🥊 Celebrate Rocky Day with Sylvester Stallone | Things to Do

Hey friends!

I’m still sleepy from all the food I ate last week, from rice and beans to collard greens, though we had no roast turkey on my table (and I didn’t complain). What’s the best dish you cooked or tasted for the holiday? Let me know!

This weekend, celebrate the city’s new official Rocky Day, catch the tree lighting ceremony at City Hall, find the best holiday markets, and see some incredible holiday light displays around the city.

— Rosa Cartagena (@_RosaCartagena, Email me at thingstodo@inquirer.com)

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Sylvester Stallone will be in town this weekend for the first-ever holiday to celebrate the legendary movie franchise. On Sunday morning, the actor will attend the official Rocky Day declaration — which Stallone actually pitched to Mayor Jim Kenney some years ago — along with the opening of the new Rocky Shop next to the PMA steps. December 3, the date when the first film was released in 1976, will henceforth be Rocky Day.

🌟 Tree topper: Tonight is the official tree lighting ceremony at City Hall, featuring a performance by Jordin Sparks (and lots of road closures). This Saturday, the party will continue with the Philly Holiday Parade. Here’s everything you need to know.

🌎 Writing on the walls: New murals across the city address climate change, poverty, and other goals related to global sustainability. More than a dozen murals were commissioned by the Global Philadelphia Association and the latest, at the School of the Future in West Philly, was unveiled this week.

🎶 What’s on your Spotify Wrapped?: If you’re too embarrassed to share your own results, see what songs and artists Philadelphians loved the most this year.

🛍️ Find the perfect gift: If you’re embarking on holiday shopping, I wish you luck! And we’ve also got you covered. Here’s a list of local gift shops and boutiques full of amazing finds, from craft jewelry to Philly pride swag.

🌲 Chop your own tree: Getting one in a box just isn’t the same. If you’re passionate about bringing in a real Christmas tree this season, there are plenty of farms in the region where you can get the freshest firs and spruces.

🎁 Give the gift of Philly: Not everyone is lucky enough to live here. For those of us who want to share great Philly foods with loved ones who live far away, here’s a roundup of the local treats that ship nationwide.

🌟 Lights up: As December kicks off, there are tons of amazing holiday light shows to see throughout the Philly area. From Miracle on South 13th Street to Historic Holidays in Old City, we rounded up the best holiday light shows in town.

🍽️ Restaurant recs at your fingertips: The Inquirer just released an interactive food map that will transform how you find your next meal. The map shows all of our recommended restaurants to help you make those difficult hungry decisions, from date spots to ice cream shops.

📅 My calendar picks this week: Hear fresh verses at Philly Pigeon: The Late(ish) Poetry Show, catch some laughs at The Biggest Little Comedy Show, and enjoy art with live music at the Barnes’ First Friday with Laurin Talese.

It’s the best time of year to catch up on buzzy movies and if you’re looking for recommendations, I’d suggest catching some of the amazing Philly-raised talent on screen. Here’s a short list:

🎥 Colman Domingo in Rustin (out now on Netflix) and The Color Purple (out Dec. 25). In his first lead role, the West Philly native stars in the biopic of Bayard Rustin, the West Chester-raised civil rights legend who was overlooked in history books because he was gay. Domingo tackles a very different role in the remake of the classic Steven Spielberg film as the cruel and violent Mister.

🎥 Da’Vine Joy Randolph in The Holdovers. You might’ve missed this film when it came out earlier this fall, but Randolph is an unforgettable force in this college-set dramedy and her performance may land her an Oscar nod. (She also makes a brief cameo in Rustin as the inimitable Mahalia Jackson.)

🎥 Erika Alexander in American Fiction (out Dec. 15). The Living Single actor plays a lawyer once again, but this time she’s dating a novelist, played by Jeffrey Wright, going through a crisis in this bitingly funny satire about racism in the publishing industry.

🛍️ Holiday shopping: There are so many holiday markets open right now, from Christmas Village to Christkindlmarkt to Tinseltown Holiday Spectacular’s Mistletoe Marketplace. If you’re gift shopping or just looking for a festive activity, here are 19 holiday markets you can explore.

🥂 Drinking decor: Bright lights aren’t just for holiday markets or Christmas displays — of course, local bars are getting into the merry mood, too. Catch the fun decorations at Uptown Beer Garden, Rouge, Butcher Bar, Harry’s Jingle Bar, and other bars and restaurants in and around Philly.

🌲 Knock, knock: It’s your Christmas tree delivery! Not kidding. For folks who are already too cold to leave their couches, fresh tree delivery is a real thing; here’s what you need to know.

🎁 Local holiday traditions: What are the strangest Philly-specific traditions this season? I’m new here so I’m still learning, but we’ve got a list of a dozen weird things to see and do to ring in the holidays in Philadelphia.

🎥 One less big screen: The Franklin Institute is keeping its IMAX theater closed for good. The only IMAX screen in Center City closed in 2020 and now we know it won’t ever reopen again.

🎄 See what it takes: Meet Dan Uszaki, the Christmas lights enthusiast who organized Glow, a strip of synchronized holiday lights, carnival rides, and huge cut-outs in South Jersey. There are more than 3.5 million lights on display.

How many steps did Rocky run up in his now-iconic scene at the Philadelphia Museum of Art stairs?

A) 25

B) 72

C) 103

D) 84

📮 To let me know which of the above is correct, write me back.

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This week, I’ve been (re)watching a bunch of movies for an upcoming Inquirer story in which we’ll rank the 50 best Philadelphia films. No spoilers here but my list includes some Denzel Washington classics...stay tuned!