Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2025/January 2026 i Reader's Digest

WE HAVE a fun family tradition for Christmas Eve. Well, we have a few, but everyone's favorite is the grab bag. After a chili supper and evening church, we all gather at my parents' house and dive in. The grab bag is one of those huge plastic gift bags, maybe 4 feet high. It's filled with small gifts, some wrapped, some not. Some valuable (a gift card!), some not (a box of tissues … oh wait, with a gift card tucked inside!). The youngest person grabs first, and the rule is that you have to pull out the first item you touch. No fishing around, no dropping that tissue box (remember, it might have a gift card inside!) and choosing something else. From youngest to oldest, everyone goes in order,…

THE PALISADES FIRE in Los Angeles burned Charlotte Tragos's home to the ground. The height chart from when she was a child was marked on the kitchen wall. Family heirlooms filled the cupboards. Her parents' wedding video from the 1990s was stashed away in the basement. All of it is gone. “It was a pretty special and unique house,” says Tragos, who fled with her parents, her younger sister and their three dogs when the fire broke out on Jan. 7, 2025. All the teenager took with her was her high school diploma, her dog's ashes and a pair of sneakers. “The streets were packed with people running, driving on the wrong side of the road,” she says, adding that every knew they were running for their lives. A few…

THERE IS LITTLE more charming than the idea of a Christms puppy. The festive music, the cooing family, that adorable little face with the holiday lights shining from its eyes. The reality, however, is something of a wreck. There you are trying to bake Christmas cookies, close out the year-end books or shepherd the kids through pageants and parties … and there is the puppy, needing to be let out every two hours. The time not spent mopping up accidents will instead be devoted to keeping the puppy from chewing on the tree, swallowing ornaments or knocking over the Nativity scene. And you will be trying to manage this on too little sleep, because, did I mention? The puppy needs to be let out every few hours, including at night.…

At the start of her kindergarten class, my friend told her students, “I think we'll be inside at recess today, because it was raining on my way to work.” That prompted one of her students to raise his hand and ask, “Where do you work?” —TRISHA SCHELBLE Tooele, UT The city of Redmond, Washington, bought new snowplows, and locals were given the honor of naming the fleet. Without further ado, here are the newest plows of Redmond: ✦ Scoop Dogg ✦ Control + Salt + Delete ✦ Snow-Be-Gone Kenobi ✦ The Big Leplowski ✦ Betty Whiteout —KUOW.ORG Standing desk usage so far: Time sitting: 90%. Time Standing: 5%. Time accidentally hitting the button that makes it go up and down: 117% —X@DELOISIVETE In his new book, Class Clown (Simon & Schuster), Dave…

AT THE END of 2024, Walmart shoppers in 20 states learned that the bagged Marketside broccoli florets at their local stores were being recalled. A month later, the FDA reclassified the recall as Class 1, the highest danger level, meaning the product could cause serious health issues or even death. The problem was potential contamination with listeria, a bacteria that can cause severe food poisoning. There were no reported illnesses or deaths when the recall was announced, and no more of the product was being sold, since it's illegal for retailers to sell recalled products. But health experts worried that some people might still have some of the broccoli in their refrigerator or freezer. Social media lit up. One woman reported that she had to go to the emergency room…

✦ I spilled spot remover on my dog. Now he's gone. ✦ It doesn't matter what temperature the room is—it's always room temperature. ✦ If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving isn't for you. ✦ I busted a mirror and got seven years of bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five. ✦ If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends? ✦ There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot. ✦ Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time. ✦ I think it's wrong that only one company makes Monopoly. ✦ Why don't they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff? ✦ If it's a penny for your thoughts and…

The holidays can get you down, and that's how Lexie Gregory of Elberta, Alabama, felt last December. She was at a park one morning, trying to ease her Christmas blues, when a dog walked over and started licking her face. “It was just the sweetest thing,” she told WKRG News 5. Gregory never saw the dog's owner but assumed he had one. It was only later that day, after posting online about the dog, that she learned he had recently arrived at a local shelter and still needed a home. So Gregory adopted him. “I don't know how to explain it,” she says, “but I was just kind of like, ‘That's my dog.’ He's defifinitely the Christmas present I didn't know I needed.”…

