In these uncertain times, a dose of familiarity is refreshingly welcome.

If you've ever planned a wedding, gone to prom or wowed the guests at a children's birthday party, you're probably aware of the abundance of items you can rent to make an event a success — everything from tables and chairs to tuxes and limos to bouncy houses and petting zoos.

Soul food began during the tragic years of slavery in the South, when slaves would get cuts of meat and vegetables that were considered inedible by their white "masters." Following the great migration of former slaves to other parts of the country after the Civil War, soul food spread across America.

Who could have guessed that two tiny houses could pose such sizable challenges?

Douglas and Eugenia DeLong decorate the exterior of their Cleveland, Tennessee, home each Christmas, but visitors likely don't gaze long at the single strand of lights on the two-story farmhouse.

When Lonna Hamblen and Joe Scott moved into their Stringer's Ridge condo last year, Hamblen did something for their first Christmas there that she'd never done before.

Celebrating everything apple, families gathered at Collegedale Commons to peruse craft vendors and sample the naturally sweet treats provided by Mercier Orchards from Blue Ridge, Georgia.

Hosted at Rock City's Cafe 7, diners enjoyed a harvest-themed three-course meal prepared by students from the See Rock City Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management at The Howard School, a program which the dinner helped to support.

A record number of wreaths, nearly 15,000, were placed on the grave markers of veterans buried at the Chattanooga National Cemetery this holiday season. Through wreath purchases, the annual program helps to support various programs honoring veterans.