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☆ Parents, I know Elf on the Shelf is a hassle, but I promise you one day you'll miss it
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-21 | by ( Terri Peters | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

My kids are teenagers now, but they believed in Elf on the Shelf for more than a decade. When they were preschoolers, I'd set up elaborate displays showing Jingle and Garland (each kid had their own elf, naturally) pulling all sorts of pranks. Now that my kids have outgrown Elf on the Shelf, I miss itThe author would set up the Elf on the Shelf while her kids were sleeping. "I forgot to move the elves," I'd sometimes groan, warm under the covers and ready for bed. Memorize the faces and the giggles and the joy that Elf on the Shelf brings because, believe it or not, you will miss it one day.

Persons: I'd, Jesus, Terri Peters, Bernard —, we'd, it's, they'd, Garland, I'm, Barbie Locations: Santa Claus

☆ I spent my first sober Christmas alone. It was the best one I ever had.
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-21 | by ( Sam Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Knowing I was going to be spending Christmas alone for the first time felt like a punishment. The previous year, I blacked outThe previous Christmas Eve, I had been in the same hospital for a mental health crisis. When I had been discharged earlier on Christmas Day, I went home and slept through the day. There were no awkward conversations around the dinner table with relatives I only see at Christmas, big birthdays, or funerals. Many people think the idea of spending Christmas on their own sounds lonely and unappealing.

Persons: I'd, Christmases Locations: Paris, Switzerland

☆ My family of four doesn't travel for the holidays. We love our small, drama-free Christmas celebrations.
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-15 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Traveling for Christmas became an expensive obligation instead of a joyful celebration for my husband and I. When our first child was born, we decided to put an end to the hectic travel and stay home for the holidays. AdvertisementEven once I was a real adult, my husband and I felt obligated to continue the pattern of bouncing from family to family during the holiday season. We didn't even have a Christmas tree since we'd never spent a Christmas at our own home. Traveling with an eight-month-old didn't seem fun, but we'd also have to pick which set of grandparents would get to experience our daughter's first Christmas morning.

Persons: it's, we'd, we've, It's, What's

☆ I want my kids to feel connected to relatives who are no longer with us. I'm sharing holiday traditions to help bridge the gap.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-30 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

AdvertisementA mother uses holiday traditions to connect her children with their family history. Family gatherings, food, and music help bridge the gap between past and present. Here are other ways I help keep holiday traditions and the spirit of the past alive each year. Related storiesCurating a home full of historyI decorate our home with many holiday items my grandmother passed down to me. Sharing these traditions allows me to give my kids a glimpse of my past.

Persons: heirlooms, I've, Esther, Mitch Miller, Grams, Nicole Johnson, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Burl Ives, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis Organizations: US, Gram Locations: Santa

☆ Flight attendants share secrets to surviving holiday travel
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-25 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +28 min

But it doesn’t have to, just ask the world’s flight attendants. “It’s important for flight attendants to know who is sitting in what seats,” she says. And during those quieter moments, he says flight attendants “honestly love to talk to passengers.”We love when people come back and talk to us. Liz SimmonsFor flight attendants, interacting with the occasional famous face is just part of the job. While gifts are thoughtful, flight attendants don’t expect them, and especially not extravagant ones.

Persons: anyone’s, Hunter Smith, Lihas, Liz Simmons, you’ve, Elijah Nouvelage, Smith, “, ”, you’re, Kamil Krzaczynski, Simmons, Mike Blake, FlightRadar, “ It’s, you've, Joshua Lott, don’t, Kent Nishimura, “ I’m, who’s, they’ve, it’s, — Simmons, ” Smith, there’s, — isn’t, ” Simmons, “ It’ll, Alexander Spatari, ” I’ve, who’ve, lister, I’ve, she’s, everyone’s, Liz Simmons “, ’ Simmons, Kevin Lamarque, “ I’ve, They’re Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Getty, Facebook, Los Angeles Times, Netflix, Hallmark, Hollywood, “, Disney Locations: Florida, AFP, earshot, Greece, You’re, London, New York, “

☆ I'm a proud, child-free cat lady. Children are still important to me — I just don't want any of my own.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Christina Wyman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I am a 44-year-old child-free woman and certified cat lady. Life as a child-free person is not just about hoarding money, going on fancy vacations, or sleeping in on weekends. Stereotypes of what it means to be a child-free woman are nothing more than a caricature — though, yes, I do have cats. And though I don't want children myself, like many other child-free women, I'm an advocate for families. Because even though I'm a child-free woman, children are still important to me, and this is one key way that I've been able to contribute to their worlds.

