The calendar says Nov. 2, but Ruth's Chris Steakhouse has rolled out an aggressive promotion to try to get companies to book their holiday parties early.

The deal: book by Nov. 20 and receive a $400 gift card toward a future visit. The fine print on the offer says the minimum food and beverage spend to get the $400 bonus is $2,000.

It's hard to say whether the folks at Ruth's Chris are feeling a bit nervous about the upcoming holiday season, or whether they're just trying to beat the competition for holiday bookings. But with leaves still on the trees, it seems likely that we may see other restaurants follow suit with similar corporate party offers.

The Triangle Grammar Guide has a gift for you: a quiz with a holiday theme. The five sentences cover several grammar and usage issues. The quiz contains more graphics and might take a bit longer to load up for you. 

Click here or on the gift package to begin.

MONK
Friday, November 29, 9pm, USA

USA's fairly new tradition of gifting us each year with special holiday episodes of Monk and Psych is definitely one I'm on board with. The season ended in the summer and we don't get the new season until January. Sure, the single episodes make us long for more, but it's a gift and we don't take those for granted.

If you're already plotting your Black Friday strategy, here's one to add to your list: Carolina Premium Outlets, which will open at midnight Nov. 28.

If you're planning to cut a rug this holiday season, find the right shoe to keep in step. Fleur has marked down holiday dancing shoes by Italian shoe designers Sergio Rossi and Luciano Padovan 40 percent.

One of the most festive holidays of the year is just around the corner. Independence Day, which every calls the Fourth of July, is a week from Friday.

 Most folks get the day off, so if you're looking for something to fill that extra time off, you've got plenty of options.  The folks in Archer Lodge start the day off with activities all day long. They begin the day with a road race at 8:30 followed by a children's parade at 11 a.m. Free kids games start at 11:30 a.m., which, coincidentally, is the same time they start serving free homemade ice cream.

Barbecue lunch plates will be for sale for just $7 until 2 p.m., then its back to the fun and games.

July 4 doesn't end in Archer Lodge until the fireworks display is over that night. You can make a full day of it.

In Wendell, the Fourth of July is making a return. Thanks to Nora Cambiere and the members of the Wendell Historical Society, Wendell folks can celebrate the holiday without leaving town. Events begin at 4 p.m. at Main and Depot streets with the unveiling of a historical marker. A children's parade will move the show from there to the J. Ashley Wall Towne Square where there will be refreshments for everyone.

Zebulon gets into the act after the Mudcats game that night. Fireworks are an every Friday night occurence, but they go all out on the Fourth. If you're not going to see the fireworks in Archer Lodge, consider making the trip up NC 39, take in a ball game and watch the show afterward. It doesn't get much more American than that.