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More Christmas “Card”s
Monday, December 19, 2016 – 10:35
If you’re still looking for the right gift for that foodie in your life, consider getting them something that will keep on giving: an instant ice cream maker. The appliance lets users easily create rolled ice cream in mere minutes.
Thai street food carts have been doling out rolled ice cream for years, but the trend hasn’t hit the United States until recently. When the ice cream parlor 10Below came to New York, hungry foodies lined up to taste (and photograph) the interesting frozen treat. The dessert was a sensation, with almost every food-centric blog (and beyond) covering the action. Now, you can make it yourself at home. With the Chef’n Sweet Spot Instant Ice Cream Maker, whipping up a quick batch of ice cream is easier than ever.
The kit comes with a scoop, spade, and recipe book. To get started, just put the device in the freezer until it’s cold. Next, pour the ice cream mixture onto the metal base and wait a few minutes. Once the mixture begins to freeze, use the spade to start curling and voila! Homemade rolled ice cream. Even at the onset of winter, that’s something we can scream for.
December 20, 2016 – 6:30am
The holidays can be a stressful time, filled with busy social calendars, family obligations, and last-minute shopping. On top of that, you’re expected to give holiday tips to everyone from the mail carrier to the dog walker. But don’t fret! We’re here to help you figure out how much to tip 11 important people for the holidays.
If your favorite barista knows your daily order before you even make it to the counter, you might want to give an extra holiday tip to this friendly face (who likely makes minimum wage). Rather than leave money in a communal tip jar, directly hand your barista between $5 and $20. If you don’t want to give cash, consider giving a gift card in an equal amount.
If you live in an apartment or condo, tip the building superintendent, doormen, and handymen. Most etiquette experts suggest that you give your super anywhere from $20 to $100, doormen $15 to $75, and handymen $15 to $35. If your doorman is particularly friendly or often collects or carries packages for you, give an amount on the higher end of the range. Holiday tip amounts may vary depending on the city in which you live and the amount of personalized attention you’ve received from your building’s staff, so if you’re unsure what to give, ask your neighbors how much they’re tipping.
Depending on your company’s policies, give your assistant a holiday cash bonus as well as a gift. Try to tailor your gift to what you know your assistant (or intern) likes. A gift card for $50 to their favorite coffee shop or local bookstore makes for a thoughtful present.
If you own a home and pay a gardener to regularly maintain your lawn, give a cash tip between $20 and $50. To make it easier on yourself, you can simply give your gardener the amount you pay for their regular weekly or biweekly service. And if you’ll be out of town for the December holidays, give your gardener the tip at the beginning of January—it’s not too late!
The United States Postal Service has strict rules for the types of holiday tips and gifts that mail carriers can accept, regardless of how many excess packages he or she has been delivering to your door. Rather than give cash, a check, or a gift card—all of which your mail carrier can’t accept—give a small gift worth less than $20. Sweet treats, baked goods, or a simple pair of gloves make a nice gesture.
During your regular appointment in December or January, tip your hair stylist or barber up to the amount that one hair cut usually costs you. If you’ve been seeing the same hair stylist for years, give him or her a gift card to their favorite restaurant, clothing store, or spa. The more personal the gift, the better.
The teachers, tutors, and coaches who educate your kids appreciate a holiday gesture. Some schools prohibit teachers from accepting money from parents, so play it safe by giving a thoughtful thank you card along with a small gift, such as a book, picture frame, or plant.
If you have a cleaning person tidy up your home, give him or her between 50 and 100 percent of what you usually pay for one service. So if your cleaning person charges you $100 for one visit, give a holiday tip of $50 to $100. If you don’t want to give cash, you can also give a gift card, thank you note, and box of holiday pastries.
Whether you regularly work out with a personal trainer, yoga teacher, or Pilates instructor, consider tipping the cost of one session with them. You can also give them a gift card to a local spa or department store. Just keep in mind that your personal trainer probably won’t appreciate getting cookies, candy canes, or other holiday treats loaded with sugar (and you might not want to admit that you’ve been snacking on them either!).