Many noteworthy individuals have a Dec. 24 or 25 birthday, among them the scientist Sir Isaac Newton, film star Humphrey Bogart and metal singer Lemmy Kilmister. Of course, the most famous Christmas baby is Jesus, but actually, the specific date of his birth is never mentioned in the Gospels. His big day was chosen by the Romans centuries after his death, likely to supplant pagan holidays that fell around the same time. But regardless, the list of Christmas babies includes many legends in their fields. Still, when we were given a Dec. 24 due date for our daughter's birth, my wife and I had some reservations. A winter birthday in New England, where we live, is dreary enough already. But a birthday on or close to Christmas risks becoming an…

Deep Pockets One Christmas, my wife, who seldom wears jewelry, wanted diamond earrings as her gift. I obliged but figured the little box would ruin the surprise, so I bought an inexpensive fleece jacket at a farm supply store and put the earring box in the pocket. On Christmas morning, she raved about the jacket as she tried it on. My daughter had to ask her how she liked the pockets. She was thankful to receive the earrings and wears them a few times a year. But the jacket is nearly worn out. —RICK CRAIGER Summerville, OR Best Truck for Your Buck My neighbor was upgrading to a bigger truck, so I took his little pickup of his hands. It had 100,000 miles and several scratches on it. But it…

I love Mondays, and the first of the year is like a super Monday for me. To be able to open a new journal was very exciting in the nerdiest way possible. —Issa Rae, ACTOR, IN TIME If your church isn't telling you to love your enemies, but keeps telling you who your enemies are, you're not really in a church. —John Fugelsang, BROADCASTER, IN THE BOOK SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND HATE Take up space. Pitch it faster. Run harder. Put another plate on the bar. And never tone it down. —Ilona Maher, RUGBY PLAYER, AT THE 2025 ESPY AWARDS A loaf of rye is rising out of itself, growing lighter as it takes up more of the world. In humans, we call this aging. In bread, we call it proof. —Ocean Vuong, POET,…

Perhaps Austen's best-known book, Pride and Prejudice has been made into at least 17 films and TV shows—and counting. While some screen versions stay faithful to the original, others take liberties: The horror comedy Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) has the Bennet sisters battling the undead; Bride & Prejudice (2004) is a splashy Bollywood musical; and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (2012-13), set in modern-day California, retells the story via a series of YouTube vlogs.…

WHERE, OH WHERE? (page 120) A. Kennebunkport, Maine BRAIN GAMES (pages 115-116) Herding Cats White (Mala), black (Lucky), ginger (Sky), gray (Ana). They started Sky-Ana-Lucky-Mala. Domi-nope The six on the highlighted domino doesn't have a two it could go with to look like the model. A Lending Hand The six of clubs. Read together, the second and third cards represent the value of the first card squared. Since 8 squared is 64, the missing card is a six, and the only six card remaining is a club. Set Free…

A RECORD HIGH 49% of drinking-age Americans tried to cut out or cut back on alcohol this year. As more of us stay “dry” well past January, more bars and restaurants are offering alcohol-free cocktails (also called mocktails). Surprise: They can cost as much as the boozy drinks! Why? Making nonalcoholic spirits taste like the real deal is akin to alchemy, so their price points are right up there with top-shelf alcohol. But you don't need them to make great mocktails—just a little mixologist's magic. Try a festive cranberry fizz from our sister brand, Taste of Home: Combine 2 parts cranberry juice, 1 part ginger ale and ½ part each of orange juice and ruby red grapefruit juice. Garnish with cranberries and orange slices. Pro tip: Freeze them first, and…

EXERCISE CANCER AWAY Prescriptions for exercise may soon join prescriptions for drugs as part of standard cancer treatment. A study of colon cancer patients in five countries found that people who added a structured exercise program to their recovery cut their risk of disease recurrence by 28% and their risk of death by 37% over the 25 years of the study. Those numbers, say experts, are better than many cancer drugs. The finding, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, is considered so important that regular exercise may soon become a routine part of cancer care. See-in-the Dark Contact Lenses Scientists are getting closer to giving people a real superpower: the ability to see in the dark. A contact lens developed at the University of Science and Technology…

