This was a great year for games. Between the release of two new game systems, the near-retirement of two old systems and the Xbox 360 really heating up, I had a lot to choose from for my best-of-the-year choices.

LOS ANGELES — Museum crowds are strong at movie theaters.

Markham Vineyards presents “Mask Italia and In Your Face Pastel” by distinguished artists from Mask Italia and highly regarded artist Joy Waters. The show opens with a reception Saturday, 4:30-7:30 p.m.  

With more than 40,000 acres of vineyards in the Napa Valley, who has time to focus on a single grape leaf?

The Napa Valley Symphony presents its first classical concert of 2007 featuring renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis on  Jan. 21, at 3 p.m. at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville.

The Tarabinis are becoming regulars on the Napa music scene, much as they were back in the ’50s and ’60s around the Bay Area.

Copia warms up January with a Latin American theme for its Friday Night Flicks, and offers a complimentary tasting of a wine from Latin America before each screening between 7:15 and 7:45 p.m. Films all start at 8 p.m. The cost for films is $7 general, and $6 for Copia members.

Jeannie Hutton has a message for those intent on carrying out a  New Year’s resolution to shape up: Take it easy on yourself.

In her clinical psychology practice, Joan “Joni” Dittrich, Ph.D., often counsels people about weight and eating issues. In her yoga instruction, Dittrich stresses the alignment of body, mind and spirit.

January is renewal month, and Steve Andrews, director of marketing at Villagio Inn & Spa in Yountville, said his staff have been at work on “guilt-free and fat- free” treatments to get a new year off to an invigorating start.

If you thought housecalls were a thing of the past, think again. Dr. Cameron Parrett is a 21st century circuit rider, illuminating the lives of elderly patients unable to drive, walk or even get out of bed.

Education

Meatballs have an image problem.

If you're ready to embrace the pleasure and chaos of cooking with children, consider getting started with these simple recipes for triple chocolate cookies from Linda Collister's "Baking with Kids" (Ryland, Peters and Small, 2006, $19.95) and rosemary roasted potatoes from Rozanne Gold's "Kids Cook 1-2-3" (Bloomsbury, 2006, $17.95).

Serving up some foie gras and pomegranate spritzers sometime soon?

HADLEY, Mass. -- Her eyes wide, 5-year-old Naomi Burisov licks the frosting off her cupcake and settles into her favorite part of cooking class: Eating.

Looking to get your kids cooking but don't want to shell out big bucks for them to learn the finer points of pasta? Try it the old-fashioned way -- cook with them. Cookbooks aimed at children and their parents have become a growing publishing niche. Here's a selection of some of the latest.

BANGKOK, Thailand -- For cooks new to Thai cuisine, its distinctive blend of salty, spicy, sweet and sour can present a complex -- even intimidating -- challenge.

If you're mounting a remodeling project in the new year, here's a checklist of nine things you can do to curb homeowner angst and avoid the pitfalls of home-improvement makeovers gone awry.

In the '70s, actor and comedian Redd Foxx portrayed the character Fred Sanford on the hit TV series "Sanford & Son," in which he and his TV son played owners of a junkyard. Although the show's set was a simple, sparsely decorated home, you just knew it was smack dab in the middle of the messiest junkyard known to humankind.

Here's an easy-to-follow pattern for a hand-knitted mobile phone case with a buttoned strap, designed by Sarah Marie Fuchs and submitted to the book "One-Skein Wonders" by Bella Filati Luxury Yarns in Southern Pines, N.C.

Bill Griffiths and Melanie Rashbaum, both of Orlando, Fla., were married on Nov. 11 at 4:30 p.m. at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Charles and Suzanne Messina celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Dec. 23.

ROBINSON-PERLOW-PERLOW -- Yvette Robinson-Perlow vs. James Perlow, Dec. 26, 2006

ACUNA SALDIVAR-TORRES VAZQUEZ -- Hernan Acuna Saldivar, 28, River Glen Drive, Napa, to Beatriz Adriana Torres Vazquez, 22, River Glen Drive.

Kaiser Vallejo