We entrust pet groomers, dog walkers, and pet sitters with our beloved furry friends, so definitely remember to tip them the cost of one normal service. For example, if you typically pay your pet groomer $30 per session, pay him an extra $30 during the holidays. If you have a particularly close relationship with your dog walker or pet sitter, give more money.
Whether you occasionally pay a neighborhood teenager to babysit your kids or you have a live-in nanny, the people who care for your children will probably expect a holiday tip. Have your children write a thank you note to their babysitter or nanny, and include cash or a check for an amount equal to one day’s pay (for an occasional babysitter) to one week’s pay (for a full-time nanny). And if your babysitter is on vacation during the end of December, make sure to give a New Year’s tip at the beginning of January.
All images via iStock.
December 20, 2016 – 6:00am
Alexandre Buisse (Nattfodd) via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0
People are just now finding out that reindeer are real. Can you blame them, after that revelation about Santa Claus?
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Was the Star of Bethlehem the Planet Jupiter? Considering what the traveling wise men knew about astrology, the theory makes sense.
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An Honest Performance Of “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” The 1944 song doesn’t hold up well in the 21st century.
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World-Class Walks. The most beautiful places on earth to take a hike.
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The Mystery of Why Chattanooga Raised Its Downtown by a Level. They had plenty of reasons, we just don’t know much about the decision.
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The Best Historical Films of 2016. You can’t beat history for a great plot line.
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Genghis Khan: The Father of Globalization? The 13th-century conqueror is considered heroic, not barbaric, in his native Mongolia.
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Vintage Christmas Movies. Holiday films from as far back at 1898 are available through YouTube.
December 20, 2016 – 5:00am
By Lauren Hansen
Since its debut in 1990, Home Alone has become as much a part of the Christmas cinematic ritual as It’s a Wonderful Life. But unlike that uplifting tale about the good of mankind, Home Alone tells a rather unsettling Christmas story of a precocious 8-year-old who, accidentally abandoned by his family, is forced to defend his home from two dimwitted burglars. Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) turns his family’s home into a veritable funhouse of torturous booby traps that so-called Wet Bandits Marv (Daniel Stern) and Harry (Joe Pesci) hilariously stumble through, and the transformation of a suburban Chicago home into a relentless injury machine is nothing short of spectacular. But it does require quite a suspension of disbelief. Can a man really be hit square in the face with a steam iron and walk away unfazed? What kind of permanent physical damage would a blow torch to the head really do? To answer these questions and officially dissolve Home Alone‘s Hollywood magic, I spoke with my friend Dr. Ryan St. Clair of the Weill Cornell Medical College. Enjoy.
The Set-Up: Marv and Harry try to sneak into the McCallister home by sweet talking Kevin from the back door. Kevin, meanwhile, points his BB gun through the doggie door and directly at Harry’s groin—and shoots. When Marv goes to investigate the source of Harry’s pain, he is met by the same BB gun, which is fired at extremely close range to his forehead.
The Doctor’s Diagnosis: “Classic air-powered projectile weapons typically have muzzle velocities of 350 feet per second or less. A BB fired at close range from such a weapon could break the skin, but will not penetrate the skull, and is unlikely to penetrate Harry’s scrotum, especially through fabric.”
The Set-Up: Thwarted by the BB gun at the back door, Marv runs around to the basement stairwell—which Kevin has deliberately iced. Once he has stumbled his way down into the dark basement, Marv grabs for what he thinks is the light bulb cord. It’s actually a rope attached to a steam iron that is propped up on the laundry chute door. The heavy iron comes plummeting down and smacks Marv in the face.
The Doctor’s Diagnosis: “Let’s estimate the distance from the first floor to the basement at 15 feet, and assume the steam iron weighs 4 pounds. And note that the iron strikes Marv squarely in the mid-face. This is a serious impact, with enough force to fracture the bones surrounding the eyes. This is also known as a ‘blowout fracture,’ and can lead to serious disfigurement and debilitating double vision if not repaired properly.”
