How do you keep the Christmas spirit alive for a quarter-century? We asked the area’s defi nitive Santa 8
Give a Walk/Hike/Ride to Remember 12 College Bowl Guide: The Games to Catch 10
DECEMBER 22, 2013 | A PUBLICATION OF TWP | READEXPRESS.COM | @WAPOEXPRESSTEDDY WOLFF (FOR EXPRESS)
ClausCeleb
2 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3
Your Best Shot | Submitted by Mike Silva of Washington
Want to see your pic in print? Submit your
best shot by joining our Flickr pool at flickr.com/
groups/wapoexpress. Share a photo from the
Washington region, and it could appear here.
eye openers
GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT: A gumdrop ski lift operates on the frosting-covered
slopes of “Gingertown,” a 5-foot-by-14-foot gingerbread city created Dec. 4 by local
architects, engineers, construction companies and real estate firms to raise money
for charity. The eighth annual event was hosted by David M. Schwarz Architects.
AMATEURS
MacGyver Feels ThreatenedKaren Perrin of Clinton, Md., spent eight hours locked
in a D.C. office bathroom without a cellphone on a Fri-
day night earlier this month, Fox5 reported. She shoved
paper towels under the door hoping to get security’s
attention and tried to set herself free by battering the
lock with a chair, to no avail. The door handle eventual-
ly broke off, and she used it to chisel a hole in the wall.
Perrin reached through and unlocked the door from the
outside. It was not known how the door got locked.
STORM NECESSITIES
Milk, Bread, Toilet Paper, Batteries, Not Ravens TicketsAlthough the Ravens have had a better season than
their D.C. counterparts, fans still had trouble unloading
their unwanted tickets to the Dec. 8 game, which coin-
cided with the region’s first sizeable winter storm. Bal-
timore Business Journal reported tickets on StubHub
selling for as low as $4.
SCOTS
‘Luke, Ah Am Yer Faither’Old Town Alexandria hosted the 43rd annual Scot-
tish Christmas Walk this month. While most partici-
pants showed up in kilts to listen to the bagpipers, one
marcher went in an unexpected direction — he came
dressed up like Darth Vader, Old Town Alexandria
Patch reported. He did not specify which side of King
Street is the dark one. (EXPRESS)
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1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 3
for what it’s worthT HE NE W S ,
A L I T T L E
ASKE W
For What It’s Worth is produced by Marissa Payne and Rachel Sadon. Have suggestions for the page? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us @WaPoExpress.
FACT CHECK
Homing In On Home Rule
The District’s mayoral race kicked
into high gear this month, with
almost a quarter of the D.C. Council
and a prominent restaurateur among the candidates. Mayor
Vincent Gray, long in the shadow of a federal investigation into
his 2010 race, is also in the running. It feels like D.C.’s had a
scandal-entangled mayor FOREVER. Doesn’t it?
THE MYTH: The District of Columbia has always
had a mayor to cut ribbons, veto laws and fight
with Congress over voting rights.
REALITY: Gray is only the seventh mayor since
D.C. was granted “home rule” 40 years ago
this Tuesday. Congress passed an act on Dec.
24, 1973, that gave the city a mayor and the
13-member D.C. Council. Before that, D.C. had
several different forms of government, as locals
won incremental steps toward self-governance.
69%The amount of dinner
reservations made in D.C. through an
online service, such as OpenTable, according to
a recent Zagat survey. The District beat out
both San Francisco and Boston, where 68 percent and
66 percent, respectively, of dinner rezzies were
made online.
DYE HARD
Painting the Town Radiant Orchid
Each December, Pantone announces
the color of the coming year. After
hearing that 2014’s official color
was Radiant Orchid, “an enchanting
harmony of fuchsia, purple and
pink,” our noggins filled with ideas
for D.C. icons that would look great
in the hue.
Supreme Court justice robes: Yes,
the law is a serious matter, but court
proceedings shouldn’t seem like a
funeral. Let’s brighten ’em up.
Joe Biden’s hair: The vice
president certainly has the
personality to pull off a wild
look. Plus, Radiant Orchid’s cool
undertones would bring out Joe’s
pearly whites even more.
Bao Bao: We’d never advocate a full
dip-dye for the area’s most famous
zooborn, but the little lady could add
a tad technicolor with some hair bows.
Capitol dome: Since it’s going to be
under repair for the next two years
anyway, why not make the iconic
building a bit more … radiant?
CORRECTIONS: The cover story “Near and
Dear” on page 6 in the Dec. 1 edition gave the
incorrect spelling of Cary Eldred’s name. The
story also gave the incorrect maker of a clay
tray — it is made by Le Penny J — and incor-
rectly said that Bob’s Best Quality Easy-as-
Pie Apple Pie Mix requires wet ingredients.
GOOGLES OF THE YEAR
D.C.’s Surprising SearchesWhen it comes to getting around online, many of us rely on Google. But if you thought that time you Googled “what is twerking?”
would fade into the ether, never to return — think again. Google knows all! The company released its highest-trending searches of
2013 this week, broken down by region, and some of the items the D.C. area Googled — and didn’t — are a bit surprising.
No locals made it into
the region’s top-trending
searches for people. The
list was mostly made
up of celebrities such as
Lil’ Wayne and Amanda
Bynes, with a few high-
profile people from 2013’s
top news stories, including
Trayvon Martin, Jodi Arias
and the royal baby.
