• My birthday falls in the week between Christmas and New Year.
• Other celebrations always overshadowed my special day.
• My twins were born on December 23rd, and I often can't make their birth as special as I'd like.

Growing up, I often gave my parents low-key guilt trips about my birthday. Being born in the week between Christmas and New Year's meant I never got to have a celebration at school and rarely had parties since my friends were usually out of town.

While I understood at some level that my parents hadn't chosen that particular day on purpose, I carried a lingering resentment that I'd been born at the worst time of year.

My day was overshadowed by other celebrations

My "special" day always seemed to be overshadowed by the rest of the holiday season.

I got over it eventually. As a young adult, I threw parties for myself in late January or spent the day hitting post-Christmas sales with friends. Sometimes, when days of nonstop family time had drained all my energy, it was a treat to gift myself a trip to the movies — alone.

While I eventually made peace with the situation, a holiday birthday was one family tradition I had no intention of handing down. After I got married and my new husband and I started talking about children, I was careful to make the nine-month calculations and ensure I didn't get pregnant in March.

My first child, Clara, was born in early September, a date that came with its own issues but was well ahead of the holidays. But things weren't as straightforward when we started trying for a sibling. Eventually, I started IVF, and any attempts to time my next pregnancy went out the window. I was at the mercy of shots and cycles that were very much out of my control.

My due date was in February

The first attempt at IVF didn't take, but a few months later, the second one did. Soon I found out I would be having twins in early February. Crisis averted! Or so I thought.

Pregnancy being pregnancy and twins being twins, I should have known the due date was an estimate, not a guarantee. Throughout that fall, as I started coming to my doctor for more frequent checkups, she reminded me that twins tend to arrive early. After some signs of possible early labor, I was put on bedrest in early December. A few weeks later, I was moved to the hospital.

And early on the morning of December 23, James and Alan arrived.

My first emotion was overwhelming relief that they were healthy, and my second reaction was an overwhelming sense of guilt.

"I'm so sorry, little guys," I thought to myself. "I never wanted you to get stuck with a December birthday."

The one consolation, I hoped, was the fact that they had a mother who could commiserate and help them make the best of it.

I made sure their birthday was celebrated

From their very first birthday, I made sure the day was its own distinct occasion, with balloons and streamers and cake. I discreetly suggested to well-meaning family members that it was better to buy the boys two separate, smaller gifts rather than a single, combined "Christmas/birthday" present.

No matter what other holiday events were planned during that week, my boys got to choose whatever activity they wanted on their birthday and whatever kind of food. Christmas cheer would take a 24-hour pause.

That doesn't mean my boys are any happier about their birthday timing than I used to be. They've missed birthday-at-school shoutouts; birthday sleepovers with friends have had to be pushed into January; and despite my best efforts, I'm often so busy doing last-minute shopping and baking that I don't always make the day as special as it could be.

But I like to think this experience has taught my boys a lesson it took me a long time to learn. In a culture where people are constantly curating versions of themselves online, it's easy for children to think that anything they don't like about themselves can be airbrushed or exercised away.

But there are certain things about your life you can't control. Getting pregnant is one of them. Having a healthy child is another. And if you've ever worried about either of those things, you quickly realize how little an actual birth date matters.

The whole point of a birthday celebration is to make a person feel appreciated and special, to let them know they're loved. And you can do that any day of the year.

• There are some Christmas traditions in the UK that might confuse people from the US.
• Every Christmas, families gather to watch pantomimes or meet their school friends at the pub.
• They also eat Yorkshire puddings, mince pies, Christmas pudding, and Christmas cake.

Christmas in the United Kingdom differs slightly from celebrations in America and elsewhere around the world.

People who celebrate Christmas in the UK have slightly different traditions than those who live in the US. From what is traditionally served at a Christmas Day feast to festive activities and childhood traditions, families across the pond have their own unique and quirky ways of celebrating the holidays.

Here are 18 British Christmas traditions that might surprise you.

Pantomimes, or "pantos," are plays performed around Christmastime in the UK.

