❄️ The best of December in Philly

Viral Craze for SEPTA Merch

A post on X (formerly known as Twitter) showing a pint glass branded with SEPTA’s Norristown High Speed Line in a Tokyo bar set off a frenzied shopping spree on the transit authority’s online store. The viral post happened to coincide with the store’s three-day Cyber Monday sale, sending droves of shoppers to the site who bought out its inventory of pint glasses emblazoned with the names of other transit lines and depleted supplies of SEPTA-branded sweatpants and pajama bottoms. [PhillyVoice]

PA Introduces Easier-To-Use Mail Ballots

State officials unveiled new mail ballots that have been redesigned to help voters avoid errors that could disqualify their votes. The new ballots will be rolled out for next year’s primary election and feature simplified language in the instructions, yellow highlighting over the date and signature fields, and different colors to distinguish the inner “secrecy” envelope from the outer return envelope. [Pennsylvania Capital-Star]

IMAX Theater Closes

Center City’s only IMAX theater, located at the Franklin Institute, will not reopen after being shut down during the pandemic, leaving only a few of the huge, domed cinemas left in the Philly area. Franklin Institute president and CEO Larry Dubinski said the theater equipment needed renovations, but that the low margins on ticket sales and the proliferation of movies people can stream at home meant it was not a worthwhile investment for the museum. [Inquirer]

The Kelce Brothers’ Charmed Lives

Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and his brother Travis Kelce just hit number one on the Billboard charts with a single from the upcoming Eagles holiday album. Meanwhile, a signed “Princess Diana"-style Eagles jacket signed by Jason Kelce’s wife just raised $100,000 for the Eagles Autism Foundation. The kicker? The jacket went to Kaitlin Olson of “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” who revealed on the Kelce brothers’ podcast that she outbid her husband and fellow “Always Sunny” co-star Rob McElhenny to win the jacket. [NBC10/Inquirer]

📈 Pitch Night for Tech Entrepreneurs | Thursday | 5:30 p.m.

Philly Tech Entrepreneurs hosts a live startup pitch session and networking mixer. [$10, Center City]

🧑🏿‍⚕️ Community Health Career Night | Thursday | 5 p.m.

People interested in community health can learn about the field while enjoying wine and appetizers from DiBruno Brothers. [Free, West Philly]

🥞 Pancakes and Booze Art Show | Thursday | 8 p.m.

An art show featuring all-you-can eat pancakes, exhibitions by 75+ local artists, body painting, and DJ sets. [$15, Callowhill]

🍵 Tea Time and Meditation Workshop | Thursday | 7 p.m.

Sip tea while a holistic health coach leads gentle exercises, meditation, and breathing exercises. [$40, West Kensington]

🎁 Now + Then Holiday Market | Friday + Saturday | 5 p.m.

Shop for holiday gifts from local vendors, artisans, and makers at the Frankford Arsenal. [Free, Bridesburg]

Your Guide to Philly in December

We’re kicking off a new monthly episode where we share some of the coolest places to go and things to do in the city. Starting with December! Listen to the end to hear which event we all liked best.