CHRISTMAS and NEW YEAR

There’s a moment every December—usually when the first string of lights goes up or when the scent of cinnamon sneaks through a kitchen doorway—when the world suddenly feels softer, warmer, and far more connected than it did the day before. People move a little slower, smile a little easier, and speak with a tenderness that seems to surface only in…

New Year's Resolutions: Why We Make Them, Why We Break Them, and Why They Still Matter There’s something about the final days of December that makes people reflective in a way no other season does.…

There are holidays that burst into the calendar with fireworks, noise, and color—and then there’s Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which arrives in a quieter, almost contemplative way. It doesn’t…

If there is one celebration that manages to make entire cities glow—quite literally—it’s Diwali. There’s something unmistakably warm about this festival: the soft crackle of diyas lining balconies, the scent of cardamom drifting from kitchens, and families stepping out in new clothes as if the whole world agreed to start fresh on the same night.…

There’s something quietly magical about the moment winter finally loosens its grip—the air softens, the ground thaws, and sunlight begins to linger a little longer each day. In many parts of the…

There’s a particular kind of electricity in the air when Lunar New Year approaches—something more than the sound of firecrackers or the glow of lanterns. It feels like the world is holding its breath…

There's a strange, shared psychology that takes hold as the clock ticks down on December 31st. Whether you're standing in a massive, glittering crowd, or settled quietly on your own couch, that final minute of the year feels charged with significance. It’s a moment of universal review, a collective exhale of the old year’s burdens, and an eager…

You can tell a lot about a culture by the way it celebrates Christmas. Some places mark the season with candlelit processions, others with fireworks exploding over city roofs, and many with tables so…

If you flip through the pages of holiday history, you won’t find a character who’s traveled quite as far—geographically, culturally, and mythologically—as Saint Nicholas. From a soft-spoken bishop in…

Every December, long before the first snowfall settles or the holiday lights flicker on, the name Saint Nicholas quietly slips back into our conversations. Even if you don’t celebrate his feast day, or if the historical details feel like a distant echo from childhood lessons, the spirit of Saint Nicholas threads itself through countless Christmas…

There’s something strangely powerful about the final days of December. Even if you’re not the sentimental type, the countdown to midnight has a way of pulling you in — the mix of nostalgia,…

If you ask ten people what Christmas means to them, you’ll probably hear ten different stories. That’s the beauty of this holiday: it’s a mosaic woven from centuries of tradition, belief, folklore,…

As the final hours of December slip quietly into history, something unusual happens across the planet. People who speak different languages, follow different religions, and live under entirely different skies suddenly share the same emotion: the thrill of a new beginning. New Year’s celebrations, regardless of where they unfold, carry a universal…

Christmas may be one date on the calendar, but the way the world celebrates it is anything but uniform. Walk down a snowy street in Vienna, a sunlit plaza in Mexico City, or a lantern-lit alley in…

The alarm clock stays silent a little longer on January 1. The world outside your window seems to whisper rather than roar, with streets emptier than usual and the faint scent of last night's…

Christmas Day arrives each year with a sense of familiarity—like a long-awaited guest who brings warmth the moment they step through the door. Even before the morning sun rises, the day feels different. Streets are quieter, homes glow softly under strings of lights left on overnight, and the world seems to exhale in unison. For many, December 25th…

As the clock ticks toward midnight on December 31, the world collectively holds its breath. Fireworks ready to burst, champagne corks poised to pop, and resolutions scribbled on napkins—New Year’s Eve…

A special report from the heart of the holiday season It’s 6 p.m. on December 24th and something shifts in the air. The frantic energy of the past weeks suddenly softens. Streets grow quieter,…

The Man, the Myth, the Red Suit: Who Is Santa Claus, Really? A special holiday investigation Every December, one man manages to visit roughly 92 million homes in a single night, drink an estimated 7.8 million glasses of milk, and still keep a BMI that would make most doctors weep. He’s tracked by NORAD, photographed by ring doorbells, and has…

There’s a moment, just before midnight on December 31st, when everything feels suspended. The room is loud with laughter, clinking glasses, and someone’s playlist that refuses to quit, yet inside your…

The calendar marks it as December 25th, but those digits on a page barely scratch the surface of what Christmas truly means. It’s more than a federal holiday, more than a frenzied shopping season, and…