Pantos are humorous, slapstick entertainment for the whole family, often featuring men dressed in drag. They are sometimes based on a famous fairy tale or story, like "Cinderella," "Peter Pan," or "The Wizard of Oz." 

Pantomimes rely on specific tropes. For example, there's often a villain who will sneak up on the protagonist intermittently throughout the play. It's then the role of the audience to scream, "He's behind you!" to the main character while he or she struggles to figure out what's going on.

Yorkshire puddings are perfect with gravy, but people outside the UK may have never heard of them.

A traditional British roast dinner wouldn't be complete without Yorkshire puddings filled with Bisto or homemade gravy. Yorkshire puddings — not to be confused with sweet puddings — are made of eggs, flour, and milk or water.

After they're cooked in hot oil in the oven, they end up with a distinct hole in the middle. They closely resemble what Americans know as popovers.

While Yorkshire puddings are commonplace at Sunday dinners throughout the year, they're also eaten at Christmastime, though some argue they have no place on a Christmas plate.

Santa Claus is referred to as "Father Christmas."

While some do refer to old Saint Nick as Santa Claus in the UK, it is widely accepted that Father Christmas is his more traditionally British name.

"Santa Claus" is seen as an Americanism, and The Telegraph reported that even the British National Trust said that "Santa Claus should be known as 'Father Christmas' in stately homes and historic buildings because the name is more British."

British children hang Christmas stockings at the ends of their bed.

In America, Christmas stockings are hung by the fireplace with care. However, some British children hang their stockings at the ends of their beds for Father Christmas to fill up while they're sleeping. 

Christmas Eve is a time for school-friend reunions.

Thanksgiving weekend is seen as an opportunity in the United States for students to reunite with friends from high school or middle school. In the UK, it's a tradition for school friends to come together on Christmas Eve, often at the local bar or pub.

Christmas pudding is a traditional British dessert popular during the holiday season.

A Christmas pudding is a dense fruit cake often made weeks or even months in advance. This time allows the dried fruit to soak up alcohol that's regularly poured onto the cake in the weeks before it's consumed.

On Christmas, the cake is set alight and then topped with a sauce of brandy butter or rum butter, cream, lemon cream, ice cream, custard, or sweetened béchamel. It is also sometimes sprinkled with caster or powdered sugar.

For many years, Queen Elizabeth II even gifted each member of her staff a Christmas pudding from Tesco.

Another dessert of choice is Christmas cake, a rich fruit cake covered with marzipan and icing.

While fruit cake is certainly a polarizing dessert wherever you are, Brits seem to make it a little better with thick, sweet white icing. Oftentimes, Christmas cake also comes topped with festive holly decorations. 

Mince pies are pastries filled with dried fruits and spices that are eaten at Christmas.

The BBC reported that the first-known mince-pie recipe dates back to an 1830s-era English cookbook. By the mid-17th century, people reportedly began associating the small pies with Christmas.

At the time, they were traditionally filled with pork or other kinds of meat, sage, and other spices. Nowadays, the pies are filled with dried fruits and sugar powder.

British Christmas desserts are often enjoyed with brandy butter.

The perfect accompaniment to Christmas pudding and mince pies, brandy butter consists of butter and sugar beaten together before brandy is added. Rum butter is an alternative.

The result is still butter-like in consistency, and it's served cold alongside desserts. Americans might know it as "hard sauce."

Brits say "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas."

You might remember a scene from the first "Harry Potter" movie in which Ron says, "Happy Christmas, Harry!" While this may sound strange to an American, saying "Happy Christmas" is commonplace in the UK, as opposed to "Merry Christmas." 

Christmas crackers are cardboard tubes wrapped in brightly colored paper and twisted at each end that two people pull for a fun surprise.

Christmas crackers are often pulled at the start of the meal, and the paper hats found inside are worn throughout the meal. Also inside each cracker is a "banger," which makes a loud pop when the cracker is pulled, a joke, and a small prize.

The jokes are usually cheesy and festive. For example: "Why did Santa's helper go to the doctor? Because he had low elf esteem!" 

However, be sure not to pack them if you're traveling to or from the UK on an airplane — they're not permitted to go through TSA in carry-on luggage.

