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Last night Chinatown ushered in the Year of the Dragon with a midnight parade featuring traditional lion dancers, music, food and more. (Photo by J. Kaczmarek for GPTMC)

Last night was the official Chinese New Year’s Eve celebration in Chinatown, ushering in the Lunar New Year at midnight with a Lion Dance Parade, fireworks and more.

As evidenced above, the streets were alive with costumes and music in a vibrant cultural parallel to Philadelphia’s annual New Year’s Mummers Parade.

And there’s lots more Chinese New Year festivities where that came from; check out our guide to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation 46th Anniversary Chinese New Year festivities [PCDC]

Celebrate the holiday with a trip to the beautifully adorned Love Park Christmas Tree, a wonderful representation of Philadelphia's city-wide holiday cheer. (Photo by M. Fischetti for GPTMC)

A very, very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from uwishunu!

You can reference our Christmas edition of Weekend Picks for ideas about how to celebrate, whether you’re looking for places to dine or holiday attractions to enjoy with friends and family.

Here’s to a happy and healthy holiday to all our readers!

It's officially winter, and although we have yet to experience the season's first substantial snowstorm, it's sure to be around the corner. Good thing Philadelphia shines just as brightly in the icy months. (Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)

Today, December 22, is the first official day of winter.

Though the wind chill factor has been a little erratic, there have definitely been days in recent weeks that have felt like straight-up Philadelphia winter.

Rest assured we’ll be helping you out all season long with tips on staying warm with hot drinks, where to dine by the fireside, what to do indoors when it’s snowing out and more.

Happy Winter!

Winter Events [Visit Philly]

Even the Phillie Phanatic can't resist the Comcast Holiday Spectacular. He stopped by yesterday to help conduct the popular holiday attraction and to surprise some special guests from a local elementary school. (Photo by Joseph Kaczmarek courtesy Comcast Center)

The Comcast Center Holiday Spectacular is a holiday spectacle like no other.

Displayed on the state-of-the-art Comcast Experience HD Video Wall at The Comcast Center — at 2,100 square feet the largest four-millimeter LED screen in the world — the 15-minute show includes stunning imagery paired with classic holiday songs.

The Phillie Phanatic himself stopped by the Comcast Center yesterday to catch a showing of the popular holiday attraction and to spend some quality time with the show’s audience, a group of children from Philadelphia’s Fairhill Elementary School as they were taking part in a workplace mentoring program that Comcast sponsors.

If the Phanatic’s endorsement isn’t enough to get you over there and see the show yourself, we don’t know what will be.

Check out another photo of the Phanatic and his fans, below.

Comcast Center Holiday Spectacular
When: Through New Year’s Day, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. (except 5 p.m. on weekdays) every hour on the hour, seven days a week
Where: 1701 JFK Boulevard
Cost: Free
More info: www.visitphilly.com

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The Comcast Center Holiday Spectacular went meta this afternoon as dancers from the Pennsylvania Ballet who perform in the video converged in front of the HD video wall for a flash dance. (Photo by Joseph Kaczmarek courtesy Comcast Center)

The Comcast Center Holiday Spectacular, a Philadelphia holiday favorite, includes new and enchanting scenes from George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker performed by the renowned Pennsylvania Ballet, filmed this past October.

The dancers themselves made a surprise appearance at the Comcast Center this afternoon, providing viewers twice the holiday fun. Check out the video, below, of the impromptu performance, as well as another photo.

Comcast Center Holiday Spectacular
When: Now through New Year’s Day, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. (except 5 p.m. on weekdays) every hour on the hour, seven days a week
Where: 1701 JFK Boulevard
Cost: Free
More info: www.visitphilly.com

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Happy Thanksgiving from uwishunu! Start the day off with the country's oldest Thanksgiving Parade, then enjoy a delicious feast with friends and family. (Credit: Getty Images)

It’s finally here: that one day of the year it’s socially acceptable, if not encouraged, to positively stuff yourself with stuffing.

Enjoy your feast, be it at one of Philadelphia’s fine restaurants or in a warm home; enjoy the company; and enjoy the kick-off of a wonderful holiday season in Philadelphia.

Be sure to take in today’s 92nd Annual Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade; all the details are right here.

Bonus: look for the Dunkin’ Donuts sampling truck for free samples of Hot Coffee, Mint Hot Chocolate and Pumpkin Hot Coffee!