The Set-Up: While Marv is getting an iron to the face, Harry tries to enter the home through the front door. The first attempt doesn’t go well, as the stocky burglar slips on the icy steps and falls to the ground, landing with a thud on his back. Easing up a second time with the help of the railing, Harry makes it to the front door, reaches for the doorknob—which we see is literally burning red—and grasps the searing handle, the pain of which forces him once again down the icy steps.
The Doctor’s Diagnosis: “If this doorknob is glowing visibly red in the dark, it has been heated to about 751 degrees Fahrenheit, and Harry gives it a nice, strong, one- to two-second grip. By comparison, one second of contact with 155 degree water is enough to cause third degree burns. The temperature of that doorknob is not quite hot enough to cause Harry’s hand to burst into flames, but it is not that far off … Assuming Harry doesn’t lose the hand completely, he will almost certainly have other serious complications, including a high risk for infection and ‘contracture’ in which resulting scar tissue seriously limits the flexibility and movement of the hand, rendering it less than 100 percent useful. Kevin has moved from ‘defending his house’ into sheer malice, in my opinion.”
The Set-Up: Unable to get through the front door, Harry returns to the back. He kicks his foot through the doggy door to disarm a potential BB gun threat, delicately taps at the doorknob to test its temperature, and, finding it cool, opens the back door—only to unknowingly arm a blowtorch that fires at the top of his head.
The Doctor’s Diagnosis: “Harry has an interesting reaction to having a lit blowtorch aimed directly at his scalp. Rather than remove himself from danger, he keeps the top of his skull directly in the line of fire for about seven seconds. What was likely a simple second-degree skin burn is now a full thickness burn likely to cause necrosis of the calavarium (skull bone).” That means the skin and bone tissue on Harry’s skull will be so damaged and rotted that his skull bone is essentially dying and will likely require a transplant.
The Set-Up: After surviving the iron to the face, getting his shoes and socks peeled off by tar, and stepping onto a 3-inch nail, Marv abandons the basement entrance and enters the home through a conveniently opened window. Without looking down, however, and still barefoot, Marv jumps in, putting his full weight on a dozen pointy ornaments littered on the wood floor.
The Doctor’s Diagnosis: “Walking on ornaments seems pretty insignificant compared to everything else we’ve seen so far. If I was Marv, I’d be more concerned about my facial fractures.”
The Set-Up: Although severely injured, both the burglars are finally inside the house, and have forgone their looting plan for one of revenge. Hearing the taunts of Kevin’s pre-pubescent voice, they scamper into the foyer only to slip dramatically on scores of Micro Machines, landing, once again, on their backs. Kevin cruelly mocks them from the top step: “You guys give up yet? Or are you thirsty for more?” Marv and Harry scramble up the staircase, where they are met by a speeding paint can attached to a rope. Harry manages to duck and evade the first hit, but Marv gets a paint can square in the face. Harry continues up the stairs but is hit by a second paint can. Both burglars end up back on the ground floor.
The Doctor’s Diagnosis: “Assuming the paint can is full (roughly 10 pounds) and the rope is 10 feet long, Marv and Harry each take a roughly 2 kilo-newton hit to the face. That is easily enough to fracture multiple facial bones, and is probably going to knock you out cold. Also, I wouldn’t expect either of the Wet Bandits to walk away from this with all of their teeth.”
The Set-Up: Kevin eventually lures the Wet Bandits through his house of injurious horrors, across the street, and into a neighbor’s house. But Marv and Harry have clued into the fact that following the little tyke has provided them nothing but pain. They enter the neighbor’s house their own way and meet little Kevin at the top of the basement steps. They hang him by his sweater from a hook on the back of a door and outline all the ways in which they will pay him back for the pain he caused, beginning with biting “every one of these little fingers, one at a time.” Just before Harry can take the first bite, Kevin’s elderly neighbor saves the day, coming up behind the burglars and hitting each one over head with his shovel, knocking them out cold.