"Top of the Pops" is a television special featuring performances of the year's most popular songs.

On Christmas, the BBC usually runs a holiday special of the since-retired show "Top of the Pops," which features performances from the year's most popular musicians.

The program ran weekly from 1964 until 2006, when it was canceled. People were so upset that the BBC decided to keep the Christmas special, which airs late in the morning on December 25.

Millions of people watch the King's annual televised Christmas Day speech every year.

Every year, families gather to watch the royal Christmas address, informally known as the Queen's or King's speech.

The Telegraph reported that the first Christmas address was 251 words long, but Queen Elizabeth II later came to average 656 words in each speech. It is often one of the most-watched television programs on Christmas Day in the UK.

Christmas commercials are as talked-about as Super Bowl commercials are in the United States.

While Super Bowl commercials are highly scrutinized in the US, Brits pay just as close attention to Christmas commercials.

Not only is the John Lewis ad, or "advert," a Christmas tradition, but almost every supermarket and clothing brand tries to get in on the buzz with a talked-about Christmas commercial.

Brits also anticipate which song will become the annual "Christmas No. 1" single.

The British "Christmas No. 1" has been a tradition for over half a century. Starting in 1952, the top song on the British singles chart has been a coveted spot every Christmas. Christmas No. 1 alums include The Beatles, Queen, Ed Sheeran, and more.

While some Christmas No. 1s have indeed been Christmas songs — "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid II in 1989, for example — they don't have to be.

School nativity plays are a popular tradition in UK primary schools.

While religious elementary schools in the United States may put on nativity plays, they are arguably much more popular and part of the culture in Britain.

In the popular British Christmas movie "Love Actually," the characters even attend a Christmas nativity play.

Brits take advantage of after-Christmas sales on Boxing Day.

Boxing Day is typically called British Black Friday, but there are some differences between the holidays. Boxing Day, which is a public holiday in the UK, falls the day after Christmas and has a rich cultural history in Great Britain.

Originating in the mid-1600s, the day was traditionally a day off for servants. On this day, servants would receive a "Christmas Box," or gift, from their master. The servants would then return home on Boxing Day to give "Christmas Boxes" to their families.

In the UK, it can be bad luck to keep your decorations up for more than 12 days after Christmas.

Another difference between US and UK Christmas customs comes after all of the festivities have ended. 

In the UK, it's tradition to take down your tree and decorations 12 days after Christmas — known as Twelfth Night — to avoid bad luck in the new year.

In the Anglican tradition, Twelfth Night, or Epiphany Eve, is the day before Epiphany, which celebrates the coming of the Magi to baby Jesus and marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas. 

• Shelby Vanhoy has been personalizing her North Carolina home since December 2023.
• She recently decided to break up her open-concept living space with a glass wall.
• Vanhoy said the space is more functional and calming thanks to the change.

Shelby Vanhoy has been in home decor mode for nearly a year now.

Vanhoy, 34, lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband, 2-year-old son, and two dogs. They relocated from New York City to North Carolina in December 2023 to be closer to family.

"My parents are here, and it just makes our life a lot easier," she said of the change.

Vanhoy and her husband became homeowners when they moved back. Since then, Vanhoy, a full-time content creator who runs the blog Pretty in the Pines, has been customizing their four-bedroom home, built in 1988.

She told Business Insider her style leans traditional with a twist.

"Some people say it's 'grand-millennial' with all the mixing of patterns and prints and kind of like grandma vibes," Vanhoy said of her decor style. "I love tying in antiques and vintage furniture and lights to make our house feel older than it actually is."

Vanhoy also said it's important for her home to function for her family — which is how she decided to enclose her open-concept living space.

Open-concept living didn't work for their home

The main floor of Vanhoy's home featured an open-concept space with a kitchen, dining area, and living room, which she wasn't excited about.

"When we bought the house, it was just something that wasn't my first choice," she said.

After they moved into the house, Vanhoy found the open area didn't work for her family.

"It felt very overstimulating," she said. "I would be in the kitchen cooking things, and then the TV room was right beside the kitchen and the whole downstairs. You could just see everything."