Happy Thanksgiving from uwishunu!

2011 Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade
When: Thursday, November 25, begins at 8:30 a.m and ends around noon
Where: begins at 20th Street and JFK Boulevard and ends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Cost: Free!
More info: www.dig.abclocal.go.com

Zoo visitors will finally be able to see the painfully adorable snow leopard cubs first-hand. (Photo courtesy Philadelphia Zoo)

This past summer, the Philadelphia Zoo welcomed two snow leopard cubs to its growing animal family.

The cubs were born to Maya, the zoo’s 3-year-old female snow leopard, and Amga, the zoo’s 5-year-old male snow leopard. This is the very first litter for both cats.

Even cooler: the cubs are the first snow leopards ever born at the Philadelphia Zoo and in the First Niagara Big Cat Falls exhibit, continuing the zoo’s successful breeding of big cats.

And they make their official public debut today!

The cubs’ debut was delayed because they had minor surgery to correct eyelid abnormalities in October. The cubs have otherwise developed well, playing, eating, running and jumping normally.

Zoo Members can see them at 8:30 on Friday and Saturday morning as staff opens the zoo early for a members-only first look. After that, all zoo visitors can see the cubs first-hand.

This birth is a huge contribution to the endangered snow leopard population in the U.S., representative of the zoo’s concerted conservation efforts. The Philadelphia Zoo also supports snow leopards by its involvement with the Snow Leopard Trust.

Philadelphia Zoo
3400 W. Girard Avenue
www.philadelphiazoo.org

Previously: The Philadelphia Zoo Welcomes Two Snow Leopard Cubs, The First Ever Born At The Zoo

"Smoking" Joe Frazier's illustrious career is commemorated alongside his peers Ali, Foreman and Holmes in a mural by Dave McShane at Philadelphia's historic boxing landmark, The Blue Horizon on Broad Street in North Philadelphia. (Photo by Kevin Slattery courtesy Mural Arts Program)

Boxing legend and former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier passed away yesterday at the age of 67. Widely considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, the boxing legacy of “Smoking” Joe Frazier will always be tied to that of Muhammad Ali’s, as the two battled in three of the most legendary boxing matches to date.

After moving to Philadelphia at 15 years old, Frazier never left and became one of the city’s most recognizable athletes, as well as an active and visible member of the community, operating Joe Frazier’s Gym in North Philadelphia for decades.

Joe Frazier embodied the spirit of Philadelphia, rising to every occasion even when seemingly outmatched and counted out. He will be missed but his legacy, both in and out of the ring, will continue to live on.

A Joe Frazier Retrospective [Philly.com]
A Champion Who Won Inside the Ring and Out [The New York Times]

From Linvilla Orchards' PumpkinLand to Eastern State Penitentiary's Terror Behind the Walls to a special Halloween-themed performance of Act II Playhouse's 'Irma Vep' tonight, there's something for everyone to celebrate the spookiest day of the year.
(Photo credits, clockwise from top left: courtesy Linvilla Orchards, Sesame Place, Eastern State Penitentiary and Laurel Hill Cemetery)

Happy Halloween, Philadelphia!

Check out our guide to where to celebrate today and tonight, if you didn’t get your tricking and treating out of your system this past weekend.

And don’t forget you can still enter our Terror Behind the Walls & London Grill giveaway, through Wednesday, November 2.

Halloween in Philadelphia Itinerary [Visit Philly]

The playoff-bound Philadelphia Union let the champagne flow after they clinched their first MLS playoff appearance this Saturday. (Photos courtesy Philadelphia Union)

The Philadelphia Union are playoff-bound!

Saturday’s 1-1 draw vs. Toronto FC in front of a record crowd of 19,178 extended Philadelphia’s unbeaten streak to eight, the longest in club history.

The team secured a playoff spot in only their second season in the MLS when the Red Bulls fell to Sporting Kansas City simultaneously. You know what that means: don the navy blue and gold and get ready for the MLS Playoffs!

Tickets for potential 2011 MLS Cup playoff matches at PPL Park are on sale now; you can purchase tickets to Home Game 1, Home Game 2 or both.

Go Union! DOOP!

Recap: Union draw TFC 1-1, clinch first postseason berth [Philadelphia Union]