There's a definite energy in Boston around Christmas time. Back Bay streets are bright with holiday lights, the Faneuil Hall tree glitters with hundreds of ornaments, and the city's world-class dining and shopping takes on characteristics that make the holidays bright. There's plenty to do, see, and taste. Here's a look at just some of the top Christmas events happening in Boston.

Burn the turkey? Overcook the pumpkin pie? No worries.

Plenty of Boston restaurants, including Eastern Standard, Davio's, and Turner Fisheries, offer special Thanksgiving menus today. Let someone else handle the cooking, and relieve the stress. Click here for a glance at some of the many deals that are available.

I really don't mind holiday shopping, but I dread the thought of Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. If I want to save a few bucks on gifts this year, I'll frequent online retail sites, where I'm just as apt to snag a good deal, only without the horde of other bargain-hunters storming the malls at 5 a.m.

But those shoppers intent on making their way into the city the day after Thanksgiving will be greeted by not having the added burden of feeding a meter. The city of Boston is once again offering free on-street parking on Friday, as well as on five consecutive Saturdays beginning Nov. 28. The hope is that the deal encourages shoppers to spend more time in the city, and less time at the mall in the outer suburbs.

"I am pleased to kick-off this holiday season by offering two hours of free parking at every one of these meters on these six select days between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day," Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a release. "We invite shoppers to visit Boston's exciting and unique stores and restaurants while taking advantage of this parking opportunity."

Of course, the meters will only be free for the two-hour time limit, which would normally run you $2, and it won't make it any easier finding a spot in the Back Bay. Parking remains free on Sundays as usual.

Another Boston college football program is getting sacked.

A dozen years after Boston University dumped football from its athletic docket, Northeastern University is following suit. Huskies athletic director Peter Roby cited the escalating costs involved to maintain a competitive program.

"We do not define success merely through wins and losses. Instead, we recognize that success comes from creating a positive student-athlete experience," Roby wrote in an open letter to the Northeastern community. "The primary motivation for this decision was based on the significant obstacles to providing this experience for our football players.

"Elevating and sustaining a competitive Division 1 football program would require additional multimillion dollar investments on an ongoing basis."

While some Northeastern alumni call it a sad day, it's not an entirely unexpected one. The 76-year-old, 1-AA program wasn't exactly a hot ticket. The Huskies finished off their season Saturday with a 33-27 win over URI. A week earlier, they played their final home game at Parsons Field, a 14-13 win over Hofstra. Only 1,017 fans showed up.

Northeastern finished its final season 3-8.

My wife received the H1N1 vaccine yesterday, which leaves me as the only member of my household to do so. Still, I'd seemingly have an easier time finding Whitey Bulger than I would the vaccine in Massachusetts.

According to the state's Department of Heath and Human Services, Massachusetts has received just over one million doses of the H1N1 vaccine - less than one third of the amount the state ordered.

However, there does seem to be a light. According to commissioner John Auerbach, the government projects a significant increase in the volume of doses by the second week of December. However, Auerbach writes, "given the changeability of the production processes we don't know what amounts or what formulations of vaccine doses will become available ahead of time. This makes it very difficult for clinical practices to plan ahead or to notify their patients of what to expect."

The best bet? Utilize the state's public flu clinic finder for updates, and be sure to call ahead.

It's certainly been a pretty temperate November so far, but winter is indeed on the way. So, grab your skates and head to Boston Common, where Frog Pond opens for the season Thursday night.

Mayor Menino will help kick off the rink's annual opening with a gala featuring many of Boston's top national and international figure skating competitors, including Brittany Rizo and Curran Oi, as well as many local up-and-coming young skating stars. Opening night will also feature raffles for season and night passes and special guests Frog Pond Freddie and Blades from the Boston Bruins. Mardi Gras masks and beads will also accompany a special musical performance by the Hot Tamale Brass Band.

Admission on opening night is free, while normal skate rental rates will apply.

The 2009-2010 Frog Pond hours of operation are as follows: Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (except Monday when the rink closes at 4 p.m.), Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, open Christmas Eve 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., New Year's Eve 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and New Year's Day 12 noon to 5 p.m. On December 28, and February 15, 2010, Frog Pond will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, visit the rink's official web site.

