and Miami Music Project on behalf of local LGBTQ+ youth. Tickets cost $49.87, with VIP access also available. Visit MiamiBeachBandshell.com.

Words to live by: The eighth annual Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival will celebrate the topical, creative and emotional power of words in downtown Pompano Beach, featuring 40 competing poets, performances, workshops and artist talks taking place Thursday through Saturday at the Ali Cultural Center and the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. Poets from around the country will be vying for more than $9,000 in prizes, including $5,000 to the winner. Tickets start at $10 on Thursday and Friday, $25 for Saturday’s final rounds. Visit PompanoBeachArts.org/Exit36.

Hornsby’s way: Soulful pop stylist Bruce Hornsby will bring his prophetic “The Way It Is” and other favorites to The Parker in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. A handful of tickets remain at Ticketmaster.com.

Ticket window: Grammy-winning singer Rosalía will bring the tour supporting new album “Lux” to the Kaseya Center in Miami for concerts on June 4 and June 6. Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Thursday at KaseyaCenter.com. … Deliciously idiosyncratic filmmaker John Waters is coming to the Arsht Center in Miami with his Going to Extremes: A John Waters 80th Birthday Celebration tour stopping on April 22. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday at ArshtCenter.org. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Thursday to see New Found Glory (pride of Coral Springs) on their tour with Yellowcard and Plain White T’s at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on May 8. Visit Ticketmaster.com.

Weekend laughs: Veteran comedian, podcaster and radio personality and TV host Adam Carolla (please Google “The Man Show,” kids, if you want to see how far we haven’t come) will perform at the Fort Lauderdale Improv at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Sunday (tickets cost $41.90+ at ImprovFTL.com). The shows bookend two more at the Miami Improv on Friday at 7:30 and 10 p.m. and Saturday at 7 and 9:30 p.m. (tickets cost $41.90+ at MiamiImprov.com).

The year in bikinis: Don’t act like there isn’t someone on your shopping list who would love to have the 2026 Hooters Calendar, so why not kick it up a notch with a signed copy? Several of the women featured in the new calendar — including cover model Selena Sanchez, who works at Hooters in Pembroke Pines, and Miss July Gracie Williams, who works at the restaurant at Fort Lauderdale Beach Place, will be signing in various locations around South Florida. The schedule includes the Cypress Creek location in Fort Lauderdale (7:30 p.m. Thursday), Weston (5:30 p.m. Friday), Pembroke Pines (7:30 p.m. Friday), Hialeah (5 p.m. Saturday), Doral (6:30 p.m. Saturday), Miami (8 p.m. Saturday), Boca Raton (1 p.m. Sunday) and Sunrise (4 p.m. Sunday). The calendar costs $16, with $1 of every sale going to the Kelly Jo Dowd Breast Cancer Research Fund benefiting the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Every calendar includes $100 in coupons. Visit HootersFlorida.com.

FRIDAY

Visions of sugar plums: A signature of the holidays in South Florida, Miami City Ballet’s sumptuous production of “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” returns to Miami’s Arsht Center for performances through Dec. 28. Showtimes this weekend will be 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. At least one of these showings is already sold out. Tickets start at $45 at MiamiCityBallet.org.

Ebb and glow: Two of South Florida’s most popular and historic holiday boat parades return on Friday and, really, require no introduction. Now in its 63rd year, the Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce Holiday Boat Parade will depart Lake Santa Barbara at 7 p.m. for a float north to Hillsboro Boulevard, with the primo viewing stand at Miraggio Italian Grill. Visit Facebook.com/pompanobeachchamber. Also on Friday, the 53rd annual Boynton Beach Holiday Boat Parade will begin at 6 p.m. at the Boynton Harbor Marina, the official watch party location that will host live music and visits from Santa. Visit BoyntonBeachCRA.com.