Persons: I've, Christina, Christina Wyman, I'm Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Queens , New York, Queens

☆ Princess Diana’s handwritten letters go on sale
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-25 | by ( Rosa Rahimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Princess Diana’s letters to her family’s former housekeeper are going on sale, providing an “insight” into her life behind closed doors, including wedding preparations to the then-Prince Charles, and details of Prince Harry and Prince William’s childhood relationship. “[Collison] was a constant in Diana’s life, and remained so all her life,” Luke Macdonald, head of art and estates at Sworders, told CNN Thursday. “They were very close,” said Macdonald, adding that the two would correspond for birthdays, Christmases, and even before Diana’s wedding to then-Prince Charles. One letter dated July 8, 1981 – three weeks before the royal wedding – was handwritten by Diana on Buckingham Palace stationary, telling Collison about the pre-wedding preparations. Another letter, written 10 days after the birth of Prince Harry in 1984, thanks Collison for a gift she sent the newborn.

Persons: Diana’s, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Prince William’s, Violet Collison, Collie, Diana, Collison, Sarah, Jane, Charles, “, ” Luke Macdonald, Macdonald, ”, Prince Charles ., –, ” Diana, Harry –, Prince, “ William, Harry, we’re, William Organizations: CNN, House, Sandringham Locations: Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, Sworders, Collison’s Norfolk, “, ”, Kensington

☆ My grandparents raised me, and the generational divide wasn't always easy. But I had the coolest great aunts, and my kids love them, too.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Nicole Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Auntie Pauline lived in a ranch house with a pool in Long Island, New York. Auntie Joanne drove a Chevy Vega hatchback and was the first in the family to go to college. My Auntie Joanne took me to doctor's appointments, and Auntie Pauline had me over for Thanksgiving when I was in college in New York. After Auntie Joanne had her son, I became his unofficial nanny, accompanying them on vacations. When I had kids, my aunts loved them, tooWhen my children came along, my aunts loved them fiercely.

Persons: Auntie Pauline, Sy, Auntie Joanne, Joanne, Nicole, Pauline's Organizations: Service, Chevy Locations: Long Island , New York, Everett, New York, Boston

☆ My 91-year-old grandma was filled with wisdom. There were 3 important life lessons I was grateful she passed down.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Jane Ridley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Daisy Ridley is better known as Rey in Star Wars — the sensitive Jedi whose attitude is nonetheless badass. My paternal grandmother, who died at 91, became Daisy Ridley — her maiden name was Duck of all things — in 1932 when she married my grandfather, Robert. And, just as the Star Wars character inspired women and girls to be strong, Nanny was our role model. She didn't want to have to leave at 60 — the retirement age for women in the UK back then. Daisy Ridley was wise and a positive force.

Persons: Daisy Ridley, Daisy Ridley —, Robert, Alison, Rey, Nanny, Daisy, Linda, babysat, Don Organizations: Rey, Star, Business, Star Wars Locations: Scotland

☆ I celebrate Christmas 8 times in 4 days in my blended family. Here's how I make it happen.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-23 | by ( Riana Ang-Canning | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Instead of choosing which side of the family to spend Christmas with, I go to all the family events. Growing up in a blended family, I'm used to shuffling from one house to another. But rather than choose which side of the family I spend Christmas with, I attend all of the Christmases. AdvertisementNext, I'm off to my step-aunt's house for an early Christmas dinner with my stepmom's immediate family. Dec 24: I double book Christmas Eve to see both sides of my familyChristmas Eve is where the holiday madness really ramps up.

Persons: —, that's, I'm, Po, stepmom, Canning, Benedict, we've, I've Organizations: Service

☆ There's a reason why some Christmas songs make you cry
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Rosalind Ryan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Christmas songs may be written in a certain way to trigger feelings of sadness. A quick Google reveals many people feel sad when they hear Christmas carols or a classic Christmas tune. Christmas songs connect us to the pastOne reason Christmas music triggers such strong emotions is because it takes us right back to our childhood. Some songs have been written to trigger emotionsSome Christmas songs may have been written with the specific intention of triggering sad emotions. "Christmas songs are as much about memories and feelings as they are about the properties of music itself.

Persons: —, I'm, Clay Routledge, Routledge, Marianne Rizkallah, it's, we've, Rizkallah, Bing Crosby, Rosalind Ryan Organizations: Service, North London Locations: UK

Some are bouncing from hotel room to hotel room, in some cases to make way for the return of tourists who are crucial to the local economy. That’s trickier on Maui, an island of about 150,000 people that's a 30-minute plane ride from the nearest major city, Honolulu. She signed a lease on Wednesday, paying the first month's rent and a deposit using aid money and $2,000 from a cousin. Some landlords wanted as much as $8,000 to $10,000 a month, saying they could get that from tourists, Jachowski said. The agency has identified four sites — three in Lahaina and one in central Maui — near power, water and sewer infrastructure.