Apparently, the region
needed a primer on the
year’s most talked-about
dance move; “What is
twerking?” topped the
list of trending “What is”
searches. “What is ricin?”
came in second.
(Pair at your own risk.) Although the region is filled
with millennials ready
to mingle, “how to flirt”
managed to take the No. 3
spot in “how to” searches
(the first flirt search result
features illustrated tips
like the one above). This
followed searches for “how
to screenshot” and “how to
wop,” another dance move.
WIK
IHO
W
The area’s film preferences
are a little lower brow, er,
we mean more adventure-
driven than one might think
in a region with so many
college graduates. Topping
the list of top-trending
films are “Iron Man 3,” “Man of Steel” and — wait
for it — “Sharknado.”
Perhaps the biggest
surprise of all was the utter
lack of Redskins trends.
RGIII, Mike Shanahan, Dan
Snyder —even the team
name — failed to make a
dent in the Top 10 searches
in any of the categories.
Maybe that will make it
easier to erase the team’s
dismal season from our
collective memory.Miley
Cyrus, twerk
results
4 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3
Mo Willems is the kind of children’s author who writes books parents can tolerate up to and beyond 1,598 readings. Best known for the Knuffle Bunny, Elephant & Piggie, and Pigeon series, Willems is now on his second theatrical collaboration with the Kennedy Center. “Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play!” brings pachyderm Gerald and his porcine BFF to the stage in a vaudeville-style musical.
Did watching these characters
come alive bring some shading to
them that you didn’t expect?
You’ve got to be a little bit care-
ful — I get a little prickly when
someone says this show “brings
the characters to life.” They are
in books. There is no medium
more alive.
Oh. Sorry.
Now, what is interesting about
doing a play is I have less
control. I wrote these lines
and they are going to be
read in a different way
than I have intended. I’m
getting this wonderful
insight that I didn’t
have when the words
were just in my head.
But that can happen
any time anyone reads
the books. I probably read them
to my son differently than you
intended.
Yes, but I’m not in the room with
you. Because that would be creepy.
That’s true.
When a book is read, there are
many different ways to read it.
But these actors aren’t reading it
in the moment — they’ve brought
a lot of thought and consideration
to the lines.
Is there anything, though, in
writing the show that gave
you something new to do
with the characters?
To be able to see them and
write them for longer peri-
ods of time, using longer
words was a real joy. In
each of the books I’m
very careful to only use
40-50 unique words.
Here I got to use mul-
tiple syllables, which I
never get to do in the
books.
Can you talk a little bit about
Gerald and Piggie’s relationship?
Every Elephant & Piggie book is
about two friends blowing it —
messing up their friendship in some
way and then having to rebuild it
and being stronger in some way.
And the show encompasses a
bunch of the books?
I see it as a series of existential cri-
ses that continue to build. But for
kiddies! KRISTEN PAGE-KIRBY (EXPRESS)
MO WILLEMSCHILDREN’S AUTHOR, PLAYWRIGHT
“I get a little prickly when someone says this show ‘brings the characters to life.’ They are in books. There is no medium more alive.”
Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; through Dec. 31, $29; 202-467-4600, kennedy-center.org. (Foggy Bottom)
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FW is Washington’s own high-end and cheeky fashion magazine. We’re notto be missed. Find us wherever style and fashion happen.
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12.22-12.28THE BEST THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK | COMPILED BY EXPRESS STAFF
TUESDAY
‘Good for the Jews’Rolling Stone contributor Rob
Tannenbaum, below left, and
The Rosenbergs singer David
Fagin, below right, team up on
“Good for Jews,” their
annual comedy and
music celebration
for those who don’t
celebrate
MONDAY
‘Messiah’ Sing-AlongThis is Handel’s “Messiah” for
the maximalist: 2,400 singers
in the audience plus a stage
sagging under the weight of a
full orchestra and hundreds of
Washington-area choristers.
And they sing the whole dang
thing, all 100 minutes of it. Just
note that while the show is free,
tickets are still required and will
be distributed (two per person)
in the Hall of Nations starting
at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; Mon., 8 p.m., free; 202-467-4600, kennedy-center.org. (Foggy Bottom)
TUESDAY
Water-Skiing SantaFor the 28th year in a row, St.
Nick is hitting the banks of the
Potomac River to get his ski
on — water-ski, that is. Water-
Skiing Santa, a D.C.-area holiday
tradition unlike any other, is
best seen from the grounds
of National Harbor, near the
Wilson Bridge. He’ll be joined
by his Kneeboarding Reindeer,
the Flying Elves, the Jet-Skiing
Grinch and Frosty the Snowman,
in a dinghy. It all gets going at
1 p.m., rain, snow or shine.
National Harbor, 165 Waterfront St., National Harbor, Md.; Tue., 1 p.m., free; 571-385-2929, waterskiingsanta.com.
MA
TT
McC
LA
IN (
TH
E W
AS
HIN
GT
ON
PO
ST
)
Christmas (those who do observe
the holiday are still welcome).
Expect plenty of kvetching and
songs with titles like “They Tried
to Kill Us. We Survived. Let’s
Eat.” and “It’s Good to Be a Jew
at Christmas.” Jammin’ Java, 227 Maple Ave. E., Vienna; Tue., 7 p.m., $20;
703-255-1566, jamminjava.com.
