Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2023/January 2024 i Reader's Digest

OUR OLD, ARTIFICIAL Christmas tree was in rough shape by the time we retired it. At least a decade had passed since my wife and I bought the tree, a medium-size fake fir with built-in lights, at a Target in Brooklyn and schlepped it on the subway to our tiny apartment. Over the years, we hauled that tree from apartment to apartment, jammed it onto a moving truck to Los Angeles and later crammed the weathered box onto another moving truck, this time to Chicago and our current home. By the end, layers of duct tape held the box together, the wear and tear of a decade of delivering holiday cheer. Our little tree looked run down, but it was the only tree our family ever knew. It stands proud…

Rescuing Our Best Friends It was a terrifying scene: smoke billowing from The Dog Resort, a canine day-care center in Seattle. More than 100 panicked pups were inside, looking for a way out. The fire department had yet to arrive, so employees and neighboring businesses took the lead. Workers at Hellbent Brewing Co. cut a hole in the fence and led 35 dogs into their bar. A team from Classic Collision loaded a truck with 27 dogs and drove them to the repair offices. Other businesses, including a Mexican restaurant, pitched in as well. All 115 dogs survived the fire. As one rescuer told the Washington Post, “You know that Mister Rogers saying ‘Look for the helpers’? That's how I felt. I didn't want to be the guy standing around…

George Schlatter worked with everyone in Hollywood. And in his new book, Still Laughing: A Life in Comedy (Unnamed Press), the producer of Laugh-In, Real People and a slew of TV specials, dishes on all of them. Like the time Dean Martin and his wife threw a party only to see Dino repair to his bedroom early. An hour later, a knock at the door. It was the cops responding to a noise complaint from a neighbor. The upset “neighbor” was Martin trying to clear his house of guests. Another time, famed comedian Henny “Take my wife, please” Youngman begged Schlatter to join him and his family at a deli. Schlatter was busy, but he went, “and sure enough, there was Henny and 11 people having lunch,” writes Schlatter. He…

A man phoned his adult daughter and told her the bad news: He and his wife were getting a divorce. “But why, Dad? What happened?” she asked. “I'm miserable,” he said, “and I'm leaving tonight!” “Don't do anything. I'll fly over tomorrow.” “OK, why don't you bring John and the kids too? Your mom will want to see them.” They hung up and the man turned to his wife: “Honey! The kids are coming over for Hanukkah.” —DISTRACTIFY.COM A police officer calls the station. “Sarge, I have a problem. A woman shot her husband for stepping on the floor she'd just mopped.” He's making a list… He's checking it twice… He left it at home. He's texting his wife. —X@BEICINDOFWITTY “Have you arrested her?” asks the sergeant. “No,” says the…

At 7:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve 2022 Yvonne White got a call from an unknown number. “Hi. You don't know me, but I have your brother,” said a shaky voice on the other end of the line. It was Sha'Kyra Aughtry, a Buffalo resident who had rescued Yvonne's brother, Joey White, amid the deadly winter storm that began battering western New York the previous day. Joey, then 64, is mentally disabled, Yvonne says. She had called him just before the storm hit, sternly instructing him not to leave the group home where he lives. He had promised her he would stay put. But as Buffalo's worst blizzard in almost 50 years pummeled the city, Joey ventured outside. It's unclear what time Joey left home or for what purpose, but Yvonne…

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES MYTH 1 Fresh fruits and vegetables are always healthier than canned, frozen or dried varieties. Despite the enduring belief that “fresh is best,” research has found that frozen, canned and dried fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts. “They can also be a money saver and an easy way to make sure there are always fruits and vegetables available at home,” said Sara Bleich, a professor of public health policy at Harvard University. One caveat: Some canned, frozen and dried varieties contain added sugars, saturated fats and sodium, so be sure to read nutrition labels and opt for products that keep those ingredients to a minimum. (Yes, that means you should skip the broccoli with the cheese sauce!) MATH 2…

