Friday 12/15/23
Celebrate:
Bill of Rights Day
Cat herders' Day
International Tea Day
National Cupcake Day
National Gingerbread Latte Day
National Lemon Cupcake Day
National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
National Wear Your Pearls Day
Underdog Day - a day "to salute, before the year's end, all of the underdogs and unsung heroes—the Number Two people who contribute so much to the Number One people we read about."
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Financial stress, grief, saying yes to too many events, and sky-high expectations can complicate any time of the year, but especially the pressure-filled holiday season.
When it comes to holiday-related stressors, therapists say certain topics arise routinely at this point on the calendar.
One way to take care of yourself is by setting boundaries — like saying no to events on certain days of the week or establishing a price limit for the gifts you’re buying.
It’s OK to say no to events that don’t give you energy, added Meredith Van Ness, a psychotherapist, if anything, it’s a valuable way to prioritize your personal boundaries this season.
Many people struggle with outside expectations from friends, colleagues or family, while also dealing with internal expectations that they set for themselves.
“Whether it be cheery images depicted in media and advertisements or the unspoken rules of a family dynamic and traditions, people experience inner conflict about how to stay true to their own needs while balancing others’ wishes and expectations,”
One psychologist says “keep your routine or make time for self-care practices like mindfulness, exercise, and adequate sleep and nutrition.”
It could be a good idea to volunteer in your community, too. “This can foster feelings of gratitude and altruism, which are both positive for mental health,”
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Martha Stewart knows how to signal to party guests that it’s time to go.
During an appearance Friday on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” Stewart gave the talk-show host a tip on how to wrap up your house party while the two made spicy candied popcorn on set.
When Barrymore asked Stewart how she gets people to leave when her dinner parties are over, the lifestyle mogul said that she delivers this one line: “I’m going to bed.”
“I do, I just say that,” she said, before joking that she turns the lights off if her first attempt to kick people out isn’t successful.
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Buzzfeed recently suggested various "Christmas traditions" and then asked people whether they're really still gung-ho about it, if it's just so-so, or if it's something that they secretly despise.
Thousands of people weighed in, and these were the responses:
1. Secret Santa . . . 54% of people are still enthusiastic about it.
2. Snow . . . 42% love it. (The definition of "traditions" is a little loose.)
3. All presents MUST be opened on Christmas Day. No exceptions. 41% are hardcore about this.
4. Christmas music. 41% think it's great.
5. Christmas movies. 41% of people need to watch them this time of year.
6. Christmas carols. 36% of people would go out and subject others to their singing to feel the Christmas spirit.
7. Christmas decorations. 29% of people are still enthusiastic about it.
8. Hosting Christmas parties. 27% want to entertain over the holidays.
9. "I'm offended if someone says they don't like Christmas." 26% of people take the holiday that seriously.
10. Ugly Christmas sweaters. 25% are still obsessed with this.
11. Baking cookies. 25% love that.
12. Putting Christmas trees up before Thanksgiving. 21% just can't wait.
13. Christmas family photos. 14% of people are really into it.
14. All Christmas shopping is done by Black Friday. 14% actually do this.
15. Making Christmas cards. 11% of people not only send out Christmas cards, but they apparently "make" them.
Take their poll here.
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A debut author who used fake accounts to "review bomb" other writers on Goodreads has been dropped by her agent and had her book deal canceled.
Cait Corrain's novel "Crown of Starlight" had been scheduled to come out next year through Del Rey, a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House.
She was accused of creating fake profiles on the influential online platform Goodreads, dating back to 2022, and using them to give negative reviews to other debut authors of 2024 and boosting ratings for her book. Corrain admitted to creating at least eight accounts.
She posted an apology on Instagram, blaming her actions in part on struggles with mental health and substance abuse.
"I felt no ill will to any of them, it was just my fear about how my book would be received running out of control."
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A stage musical based on the 1987 vampire classic, "The Lost Boys", is in the works . . . because why not.
The guys behind it include David Hornsby from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", Patrick Wilson (yeah, the "Conjuring" guy), and the pop rock band The Rescues.
Casting hasn't been announced yet, so maybe there's still hope that Corey Feldman will be involved.
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It's the middle of December . . . and some people's work-productivity could be slipping. Maybe it's year-end exhaustion . . . maybe it's the distraction of the holiday season . . . or maybe it's seasonal depression.
Well, it doesn't just affect human workers. Some people have noticed that ChatGPT has been getting LAZIER recently . . . it's returning simpler answers, and is refusing to do some tasks.
And they're wondering if A.I. can be hit with seasonal depression.
Well, that isn't the case . . . probably . . . but Open.ai, the company behind ChatGPT, says they ARE aware things are off a bit.
They say, "We've heard all your feedback about [it] getting lazier! We haven't updated the model since November 11th, and this certainly isn't intentional. Model behavior can be unpredictable, and we're looking into fixing it." They add that it isn't "broken" . . . models can evolve, and may need to recalibrate.
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Today's Useless Fact of the Day - The weight limit of a small U.S. Postal Service flat rate box is 70 pounds and you wouldn't be able to exceed that limit, even if you filled it with the densest substance on Earth.
Bonus - the chemical element Osmium is the densest naturally occurring element on earth. (it looks like crumpled-up tin foil.)
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