‘A Very Awesome Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! Holiday Show’The characters on “Yo Gabba Gabba!” leap out of the television and on to a Baltimore stage for “A Very Awesome Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! Holiday Show,” the Nick Jr. series’ fourth live tour. DJ Lance Rock and rapper Biz Markie are part of the event, which runs 80 minutes — just long enough to tucker out the younger audience members the show is aimed at. Baltimore Arena, 201 West Baltimore St., Baltimore; Fri., 2 & 5:30 p.m., $27-$44; 410-347-2020, baltimorearena.com.
FRIDAY
YO
GA
BB
A G
AB
BA
!
OPENS WEDNESDAY
‘Flashdance — The Musical’“Flashdance” was arguably the
“Showgirls” of the ’80s — reviled
by critics, beloved of audiences
who reveled in its cheesy sexiness
and bad dialogue. The not-quite-
a-jukebox-musical adaptation has
hits from the original (“Maniac,”
“What a Feeling”) and original
songs. It also has the memorable
scene where heroine Alex, the
steel-mill welder who wants to
dance, gets drenched. Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; Wed.-Jan. 19, $45-$150; 202-467-4600, kennedy-center.org. (Foggy Bottom)
FRIDAY
CommonFox News declared Common
Public Enemy No. 1 in 2011 when
he received an invite to the White
House, citing his supposedly
profane lyrics. But Common is
actually one of the most tame,
socially conscious rappers in
the game. One listen to his most
recent album, “The Dreamer/
The Believer,” would prove that.
He’s also a gifted actor, who has
spent three seasons playing Elam
Ferguson on the AMC railroad
drama “Hell on Wheels.” Fillmore, 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring; Fri., 8 p.m., $39.50; 301-960-9999, fi llmoresilverspring.com.(Silver Spring)
TAKETHE KIDS
‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’Idris Elba, below, stars as the
late Nelson Mandela in this
biopic about Mandela’s journey to
becoming the first democratically
elected president of South Africa.
‘Her’Joaquin Phoenix plays a lonely
writer who falls in love with a
computer operating system voiced
by Scarlett Johansson in director
Spike Jonze’s fourth feature.
‘The Wolf of Wall Street’After he sat out “Hugo,” Leonardo
DiCaprio, above, is back at work
with his favorite director, Martin
Scorsese, for this black comedy
about the rise and fall of a New
York stockbroker.
‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’Based on a short story that first
appeared in the New Yorker in
1939 (!), this film stars Ben Stiller
as a daydreaming photo archivist
at a near-defunct Life magazine
who must travel the world in
search of a missing negative.
WEDNESDAY
In Theaters
JE
RE
MY
DA
NIE
L
8 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3
cover story
For two generations of Washing-
tonians, “the real Santa” has been
the one at Tysons Corner Center,
a role owned by a man named
Michael Graham since 1989.
Graham, 56, spends most of
the year working as a carpenter in
Kodak, Tenn. He has an authen-
tic white beard, which he keeps
year-round, and ruddy cheeks.
His belly is large. You wouldn’t be
surprised at all if it could shake
like a bowl full of jelly.
He laughs easily — though it’s
more of a giggle than a ho-ho-ho
— and his speech is peppered with
exclamations of wonder, usually
“Wow!” or “Oh, my word!”
It turns out that a quarter-cen-
tury as Santa gives you a starring
role in strangers’ lives. Photos of
Graham appear in family albums
‘This is the real Santa.’
Elijah Stewart, 5, has just met Santa at the mall. The two didn’t even talk about what Elijah wanted for Christmas (Elijah
opted not to impart this information, for reasons known only to himself). They just chatted like old friends. ¶ “He felt very comfortable with Santa, which is always the catch and the
kicker. He’s very believable,” says Elijah’s dad, Victor Stewart. According to Elijah, Stewart added:
STORY BY BETH MARLOWE | PHOTOS BY TEDDY WOLFF
or dot the walls of people’s homes.
“I’m with them at their house all
the time, so they just treat me like
I’m part of the family,” he says.
He’s in so many photos that a
McLean pediatrician once waited
in line for three hours — without a
kid — just to meet him. The doctor
had a board in his office where he
put photos his patients sent him
around the holidays. He told Gra-
ham, “I’ve got several hundred up
on this board and over 95 percent
of all these pictures are of you.”
Michael Graham has spent two decades as Santa Claus at Tysons Corner Center. The beard is real, and he keeps it year-round — but has to bleach it.
Hang Out With Santa: Tysons Corner Center,
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1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 9
cover story
With that kind of market sat-
uration, it makes sense that Gra-
ham is starting to meet the chil-
dren of the children who once sat
on his lap.
He recalls meeting four gen-
erations of one particular family,
starting out with a woman and her
daughter and ending up with the
woman, her daughter, her grand-
child and her great-grandchild.
When they came to see him
two years ago, they brought pho-
tos of their great-grandmother.
“They said, ‘We just wanted to let
you know that Grandma passed
away,’ ” Graham says. They told
him how much joy he’d given
her during her life. “And I just
thought, ‘What a great honor that
is,’ ” he says.
It’s not just kids who want to
see Santa. A young man once pro-
posed to his girlfriend while she
was sitting on Graham’s knee.
(She said yes.) And an elderly
man brought an urn containing
the ashes of his brother, who had
loved visiting other Santas dur-
ing his life, to be photographed
on Graham’s lap.