Persons: — Charles Nahale, Nahale, ” Nahale, Bob Fenton, ” Fenton, Gail McGovern, Josh Green, Tiffany Teruya, ”, Teruya, Matt Jachowski, Jachowski, —, Fenton, Richard Bissen, Roland Cazimero, Jennifer Sinco Kelleher Organizations: Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, Red, Catholic Charities, Maui, Associated Locations: LAHAINA, Hawaii, Lahaina, U.S, Maui, Honolulu, Green

☆ The Windrush generation still struggling to be compensated after Home Office failings
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Caolán Magee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

In 2018, the Windrush Compensation Scheme was set up to provide compensation to victims of the scandal. The Home Office has not yet responded to CNN’s request for comment on these cases and its wider handling of the Windrush Compensation Scheme. The Windrush Compensation Scheme is an extension of a hostile environment for Black and Brown people.”For some people, any compensation awarded is too late. “We were told compensation was on the way so we could get a carer for my dad – but it was too late,” Abiona told CNN. He is now making a Windrush compensation claim through the Home Office to save up for a headstone for his father’s grave.

Persons: London CNN — Carl Nwazota, Nwazota, –, ”, “, I’m, it’s, Windrush, Britain’s, Theresa May, ” Nwazota, Anna Steiner, ” Steiner, Charlotte Tobierre, Charlotte Tobierre “, you’ve, Thomas Tobierre, Caroline, ” Tobierre, Thomas ’, ” Thomas Tobierre, Steiner, Zita Holbourne, ” Holbourne, Anthony Bryan, Bryan, Chris J Ratcliffe, Janet, Suella Braverman, Alex Cavendish, NurPhoto, Subira Cameron, Goppy, Brown, Ramya, Taiwo Abiona, Stella, Kemi Abiona, ” Abiona, Abiona Organizations: London CNN, Home Office, CNN, Office, British Home Office, Daily Herald, NGO Human Rights Watch, Home, “, Protesters, Windrush, Clinic, Conservative, Royal Mail Locations: London, Wembley, Jamaica, Nigeria, British, Britain, South Asia, Africa, Tilbury, Essex, –

☆ 5 cruise workers reveal the best and worst parts of their jobs — from in the kitchen to on stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Most jobs onboard cruise ships require grueling hours, cramped cabins, and no days off. Insider talked to 5 cruise workers about the best and worst parts of their jobs. Insider spoke with five cruise ship workers including a dancer, musician, chef, and photographer about the best and worst parts of their jobs. And nearly all cruise workers — with entertainers being a notable exception — do not have protected days off until their contract is complete. For many, the unique jobs available on cruise ships are a more intriguing alternative to 9-to-5 desk jobs.

☆ A cruise ship dancer and musician reveal what it's like to be entertainers at sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

From actors to musicians, cruise ships employee dozens of performers to entertain guests on board. A Royal Caribbean singer and dancer told Insider what it's like to live and work on a cruise ship. "When you're like a gigging musician like me, it's just a hustle on land," James told Insider. On Royal Caribbean ships, passengers can see Broadway classics like "Mamma Mia" and "Grease," ice spectaculars, and "aqua shows" with performances from dancers, divers, and artistic swimmers. Do you work on a cruise ship?

☆ I made 6 figures as a pharmacist and still struggled to pay for childcare and my student loans. Here's what it was like, and why I left.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Pollyanna Brown | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Luckily, I got into the one pharmacy school I applied to in the area and got my PharmD — a doctorate of pharmacy. I used student loans to pay for pharmacy school, and because my school was private, I had to take out as much loans as a dentist or a physician, but my pharmacist salary was only a fraction of what they make. Pharmacists can take many clinical roles in a hospitalThere are infectious-disease pharmacists, cardiology pharmacists, transplant pharmacists, and critical-care pharmacists. As a clinical pharmacist, I'd do rounds with the physicians in the morning, weighing in on the drug regimens the patients were on. Hospital pharmacists usually need to work every other weekend.

☆ Christmas meant real Christmas trees for my family. Then my husband got a fake one.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Elizabeth Grey | Elizabeth Grey Is An Essayist | Cook. You Can Find A Link To Her Highly Unprofessional Cooking Show | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

My origin story begins on Christmas Eve. I asked my mother once if we could get silver tinsel icicles, having seen them at a friend’s house. When my brother had kids, we started driving to his house on Christmas Eve to be with them. I would use the fake tree as Exhibit A in the court wrangling over our inevitable divorce. I believe there are two kinds of people, real vs. fake tree, and real tree people are superior.