Country time: Singer-songwriter Scotty McCreery, who recently scored his seventh No. 1 hit with the Hootie & The Blowfish collaboration “Bottle Rockets,” will bring country favorites including “Damn Strait,” “You Time” and “Cab in a Solo” to the Pompano Beach Amphitheater on Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $42.82 for standing room, $49.11 for seats. Remember, the Pompano Beach boat parade will be happening nearby, and navigating bridges and roads in the area will require extra time and planning. Along with tickets, the amphitheater lists helpful ideas for getting around at PompanoBeachArts.org.

Holiday drink: When the temperature drops, I am all about the hot toddy. Sometimes I just turn down the AC. Sufrat Mediterranean Grill, which has locations in Pembroke Pines, Doral and Miami Beach, serves a variation on this soothing tradition with Petra Tea ($19), a combination of pomegranate tea, tequila and honey served hot in a special Moroccan teapot. Visit SufratGrill.com.

Sweater weather: Riverside lounge The Wharf in downtown Fort Lauderdale is all dressed up for the holidays and wants you to get your Kringle on, too. On Friday beginning at 4 p.m., the annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party will give guests arriving in their best/worst sweater a free holiday cocktail with RSVP. Visit WharfFTL.com. … Gigi’s Music Cafe in Sunrise will host the Ugly Christmas Sweater Edition of their Lip Sync & Karaoke Game Night series on Friday at 7 p.m. Bring a new, unwrapped toy and get 15% off your tab. Visit Facebook.com/GigisMusicCafe. … The Carousel Club at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, home of holiday cocktail bar pop-up Miracle, will give you a free holiday shot when you wear an ugly sweater and RSVP to their Ugly Sweater Party beginning at 4 p.m. Friday. Visit CarouselClub.com.

Friday tributes: An inventive fusion of music by Pink Floyd, Talking Heads and Phish, the nationally touring band Pink Talking Fish will play two shows at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets cost $50.09 for general-admission standing room. Visit FunkyBiscuit.com. … Boynton Beach-based Billy Joel tribute Turnstiles will play Galuppi’s in Pompano Beach on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $10 for general-admission standing room. Visit Galuppis.com. … Phil Collins tribute Face Value, performing both solo music and songs from Genesis, will play Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton on Friday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets start at $24.80 for general-admission standing room. Visit CrazyUncleMikes.com.

SATURDAY

A new boat parade: The Boat Parade of the Greater Palm Beaches makes its maiden voyage on Saturday, with at least 50 boats heading out from Sailfish Marina on Singer Island at 6 p.m. We expect the captains to put this inaugural event on the map by going full Griswold on their decorations. The grand marshals will be Kevin Rolston, Virginia Sinicki and Jason Pennington, of 97.9 WRMF’s “The KVJ Show,” which could make things interesting in a “Gilligan’s Island” kind of way. A VIP viewing party will run from 4 to 8 p.m. at Sailfish Marina Resort, complete with a buffet dinner, DJ and fireworks. Cost: $75, $35 for children age 10 and younger. Visit SailfishMarina.com.

A good, old boat parade: The 54th edition of the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade will follow its distinctive 12-mile course through the tower-lined canyon of downtown Fort Lauderdale, past the glittering isles and into the Intracoastal on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. The grand marshals are R&B singer Montell Jordan (of the classic “This Is How We Do It”) and Miami artist Romero Britto, joined by former “Below Deck” star Capt. Lee Rosbach, NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, singer Ryan Cabrera and others. The official viewing area is at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park (80 Las Olas Circle), with chairs provided and music from the Shane Duncan Band. Cost: $40, $35 for children age 12 and younger. Visit WinterfestParade.com.

More seasonal favorites: Global singing star Sarah Brightman, joined by an orchestra and choir, will perform holiday classics and her greatest hits in a production called “A Winter Symphony” at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $110 at Ticketmaster.com. … Country singer Trisha Yearwood will be backed by a classical ensemble to perform music from her new album, “Christmastime,” at the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale at 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets start at $37.17 as part of a four-pack at Ticketmaster.com.