Sometimes, kids ask Gra-
ham for things that can’t be
given. “Your heart breaks for ’em,
because they don’t want anything
else. They just want Mommy or
Daddy, or they want them back
together,” he says. “I say, ‘I know
that’s hard, but you know what,
Mommy or Daddy, they want you
to continue on and do the best
that you can do.’ ”
It was 28 Christmases ago
that Graham was asked to fill in
as Santa in a Gatlinburg, Tenn.,
Christmas parade (he’d been
helping to build the f loats). “I
thought, ‘Sure, I’ll help out,’ ” he
says. The next year he signed up
with a photo company that was
looking for Santas.
He bleached his black hair
and beard a snowy white. But did
he look like Santa at 30? “Not as
much as I do now!” he says.
After working in Nashville,
Tenn., and Tuscaloosa, Ala., the
company told him they had an
opening at a mall in the D.C. area
called Tysons Corner.
Toward the end of that sea-
son, mall managers showed Gra-
ham the stacks of positive com-
ment cards visitors had written
about him. They asked him to
come back the next year.
Graham is still at Tysons. He
usually stays in corporate housing,
though this year he’s lodging with
a friend. His wife joins him, and
when his three kids were young-
er, they did, too. “They would go
to the Smithsonian,” he says. “It’s
a perfect place to bring your kids
to learn a lot and bring something
back to share with the class.”
His kids still come up for a
week or so each year and bring
their own kids to sit on his lap.
Back home, Graham keeps
photos and other mementos chil-
dren have given him over the
years in “a room, like an office,
that looks like Christmas explod-
ed in it.”
Graham gets a lot of little gifts
from the children who come to see
him. It’s no wonder. Any parent
who’s taken a child to Tysons at
Christmas will tell you that Gra-
ham has a knack with kids. He’s
always holding tiny babies —
the youngest was 1 day old. “Par-
ents trust me to hold their pre-
cious cargo!” he says. “I mean,
my word!”
“She didn’t cry for the first
time,” Kenjewel McCullough, 34,
says of daughter Lea’naisa John-
son, 4. They tried to get a photo
with Santa at another mall last
Christmas, but Lea’naisa was too
scared. This year, “she was happy,
she was excited,” McCullough says.
“He called her ‘princess,’ the favor-
ite word she likes to be called.”
The key to Graham’s rapport
with kids, he says, is “looking
them in the eyes and giving them
that one-on-one time. They’ve got
your undivided attention, and
that’s what it’s all about.”
“The gifts change just because
of the technology and the media,
but the kids are the same,” he says.
“They’re just full of the wide-eyed
wonder of Christmas.”
So is he.
Patricia Boxwell, 79, left, and Richard Boxwell, 81, have been visiting Santa for the past 28 years, often at Tysons.
All for a Good Claus Taking your kid to see Santa can
be trying for parents. We asked
the man himself for some tips on
making the experience joyful.
Go on a weekday. “There’s not nearly as many people,” Graham says.
Go in the morning. “The children are fresh and ready to go,” Graham says. “And the parents are going to be that much better as well.”
Play it up. Talk to your kids about what they’re going to do and how exciting it is. Get them started thinking about what they’ll tell Santa they want for Christmas. “Make it a big positive thing, so they anticipate the special time,” he says. B.M.
Photos of Graham appear in family albums or dot the walls of people’s homes. “I’m with them at their house all the time, so they just treat me like I’m part of the family,” he says.
Chaeli Burns, 3, left, and Quinton Burns, 4, take their turn with Santa.
Instead of posing
for photos, William
Terry, who is almost
2, reaches for mom
Laura Terry.
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sports
Going Bowling
31. Beef ‘O’ Brady’s BowlDEC. 23, 2 P.M., ESPN East Carolina vs.
Ohio | Bowl season just wouldn’t be
the same without a 4-4 MAC team.
30. Heart of Dallas BowlJAN. 1, NOON, ESPNU UNLV vs.
North Texas | The Rebels against the
Mean Green. That sounds cool. It’s not.
29. Godaddy BowlJAN. 5, 9 P.M., ESPN Arkansas St. vs.
Ball St. | Could you imagine a better
game to watch as an appetizer for the
BCS national championship game?
We can.
28. Little Caesars BowlDEC. 26, 6 P.M., ESPN Pittsburgh vs.
Bowling Green | Pizza for $5? You
can’t beat that. But this bowl? There
are 27 better options.
27. Armed Forces BowlDEC. 30, 10:45 A.M., ESPN Middle
Tennessee vs. Navy | Navy
quarterback Keenan Reynolds had
a seven-touchdown game in a triple
overtime win over San Jose State.
Middle Tennessee has won five straight.
26. BBVA Compass BowlJAN. 4, 1 P.M., ESPN Vanderbilt vs.
Houston | Commodores senior
receiver Jordan Matthews led the SEC
in catches (107).
25. Liberty BowlDEC. 31, 4 P.M., ESPN Rice vs. Missis-
sippi | The Owls lost their season
opener to Texas A&M 52-31, but they
get a second shot at an SEC squad.
24. Military BowlDEC. 27, 2:30 P.M., ESPN Maryland vs.
Marshall | It’s a short drive for Terps
fans to Navy Memorial Stadium.
Marshall’s lone game of the season
against an ACC team was a triple-
overtime loss to Virginia Tech.
23. Texas BowlDEC. 27, 6 P.M., ESPN Syracuse vs. Min-
nesota | The Orange already have a
victory over the Gophers this year, but
it was in basketball. Minnesota should
fare much better on the gridiron.