"Even decorating it, it felt like everything had to kind of go together because you're looking at everything all at once," she added.

Vanhoy also works from home and doesn't have a designated office space yet.

"I would be working in the dining room, which was connected to the kitchen and the living room, so everything just felt like you were doing so much at one time," she said. "It just didn't feel very calming when you were on that floor."

Vanhoy decided she wanted to separate the living room to section off the space.

A transparent solution

Rather than fully enclosing the living room, Vanhoy decided to add a partial glass wall to her space.

"Our living room is, natural-light-wise, a little dark," Vanhoy told BI. "I did want to add some sort of wall to enclose it a bit, but I didn't want to lose any of the natural light."

The living room also featured glass French doors that Vanhoy loved, so she took inspiration from them.

"We decided to make it glass and make it look kind of like a window while also making it feel like its own separate room," Vanhoy said.

The wall features an archway in the middle, and the sides are enclosed with walls covered in windows.

Vanhoy hired professionals to complete the project, who added wood beams for support and moved a few outlets to make the wall work. The project cost under $6,000.

The space is more functional

Vanhoy said the glass offers the best of both worlds, as it sections off the space without making it impossible for her to see into the living room.

"The best part about it is that it created other little functions, and it made the whole downstairs feel a lot more functional," Vanhoy said, adding that the design also brought character to the space.

"I made a breakfast nook on one side of the wall, so that added a whole other function that we didn't have," she said. "And then we have a little kids' craft table on another side of the wall."

The glass wall isn't complete, as Vanhoy intends to add more ornate molding to the windows for a personal touch.

But it's already changed the way Vanhoy feels about the space.

"I do like seeing through because that room also has a nice fireplace, and I like seeing the fire on," she said. "But at the same time, it just feels totally separated, and light shines through."

"The one downside, I guess, is it's just more windows to clean," she added.

When my son was little, his father and I went through a custody trial and agreed on a holiday-sharing schedule. It outlined that if my son spent a holiday with me, the following year, he would spend that same holiday with his dad. So if I got Christmas Eve and Day with him one year, the next, his father would spend those days with him.

Initially, my son's father and I stuck to the original holiday-sharing schedule. I observed that while my son never had a preference for who he spent the holidays with, he did miss the parent he didn't get to see. After a few years of splitting holidays up, I was compelled to work with his father on a better arrangement. While it doesn't always work out perfectly, we have found that it's best for our son to spend time with each of his parents on any given holiday.

We do our best to come up with a plan that works for the whole family

Our new arrangement is informal, and I think we each try to work with each other based on what's going on with our respective families that year and how we divided up the holidays the year prior. While initially we had every holiday divided up until my son turns 18, I think the way we work with each other now is far more realistic.

One downside to co-parenting around the holidays is that I always have to tell other people that I need to talk to my son's father before we make any definite plans. Sometimes, I've wished I could just book a vacation over the winter break. However, I've realized that not only does his father deserve to spend time with his son on the holiday as much as I do, I know our son prefers it that way, too.

My immediate family understands that I may not have my son for certain traditions, so they factor this in when they're making their plans. They will ask me ahead of time on which days or times I'll have my son; not only are his father and I working together to make sure my son gets to see most of his extended family, but our families do their best to work with us, too.

It doesn't always work perfectly, so there have been exceptions

There are certain holidays where the division is an easy decision, such as Thanksgiving. Growing up, I always liked watching the parade in the morning. Every year, I had an aunt who would suggest we just eat our pie for breakfast, but no one ever went through with it.

When I had my son, I had the opportunity to make our own traditions. So now, he and I make pumpkin and apple pies the night before Thanksgiving and then have some for breakfast the next morning while we watch the parade. Since his father's family has a big dinner in the afternoon, we usually just split the day in half so that my son is with me in the morning and with his dad in the afternoon.

It might not be a perfect system, as my son is missed at our family's dinner on Thanksgiving, but after co-parenting for a decade, I've come to accept that his father and I always need to work together to come up with a plan that works best for our son, even if that means dividing up every holiday. Sometimes it doesn't work out, so we've learned to address every holiday individually.