FILM It was director Alexander Payne who turned Paul Giamatti into a movie star via 2004's Sideways. Now, 20 years later, the duo has returned for a sensitive 1970s-set tale about damaged souls pushing each other through life's disappointments. Paul Hunham (Giamatti) is a curmudgeonly professor tasked with chaperoning students stranded at their New England boarding school over holiday break. The only student left is Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa), a charismatic but troubled teen grappling with his folks’ divorce. Along with the school's grieving cafeteria manager, Mary Lamb (a lovely performance from Da'Vine Joy Randolph), they form an unlikely trio that forges a bond during the most wonderful—and the loneliest—time of the year. Though Hunham sniffs that “there's no new human experience,” it turns out teach has plenty left to…

RARELY HAS BRITISH artist Simon Beck come across a mountain covered in virgin snow and not thought, I can improve on that. For Beck, 65, an avid snowshoer and a former engineer, the freshly fallen snow is a canvas, and his snowshoes are the paintbrush. He uses his feet to create massive and intricate designs in wintry landscapes around the world, like the geometric design shown here at Lac Marlou in the French Alps. With the help of some simple math and a compass, he maps out his path and then meticulously follows it, stomping out a design and logging thousands of steps in the process. Naturally, some of his snowscapes are more fleeting than others. But as he told Artnet, “As long as the weather holds long enough for…

Dear Louise: It's that holiday time ofyear already! (1) My gosh, where does the time go? So much has happened over the past year, and we're eager to bring you up to speed. First, some good news: Todd found a furnished studio apartment on the Hudson River. (2) It's in an exclusive gated community called Sing Sing, and he shares it with his new roommate, Beelzebub. The lodgings come with free meals and the use of an exercise yard the guys share with 1,700 other like-minded gentlemen. Now, the sad news: Todd announced that he won't be joining us for the holidays this year. Don and I will keep a place for him in our hearts. The same goes for my sainted Aunt Mae, who passed away in February. She…

A distraught Ohio man called 911 stating he had laundry in the washing machine when his sister ended the cycle and pulled out his clothes. He insisted she be arrested on charges of touching his clothes. Not so fast, his sister told officers. This was his third load of the day and she'd had enough. Who wouldn't? Officers suggested that they work matters out between themselve. —CLEVELAND.COM A concerned citizen in Kentucky called police to report a creepy man—naked save for a white terry cloth robe and an ear-flap cap—loitering outside a home, a beer in hand. When police arrived on the scene, instead of finding some random perv, they were met by an elaborate Christmas display centered around a mannequin dressed as Cousin Eddy, Clark Griswold's shameless in-law from…

PEOPLE DON'T GENERALLY use the words healthy and holiday eating in the same sentence, and when they do, it's usually to express a worry about impending weight gain. Holidays are often a time of indulgence, even for people who are usually careful about their diets for the rest of the year. But there's more to holiday eating than avoiding excess calories. What we eat a.ects the health of the entire body, including the immune system. Since most of the body's immune system is concentrated in the gut— and the trillions of healthy bacteria living there called the microbiome— what we eat has a direct impact on how the immune system functions. “A lot of people don't think about the effects of what they eat on immunity. But the science says…

It was Christmas Eve morning, and I awoke with a mission: to nd my lost cat, Baby-Girl. As I got ready, I could hear icy rain pelting the windows. I said a quick prayer for BabyGirl. She was out there somewhere in the storm, I could just feel it. Sure, it had been six months since she'd gone missing, but I still had faith. It was the season for miracles, after all. €at summer, my sweet kitty had disappeared from my parents’ house in Indiana. Baby-Girl had been staying with them while I was between apartments. At the time, I lived and worked in Washington, D.C. I was staying with friends until I signed my lease on a new place. Baby-Girl had gotten out of my parents’ house three days…

