Whether your New Year’s resolution is to clean out your closet or expand its contents, local consignment shops are a great resource for thrifty shoppers. Second Time Around, with three locations in Boston, is a treasure trove of high-end fashion priced on an automatic markdown system—your discount is determined by the color of the price tag. As with all consignment and vintage stores, it’s better to go in without a particular piece in mind. And......

Ethan Gilsdorf and Ted Weesner, Jr. Friday, December 14, 7:00 pm Willoughby and Baltic Art Space 195 G Elm Street, Somerville (T: Davis Square) Free Ethan Gilsdorf's official site Listings for readings may be slim while everyone is busy for the holidays, but it's quality that matters. Two recipients of fellowships from the Somerville Arts Council will be sharing their latest projects for free tomorrow night. Journalist/poet Ethan Gilsdorf and novelist Ted Weesner, Jr., are......

Illuminations Holiday Tour Saturday, December 15 Tour times: 4:30, 5:00, 5:45, 6:15, 7:00, 7:30, 8:15, 8:45, 9:15 Tickets on sale at McIntyre and Moore Booksellers, 255 Elm Street, Davis Square More info Fighting off a raging case of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Somerville has a cure. The city's residents know how to decorate, and when it's the holidays they want to share their spirit with everyone. The Somerville Arts Council will be offering 45-minute-long trolley tours......

The Madonna Project 2007 calendars (along with other wares) are still on sale. Somerville residents can grab their very own calendar for a discount and free delivery by the creator for a limited time. It's two bucks more plus shipping for people living outside of Somerville to get their own calendar featuring religious icons in Somerville lawns. Bostonist caught a glimpse of a billboard while heading back into Boston from the South Shore this weekend......

"I keep seeing the word 'hoppy' and misreading it as 'happy,'" says one of our drinking companions, leafing through the NERAX beer list. "You're not misreading," Bostonist replies, between sips of Bishop's Farewell. Our first pint at the New England Real Ale Exhibition is golden, fruity, and, in the end, bitter. Held in Davis Square's Dilboy Post, NERAX feels like a cozy neighborhood pub with too much light and not enough seating. Those familiar with......

While waiting in the bathroom line at the Diesel, Bostonist caught zombie overlord Alli Auldridge putting up a poster for Zombie March 2006. When cornered, Ms. Auldridge revealed her plans: on Saturday, April 29th, the local undead will walk from Davis Square to Harvard Square in search of a decent brain to eat. How long do you expect Zombie March 2006 to last? Are we talking about traditional, slowly-lurching Dawn of the Dead zombies,......

Once again, the Somerville Arts Council is justifying the thousands of holiday light sets purchased on clearance last year by all the "Griswalds" of the world by hosting their annual Illuminations Holiday Tour. The tour goes round trip from Somerville city hall, lasts 45 minutes, and "celebrates the folk-artistry of the many city residents who transform their houses and yards with lights, illuminated ornaments, and shrines of devotion and fantasy during the darkest time......