Last year, my son's father wanted to take him up to New England to spend a week with his family that lives up there, and I was hesitant. My son and I had never spent a Thanksgiving apart before. When I asked my son if he wanted to go, he was excited. Not only does he rarely get to visit with those family members, but we live in Florida, so he had never seen snow before. I made sure he understood that he and I would spend Thanksgiving apart, and while he was sad about that part, we agreed that because it was a special opportunity for him, he should go.

Our new agreement feels right

This year, his father asked for Christmas Eve since I had my son for Christmas Eve last year. Then, my son will come home Christmas morning and spend the rest of the holiday with me, which is what he did with his dad last year. While I love to have my son on Christmas Eve, it's nice when I have him on Christmas Day, too. After spending alternate years without him on either of those days, I think our way of dividing up the holidays works out so much better.

Not only do we each get to share our traditions with our son every year instead of every other year, but my son can count on spending the holidays with both of his parents. It's always a little sad for him when he is separated from one of us, and that emotion is amplified on holidays. But I think it comforts him to know that his father and I will always work together to make sure he doesn't have to spend the holidays without seeing one of his parents.

• I compared roast-beef sandwiches at Jimmy John's, Jersey Mike's, and Subway to find the best one.
• The bread at Jimmy John's never fails to impress me, but I thought the rest of the sub was bland.
• My Subway sub was made with remarkably crisp produce, but Jersey Mike's easily had the best meat.

I could probably eat a sandwich for lunch every day for the rest of my life.

On my quest to compare popular chains, I put roast-beef subs from Jimmy John's, Jersey Mike's, and Subway to the test.

I ordered each sandwich on the shop's standard bread and piled them with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.

Here's how the roast-beef sandwiches stacked up.

Subway is easily one of the biggest fast-food chains.

Subway is one of the largest global chains, but its ubiquity hasn't necessarily led to an overly positive public opinion.

I'll admit that I've been let down by the restaurant more than once, but nonetheless, I count myself among its fans. Because Subway has over 30,000 locations globally, it's still nice to know I can probably grab something familiar at one, no matter where in the world I am.

I ordered a 12-inch roast-beef sub for $16.28, which breaks down to about $1.36 an inch.

The produce at Subway tasted surprisingly fresh.

Subway employees can sometimes go a little heavy on the sauce, but the few stripes of mayo I got were well-portioned.

The bread and cheese were nothing special, but the roast beef was actually pretty tasty — I just wish there was more of it.

The produce truly stood out here. The tomatoes were thickly cut and actually had good flavor, and the lettuce tasted fresh and crisp.

I'd argue that roast beef should be the star of a roast-beef sandwich, but I'm certainly not mad at the Subway sub.

Jimmy John's Big John sandwich was next on my list.

Jimmy John's is a Midwest staple that's spread to over 2,000 locations across the US. It's perhaps most famous for its fresh-baked bread.

I ordered a regular (8-inch) Big John but paid $1 extra to add provolone cheese. The total came to $11.41, or about $1.43 an inch.

The bread makes the meal at Jimmy John's.

Sadly, I thought my roast-beef sandwich from Jimmy John's tasted rather bland overall.

It needed a bit more meat, the meat needed a bit more salt, the cheese was all but undetectable, and the veggies faded into the background.

You'd think that would mean I didn't enjoy this sandwich, but that wasn't the case because of one thing: the bread.

Jimmy John's French bread is good enough to be enjoyed on its own with just some butter or perhaps a spread of Dijon mustard. It readily elevates what would've been an underwhelming sandwich into a perfectly decent meal.

Jersey Mike's served up freshly sliced meat.

New Jersey-based chain Jersey Mikes has over 2,000 locations throughout the US and Canada.

It's famous for building sandwiches with freshly sliced cold cuts, and it was the only chain where I watched an employee slice my roast beef seconds after I placed my order.

My No. 6 (roast beef and provolone) 7-inch sub cost me $12.36, or about $1.77 an inch.

My Jersey Mike's sandwich reminded me of one from a mom-and-pop deli.