22. Belk BowlDEC. 28, 3:20 P.M., ESPN Cincinnati vs.
North Carolina | The Tar Heels, who
put up 80 points against ODU last
month, won’t have to travel too far for
this one in Charlotte.
21. Hawaii BowlDEC. 24, 8 P.M., ESPN Boise St. vs.
Oregon St. | If you’re a fan of offense
— and, really, who isn’t? — then you’ll
like this one.
20. Pinstripe BowlDEC. 28, NOON, ESPN Rutgers vs.
Notre Dame | The most prestigious
college football program is playing at
Yankee Stadium. Oh, the history. Too bad
the Irish are facing Rutgers, of the brand
new American Athletic Conference.
19. Fight Hunger BowlDEC. 27, 9:30 P.M., ESPN BYU vs. Wash-
ington | This game features three
1,000-yard rushers: BYU quarterback
Taysom Hill and running back Jamaal
Williams, and Washington running
back Bishop Sankey.
18. Poinsettia BowlDEC. 26, 9:30 P.M., ESPN Utah St. vs.
No. 23 Northern Illinois | If you
haven’t seen Northern Illinois
quarterback Jordan Lynch play, make
sure to tune in. The Heisman finalist is
the fifth quarterback in FBS history with
20 passing and 20 rushing touchdowns.
17. Buffalo Wild Wings BowlDEC. 28, 10:15 P.M., ESPN Michigan vs.
Kansas St. | The Wolverines are 7-5,
but four of their losses were by four
points or less.
16. Outback BowlJAN. 1, 1 P.M., ESPN Iowa vs. No. 16
LSU | Quarterback Zach Mettenberg-
er will be out for the Tigers, making
this matchup a little less intriguing.
But both teams’ defenses are pretty
talented.
15. Music City BowlDEC. 30, 3:15 P.M., ESPN Ole Miss vs.
Georgia Tech | The Yellow Jackets
run a lot and have plenty of options in
the backfield. They had 12 different
players with at least 100 yards rushing
this season.
14. Gator BowlJAN. 1, NOON, ESPN2 Nebraska vs.
No. 22 Georgia | The Bulldogs will be
without quarterback Aaron Murray, but
Georgia was able to overcome injury
woes to defeat rival Georgia Tech.
13. Holiday BowlDEC. 30, 10:15 P.M., ESPN No. 14 Arizona
St. vs. Texas Tech | The Sun Devils
(10-3) would have just one loss
this season if they avoided playing
Stanford. The Red Raiders (7-5) would
be undefeated if they didn’t play their
past five games.
12. AdvoCare V100 BowlDEC. 31, 12:30 P.M., ESPN Arizona
vs. Boston College | This is worth
watching just for Heisman finalist
Andre Williams, who led the nation
with 2,102 yards rushing. He had 897
yards in a three-game span.
11. Alamo BowlDEC. 30, 6:45 P.M., ESPN No. 10 Oregon
vs. Texas | The Ducks stumbled
down the stretch, but their fast-paced
offense should give Texas’ shaky
defense plenty of problems.
10. Russell Athletic BowlDEC. 28, 6:45 P.M., ESPN Miami vs.
No. 18 Louisville | Both these teams
had BCS aspirations. Miami was
ranked as high as No. 7, and Louisville
got up to No. 8 at one point. Cardinals
quarterback Teddy Bridgewater could
be this year’s No. 1 pick.
9. Sun BowlDEC. 31, 2 P.M., CBS Virginia Tech vs.
No. 17 UCLA | The Hokies’ defense,
which has allowed 17.4 points a game,
faces UCLA sophomore quarterback
Brett Hundley, whom NFL scouts love.
8. Chick-fil-A BowlDEC. 31, 8 P.M., ESPN No. 24 Duke vs.
No. 21 Texas A&M | Can the Blue
Devils stop Johnny Manziel? Fellow
Heisman finalist Jameis Winston had
four total touchdowns in a 45-7 victory
over Duke in the ACC title game.
7. Capital One BowlJAN. 1, 1 P.M., ABC No. 19 Wisconsin vs.
No. 9 South Carolina | Gamecocks
defensive end Jadeveon Clowney
entered the season with a lot of hype,
but he had just three sacks all year.
Will he make a statement before
entering the draft?
6. Sugar BowlJAN. 2, 8:30 P.M., ESPN No. 3 Alabama
vs. No. 11 Oklahoma | Crimson Tide
senior quarterback AJ McCarron has a
36-3 record as a starter and would like
to end his career on a high note against
the Big 12 champion Sooners.
5. Fiesta BowlJAN. 1, 8:30 P.M., ESPN No. 15 Central
Florida vs. No. 6 Baylor | How good
are the Knights? Quarterback Bryce
Petty and Baylor’s high-powered
offense, which averaged an NCAA-high
53.3 points per game, will be ready to
test the American Athletic champs.
4. Cotton BowlJAN. 3, 7:30 P.M., FOX No. 13 Oklahoma
St. vs. No. 8 Missouri | Which team
will bounce back from a BCS-busting,
season-ending loss? These teams
were a combined 12-12 in the regular
season in 2012 and are a combined
21-4 this year.
3. Orange BowlJAN. 3, 8:30 P.M., ESPN No. 12 Clemson
vs. No. 7 Ohio St. | This should be one
of the better quarterback matchups
with Clemson’s Tajh Boyd going up
against Ohio State’s Braxton Miller.
The two passed for a combined 51
touchdowns to only 14 interceptions.