Holiday shopping: Fort Lauderdale-based Flamingo Flea hits the road on Saturday, bringing its thoughtfully curated caravan of local makers and creative types to Crazy Uncle Mike’s in Boca Raton, where dozens of vendors will set up for a holiday market on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit Facebook.com/theflamingoflea.

Homes for the holiday: In West Palm Beach, the historic Old Northwood neighborhood, founded in 1921, will host its 37th annual holiday home tour on Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. The tour will include wine, beer and small bites from local restaurants and caterers served in the homes; live music; a vendor’s market; raffles and a silent auction. General-admission tickets cost $60.54, with VIP access also available. Visit OldNorthwood.org.

More parties: Not all South Florida holiday events happen on water: The 59th annual Lake Worth Beach Holiday Parade will take place downtown on Saturday, with floats, marching bands and a variety of performers filling Lake Avenue beginning at 6 p.m. Visit Facebook.com/LakeWorthBeachPBC. … In downtown Hollywood, the Christmas Near the Beach festival will take over the ArtsPark at Young Circle from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, with live music, choirs, dancers, performers and a vendor marketplace surrounding the city’s 40-foot Christmas tree. Admission is free. Visit Facebook.com/CityOfHollywoodFL.

SUNDAY

Mike check: Pop-culture chameleon Mike Tyson’s Return of the Mike Tour — a one-man show featuring stories from the former boxing champion’s remarkable life (he can be an engaging stage presence) — comes to Hard Rock Live in Hollywood on Sunday for a performance being taped for a Netflix special. Tickets to the 7 p.m. show start at $69.55 at Ticketmaster.com.

More shopping: Indie Craft Bazaar, a favorite maker market since it arrived on the scene 16 years ago, will share the work of local creatives in a new spot on Sunday, the grand War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Holiday Park. You’ll find more than 100 vendor booths offering vintage and artisan items, free DIY maker stations, festive drinks, food, baked goods and more. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Visit IndieCraftBazaar.com. … A few blocks away, Sunny Side Up Market will celebrate its sixth anniversary with a holiday edition of the market on Sunday in the 800 block of Northeast Fourth Avenue in the MASS District. The family friendly outdoor market will take place from noon to 4 p.m. and feature dozens of vendors, holiday treats and Santa photo opportunities. They’ll also be collecting new, unwrapped toys for Broward Partnership. Visit SunnySideUpMarket.com.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell. 

‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ by Ace Atkins; Morrow; 368 pages; $30

Ace Atkins melds the spy thriller with a suburban story and a family drama in his highly entertaining “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

The novel marks a departure for Atkins, best known for his various series, including his Edgar-nominated books about Mississippi Sheriff Quinn Colson, his continuing of the late Robert B. Parker’s Spenser franchise, and his fictionalized accounts of real criminals. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is strictly a stand-alone, expanding his talent range.

As the title states, “everybody wants to rule the world” — and everyone wants to be a hero, as Atkins shows. In this case, the would-be hero is 14-year-old Peter Bennett, a voracious reader with an overactive imagination and a desire to fit in. Peter becomes convinced that his mother’s new boyfriend is a Russian spy. It’s a bit of a far-fetched idea, but in 1985 when rumors of espionage were common, it seems plausible. Peter and his mother, Connie, have moved around the country a lot for her work as a scientist, landing this time in Atlanta. Peter likes his new school and has made friends. He knows his mother dates a lot in each city, but he has misgivings about her latest. Gary Powers has an odd accent, is not in the phone book and drives a flashy car where he keeps a gun. Peter worries that Gary really is after the work his mother does for a government contractor.