The roast beef piled onto my Jersey Mike's sandwich was well over an inch thick. I pulled a few pieces of meat out to try on its own and found that it tasted high quality, too

The provolone cheese also had good flavor, but I didn't think there was enough lettuce, and the tomatoes tasted a bit bland.

However, the biggest issue I had with the sandwich was the rather sloppy, messy assembly. It was difficult to hold together as a cohesive unit, and the mayo was slapped on too heavily and unevenly.

I haven't ordered this enough to know if it was a one-off problem or a consistent problem with the chain's sandwich assembly.

There were pros and cons to each sandwich — I wish I could combine them.

The generous portion of roast beef and the quality of the meat at Jersey Mike's easily would've made it my favorite sandwich had it been assembled with more care.

However, as it is, there were things I liked and disliked about each sub. Jimmy John's sandwich tasted pretty bland despite its amazing bread, and Subway's felt underfilled but had lovely tomatoes and lettuce.

It would be divine if I could combine the meat from Jersey Mike's and the produce from Subway on the bread from Jimmy John's.

• Business Insider asked interior designers about the bedroom trends that are in and out for 2025.
• Designers think hand-painted murals, wallpaper, and natural hues will likely be popular next year.
• However, they said trends like matching furniture and recessed lighting will be out.

The new year is a great time to refresh your personal spaces, and the bedroom is no exception.

So, Business Insider asked interior designers to share the bedroom trends they think will make a big impact next year — and which we'll likely see less of. Here's what they said.

One designer said hand-painted murals will be popular in 2025.

San Francisco Bay Area designer Jasmine Wang predicts people will start to embrace hand-painted murals in their bedrooms because they add artistry, warmth, and a deeply personal touch.

She said this trend will take shape with nature-inspired scenes, statement accent walls, personalized artistry, and vintage motifs.

Neutral, restorative hues will likely be popular.

Ali Burgoon Nolan, the owner and principal designer of Studio Burgoon, said restorative hues like sage, clay, and soft taupe will help ground bedrooms with calming energy in 2025.

"Drawn from nature, these colors create harmony, offering a tranquil retreat within the home," she said.

Jordan Miranda, the founder and principal designer of JM Living Concepts, also thinks we'll see more muted-terracotta and warm-taupe tones. She also thinks natural materials like wood and linen will be popular.

Reading nooks are becoming trendy.

The bedroom is a place to unwind, which is why Nolan predicts more people will "transform the bedroom into a space for reflection, rest, and rejuvenation from daily life."

She said clients might do this by incorporating relaxing design features like reading nooks or meditation corners into their bedrooms.

Celeste Robbins, the founder of Robbins Architecture, also sees built-in nooks being popular next year.

"There is something intimate and grounding about a built-in nook in a bedroom," she said. "It's a place to curl up, read, or recharge that is not your bed."

Four-poster canopy beds will help create thoughtful separation in the bedroom.

In the age of at-home work and smaller spaces, Miranda acknowledges that the bedroom often becomes a multi-use environment.

By visually and physically defining the bed as its own cozy sanctuary, a canopy bed reinforces the boundary between work or activity zones and restful sleep areas.

"A canopy bed is a way to keep the sleeping space sacred, creating thoughtful separation between the rest of the room where a desk or exercise equipment might also live," she said.

Wallpaper is also making a comeback.

"One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to enhance a bedroom without major construction is using wallpaper to create a feature wall," Kristin Christensen, the owner and principal designer of Mod Earth Studio, said.

She said wallpaper is "in" again because it's an easy way to add personality and flair to a bedroom for much cheaper than construction or custom pieces.

On the other hand, all-white spaces are out for 2025.

Wang and Nolan both told BI they think all-white, minimalist spaces are on their way out.

Nolan said, they can have a "sterile" look and more people are leaning toward "richer, layered designs that invite relaxation."

"The all-white, ultra-minimalist look is making way for spaces with more warmth, color, and texture," Wang said. "In its place, expect to see more accent-wall colors, layered neutrals, and earthy tones that create a cozy, inviting atmosphere."

Matching furniture sets are on their way out.

Wang and Christensen predict the "bedroom in a box" look will be replaced with a more curated and eclectic approach.