2. Rose BowlJAN. 1, 5 P.M., ESPN No. 5 Stanford vs.
No. 4 Michigan St. | The Cardinal
and the Spartans have two of the best
defenses in the country. The question
is: How much will the coaches ask their
quarterbacks to do?
1. BCS national championshipJAN. 6, 8:30 P.M., ESPN No. 2 Auburn vs.
No. 1 Florida St. | Florida State has
beaten every opponent by at least 14
points, so can the Tigers at least keep
it close? The way Auburn’s season has
gone, anything less than a miraculous
ending would be a disappointment.
College football’s bowl season kicked off this weekend with four games Saturday. Here’s our ranking of the remaining 31, counting down from the
rather-be-doing-laundry Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl to the cancel-all-plans, must-see BCS national championship. JEFFREY TOMIK (EXPRESS)
1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 11
12 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3
shopping
If you’ve smelled one Whispering Pine Spice scented candle, you’ve smelled ’em all. This year, instead of giving your mom, spouse or best pal another tchotchke to go on a shelf, why not give an activity to remember? “D.C. is a thriving city of professionals who are torn in a million diff erent ways,” says Jennifer Brickman Rasche, the founder of 25th Hour Concierge (25hourconcierge.com), a local company that will shop for your presents, pick up your dry cleaning and more. “A lot of people don’t even take vacations, so an experiential gift is a good way for people to do something they wouldn’t ordinarily do.” TRACY KRULIK (FOR EXPRESS)
The Gift of Something to Do
Yes, I Really Hike YouFor someone who loves fresh
air and stunning views, con-
sider a guided hike up a grad-
ually ascending trail to Mary-
land Heights, which overlooks
the spot where the Shenando-
ah and Potomac rivers connect at
Harpers Ferry. After the hikers
descend, a brief walk along the
Potomac River leads to a wine or
cider tasting. Hikes last approx-
imately two-and-a-half to three
hours. $45 per person, 604 Valley
Road, Knoxville, Md., 301-695-5177,
rivertrail.com.
Zip-Lining PlaybookSend your thrill-seeking spouse (or kid over 10 years old) zip-lining and rope-climbing in the treetops around Lake Needwood in the Rockville section of Rock Creek Regional Park. Dozens of crossings, a skateboard zip line and Tarzan-style swings add to the adventure. $55 for adults, $35
for ages 17 and under,
6129 Needwood Lake
Drive, Derwood, Md.;
800-971-8271; goape
.com.
Vase CampNothing can brighten a dark,
chilly winter’s day like a ribbon-
covered vase filled with char-
treuse orchids and hot-pink peo-
nies. Students in floral design
workshops at Old Town’s Helen
Olivia shop learn the secrets of
flower cutting, posy choosing
and even bow making during
two-hour-long classes and then
take home their creations. Most
lessons $95 per person, 128 N. Pitt
St., Alexandria; 703-548-2848,
helenolivia.com.
Battlefields by Bike During the three-hour, 7.5-mile
“Yanks Tour” of the Civil War’s
Gettysburg battlefield, a guide
pedals beside you, pinpointing
such spots as Cemetery Ridge,
where Union soldiers halted a
Confederate charge on July 3,
1863. $56 per person, 1195 Balti-
more St., Gettysburg, Pa.; 717-752-
7752, gettysbike.com.
Tails and TrailsOne-hour, guided horseback rides through Rock Creek Park
take off on the weekends throughout the year (weather
permitting) and seven days a week in the summer. Sorry,
jockey-wannabes: No trotting or galloping. The relaxed walk
through the woods is open to ages 12 and older. $40 per person,
5100 Glover Road NW; 202-362-0117, rockcreekhorsecenter.com.
Clean Up Their ActA voucher for a professional organizing session gives both ways: He’ll be able to find his keys, and you won’t have to help look for them. Consider gifting your discombobulated loved one some quality time with Certified Professional Organizer C. Lee Cawley of Simplify You. It’s amazing how much peace a label maker and some matching bins can bring to a room.$110 per hour for
hands-on help,
three-hour
minimum on
gift cards; 703-
625-7336,
simplifyyou
.com.
Let the Bonbons RollAt two-hour classes (either at
his Capitol Hill headquarters or
in your home), Algerian-born
sweets pro Ismael Neggaz teach-
es chocolate making, detailing
finer points of truffle forming
and tempering. The best part:
You eat what you make. $40-$60
per person, four-person minimum;
617-595-0330, chocotenango.com.
A Fin TimeOrioles season is over, but you
can still play catch in downtown
Baltimore — with a dolphin! A
gift for ages 8 and up, the Nation-
al Aquarium’s two-hour Dol-
phin Encounter tour lets partic-
ipants get a behind-the-scenes
look at the life of these acrobat-
ic mammals, priority seating for
a show in the dolphin amphithe-
ater and hands-on playtime with
the show’s stars. $210 per person,
501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore; 410-576-
3833, aqua.org.
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1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 13
shopping
A model from the July/August issue of Playboy
is on display in one of the stalls at D.C.’s Union
Market — and talk about some dangerous
curves. The chef’s knife is part of a $2,500 set
handcrafted by Cut Brooklyn’s Joel Bukiewicz.
It’s just one of 300 pieces of cutlery on offer at
DC Sharp.
“It will be the largest kitchen cutlery shop
in the country,” vows Derek Swanson, who
started the blade emporium when Union Market
opened in September 2012. At the time, he knew
almost nothing about knives other than that he
wanted to have his sharpened. Turns out other
people did, too: Within days of opening, he had
so much business that he had to summon his
brother, Ryan, from Boston to join him.
