Welcome back to reality. Here’s everything you missed out on this week…well, not everything, but the most popular at least.

Who would we be if it weren’t for shrimp and grits, bacon, sweet tea and fried turkeys? Certainly not the gluttonous beasts we’ve become known for. There’d be no Paula Dean, no Biggest Loser and certainly no raging holiday house fires…wait…is that right? According to the U.S. Fire Administration, a home fire is twice as likely to occur on Thanksgiving than any other day, and they are attributing that staggering statistic to the irresponsible use of deep fryers. “We see a spike in the number of burn patients every Thanksgiving,” Dr. Fred Mullins told News 2. He’s right. According to State Farm Insurance investigations, South Carolina was one of the top 15 states for Thanksgiving grease and cooking fires between 2005 and 2010.

We may be talking a lot about Black Friday, Christmas trees, holiday dinner plans and other holiday traditions, but the real meaning of the holiday season is undoubtedly faith-based. Whether it’s Chanukah or mainstream Christmas, the overwhelming majority of Columbia’s community is, or should be, remembering God over the next few weeks. But, one group, that has just launched a local chapter, is hoping to give a ray of hope to another sect of residents who may not be as spiritual. The Columbia Coalition of Reason, a support group for local atheists, has launched an advertising campaign in the area with two billboards that say: “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone,” located at 600 Blossom St. where Pulaski Street dead ends, and on Interstate 20 West, just east of Monticello Drive.

Lexington officials have finally started to look away from the Good Book for guidance on how to run business in the 2011 economy. Instead, they are looking at dollar signs as the potential of new retailers and tax dollars flash in front of their eyes. Bottles of wine and six-packs of beer could be purchased on Sundays in Lexington as early as mid-December.