The Doctor’s Diagnosis: “Seriously? At this point, Marv and Harry have both suffered potentially crippling hand and foot injuries. Harry has proved to be nearly impervious to burns, and both managed to retain consciousness after taking a flying paint can straight to the face. Suddenly, a frail elderly man appears and weakly slaps them in turn with a flimsy aluminum Home Depot snow shovel. And, somehow, this is too much for them, and they collapse. This movie was way more believable when I was 8.”
Behind-the-Scenes of The Nutcracker
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5 Reasons Why Scary Books Are Better Than Scary Movies
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December 20, 2016 – 4:00am
We’ve all lamented that there aren’t enough hours in the day or laughed at memes that tell us the road to productivity is paved with cups of strong coffee. (They’re funny because they’re true.) But researchers contend that completing work on time—and well—doesn’t have to be a constant race against the clock. Add these tried and true action items to your to-do list for a more successful day—caffeine drip optional.
Most people require between seven and eight hours of sleep per night for optimal mind and body function. Anything less, scientists say, and cognitive skills become impaired.
Forget the multitasking myth: Several studies have shown that attempting too many activities at once causes loss of focus and productivity. Having trouble resisting the temptation to check your social media feed for the hundredth time? Certain browsers offer add-ons that will limit the time you spend on distracting websites. There are also many free or low-cost downloadable programs that allow you to designate times to block certain pages completely.
Can’t figure out where the time goes? One expert suggests taking a week to plot out your daily activities—but honesty is key. Gym visits, phone calls and lunch dates add up. No one needs to know how many hours you spend mindlessly binge-watching your favorite show, but being aware of your habits can help you keep perspective and make more intelligent decisions.
Overwhelmed by your list of to-dos? Some experts suggest breaking it down into manageable categories, such as one thing I MUST get done today, two things I SHOULD get done today and three things I would LIKE to get done today.
Once you’ve made your journal and prioritized daily tasks, it’s important to set personal boundaries and not extend past what is realistic, stresses one time-management consultant. Knowing what you have time to do is key, but what’s more essential is declining anything that falls outside that scope. This strategy helps you focus on your goals and only take on those things that are most important.
No, not the pasta sauce. The idea behind the pop-psychology technique is simple: Set a timer and work for 25 minutes straight, without any interruptions or distractions, then take a five-minute break. After four cycles, take a longer, 15 to 20-minute break. Repeat until your task is finished. By giving yourself built-in break times, this tactic helps keep you on task and focused.
Similar to “pomodoro,” another researcher suggests mapping out how much time you will devote to certain activities or projects. For instance, you could block out one hour each morning to read your favorite blogs or answer emails. Once you’ve settled on the aforementioned time blocks, stick to your schedule—even if what you have done isn’t perfect. A New York-based researcher warns that excessive attention to detail is a form of procrastination and can ultimately be counter-productive.
To strike the ever-important work-life balance, one productivity expert holds himself accountable to his daily end time by scheduling activities immediately after work. (Use this trick in the morning if you’re one of those who would rather press the snooze button a half-dozen times.) This can be as simple as scheduling a phone call or planning a gym date with a friend, but the important part is knowing that not sticking to your own schedule will end up being an inconvenience to someone else.
Thinking about going back to school, but not sure you’ll have the time? With these productivity tips, plus access to a number of in-demand advanced degrees from Florida Tech, it’s easy to fit a Master’s into your busy life. Click here to learn more about Florida Tech’s online graduate degrees.
December 20, 2016 – 2:00am
“Merry Christmas” is a special greeting in English, since it’s the only occasion we say “merry” instead of “happy.” How do other languages spread yuletide cheer? Ampersand Travel asked people all over the world to send in videos of them saying “Merry Christmas” in their language, and while the audio quality’s not the best, it’s a fun holiday-themed language lesson.
Feel free to surprise your friends and family this year with your new repertoire of foreign-language greetings.
December 20, 2016 – 1:00am
Is it true that if you wear a hat often enough it will cause you to bald? In short: No. Whether or not you keep your hair is up to genetics. Allow mental_floss List Show host Craig Benzine to walk you through the common causes of baldness and debunk this myth once and for all.