Why so much demand for sharpening?
“A sharp knife will go where you want it to,”
Swanson says. A dull knife, on the other hand,
might go into your fi nger.
The other benefi t of a sharp blade is that it
slices cleanly, he adds. This is helpful not only
for preparing crisp salads, but also
in the event of an accident. One DC
Sharp customer had a mishap that
involved 43 stitches and surgery.
“But on the bright side, the surgeon
said, ‘It’s the cleanest cut I’ve ever
seen, so it’ll heal faster,’ ” Swanson
says.
For their sharpening services,
which start at $10 per knife, the
Swansons use manufactured
Japanese whetstones, which are
renowned for their ability to hone
a blade. “They take off far less
steel than any machine,” Swanson
says. The stones are submerged in
water, which acts as a lubricant
and keep the knife free of debris
as it gets swiped repeatedly. The
process usually takes between
fi ve and 10 minutes, but knives in
spectacularly bad shape can require
an hour of work.
How well a knife holds up
depends on the steel, Swanson
expla ins. He recommends a
sharpening every three to six
months. But the better the knife,
the sharper it’ll stay, which is why
it can be cost-effective to spend a
bit more when you buy.
Sharp shoppers should look for
quality over quantity, Swanson
says. “You can do most meals with
two or three knives, so there’s
no point in spending $500 on
a 10-piece set and not getting
the best tools,” Swanson says.
He argues for investing in three
knives — which will probably
cost at least $30 each — based
on what you like to cook. Do you
make a lot of seafood? Buy a fi let
knife. Vegetarians might want a
vegetable cleaver to make food
prep go faster, he says.
DC Sharp carries a wide range
of blades from German, American
and Japanese manufacturers.
Expect to see quite a bit of the
latter, since the Swansons just
returned from a buying trip to
Asia in October. Besides, with
Japanese blades, Swanson says,
“you get more bang for your buck
right now.”
When customers buy pieces
from the likes of master Japanese
bladesmith Kenichi Shiraki,
Swanson says, “They will know
they’re getting something made
by hand by a person who’s the best
on the planet. It’s like a Bentley or
Rolls-Royce.”
And like a car dealership, DC
Sharp invites customers to take
test drives. Swanson recommends
that customers get a feel for several
knives, testing them out with
tomatoes on the cutting board.
“A knife should last your entire
life,” Swanson says. “Choose the
right one, and it’s your trusty
companion for a long t ime.”
VICKY HALLETT (EXPRESS)
The Knife LifeDerek Swanson of DC Sharp wants Washingtonians’ cutlery to be a cut above
Three Ways to Test Sharpness:Tomatoes. Chopping other
vegetables, such as cucumbers, onions and carrots, gives you a sense of how hard you have to push to slice. But with a tomato, “the blade should go through under its own weight,” Swanson says. There
should be no noticeable resistance as you cut and there should be no juice left on the cutting board when you’re done.Paper. Get your revenge for all of
those paper cuts by taking your knife to a sheet or two. “A sharp
knife goes through paper like it’s butter,” Swanson says.Skin. A sharp knife can also give
you a dry shave, says Swanson, while demonstrating the test by stripping his forearm bald with a few deliberate strokes. V.H.
Get Sharp No appointments are
necessary to bring
your knives to the
DC Sharp stall in the
northwest corner of
Union Market (1309
Fifth St. NE, Tue.-
Fri. 11 a.m.-8 p.m.,
Sat. 8 a.m.-8 p.m.,
Sun. 10 a.m.-7 p.m.).
Knives can usually
be sharpened while
you shop. DC Sharp
also has drop-off
locations at Annie’s
Ace Hardware (1240
Upshur St. NW) and,
on the first Tuesday
of every month
from 5 to 8 p.m., at
Weygandt Wines
(3519 Connecticut.
Ave. NW). For more
information, visit
dcmobilesharpening
.com.
Derek Swanson, above, says a good
knife “should last your entire life.”T
ED
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The Swanson brothers use manufactured Japanese whetstones to sharpen knives.
14 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3
ACROSS1 Quirky habits
5 The lady
8 Lady’s maid in
India
12 Improper
distribution of
cards
19 Vocalist
Fitzgerald
20 Scotsman’s cap
21 Run-down
place to eat
22 Shakespearean
tragedy
23 Impart
knowledge again
25 What an avid
baseball fan may
own
27 Aug. 4 is one
29 Speech
imperfection
30 Suffers defeat
31 Preserves from
oblivion
32 Tons
34 No longer
amusing
35 Trigger puller?
36 FedEx
alternative
37 Beats, as an
incumbent
41 “___ this
corner …” (boxing
intro)
44 OPEC
customer
45 Hotel room
upgrade
48 Frat letter
49 WWII battle
site in France
50 Ceremonial
celebration
53 The real ___
(the genuine
article)
55 Tea type (var.)
57 A little drunk
58 Allowing
seepage
59 Fort Worth
sch.
60 High-society
roster
62 By way of
63 A person
may have one of
invincibility
64 Resets one’s
clocks
71 Burden of proof
72 Plumbing pipe
with a right angle
73 Marry in haste
74 One doing time
75 Start to give in
78 Tim and Harry
80 Grooming
practice
82 Like crystal
83 Work produced
by manual labor
85 Pear-shaped
instrument
86 Feel out of
sorts
87 Weather
balloon
88 “ ___ the
ramparts ...”