Atkins digs deep into the mind of a teenager. Peter so wants to be the hero who will save his mother’s life and uncover a Russian operation. But who will believe a high school freshman? Peter tracks down his favorite writer, Dennis “Hotch” Hotchner, who once wrote about spies in suburbia but whose career is on the downslide. Finding a real spy is the jolt Hotch needs.

Atkins introduces so many characters that the first chapters of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” seem a bit disjointed. But he soon pulls the various characters together into a cohesive story that grows in suspense and intensity. His mom’s co-worker is murdered. The FBI becomes involved. And suddenly Atlanta seems overrun with Russians. These various plot points work into a fine narrative. Atkins buoys his story with numerous references to 1980s pop culture and an insider’s look at Atlanta during that era.

“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” shows Atkins at the top of his game.

Welcome back, Clare and Russ

‘At Midnight Comes the Cry: A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery’ by Julia Spencer-Fleming; Minotaur; 320 pages; $29

Community — and all the various ways in which people interact — has always been the heart of the multi-award winning series about Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne, as Julia Spencer-Fleming shows in her sumptuous and insightful novel, “At Midnight Comes the Cry.”

It’s been five years since Spencer-Fleming’s last novel about this married couple — “Hid from Our Eyes”(2020) — and the author doesn’t miss a beat in exploring those who call the small town of Millers Kill, New York, home.

In “At Midnight Comes the Cry,” Clare and Russ are about to spend their first Christmas as parents with their 8-month-old son, Ethan. They and other residents of this upstate N.Y. town have gathered to watch the annual Greenwich Tractor Parade and attend an open house in a 200-year-old Victorian house. But the festive occasion is marred when a driver, unknown to the residents, unfurls a banner that reads: “Keep America’s Christmas white.” The residents have long known white supremacists live in surrounding areas, but this hits hard.

Danger lurks when a search begins for Kevin Flynn, a former police officer in Millers Kill who has been missing from his new position in the Syracuse Police Department. Kevin had been undercover, working to ferret out a militia group operating in the Adirondacks, but hasn’t checked in with his supervisor in two months.

The search for Kevin and the investigation into the outlying communities involve Russ, who recently left his position as chief of police. Russ now must adjust to civilian life and to the limitations of being without the badge. As a civilian, Clare has a different approach with her skills. A former Blackhawk pilot, Clare is now an Episcopalian priest and in the National Guard.

Spencer-Fleming pulls together a strong, believable plot that moves briskly, despite its several subplots. The author also delivers individual looks at her large cast of characters, keeping each distinctive. Her mix of religion and adventure, professional and domestic life enhance “At Midnight Comes the Cry.”

A return to Clare and Russ and the denizens of Millers Kill is most welcome. Longtime readers will savor “At Midnight Comes the Cry,” and be eager for future outings.

By HILLEL ITALIE

Sophie Kinsella, who has died at age 55, had a special talent for characters who persevered through the most embarrassing mishaps — often of their own making.

Here are five novels that helped keep readers laughing, and relating, over the past 30 years.

“The Tennis Party” (1995)

Fellow writers could only envy Kinsella’s success, how early it came and how seemingly easy. As the author would remember, she was a 24-year-old financial journalist who, while commuting by train one day, thought to herself, “I want to have a go at this, I want to write a book.” Within two years, she was the bestselling author of “The Tennis Party,” under her real name, Madeleine Wickham.

Released in the U.S. as “40 Love,” her debut novel centered on the misadventures of a weekend tennis party and introduced readers to her conversational touch about everything from love to money to … tennis.

“They all have a lot of baggage,” the author explained on her website. “They sleep with each other, they behave very badly, drink a lot of Pimms, thrash tennis balls around, and things come to a head quite intensely.”

“The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic” (2000)

She published her first several books as Wickham, before becoming a global brand as “Sophie Kinsella.” Spurred by this first “Shopaholic” novel, millions would cheer on the hopelessly indebted financial journalist Becky Bloomwood, who helps keep the economy turning with her “investments” in clothing, household and other products.