December 20, 2016 – 12:00am
Though the holiday season can be fraught with stress and a last-minute to-do list, it’s also a time of extreme generosity—a month-plus of merriment that often sees total strangers reaching out to lend a helping hand in the name of humanity and the spirit of the season. From anonymous donations to charitable flash mobs, here are 20 such stories from this holiday season.
Every kid deserves to tell Santa exactly what he or she wants for Christmas, but deaf children can have a difficult time communicating with their local St. Nick. Not kids in Racine, Wisconsin: The Santa at Racine’s Regency Mall knows sign language. He signs with kids who are hearing impaired, so that he can ask them—and they can tell him—what they want for Christmas. Because the warm fuzzy feelings of the holidays don’t just come from getting the right present—they come from feeling like part of a loving, inclusive community.
When Amanda Kofoed, a 30-year-old Idaho woman, discovered that she had stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier this fall, she had to put her teaching degree on hold and prepare for six months of chemotherapy treatments. When she worried aloud to friends about her lack of insurance, as well as the future of her four young children, a group called the PRAYnksters (which is known for staging random acts of kindness) stepped in with a plan. They took Amanda and her husband, Clint, to a coffee shop, ostensibly to help them film a GoFundMe video. But as the camera rolled, nearly 200 children and adults flooded the coffee shop, all piling cash on the table as Amanda and her husband fought back tears. Amanda received more than $13,000 that day, and her GoFundMe has more than doubled its goal amount thus far.
An anonymous angel visited three Pennsylvania Walmarts this month, paying out thousands of dollars at each location to clear strangers’ layaway balances. In the last two weeks, the donor has left $74,000 in Harrisburg; $46,000 in Lebanon County; and another $46,000 in Everett, for a total of $166,000 of erased debt. “When customers quietly pay off others’ layaway items, we’re reminded of how good people can be,” a Walmart representative told ABC27 News. “The joy that comes from these transactions extends well beyond dollars and cents. We’re honored to be a small part in these random acts of kindness.”
The holidays will be a little bit brighter this year for some of London’s lonelier residents, thanks to a Turkish restaurant opening its doors on Christmas Day. Shish Restaurant in southeast London posted a note on its window in November with the message: “No one eats alone on a Christmas Day! We are here to sit with you … Any homeless or elderly are welcomed.”
The restaurant’s owner got the idea to offer a free three-course meal to those with nowhere else to go when an elderly woman walked into his eatery last month. She was looking for someone to help her close her window, and also mentioned that she would be spending Christmas alone this year. Inspired to help her and others like her, the restaurant staff shared the message that they would be welcoming the community’s homeless and elderly members on Christmas Day. Many people were touched by the story; so far, approximately 50 people have volunteered to cook, clean, and drive people to the restaurant.
Here’s a solution that benefits the gift-wrapping-challenged and charity to boot: At two libraries, teens are wrapping gifts to raise money for charitable causes. The Fairborn Library in Fairborn, Ohio held a “Gift Wrap Extravaganza” on December 19 to benefit the Fairborn Food Pantry, and on December 15 and 16 at the Lane Memorial Library in Hampton, New Hampshire, teens from two local schools wrapped gifts in exchange for donations to benefit charities End 68 Hours of Hunger and the NHSPCA.
Each Christmas for the past eight years, Jessie Tenyani, a cafeteria worker at Chicago’s Advocate Trinity Hospital, has bought thousands of dollars worth of toys for all of the children at the hospital, the state’s largest pediatric care facility. She sets aside part of her paycheck each month, and this year, she took Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday off from the hospital, rented a U-Haul, and bought $5000 worth of dolly buggies, electric keyboards, soccer balls, and other toys to distribute to kids of all ages at Christmas. “I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to serve these children,” Tenyani told Good Morning America. “I feel great and I feel at peace because what I do is to put a smile on the face of a child who is going through so much, whatever the pain they might go through.”