Photo courtesy Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau

Maybe we just can't get the Patriots off our mind after that devastating loss to the Colts, but instead of the Lions and Cowboys every year, shouldn't the Patriots play on Thanksgiving?

After all, the first Thanksgiving Day celebration took place on Massachusetts shores back in 1621. What did Detroit ever do?

Nevertheless, this weekend does offer a fine opportunity to commemorate the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, where the American Hometown Celebration will take place. The celebration includes a parade, food festival, concert series, and other activities, including a historic village re-enactment, all to commemorate the Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth Rock. If anything, it's a great way to escape the already-overbearing Christmas presence in retail America, and get back to understanding the historic importance of Thanksgiving.

Click here for complete information.

In Belichick we trust? Uh...

Even the overwhelming blind faith of Patriots fans is having a hard time justifying head coach Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on fourth-and-two on New England's own 28-yard-line last night. Leading the Colts, 34-28 with 2:08 to play, a punt would have forced the Colts to drive the field for the game-winning score. A first-down would have enabled the Patriots to take a knee and savor the win over their rivals.

Neither happened. Tom Brady's quick pass to Kevin Faulk might have been a first down, but Faulk juggled the ball on the catch, and the ruling on the field was that he was short. The Patriots could have challenged the call, had Belichick not erroneously already burned his team's final time out.

Whoops.

Of course, the Colts scored, kicked an extra point, and won. That's five out of six times that these teams have met now that the Pats have come away with an "L," and Belichick's decision to try and finish the now 9-0 Colts off last night in gutsy - albeit stupid - fashion can only prove that Peyton Manning is in his head.

Remember when it was the other way around?

Even prior to Belichick's gaffe, the game was another classic in the storied rivalry between these two. Still, the loss pretty much assures home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is gone for the Patriots (6-3), who are still in the driver's seat for the AFC East. If the AFC title game goes through Indianapolis, it will be one of the more anticipated rematches in NFL history.

It should have been in Foxborough.

If you're up for some somber reading on the state of the MBTA, this should do the trick.

The recently-released independent review, commissioned by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, only took place over 60 days, yet even that small time frame allowed the commission to provide a frightening and frank assessment of the MBTA's present condition. You only get to Page 3 before you see the bold headline, "The Outlook is Bleak." Great.

On Page 24, you'll find the frightening section on "Unfunded But Critical Safety Projects." Like, oh how about the Alewife/Harvard Project? "In addition to the potential of derailment, if the situation exacerbates, speed along that portion of the Red Line could slow to 10 mph," the report states. "This will have a residual service impact with delays along the entire Red Line."

That would only cost $80 million to fix, and it's one of only 51projects deemed "a danger to life or limb of passengers and/or employees."

Fifty-one. Boy, last week's nice PR of the Orange Line driver who stopped before hitting a woman on the tracks couldn't have come at a more opportune time for the MBTA.

Photo by Eric Wilbur

We may have gone through a mini semblance of a heat wave these past few weeks (as far as November is concerned anyway), but with the cold and snow on its way, it's time for New England skiers and riders to wax the boards and prepare for another season on the slopes.

For skiing and snowboarding stoke, nothing gets locals geared up for the winter like the annual Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo, taking place Nov. 19-22 at the Bayside Expo Center. The show is annually seen by ski and snowboard enthusiasts as the unofficial start to the season, as well as a place to score some sweet lift ticket deals. Also on hand: An always-dazzling aerial show, the newest equipment on the market, and a 2010 Olympic preview with former Olympic moguls gold medalist Donna Weinbrecht.

Admission is $12, but reduced admissions can be purchased by visiting www.onthesnow.com or www.skisnowboardexpo.com. The Bayside Expo Center is located right off Exit 15 on the Southeast Expressway, or at the JFK/UMass stop on the Red Line.

Of course, if you want to do some actual skiing instead, Sunday River in Bethel, Maine will be open seven days a week starting this weekend. Skiers and riders score either way.

Photo courtesy Sunday River