'T was two weeks before Christmas at Denver International Airport, and a huge Boeing 777 plane had taxied down one of the runways. From the outside, the jumbo jet looked like any other about to take off. But inside, silver tinsel and strings of colored lights hung from overhead luggage compartments. Glittery paper snowflakes and curls of red ribbon dangled over the seats. Puffs of cottony “snow” adorned each headrest. And giant sparkling candy canes grace the back of the cabin. The flight crew was similarly decked out in holiday gear—Santa hats, pointy elf ears, reindeer sweaters. One jokest had donned a Grinch costume. And the plane's passengers—about 100 local children ages 3 to 10 and their family members—were wearing matching T-shirts adorned with the words “Fantasy Flight.” The kids…

It was 1 a.m. on Christmas morning, but for Marisa Shumaker, it was still Christmas Eve. Like so many other parents, she had holiday magic to make. For weeks, her 4-year-old daughter, Aubree, had been asking for one thing only for Christmas: a “real piano keyboard,” not just some dinky one made for little kids. Now that Aubree was asleep, Shumaker pulled the box from its hiding spot in their home in Bel Air, Maryland, ready to unveil the 61-key keyboard with full-size keys—perfect for (serious) beginners like Aubree. Shumaker figured she'd assemble the stand and bench, and set it all up so it would be ready to play when Aubree woke up and discovered her surprise. But when she opened the box, only the stand and bench were inside.…

The mountain road was slick with ice, and the long-haul trucker's wife was too worried about him to hang up the phone. So as German Segura guided his 18-wheeler through the treacherous aftermath of a December storm, he sought to lighten the mood. What he said next to his wife, Elsa Segura, on that 4,000-mile round trip from Texas to Canada back in 2009, laid the foundations for a festive mystery and a beloved annual tradition. For the past 16 winters, motorists traveling on a remote stretch of Interstate 90 through the Native American Crow Reservation in Montana have noticed a lone pine tree sticking up from the strip of grass between the northbound and southbound roads. It stands out because it is decorated for Christmas. “Some people thought that…

Starring Allison Tolman A sophomore season of this workplace mockumentary set at an underfunded Oregon hospital is just what the doctor ordered. Oblivious administrator Joyce (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is in charge on paper, but head nurse Alex (Allison Tolman) leads the eccentric medical staff on the hospital floor. Among her charges are tenderfoot nurse Matt (Mekki Leeper), who learns his crush on travel nurse Serena (Kahyun Kim) might not be as unrequited as he thinks. It's less Grey's Anatomy or The Pitt, more The Paper or Abbott Elementary. (Season 2 premieres Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. EST on NBC and streams on Peacock) —Caroline Fanning…

The ORBISCULATE Challenge EASY How many words can you find within the 11-letter word below? Words must be at least three letters long and appear in the dictionary (we use Merriam-Webster) to count toward your score. YOUR SCORE: BONUS The longest word we found within WINTERGREEN is 10 letters long. Can you find it? (Answer is below.) What's With This Game's Crazy Name? We first published “Warning: This Fruit May Orbisculate,” about a family's made-up word, in our December 2021/January 2022 issue. Orbisculate means “when you dig your spoon into a grapefruit (or another fruit or vegetable), and it squirts juice directly in your eye.” Soon after, reader Sue Mollineaux of Torrington, Connecticut, wrote us to say that residents of her senior community had put their heads together and found…

BEING WITH LOVED ones during the holidays is a delight. Getting there is not. Portland International Airport in Oregon puts passengers at ease in a unique way: with therapy llamas. These animals—including Prince (left) and Beni (right)—strut their stuff through the terminal, letting people pet and hug them. Wranglers Lori Gregory and Shannon Joy, a mother–daughter duo who run the nearby Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas and Alpacas farm, say the 400-pound fluffs offer a welcome distraction from Yuletide travel stress. “I call them Santa Claus for adults,” says Joy. Passenger Lori Sackett was one of the lucky recipients of some llama love. “The sweet faces,” she told NPR. “What a gift.”…