The spirit of the season is alive and well at HW Good Elementary School in Herminie, Pennsylvania. Earlier this month, a generous secret Santa wrote the school a check for more than $900 to clear the overdue lunch balances of 44 children. The only thing the do-gooder asked for in return was to remain anonymous. “Sometimes, all we see are the sad things going on in the world, so it’s really, really nice to know there are great people out there who would give up their things to help others,” the school’s principal, Amy Larcinese, told ABC News.
It has been over seven months since the Fort McMurray wildfire in Canada devastated about 20 percent of the homes in the area, but there’s still a lot of healing and rebuilding to do. The airline company WestJet generously stepped in to provide the people of Fort McMurray with some much-needed holiday cheer. The airline threw a Christmas party for the town’s residents that was stocked with all the fixings of a great time: 500 stockings, 300 pounds of candy, and 348 parachutes holding special gifts inside. Nearly 50 WestJet employees—who were moonlighting as elves—arrived to help make the party a success. According to WestJet, 826 Fort Murray citizens took part in the celebration.
The roof of Cathy Barker’s home in Jackson, Tennessee is falling apart. Barker, a longtime employee of the Kroger grocery chain, has been battling cancer and hasn’t had the money to repair it. Now she won’t have to: In early December, representatives from the roofing manufacturers at Reed’s Metals surprised Barker at work with the news that out of 100 applicants, she had won the company’s “Covering our Community” award, and they’d install her new roof—worth as much as $6000—before Christmas. Her sons, who’d nominated her for the award, hugged her, and her co-workers cheered.
“It’s really great,” a teary Barker told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News.
Barker isn’t the only one who will receive a free roof from Reed’s Metals, which has 10 locations in five states. The company says it will provide a free roof to five others, including Baldwyn, Mississippi resident Bobbie Lou Hill.
Getting a pet on Christmas morning is an incredible experience for any animal lover, but it can be hard to orchestrate the sudden arrival of a new dog or cat. In Franklin, Tennessee, local shelter employees are more than happy to serve as Santa’s elves. Staff members at the Williamson County Animal Center have volunteered to get up early on Christmas morning and deliver any animals adopted between December 17 and December 24, making sure that lucky pet-parents-to-be get the best Christmas surprise imaginable.
Cities across the country are turning delinquent fees into charitable donations with “food for fines” programs. The concept began in Lexington, Kentucky two years ago, when the city offered citizens a sweet holiday deal: donate 10 cans of nonperishable food and get $15 off a parking ticket. The program was a huge success, netting more than 6000 items for a local food bank. This year, officials say, they’re on track to beat that record.
Parking enforcement offices and libraries across the country have taken up the torch, swapping overdue fees and parking fines for canned corn and tuna.
“It’s wonderful to see organizations like LEXPARK engage with our food bank in creative ways to fight hunger and deliver hope,” one food bank executive told Kentucky Forward.
In 2015, Marion and Jason Sanford spent nearly six months living at the Ronald McDonald House in Saskatoon, Canada, while their 5-year-old son Rhett underwent surgery following an ATV crash on their family farm. Rhett’s 6-year-old brother, Blaine, was also involved in the crash and tragically died on the way to the hospital. Last December, after Rhett made a slow but full recovery, the family began a “new Christmas tradition” of donating toys to the place that showed them so much kindness during their time of need.
This year, Marion and Jason teamed up with Innovation Credit Union to up the ante: They established 28 drop-off locations across the province, where people could leave donations. As a result, the family filled an entire Mack truck with gifts—the most the Saskatoon Ronald McDonald House has ever received. Of her charitable spirit, Marion told CBC News, “Part of the reason I do this is because I want my son [Blaine] to be proud of me. He would be so excited to be part of this.”
After the passing of her husband in February, Amesbury, Massachusetts, resident Jeanne Hallisey couldn’t muster the energy to decorate her house for Christmas. “I wanted the lights up but didn’t have any holiday spirit at all,” Hallisey told the Daily News of Newburyport.