Family members amble through the front door with more gifts, so the kids form a gift-opening assembly line that starts from youngest to oldest. Oh, the gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts! I can’t control what others give my kids, but I can control our understanding of material objects and values. Often, on these boisterous multigenerational family holiday celebrations, the conversation inevitably turns toward nostalgia. “Remember when even buying bones was a special treat for our family?” my mom says with eyes twinkling.

If you are dreaming of a white Christmas, your dreams may just come true this year. While a white Christmas might help the treetops glisten, the storm is likely to bring hazardous travel conditions as well. Last year, NOAA updated the average probabilities of a white Christmas across the United States. The song “White Christmas” was written during one of those long, snowless-Christmas spells. By the time he wrote the song at the end of the 1930s, New York City had not seen a white Christmas since 1930, according to weather service data and the official definition of a white Christmas.

☆ Costco CEO's cautious consumer outlook justifies our near-term view on the stock
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Craig Jelinek, chief executive officer of Club holding Costco (COST), said Monday he sees a more-vigilant consumer this holiday shopping season and potentially beyond. Consumer behavior Jelinek highlighted a number of stronger areas for Costco, including its Kirkland-branded products across a number of categories. "Our food [and] sundry business, our fresh business, our travel business, continues to be strong," Jelinek added. Looking ahead to next year, Jelinek said Costco is taking stock of the economic uncertainty and factoring that into its merchandising plans. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Costco CEO Craig Jelinek
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with Costco CEO Craig JelinekCostco CEO Craig Jelinek joins CNBC's 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the hot things in Costco for Christmas and more. "Overall, it's probably not one of the most exciting Christmases I have ever dealt with," Jelinek tells CNBC.

Human remains found in a shallow Ohio grave in 1991 are of a missing Columbus man, officials said Tuesday, marking another cold case homicide broken open by advancements in DNA and genealogical research. The dead man found more than 31 years ago is 21-year-old Robert Mullins, who had vanished two or three years earlier, state prosecutors and Pickaway County Sheriff's deputies said. "Thirty-one Christmases have come and gone and I was thinking about the headstone with no name on it," Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told reporters. Pickaway County Sheriff's Office via FacebookA pair of hunters stumbled upon Mullins' skeleton north of State Route 56 just west of State Route 159, in Pickaway County on Nov. 1, 1991, state and local officials said. “We would also like to thank Robert’s genetic relative matches who volunteered their time (and) family information,” Strawser said.

☆ Gas and Electric Fireplaces Are the Future. We Asked Design Pros How to Make Them Seem Real.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Antonia Van Der Meer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

WHEN FAMILIES GATHER around the fire this holiday season, the odds are better than ever that no real kindling will be involved. Due to concerns about health and air quality, regulations against wood-burning fireplaces and stoves have grown increasingly strict—San Francisco, for example, forbids them in new construction—and homeowners drawn to flames have moved on to alternatives such as gas and electric. This doesn’t mean such new-technology adopters are willing to give up the ghost of Christmases past, however. “For generations, fire has been the center of the home,” said Julie Buckner, an interior designer in Petaluma, Calif., who often installs electric fireplaces instead of gas or wood. “It’s a light show,” she said, “but once we commit to not burn wood, it becomes easier to accept that it doesn’t look completely natural.”

Throughout the decades, I’d cling to winter wonderlands I saw on television and the feeling of my first Christmas at my Catholic school. It had everything I associated with Christmas, this holiday I’d quickly fallen in love with: community, friendship, love, belonging and the best songs ever written. These qualities felt wrong in my house but right in my American life. We don’t need all this stuff.”I thought the better I made Christmas, the more American I would feel. The next day, I released my family from the pressure of having to make the right holiday memories.

☆ Natural vs. artificial Christmas tree: Which option is better for climate?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Christopher Dilts/Bloomber/Getty ImagesIt’s easy to imagine that reusing an artificial tree year after year is the more sustainable option. The American Christmas Tree Association, a nonprofit that represents artificial tree manufacturers, commissioned WAP Sustainability Consulting for a study in 2018 that found the environmental impact of an artificial tree is better than a real tree if you use the fake tree for at least five years. “Planting, fertilizing and watering were taken into account for real trees, which have an approximate field cultivation period of seven to eight years.”What are the benefits of real trees? Nathan Howard/Getty ImagesOn average, it takes seven years to fully grow a Christmas tree, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. About 15,000 farms grow Christmas trees in the US alone, employing over 100,000 people either full or part-time in the industry, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.

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