Among the most cherished fantasies in her dreamworld: that some “dotty old woman in Cornwall” will mistakenly receive her “humongous” credit card bill and pay if off without checking the name. Becky, meanwhile, will be sent the woman’s bill for three tins of cat food, “which, naturally, I’ll pay without question.”

The 2009 film “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” based on the first two of Kinsella’s nine-novel series, starred Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.

“Can You Keep a Secret?” (2003)

As Kinsella, the novelist had a mission to get her characters in trouble. Emma Corrigan has a proper job as a marketing assistant and a proper and “heartbreakingly handsome” boyfriend. She is also prone to panic and distraction, to going about in public with her blouse unbuttoned or unleashing a spurt of soda on a client’s shirt. And she has a few secrets she would like to hold on to, whether it’s pouring orange juice on the plant of a colleague who annoys her or how she sometimes holds back laughter while having sex — “just normal, everyday little secrets.”

This book was adapted into a 2019 movie starring Alexandra Daddario and Tyler Hoechlin.

“The Undomestic Goddess”

(2005)

Her alliteratively named characters were ever fish out of water, sometimes on the driest land. Samantha Sweeting is a London lawyer who can’t take it anymore, boards a train to the countryside and finds herself working as a housekeeper, for which she has no known skills.

“I had so much fun charting Samantha’s comedy disasters in the kitchen, her battles with the ironing board, her gradual slowing down and relaxing and finding love,” the author writes on her website. “It’s a story of an uber-professional realizing there’s more to life than work, and starting to appreciate the little things.”

“Twenties Girl” (2009)

Just your typical supernatural adventure, in which 27-year-old Lara Lington is visited by the ghost of her flapper-great aunt Sadie and sent off to retrieve Sadie’s long-lost necklace. Subplots include Lara being dumped by her boyfriend and Lara wondering if she can succeed in business as a headhunter.

She also lies a lot, to her parents. Yes, her work is going great. Yes, she loved their Christmas gift. No, she doesn’t just subsist on pizza and yogurt and vodka. And so on: “Seven lies. Not including all the ones about Mum’s outfit.”

By Erica Pearson, The Minnesota Star Tribune

Kate Baer tries her best not to give people advice.

But the bestselling poet and author of the new collection “How About Now” does want to share some of what she’s been reminding herself lately.

“I think most of us, when we get into our 40s, we’ve lived enough life to know that we’re so lucky to age and that there’s a lot of people who don’t get that privilege. We don’t get a dress rehearsal for this life. It’s like, this is it,” Baer said. “Whatever you want to do, it’s time to do it now.”

Baer, who lives in rural Pennsylvania with her husband and four kids, knew she wanted to be a writer when she was 8 years old. With her 2020 debut “What Kind of Woman,” her first work of paid writing, she landed atop the New York Times bestseller list for paperback trade fiction.

Baer talked with the Minnesota Star Tribune about her new book and the precocious midlife crisis she weathered while writing it.

This conversation has been edited for space and clarity.

Q: Can we start by talking about the very end of your new book, because I love the dedication: “To anyone holding this collection in your hands wondering if there’s enough time for you: I wrote this with you in mind. You’re still here. It’s not too late. How about now?”

A: I’ve always been a late bloomer, but for the first time in my life, I was kind of ahead of the game with a midlife crisis. At the very green age of 39, it started with multiple health crises. I had a pelvic floor prolapse, and then I was referred to an ALS clinic for an influx of just crazy neurological symptoms that no one could explain. I ultimately did not have that… Basically, I was really facing my own mortality. And so, I guess, with that came this uncomfortable, but ultimately freeing, reminder that there’s only, like, one life. So, I mean, “How about now?”

Q: Reading this collection, you can tell you’re going through a lot.