Hallisey solicited help stringing lights and garlands on Facebook, and was overjoyed when dozens of neighbors—armed with coffee, doughnuts, and hand warmers—answered her call. Included in the do-gooders were a handful of players on the Amesbury High School football team and an electrician who made sure all the wiring was safe.
Bare-chested members of the Bangor Rugby Club sang carols at Corn Market in Belfast, Northern Ireland earlier this month to raise money for Action Cancer and other charities. In the video above, you can hear coins dropping into donation bins and see a particularly animated “conductor” leading them along. The club hopes to raise about $5000 for charity—which is nothing to shake a Santa hat at.
Employees at a Best Buy in Valley Stream, New York recently pulled off a sweet game plan. After the staff noticed that a local teen made daily trips to their location just to play one of the Nintendo Wii U systems on display, they chipped in to get him a console of his own, CNN reported. “Consider it an early Christmas present,” one employee told the speechless teen when they revealed the $300 gift. The group also added a new copy of Super Smash Bros., a game he often plays in store—and a ride home. According to Inside Edition, the teen was nervous and making the trek home with his expensive gift.
Students at Culleoka Unit School in Culleoka, Tennessee are organizing a gift drive for seniors living in local nursing homes. They’re collecting unwrapped gifts right in their K-12 school, located in central Tennessee. Among the suggested donations: adult coloring books, puzzles, toiletries, robes, blankets, stuffed animals, and radios.
Nowhere near Culleoka and want to bring some joy to a senior this holiday season? Google is your friend. There are similar programs across the country, including the Share the Love campaign in Thousand Oaks, California; a gift drive in North Fulton, Georgia, for elderly Meals on Wheels participants; and the Adopt a Senior program in the metro New York City region. There’s also the national “Be a Santa to a Senior” program, administered by Home Instead Senior Care. Its program in Delaware could really use your help: It’s about 1500 gifts short of its goal.
Earlier this month, Melissa McMonigle, an English teacher at Ohio’s Northmont High School, was shocked when she discovered that $164 of the $194 her students had raised for a local family in need had been stolen right from her desk. “I was so sad and so disheartened,” McMonigle said. “And my students were angry when they found out.” While that easily could have been the end of the story, what began as a theft turned into a community-wide act of kindness when, according to McGonigle, “Within a 24-hour period, teachers started handing me money in the parking lot. Students who aren’t even [in my classes] started handing me money the hallways. There were parents who came into the main office and asked if they could give money to Miss McMonigle for the needy family. It was happening all day long.” As of December 9, McMonigle’s students and colleagues had raised more than $800.
Police in Godley, Texas, are offering a fast track off the naughty list this holiday season. In lieu of fines for minor traffic violations, Mashable reports that officers are handing out “tickets” asking recipients to donate presents to the police department’s toy drive. Police chief Jason Jordan told Mashable the department has “probably handed out a couple hundred” so far, and added that he’s currently figuring out a way to carry the program through to the New Year with clothing and school supply donations.
When 6-year-old Landon Naumann’s bicycle was recently stolen, he and his mom went to the police station to report the crime. The officer who took the report thought the boy looked familiar—and then he realized why: Landon had previously made a visit to the local police station to drop off goodie bags for the local police force to thank them for all that they do for the local community. There was even a picture of Landon and his goodie bags on the wall. So the police officers reached into their own pockets to purchase a new bike for the boy, which they presented to him as a birthday gift.
While a charitable spirit at any age is something to be admired, there’s something extra special about a young do-gooder—and that’s just what 18-year-old Jordan Maywald is. The Austin, Texas high school senior tapped into the holiday spirit by creating an elaborate, 50,000 light display at his home. But this wasn’t a case of Maywald simply trying to emulate Clark Griswold: He posted a Make-A-Wish donation box outside his home, so that in addition to admiring his twinkling handiwork, those who come to gawk at the display can also make a donation to the nonprofit organization. “There’s no better feeling than giving money to them for children who are ill so they can go on a vacation or something they want it’s just very heartwarming to us,” Maywald said. He’s hoping to raise $5000 this holiday season.
December 19, 2016 – 10:00pm
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