Christmas and Hanukkah have passed us, but hey, it's still the arrival of the New Year -- which means it's a perfect time to pick up a new calendar for 2009. (Unless you really, really want to use that Bad Cat calendar somebody gave you.)

The Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau comes to the rescue again with its 2009 Durham historical calendar, an annual publication of the DCVB, and one which this year focuses on the theme of the arts in the Bull City, inspired by the recent publication of "Brighter Leaves: Celebrating the Arts in Durham, NC."

If you're not familiar with it, the DCVB calendar provides "this day in history" news and notes about Durham, an interesting way to know what's happened in both the recent and distant past of our city, which celebrates its 140th anniversary this year.

You can pick up the calendar at Cozy, The Regulator, Through This Lens, Wentworth & Leggett Bookshop, and Morgan Imports, or at the Northgate Mall service desk -- or, from the DCVB's retail web site.