Dec. 20: A Good Day to Curl Up With a Book

Rain, rain, go away? Not for, like, another three days. Lucky for you, Santa Monica Patch doesn't let a little (or even a lot) of wet weather get in the way of our ceaseless production cycle.

If you're just joining us after checking out on Friday, here's what you missed:

• More ongoing coverage of Santa Monica Airport, including a video compilation of interviews with people on both sides of the debate; and a vision for the future of SMO proposed by Santa Monica Patch reader Ben Marcus;
• A report on Sheriff Lee Baca and hundreds more volunteers uniting Sunday morning at the Barker Hangar—adjacent to SMO, incidentally—to help needy families for the holidays;
• An on-the-ground dispatch of Saturday night's pub crawl, including pics galore;
• A guide to restaurants open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in SM;
• A guide to cheap happy hours in SM;
• A profile on Samohi's promising Lady Vikings soccer squad;
• A profile on family-owned fashion boutique Mudra;
• And a photo gallery recapping last week.

Another tidbit from this weekend: Despite the downpours, the Santa Monica Police Department told me last night that there have not yet been any major accidents or road closures.

With rain on the brain, here's today's weather outlook, followed by notable events.

Weather Forecast

• rain through Wednesday
• high temperature: 56 degrees
• low temperature: 46 degrees
• chance of precipitation: 90 percent
• sunrise: 6:55 a.m.
• sunset: 4:48 p.m.

The Main Event

• In light of the rain, and the fact that today is the proper beginning of the SMMUSD's holiday break, kids don't have many excuses for not holding a book in their hands. (Well, unless they're reading Santa Monica Patch, of course.) Fittingly, the  is hosting a "Racy Reads" powwow for teens in grades eight through 12. Snacks will be on hand for the discussion, which will happen from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Children's Activity Room.

The Runner-Up

• Grown-ups don't have many excuses either: A half-hour after the aforementioned discussion ends, a conversation about Nicole Krauss' book "Great House" will be had at the same location's Community Meeting Room. The novel was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award.

Other Happenings

• Tired of lugging your baby or preschooler around while doing your holiday shopping? The Santa Monica Library is here to spot you for a couple of hours. From 2 to 4 p.m., the  will offer a crafts session—the first of three days of fun things to do for kids 4 and older. (Sneak preview: tomorrow=board games; Wednesday="The Jungle Book.")
• The SMPL sure did prepare for this holiday-break thing: The Main Library is also hosting a community meeting for teens who attend high school in SM and are interested in planning events for their peers. It goes from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Children's Activity Room.
• The Architectural Review Board meets at City Hall tonight at 7 p.m. Agenda here.
• At the same time, the Task Force on the Environment will convene at the Ken Edwards Center. No agenda available yet for that one.
• Meanwhile, the Arts Commission meeting previously scheduled for tonight has been canceled.

Last but Not Least

• The Big Blue Bus implements its modified holiday schedule starting today. More info here. The normal sked will resume January 2.
  

(Go here for more events happening today.)

This Day in Santa Monica History

• On December 20, 2001, the YWCA in Santa Monica changed its name to YWCA Santa Monica/ Westside, to account for its growth. The organization's stated goals are to empower women and fight to end racism.
  

Check back every weekday, at 6 a.m. sharp, for the latest edition of The SM AM Report.

Did you take a great pic of SM in the early morning? Want to see it in The SM AM Report? Drop a note to Kurt.Orzeck@patch.com.