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From December 23, 2006...

• Meet local poet Charles Ghigna
• Learn about the evolution of Alabama's folk pottery
• Alabama's history with Christmas
• Fond memories of a mother and her Christmas cookies
• Community Calendar
• Smooth jazz guitar from Birmingham's Eric Essix

An internationally-known poet once wrote... And through his poetry, you can travel from the Alabama wiregrass to the heart of the Everglades. You can visit worlds built by a child's imagination, and adult worlds driven by laughter, love -- and loss. But at the end of your journey, you'll find the poet himself right here in our own backyard! Charles Ghigna trekked across the mountain from Homewood recently to talk about his work with Lissa LeGrand.

Charles Ghigna interview

Remember the familiar earth-toned jugs, churns, pots and jars that lived in your grandmother's kitchen. You may be surprised to learn that these utilitarian pieces have risen to the status of museum-quality art. Reporter Haden Holmes Brown traces the evolution of Alabama folk pottery from the pantry to the gallery.

The history of Alabama Folk Pottery

As we were preparing for this week's show and looking for a fun holiday story, we came across an interesting fact about Alabama. Several websites and even the current issue of a major women's magazine are touting the idea that Alabama was the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. Intrigued, we wanted to know more so we called the curator of the Birmingham-Jefferson History Museum, Dr. Marvin Whiting, for the details. To our surprise, the good doctor said...

Alabama's Christmas history?

The holidays conjure up all kinds of memories - some of joy, others of disappointment or loss. This year, Christmas will be a bit of both for commentator Brigid Galloway.

To hear the audio portion of the Community Calendar from Tapestry, click here.

Want to know more? Activeculture.info is a one-stop source for finding out what's going on in the Birmingham metro area.

Here's a holiday treat with a beat. For two decades, Eric Essix has been a Southern jazz institution, touring his native Alabama and graduating from the well-noted Berklee College of Music in Boston. What separates this guitarist from the rest, is the wide-ranging sound of his upbringing and the music that influenced him over the years: Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, and The Jackson 5. His latest recording is what he calls a documentation of his journey. From the CD "Retrospective," this is "Just Like You". (AUDIO MONTAGE)

Eric Essix,, with "Just Like You" from his latest CD "Retrospective." Essix performs Saturday night at Pastor Hartley Ramsey's Annual Christmas Concert in Dothan, and with Five Men on a Stool on New Years Eve in Atlanta.

Tapestry is produced by Tanya Ott, Michael Krall and Hunter Bell. Franscesca Rosko tracks community events. Additional reporting this week from Lissa LeGrand and Haden Holmes Brown, commentary from Brigid Galloway and production assistance from Steve Chiotakis. I'm Greg Bass, Happy Holidays, and we'll see you next week.