89 Katmandu’s
country
90 “War and
Peace” author
93 Woman in a
habit
94 ___-Man (video
game)
95 “Figured it
out!”
96 Ready for
plucking
99 Seven-piece
combos
103 ___ Canyon
National Park
106 Person under
the Union Jack
107 Jan. 4 is one
109 $100,000, for
some
113 Wallace’s
first “60 Minutes”
co-host
114 Ratite relative
115 Niagara River
source
116 Nickelodeon’s
“Kenan & ___”
117 Spanish artist
Salvador
118 Mick Jagger’s
home country
119 Indian
flatbread
120 Yearbook sect.
121 5-Across, in
Venice
DOWN1 Brief
2 Part of the
small intestine
3 Tackle Everest
4 World’s
smallest republic
5 “It was a dark
and ___ night …”
6 Die-___ (bitter-
enders)
7 Austen novel
8 Product movers
9 Cedes the right
of way
10 Make use of
11 “Steppenwolf”
novelist Hermann
12 Tues. preceder
13 “Addams
Family” member
14 Swindlers’
decoys
15 Translate, as a
secret message
16 Wild buglers
17 Away from the
wind, at sea
18 Way more than
a few
24 Criminal
26 Photo ___
(campaign
activities)
28 Y’all, in
Brooklyn
33 Abstract
painting style of
the ‘60s
34 Atomic
number of
hydrogen
37 All-purpose
vehicle, briefly
38 With the bow,
in music
39 You of
yesteryear
40 Asian
restaurant sauces
41 Some are FDIC-
insured
42 Spingarn
Medal awarder
43 Voice a formal
objection
44 ___ hammer
on (pounds)
45 Flavorful
46 More than
risky
47 More than
unfriendly
50 Gadget for a
grease monkey
fun & games
Last Week’s Solution
IN SEASON EDITED BY JERRY BURNS
51 Ignorance, in an
adage
52 Composer of
over 400 concerti
53 Juicy tidbit
54 Maryland
seafood specialty
56 Way of doing
things
58 Preacher’s
podium
61 Words seen
before closing
credits
63 Emotionally
distant
65 Very small
quantity
66 Fail to
pronounce, as a
syllable
67 Church
platform
68 Behave badly
69 Terra ___
70 Demonstrate
subservience
75 “Beat it, cat!”
76 Collection of
miscellaneous
pieces
77 Took a tumble
78 Wasn’t brave in
the least
79 Scrub
81 Item of current
technology?
83 Today, in
Madrid
84 Keep the
magazines
coming
87 “___ guy walks
into a bar …”
89 Neck parts
91 ___ plexus
(lower back
network)
92 Louise’s partner
in filmdom
93 Water-dwelling
rodent
94 Petunia parts
96 Upper mgmt.
degree
97 “Wizard of Oz”
composer
98 Prom queen’s
wear
99 Look of
contempt
100 Actress
Best and writer
Ferber
101 Asian weight
units
102 Six-Day War
nation
103 Computer
memory measure
104 It’s straight
from the horse’s
mouth
105 Partner of yin
108 Exasperates
110 Hither and ___
111 South of
France?
112 Craving
I N N E XT W E E K’S
What’s your New Year’s resolution? We asked Washington-area celebrities for theirs and had an expert grade them on attainabilty.
Readers
Now until January 1, all of your favoriteholiday activities are available at theSmithsonian’s National Zoo. Everythingfrom animated light displays, seasonalfood and drink, live entertainment, holidayshopping, and, of course, exotic animals— both live and in lights.
Best of all, admission is still free!
XPE1192 2x10.5
ZooLights is made possible by support from: Pepco, Big Bus Tours, The Coca-Cola Company, Comcast, 94.7 Fresh-FM,GEICO, Giant Food, NBC4, SunTrust Foundation, Telemundo, United Airlines, Washingtonian Magazine andThe Washington Post/KidsPost.
Now – January 1(Every night except December 24, 25, and 31)
Visit www.fonz.org/zoolightsfor dates, times, and schedules.
Event parking is available.
Get a Free reusable panda tote bag!
Be one of the first 25visitors to bring this couponto the Panda Gift Shop!
Valid Sunday nights only
during ZooLights!
1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 15
fun & gamesWUMO | WULFF & MORGENTHALER
POOCH CAFE | PAUL GILLIGAN
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE | STEPHAN PASTIS
Last Week’s Solution
Sudoku DIFFICULT
Need more Sudoku?Find another puzzle in
the weekday Express,
the Comics section
of The Post every
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Story editor: Adam Sapiro
Deputy creative director: Adam Griffi ths
Senior editors: Sadie Dingfelder Vicky Hallett Shauna Miller Kristen Page-Kirby
Section editors: Michael Cunniff Rudi Greenberg Beth Marlowe Marissa Payne Rachel Sadon Sara Schwartz Holley Simmons Jeffrey Tomik
Art director: Allie Ghaman
Designer: Rachel Orr
Production supervisor: Matthew Liddi
16 | E X P R E S S S U N D AY | 1 2 . 2 2 . 2 0 1 3
“Dr. Mena wasexcellent,compassionate, andmade my visit lots offun!”
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730 24th Street NW
Suite #9
Washington, DC 20037
202-333-9282*Free Parking*
*Evening & Saturday Appointments*
*24 Hour Emergencies*
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Invisalign: $107/Month
