Imagine what it would be like to be homeless. If you had no real place to call home and no one to go home to, life would be extremely difficult. During the holidays, it would be even harder. While others are celebrating and enjoying the season, the homeless or near homeless are simply trying to survive. Though we may want to do something, it’s hard to know what to do. Luckily, there are people and organizations that can help.

Steve Whitaker, president of John 3:16 in Tulsa, and Tom Jones, president of City Rescue Mission in Oklahoma City, share practical ideas on how best to help the neediest Oklahomans around the holiday season.

Both men agree that one great way to get involved is to align with an organization that can distribute donated goods to those who need it most. Whitaker suggests hosting a drive for canned foods, clothing, socks, gloves, coats and blankets.

Both also agree that it’s not a good idea to give money, food or gifts directly because of drug addictions that tend to run rampant on the streets.

Whitaker explains further, “Some people make food and then take it down to people living in encampments and give it away, but they may be giving it to people who are not legitimately homeless.”

Alternatively, both missions offer Compassion Cards that can be handed out to anyone who needs it. When the recipients return the card to the mission, they are given the necessary help.

Jones suggests sponsoring a family during the holidays and sharing a meal with them at the mission.

He elaborates, “We provide the turkey and all the trimmings. The sponsoring family provides a favorite dessert.

“You are reminded after spending time with them that they are still humans and need love just like everyone else,” he says.

This year’s deadCENTER Film Festival will feature 100 independent films. With so many promising filmmakers wandering downtown Oklahoma City for the five-day event, the next indie-star-on-the-rise could be just a few seats away. The event, which MovieMaker magazine has called one of the coolest film festivals anywhere, heads into a new decade of independent movies, networking parties, filmmaking seminars, director panels and everything that falls under the category of “festival.” The deadCENTER Film Festival takes place June 8-12 at seven venues in downtown Oklahoma City where documentaries, narratives, shorts, features, comedies, dramas, musicals and much more visionary work will be screened. Who will take this year’s top prizes? There’s only one way to find out. For a full schedule of film screenings and locations, go online to www.deadcenterfilm.org.

Taste the world with a trip to Tulsa, where no less than four ethnic festivals bring a mosaic of cultural flavors, sights and sounds in the same weekend. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church hosts one of T-Town’s oldest cultural celebrations on its grounds. Tulsa Greek Holiday Festival has all the baklava, kebobs, dancing, music and ouzo you can want (www.tulsagreekfestival.com) Sept. 15-17. Hispanic Festival 2011 lights up Chapman Centennial Green Walk Park in downtown Tulsa with lively music and more Sept. 16-18 (www.tulsahispanicchamber.com). Down by the river at River West Festival Park, the Oklahoma Scottish Festival holds its own with a variety of activities, foods and games, Sept. 16-18 (www.tulsascottishgames.org). Temple Israel near Utica Square welcomes all to ShalomFest 2011 to celebrate Jewish culture and art Sept. 18 (www.templetulsa.com/shalomfest). Drive a little further to Bartlesville and you’ll find intertribal powwow culture alive at Oklahoma Indian Summer Festival (okindiansummer.org).

If you look up Dolly Parton on the internet, you’re sure to hit her page on Wikipedia, that bastion of collective knowledge encouraging input from every would-be expert. So what if the site lists “fingernails” as one of many musical instruments Dolly plays best? The lady could grind her teeth, and it would be music to our ears. When she plays the BOK Center on Oct. 8, fans are more likely to hear music from her new album, Better Day, which debuted at No. 11 on the country album music charts. The mega-star – who has crossed into film, television, entertainment tourism (including her Dollywood theme park) and other business ventures – shows she remains true to those east Tennessee roots with a show of new material straight out of sweet ol’ Pigeon Forge. www.bokcenter.com

Don’t let the title of the piece deter you from seeing one of the most aptly named dance companies in action. The Theater of Needless Talents, which will be performed by Seattle’s Spectrum Dance Theater, and presented locally by Choregus Productions, at 8 p.m. Nov. 10 and at 3 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Cascia Hall Performing Arts Center, is not a comment on the quality of dancers, musicians and artists who will share the stage. Under the hand of company director Donald Byrd, Spectrum sets Theater in a concentration camp in the Czech Republic where the Nazis filmed a propaganda film showing how Jewish artists were nurtured in incarceration. In truth, the artists were forced to make the film before they died at Auschwitz. Through the arts, Spectrum reveals how humanity finds a way to shine even among the most gruesome atrocities both past and present. Tickets are $30-$50, available at www.choregus.org

Wednesday, May 29, 7:30 p.m.
(Televised: 8 p.m.)

Country superstar and Oklahoman Blake Shelton lost no time in organizing a benefit concert to help the victims of last week’s deadly tornado in Moore. The May 20 storm killed 24 people (including 10 children) and injured 377 others. It also destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, devastating a community that had already seen its share of turmoil from tornadoes. Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Usher, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Ryan Tedder and a growing list of artists are scheduled to perform at Healing in the Heartland, a concert to raise money for the United Way of Central Oklahoma’s tornado relief fund to benefit those affected by the tornado.

The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 29, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., Oklahoma City, but alas the show is completely sold out. You can, however, watch it live with the rest of the world on TV. The concert will be televised at 8 p.m. that night on NBC stations and on its affiliate cable channels including Style, E!, G4, Bravo and CMT with a telethon to raise additional funds. The concert is underwritten by Love’s Travel Stops. Learn more at www.chesapeakearena.com.

Look Musical Theatre is celebrating 30 years with a musical trifecta of hit shows, and you can win tickets to this weekend's performances. Answer the question below for your chance to win a pair of tickets to Hello, Dolly, The Drowsy Chaperone, or Side By Side By Sondheim.

Winners will be selected at random from correct entries at noon on Thursday, June 20. Tickets must be picked up in person at Oklahoma Magazine's Tulsa office by Friday, June 21 at 6 P.M.

How many Tony Awards did The Drowsy Chaperone win in 2006?

The invitation is the first impression guests have of your wedding day.

“It sets the stage and creates anticipation for your guests,” says Lisa Blinn, vice president of design for Crane Stationery. “And it can be an object a bride can treasure for all of her lifetime.”

Designers today are playing with a variety of sizes, colors and printing processes. 

“We are continually developing new wedding collections that honor both the traditional bride and the bride who wants to bring modern touches into her wedding,” she says.

Large, oversize rectangle or square invitations are a popular choice.

“The larger designs are quite exciting for guests to receive,” says Blinn. “They certainly stand out in their mailbox.”

Brides may choose from a variety of colors and printing processes within one invitation.

“Soft pinks are gorgeous when paired with golden metallic, teal and minty greens; navy blue paired with either greens or yellows or charcoal and pale, warm taupes is also nice,” offers Blinn.

“We’re also seeing more emphasis on rich printing processes, such as engraving and letterpress printing,” adds Blinn. “We even offer designs with mix printing processes on one invitation.”

Brides can also mix fonts to add unique interest.

“A continuing trend is the use of two to three different fonts within one invitation,” shares Blinn.

It usually takes more than one trip to a stationery store to decide on the right elements for your invitation, says Blinn.

“Allow yourself plenty of time to get exactly what you want,” offers Blinn.