Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton was all set to raise our property taxes -- again. Now, I know that the new mayor isn't responsible for the city's undeniably high property tax rates. Nonetheless, we have already been taxed immensely here in Memphis.

The city council apparently agreed and passed a resolution to stop the city from raising property taxes -- for now, at least.

The problem is, the proposed increase was going to be used to help fund Memphis City Schools. It still remains to be seen where all of that funding will come from.

Do you agree with the city council's decision to stop a tax increase? Or do you feel the funding of our schools is worth the extra 31 cents? Weigh in by voting in the poll below.

This morning after my garbage was picked up, I found a flyer on my trash can announcing the holiday schedule for next week. If you are serviced by the City of Memphis Solid Waste Management or All Star Waste Systems, your trash and recycling pick up days may be different next week. Due to the observance of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, many customers will have a pick up earlier in the week than normal. Some customers will also be affected by a schedule change the following week due to New Year's Day.

The City of Memphis website has a handy garbage pickup schedule which will show you all the changes for this holiday season, as well as holidays in the coming year. You might even want to print it out so you don't miss a trash day--especially next week when you are likely to have extra trash from wrapping paper, boxes, etc.

Photo courtesy of SXC

Beale Street is world-famous as a destination for great music. Because there is so much music available, though, it can be a daunting task to weed through the mediocre to get to the best of it.

Fortunately, About.com's contributing writer, Harmony Stewart, is an expert on Memphis nightlife. Recently, she shared her insight on the best venues on Beale Street to catch top-notch musical acts.

There are obvious spots on her list such as B.B. King's but also a couple that might surprise you. Click here to read the entire article.

When I was a kid, we got out of school each year for about two weeks beginning in the middle of December. We called this two week period Christmas Break. Today, it is politically incorrect to have a Christmas Break, so instead, most school districts will be closed for Winter Break. Call it what you want, but let's be real -- this particular break from school was made for the observance of Christmas.

It's kind of like the notion of a "Holiday Tree." Are we trying to avoid offending those that celebrate a holiday other than Christmas? My guess is that folks who don't celebrate Christmas probably also don't decorate a Christmas tree. Perhaps we should start referring to the Hanukkah Menorah as a Holiday Menorah. After all, we sure don't want to offend the people who don't celebrate Hanukkah.

But enough of my soap box. Back to Winter Break. Memphis City students will begin their break on Friday the 18th. DeSoto County students will kick off their break on the 18th with a 60% day. Tipton County students will begin their break with an 11:30 dismissal on the 18th. Shelby County students will begin their break on Monday the 21st. For a complete list of dates, check out these school calendars.

Without a doubt, The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies of all time. I have loved it from the time I was a very young child and I have since introduced my own children to it.

That's why I was super excited to learn that the Broadway version of The Wizard of Oz is coming to the Orpheum Theatre soon. I have never seen a live production of it before but I've been reading rave reviews about it. I did get to see The Wiz live on stage a number of years ago and I saw the movie version of The Wizard of Oz at the Orpheum once but I suspect this will be a different experience entirely.

If you want to check it out for yourself, the production will be on stage at the Orpheum Theatre from December 15-20, 2009. Tickets start at just $10. For more information, check out the Orpheum Theatre's website.

I know, I know. It's not even Christmas yet and here I am talking about New Year's Eve. The thing is, some of us have to start making our New Year's Eve plans well in advance. Do you know how hard it is to find a babysitter for December 31st? On top of that, some New Year's events book up fast so it's important to make reservations early.

With those things in mind, here is a listing of Memphis area New Year's Eve events with something for almost everyone. There is a New Year's Zoo Snooze just for the kids, the Countdown on Beale Street for those who love to party, a huge double bash at the Peabody, and lots more. If I have missed one, please leave a comment below and let us all know about it.

Photo by Ryan McVay / Getty Images

On the day before Thanksgiving, my husband was off of work and we were looking for something to do. Specifically, we were looking for something to entertain our two children. Believe me, that's a tall order. We finally settled on a visit to the Enchanted Forest at the Pink Palace and suggested the destination to our three year old. He was thrilled. Granted, I'm pretty sure he had visions of a trek through a real snow covered forest, but he was game and that was all the encouragement we needed.

We when arrived at the museum, our son was momentarily disappointed to find that we were going inside when he was clearly expecting a walk in the woods, but he was soon distracted by the magnificently decorated Christmas trees decking the halls outside the entrance to the forest. Once we entered the forest, of course, all disappointment vanished as our son, and even our baby girl, were mesmerized by the cheery animated creatures, the artificial snow, and the Christmas music. As if all of that wasn't enough, we finished our journey with a visit with Santa Claus.

If you haven't made it out to the Enchanted Forest yet this season, you can check out this photo tour to see what you've been missing.

Since I've had kids, 11:00 p.m. constitutes a late night for me. I can't tell you the last time I was up past midnight and it's been years since I've been down on Beale in the early hours of the morning.

Fortunately, About.com's contributing writer, Harmony Stewart, knows all the ins and outs of late night in Memphis. Recently, Harmony wrote about the best places to eat late on Beale Street and beyond. So if you're in search of a fourth meal, check out one of the joints on her list.

You won't see me, there, of course. I'll be sleeping peacefully until the crack of dawn when my children wake me up for their first meal.

Photo by flickr.com user djsubotage, Creative Commons license

Growing up, I eagerly awaited the airing of my favorite Christmas specials each December. My absolute favorite was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and it just didn't seem like Christmas until I had watched it. If I missed it, I was devastated. These days, though, with hundreds of channels available, it is easier than ever to tune into your favorite Christmas show or movie. Nonetheless, not everyone has cable or satellite and for those that do, it is easy to overlook a particular program when you have so many to choose from. With that in mind, here is a run-down on Christmas programming over the next few days:

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas--Monday, 7:00 p.m. Central, ABC (Channel 24)
• A Charlie Brown Christmas--Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.Central, ABC (Channel 24)
• Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer --Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. Central, CBS (Channel 3)

If you want to keep up with the Christmas specials all month long, check out this Christmas specials calendar. Please note that the times listed on the calendar are in the Eastern time zone.

Like we do every year, my family will be traveling to Nashville for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's a reasonably short drive and is usually uneventful.

I read with dismay, though, that there are more traffic fatalities on Thanksgiving Day than on any other day of the year. According to an article from Forbes.com, there were 502 fatalities on Thanksgiving of last year while on a typical day, there are only 102.

This statistic surprised me as I would have expected New Year's Eve or Independence Day to top the list. Even more surprising to me was that alcohol accounts for a large portion of the fatal crashes.

Do that many people really get drunk on Thanksgiving?

Whether you drink or not, stay safe on the roads this holiday weekend. And if you have had too much to drink, get a ride from a friend, call a cab, or just stay where you are. There's too much at stake when you get behind the wheel.