FROM MASHABLE.COM Dese'Rae L. Stage keeps a list of things that make her happy. It includes going to the movies alone, walking around with a giant cup of coffee, and having regular Zoom chats with her best friends who live too far away to meet up with in person. She learned a long time ago that gratifying distractions and reminders of life's small pleasures might save her in a moment of crisis. Stage, an artist who lives in Philadelphia, also knows that even if a person has attempted or contemplated suicide, it doesn't mean that's how their life will end. She knows this because she's a living example. She's also the creator of Live Through This, an initiative that documents the portraits and stories of suicide attempt survivors. The popular…

TV All the Light We Cannot See From Netflix This four-episode limited series adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel tells the interconnected stories of MarieLaure (Aria Mia Loberti), a blind French girl who becomes involved with the French Resistance, and Werner (Louis Hofmann), a young Nazi radio engineer, during the German occupation of France in World War II. Loberti and Hofmann are certainly stars on the rise, and Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie, who play Marie-Laure's locksmith father and reclusive great-uncle, remind us why they're staiwarts. (Streaming on Netflix Nov. 2) —Jessica MacLeish My Name Is Barbra By Barbra Streisand Countless books have been written about 46-time Grammy nominee and EGOT winner Barbra Streisand, but never has one been written by her—until now. (Even an offer from editor Jacqueline Kennedy…

1. viceroy n. (‘vigh-sroi) A appointed ruler B winning entry C legal document 2. surplice adj. (‘sr-pluhs) A crossed at center B unnecessary C airy 3. latticework n. (‘lat-uhs-werk) A structured payment B temporary shelter C decorative grid 4. licentiously adv. (ly-'sen-chuhs-lee) A lewdly B legally C nervously 5. serviceable adj. (‘ser-vuh-suh-bl) A likely B usable C unique 6. caprice n. (kuh-'prees) A salad B sudden whim C light breeze 7. beneficent adj. (buh-'nef-uh-snt) A rich B charitable C religious 8. cornice n. (‘kor-nuhs) A boulevard B species of grasshopper C ornamental molding 9. suffice v. (suh-'fys) A heat up B hide C be adequate 10. sluice v. (sloos) A flOW B shoot c bury 11. artifice n. (‘ahr-tuh-fuhs) A pleasure B honesty C trickery 12. epicenter n. (‘ep-uh-sen-tr) A attraction B ultimatum C focal point 13. pumice n. (‘puh-muhs) A hand drill B a volcanic rock C uneven ground 14. coppice v. (‘kah-puns) A interrupt B cut back C insert 15. avarice n. (‘a-vuh-ris) A insatiable greed B exceptional talent C desire for approval…

WHERE, OH WHERE? (page 28) D. Leavenworth, Washington BRAIN GAMES (pages 106-107) Let There Be Light Socket E, which leaves the other six bulbs lit Times Square Building Blocks If Alfred buys three of the larger packs and 23 of the triangle packs, his kids can make five houses and 12 bikes with no leftover blocks. Final Battle 4-4-1-6 Each enemy's name has a sequence of four letters that include four of the first six letters of the alphabet A to F. With A=1, B=2 and so on, these letters represent the correct combination of numbers. Reader's Digest (ISSN 0034-0375) (USPS 865-820), (CPM Agreement#40031457), Vol. 202, No. 1194, December 2023/January 2024. © 2023. Published monthly, except bimonthly in March/ April, july/ August, and December/January (subject to change without notice), by…

BILL SUMIEL WAS having a tough Friday. It was October 2020, and the 71-year-old, who was dealing with kidney failure and had been on dialysis for a few years, found himself at a vascular center 30 miles from home for the second time in 24 hours. The day before, his brother had driven him to the Vascular Institute in Vineland, New Jersey, for a routine declotting of his dialysis access port, but it unexpectedly clogged again that night. Sumiel was no stranger to the struggles of kidney disease. He'd been diagnosed with diabetes more than 20 years before, which led to his kidney problems. He was on the transplant list, but no matches had yet appeared. So he continued with his treatments, including the periodic port declotting that had inexplicably…