When the box from her sister arrived, my friend Diane excitedly ripped it open. Inside, she found a colorful hat that was soft and fuzzy. She loved it and quickly tried it on, but it didn't fit. She turned it around, then tried it at a different angle. No matter how she wore it, it didn't look right. So she called her sister Jane. “I got the hat you sent me,” Diane said, “but it doesn't fit.” “A hat?!” said Jane, guffawing. “I sent you a toilet seat cover!” —BONNIE PASTOOR Allendale, MI I'm always inspired when people turn 100 and they're still so vigorous. While walking through our retirement community, I came upon a recent centenarian who looked so full of life that I had to stop and ask,…

While our frigate was taking on supplies at sea from a British ship, I noticed three of their sailors pointing to our destroyer's squadron crest, which was proudly mounted on the side of our ship. The crest featured a greyhound and read “Destroyer Squadron 2— Second to None!” The British sailors soon disappeared inside their ship, returning minutes later holding aloft a chalkboard on which was written: “We Are None!” —JOHN READ Palm Harbor, FL A key battle between the British and American navies in the War of 1812 took place on Lake Champlain, which borders New York, Vermont and Quebec. After the war, the U.S. built a nearly impenetrable limestone fort on the shore, with 125 cannons pointing out at the water. Any British ships sailing from Canada would…

In his workshop in Eustis, Florida, Oscar Morris turned an oak limb into a walking cane, then posted about it on Facebook. He hoped to give it to a fellow veteran. Morris got some 500 requests from disabled vets. Inspired, he was determined to fulfill them all. It took him two years and nearly depleted his wood supply. Then a few days after Christmas, Morris got a call from a local Lowe's store. They had unsold Christmas trees. Could he make canes out of them? Sure, he could! Every new year, Morris finds fresh trees tossed over his fence. He has made more than 1,000 canes and has no plans to stop, telling Woman's World magazine, “I believe that this was what God wanted me to do, and I ran…

Mary Kate Borner and Giuliana La Porte of Chicago have been friends since high school. Every year, they do a Secret Santa gift exchange with a few other pals. Last year, Borner drew La Porte's name. Knowing that her friend was reeling from the recent loss of her mom, Borner had an idea. La Porte had posted on Instagram a note her mom had written to her, so Borner bought her a bag and sewed a replica of that note into it. “I wanted to give her something that was personal and had touches of her mom that she could carry with her everywhere,” Borner told People. La Porte loves her gift—and the person who gave it to her. “This just really showed how meaningful our friendship is,” she says.…

Dog Affirmations By Andrea Cáceres Illustrator Andrea Cáceres uplifts and delights with these picture-book insights into the deepest thoughts of man's best friend. Tobi, Cáceres's own 15-year-old silky terrier, appears alongside dogs of every size, shape and color. What they have in common is joy—for toys, treats, sticks, naps and a chance to “roll in something stinky.” In one illustration, a pup gazes forlornly at the reflection in its water bowl: “Today my humans won't communicate, and I will get double dinner.” Every page is a little gift, making it the perfect one for any dog lover (or eternal optimist) in your life. —Debby Waldman Joyride By Susan Orlean A poacher of rare orchid plants in Florida. An African king who drives a cab in New York City. How people…

1. countenance n. ('kown-tuh-nuhns) A noble rank B facial expression C unwritten rule 2. odious adj. ('oh-dee-uhs) A horrible B musical C scented 3. proviso n. (pruh-'vigh-zoh) A umbrella B condition C suitor 4. impute v. (im-'pyoot) A critique B chalk up C refuse 5. pert adj. (puhrt) A young B sassy C gruff 6. copse n. (kahps) A undergarment B country road C group of trees 7. pallid adj. ('pal-uhd) A loveless B penniless C colorless 8. hauteur n. (haw-'tuhr) A impostor B haughtiness C small carriage 9. vex v. (veks) A aggravate B break a vow C curse 10. repartee n. (reh-puhr-'tee) A muslin gown B witty conversation C annual ball 11. lassitude n. ('lass-uh-tood) A snobbery B caution C fatigue 12. scrupulous adj. ('skroo-pyuh-luhs) A thorough B sociable C mysterious 13. obtrude v. (uhb-'trood) A persuade B object C impose 14. dint n. (dint) A power B footpath C buckle 15. hale adj. (hayl) A wealthy B healthy C stealthy Word Power ANSWERS 1. countenance (B) facial expression I can tell by your…