And you thought you had it bad when your mom said, "No cookies until after dinner"...at least your mother didn't devour her young! According to Brian Aucone, vice president for animal care at the Denver Zoo, a wide variety of animals have been documented killing and occasionally cannibalizing their children. "Animals don't tend to be as loving to their offspring as we think," says Aucone, noting that we humans often transpose our own emotions onto animals. "These mothers may appear to be cute and cuddly one day, and then they'll turn around and eat their young the next."

So here, just in time for Mother's Day, are many reasons to remember just how good we have it. No kidding!

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- Little, dead and hungry: Midget Zombie Takeover comes to the Oriental tonight
- Ten spots that give Colfax its culture and character
- Anthony Jeselnik celebrates baby-death, bulimia and domestic violence at DU

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All photos by Brandon Marshall.

This weekend's 4/20 celebration, which was marked by a shooting that left three people injured, gathered tens of thousands of marijuana enthusiasts together in Civic Center Park. Before the two-day party in the park was cut down to one this year, photographer Brandon Marshall captured these scenes of Coloradans participating in the highest of holidays. Continue reading for a few highlights, and visit our full slide show for more photos.

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- Slide show: The People of 4/20
- Slide show: Shots fired at 4/20
- 4/20 shooting at Civic Center Park: What I saw and heard

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All photos by Danielle Lirette.

Even Darth Vader's minions got into the Irish spirit for the city's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. Along with storm troopers, leprechauns and a few well-dressed pups, tens of thousands of people saw the spectacle on Saturday morning. Westword photographer Danielle Lirette caught up with the crowds to capture these photos. Continue reading for a few of the highlights, and visit our full St. Patrick's Day slide show for more.

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- Slide show: St. Patrick's Day Parade 2013
- Slide show: The 2013 St. Patrick's day Pub Crawl
- Slide show: People of the ShamRock & Roll party

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David Sedaris, author of The SantaLand Diaries.

"I wear green velvet knickers, a forest green velvet smock, and a perky little hat decorated with spangles. This is my work uniform," David Sedaris said for the first time on NPR's Morning Edition twenty years ago this Christmas. Chronicling his stint as an elf in the madcap Santa Land at Macy's, the story -- like Sedaris himself -- has become a public-radio institution, celebrating the freedom and wit of laziness, while condemning the synthetic nightmare of shopping malls and vain parents.

Sedaris will be at the Garner Galleria Theatre in January, but in the meantime, tomorrow night the Boulder Ensemble Theater Company will unveil its version of The SantaLand Diaries , proudly displaying just how miserable, disenchanting and hopeless the Christmas season can be.

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- The ten best David Sedaris quotes from last night's lecture, presented free of context
- Catch him while you can: David Sedaris tickets for January shows are on sale now
- From Cujo to Precious, five tragedy-porn books and the films they inspired

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Courtesy of Sewn.

If you want to get funky this holiday season, tonight's late-night shopping event on Broadway is just the ticket: Word has come down from Jil Cappuccio and Kirsten Coplans of the Westword Best of Denver-winning Sewn boutique that nineteen independent SoBo shops will keep their doors open until 8 p.m.

As for Sewn, the evening also includes a 10 percent discount on everything in the store -- and there's a lot, according to their pitch below.

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- Mona Lucero Design Boutique Tenth Anniversary Fashion Show
- Frost: Fashion Denver's Holiday Market
- Meet five designers showing at Frost: Fashion Denver's Holiday Market
- Best Store on Broadway -- 2012: Sewn
- Best Eclectica -- 2012: Ironwood
- Best Kitchen Store -- 2012: Hazel & Dewey

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Take it easy at the holiday party this year, bro.

While I was sitting on the toilet the other day reading a months-old copy of The Atlantic, something caught my eye in its annual "Ideas List" -- the notion that employers should hire introverts. As one of those annoying extroverts, I immediately got upset and irritated that the article wasn't about me, and began defending my extroverted self from the toilet seat to an audience of exactly no one. It's not that I think introverts aren't great, but sometimes, it seems like extroverts get a bad rap.

Later, post my internal introvert/extrovert conversation on the john, I was at a holiday party for a friend. Standing awkwardly on the sidelines with my mom and sister, I thought about how, whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, the annual holiday party season can be a long and arduous one. It's like holiday parties always go one of two ways: either they are the most epic throwdown of the century, where legendary work-gossip anecdotes are born, or they're more painfully awkward than that time you met up with someone who totally did not look at all like they did on their OKCupid profile. Regardless, I came up with some possible hints to help make your next holiday party better.

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- Sixteen holiday markets to shop and celebrate in Denver
- Breeality Bites: I'm an idiot, and other misconceptions about retail employees

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"This is the season of light for so many faiths," says Carol Kozak Ward of the Colorado Hebrew Chorale. And so tonight, the group is inviting everyone to the annual Festival of Lights at Four Mile Historic Park. The singers open the celebration to anyone interested in sharing the traditions of Hanukkah, regardless of religious affiliation, and will entertain with a cannon of traditional tunes sung in English, Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino -- and or Judeo-Spanish.

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- Events: Top Latke Cook-off & Hanukkah Party
- 10 things to do for $10 in Denver this weekend (7 free!), December 7-9
- Harmony: A Colorado Chorale's Big Gay Holiday Sing-In welcomes all voices this Saturday

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A Monster to Love, Horseshoe Holiday Market.

A crush of holiday markets will divide and multiply over the next two weeks, giving proof to the notion that Colorado is a hotbed of talented crafters, artists and creatives. Only a bona fide Scrooge couldn't find a place to shop on the list below. And you're likely to want to hit them all over the next two weeks -- because these goods are all good.

Read on (including the links below), and visit our holiday shopping listings online for even more events. And if you don't see your favorite, tell us about it in the comments below.

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- Holiday Mancraft: Art, Craft & Stuff Guys Make
- Mona Lucero Design Boutique Tenth Anniversary Fashion Show and Indy Holiday Handmade Gift Sale
- Frost: Fashion Denver's Holiday Market

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nucliawaste.com

Big Gay Holiday Sing In's host, Nuclia Waste.

There's no audition necessary to be a part of Harmony: A Colorado Chorale's all-inclusive chorus. "That is part of our mission -- to make sure everyone feels welcome," says William Loper, artistic director for the chorale. At 7:30 p.m. this Saturday, December 8, at Messiah Community Church, anyone who loves to sing is invited to celebrate the holiday season by joining a multi-generational chorus. Hosted by one of Denver's most notable queens, Nuclia Waste, the evening of non-denominational cheer will also feature drag performances and vocal help from 5280 A Capella.

See also:
- Light up the night in 2012 with the Denver area's best holiday displays
- Creche landing: Shedding light on the holiday display at City Hall
- Voices Carry: Harmony has something to sing about

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The gods couldn't quite conjure up any snow to dash through, but tonight in Sunnyside, you can still go on a horse-drawn ride, bells a'jingling, and laughing all the way. Ernie's Bar & Pizza will host the fourth annual Sunnyside Sleigh Ride from 5 to 8 p.m., inviting neighborhood families and other adventurous souls out for an evening of old-fashioned fun.

See also:
- Light up the night in 2012 with the Denver area's best holiday displays
- Skate into the holiday season at the Rink at Belmar
- Blossoms of Light

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