AFTER SKATING, SKIING or shoveling snow, nothing warms you up better than a cup of hot cocoa. Although today's typical toppings—whipped cream, marshmallows, crushed peppermint candy—may be modern marvels, chocolate was first consumed in liquid form by the Olmec people of northwestern Central America around 1500 B.C. It was even enjoyed by the Aztec emperor Montezuma, and the Aztec word for it (xocolatl, pronounced shoh-kwah-tl or shoh-kwah-lah-tl) evolved into the English word chocolate. But the Aztecs didn't serve their cocoa hot. And since sugar had not yet arrived from Europe, back then, the drink was often flavored with peppers and spices. It may not have been quite as indulgent as today's version, but it was more palatable if you believed, as the Aztecs did, that chocolate was a gift from…

TAKE A WALK IN ANY WEATHER Plenty of studies show that green spaces such as city parks and blue spaces such as beaches boost psychological well-being. But what if your nearby landscapes are covered with snow? These “white spaces” other perks too: In a recent Polish experiment involving 87 women ages 19 to 55, a 40-minute walk in a snowy woodland improved body image, an important aspect of mental health. The researchers think that trudging through snow might have shifted the participants’ thoughts about their body, from insecurities about its appearance to an appreciation of its abilities. And soaking in the beauty of winter probably helped them relax and feel more positive about the world in general. Know the Signs of Colorectal Cancer Unlike people over age 50, younger adults…

DRIVING DOWN MEMORY LANE My son was visiting for my birthday. He arrived, not in his own car, but in a sleek black Corvette with tinted windows and black rims. He handed me the keys and said, “Mommy, this is your car.” I was stunned and told him to go get his money back. He refused and said if he didn't do this for me now, he might never be able to. I have loved Corvettes since I was 18, but I'd never expected to own one. We spent his visit cruising around, and the smile wouldn't leave my face. He died a few years later, but I'm reminded of his generosity every time I drive. However, my son was really my best gift ever. —DANNIE DAVIS Jacksonville, FL THIS…

WALKING 10,000 STEPS (OR AIMING TO!) This benchmark of maintaining good health started with one of the first personal fitness pedometers. The Manpo-kei hit the market in the 1960s, around the time the Tokyo Olympics boosted public interest in fitness. Its name, which translates to “10,000.steps meter,” was a catchy marketing move by manufacturer Yamasa, since the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) looks a lot like a person walking. While hoo.ng it obviously improves health, the target of 10,000 steps was never based on actual science. However, several recent studies have proved it to be mostly true. Research shows that middle-aged men and women who walk at least 8,000.steps per day were about half as likely to die prematurely from heart disease or develop dementia. Also, amblers had a greater…

I love asking questions. I've done a pretty decent job of surrounding myself with smart people, and I'm going to take full advantage of that. —Kristen Bell, ACTOR, IN REAL SIMPLE Music, if nothing else, builds these small monuments to people that I can always hold on to. There are songs that operate as monuments to people I've lost, and they make a park of monuments that I can return to. —Hanif Abdurraqib, POET, ON ALL THINGS CONSIDERED (NPR) You don't have to know all the right moves—you just need to know the next one. —Oprah Winfrey, ENTREPRENEUR TO GRADUATES OF TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY Failure is when you don't try to do something as well as you can. When you try to do your best, you have a clear conscience,…

These Stories Never Get Old What better way to bid adieu to 2023 than with our latest best-of compilation? The unforgettable stories in The Best of Reader's Digest 2023 come alive as never before—and not just because some of them really have never been published before in the magazine! Both the golden oldies and the brandspanking-new bonus material are editor favorites spanning the past 100 years. To order your copy today for just $10 (we'll spot you the shipping), visit rd.com/EP23.…