A: I also had this intense need for life to slow down. I felt like entire seasons were passing me by in what felt like weeks. Like it’s Christmas, and now we’re swimming. My role as a mother was also changing … I have four kids, so I was wearing that young mommy hat for so long, and now my kids are in puberty and asking me to stay out of their hair. I just felt like so many things were happening that I wasn’t just on the path to a nervous breakdown. I was, like, at the finish line.

Q: So many of these poems are intensely personal. But then at the same time, they tap into this universal feeling of being a middle-aged woman in today’s world, where I know readers will be like, “I need to send this poem to my entire group chat right now.”

A: It’s not like I have that intention: “Now I’m going to write a poem that’s for everyone. Now I’m going to share a story about my life.” I’m glad that that’s come together like that, but I wouldn’t say that’s super intentional. But I always hope that whatever I’m writing about connects with somebody else as well.

Q: My own favorite poem in this collection, and maybe it’s because I ask people questions for a living, is “Interview with a Male Moderator at a Decorated Literary Event,” which begins with the question, “Do you ever feel that men might feel alienated from your work?” and the reply, “Do you ever feel that men are missing out on the richest parts of humanity?”

A: I have found myself in the position of answering the question that’s basically like, “How can you make this for everyone?” from a man so many times, that that’s where that poem came from. There are times where I have felt belittled by questions, like “It’s so cute you have this hobby” kind of questions or, especially from men, like, “This is so nice for your little emotions that you could talk about with your girlfriends.” And I’m just like, “But babe, I feel sorry for you. You’re the one who’s missing out.”

I have three boys. I’m married to a man. I try my hardest to help them as much as I can. But, you know, I chaperoned an eighth grade field trip last year for my son, and when we got to lunch, there was a huge difference between how the girls sat for lunch and how the boys sat for lunch. And I felt sick about it. I was like, “Thank God, I’m a girl. But like, look, boys, you can also sit in a circle and talk, right?”

Q: What is it like to be a bestselling poet living where you do, in rural Lancaster County?

A: I’m only a train ride from New York and Philadelphia, and I’m in the part of Pennsylvania that’s, like, close to things like the beach and cities. It’s very nice to go outside and no one can see me. I usually love it in a lot of ways. It also can be very isolating. I definitely live in a conservative area and because my voice is not, it is awkward, because I’m also a person living in a community, going to PTO events and going to soccer sidelines. And I try to keep my lives separate, and I also try to keep my brain and my mind open and do a lot of listening and not get up on my soap box and just try to connect with people in my community. But it is hard…

It’s very peaceful where I live in some ways, and then in other ways, it does not feel very peaceful. But then it’s like, what am I projecting? There’s this virtual world we live in, and then there’s the real world. And it’s very hard not to conflate the two.

Q: How is this collection different from your past work?

A: I think with every book, it’s like a little chapter of my life, a little sliver. I could easily see, in any book I’ve written, to page through and be like, “Oh yeah, I was still breastfeeding.” Or like, “Well, yeah, this is when parts of my body went numb, and I didn’t know why.” So I mean, for sure, it’s hard. I’m still kind of close to it, but I think it’s very reflective. My books are very personal. They all are timestamps for me, for sure.

Q: Is there a poem in this collection that is like, the most precious to you?

A: I do have some favorites. There’s a poem called “You Used to Text Me for Nudes but Now It’s Just for Information for Our Taxes.” And there’s a line at the end of that poem that says, “Lift your mouth to the horn and call me back to you.” I really write by ear. And so that just like, kind of like when you hear a chord in a song, it felt so good. That felt so right to me. And so that poem is my favorite, not really because of the whole poem, but because of those last two lines.

I felt such a feeling of pride when I wrote that, and I was like, “Oh, that’s the good part of this.” There’s so little payoff in writing. I’ve written entire novels and thrown them out. There’s so few times that I’ve gotten that feeling and so many poems that are hard, going back and editing and editing and editing, and taking out commas, and trying to find a better word. So when that happens, I really don’t forget.

©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit at startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.