"Designers are mixing and matching materials, finishes, and styles to create a unique, collected-over-time vibe," Wang said.

Christensen recognizes that matching furniture sets provide a convenient solution for creating a polished look, but individuality and self-expression are becoming highly valued by everyday consumers.

"People are increasingly seeking to create spaces that feel more authentic and lived-in," she told BI.

Industrial-heavy styles won't be as popular in 2025.

According to Wang, the ultra-industrial aesthetic will exit bedroom spaces next year.

"While industrial touches may still be popular in certain spaces, the overly rugged look with exposed brick, metal, and harsh edges is being traded for softer, nature-inspired designs," she said. "Organic textures, natural woods, and calming colors are now the go-to for a warmer feel."

Recessed lighting is also out.

Christensen predicts that recessed lighting, a round lighting fixture installed into the ceiling or wall, will be replaced for its lack of ambiance.

"For years, recessed lighting was the go-to choice for many bedrooms, promising a sleek, minimalist look and ample light without taking up visible space," she told BI. "However, in recent years, recessed lighting has started to feel outdated, especially in bedrooms."

Instead, she said, people may opt for alternative lighting solutions with things like smart ceiling lights and dimmable fixtures, table lamps, bedside lighting, wall sconces, or pendant lights.

• I've planned girls' trips with friends for years, but it's been harder to coordinate them over time.
• We all have a lot going on, and many of us have kids who can be especially tough to plan around.
• Our adults-only trips aren't going anywhere, but we now plan group trips with our daughters, too.

Since college, I've been fortunate to have a big, close-knit group of girlfriends — and I've prioritized nurturing those friendships.

I especially love strengthening our bonds during getaways, and in my group, I handle planning and coordinating the girls' trips.

Since the '90s, I've spearheaded countless getaways for our group — from raging college spring breaks (New Orleans) to bachelorette parties and divorce parties (both Vegas), to milestone birthdays (my 21st in NYC and 30th in Jamaica), to healing retreats after illness and loss.

These trips have been a great source of joy, laughter, healing, and countless memories — one that sustains us through distance and life's tribulations.

I'm determined to keep up the girls' trip tradition, especially as life looks different for all of us.

There are more factors to consider now that we're adults with full lives

In our teens and early 20s, finding time and space for bonding was easy because many of us lived together and had few distractions.

As life has gone on, those opportunities for connection have become fewer and more difficult to coordinate. We no longer live under one roof, and many of us aren't even in the same city.

In our group, there are big jobs, spouses or partners, ailing and elderly parents, a wide range of disposable incomes, and home projects.

For many of us, there are also kids. This element, in particular, makes it harder for people to commit to dates and make a trip happen: There's homework to do, drop-off and pick-up schedules to coordinate, and sometimes no partner who can help.

It can be hard to prioritize time for yourself as a parent, let alone make time for a trip with friends.

A recent change of plans helped me approach girls' trips in a new way

My last girls' trip to Palm Springs was an impulsive overnight stay at an Airbnb oasis with a jewel box of a pool amid a historic heat wave.

My friend had intended to celebrate her anniversary with her husband and daughter there — but when he got sick, she invited my daughter and I to join for a two-generation girls-only sleepover instead.

While we hung out, our daughters (ages 7 and 10) had fun among themselves. When we all came together, we did pedicures and facials, had cannonball contests, and shared a huge tray of nachos by the pool.

This arrangement was fun and rewarding, plus it eased some of the logistical burdens involved in coordinating childcare. It also helped me realize how nice it could be to incorporate our daughters into some of our trips.

Mom-daughter trips won't replace our old format entirely. Importantly, some friends in our group have no kids (and no interest in spending leisure time with them), and some have only sons.

Still, I'm hoping the two-generation girls' trip flourishes as one extension of a cherished tradition in our expanded circle as life goes on.

Most of all, I'm thrilled to expose the next generation to the soul-satisfying joy of girls' trips, a travel style that I believe nurtures friendships and supports sanity across all stages of life.

• My wife and I got married earlier this year, and planning the wedding was stressful.
• Leading up to the holiday season, I felt pressure to make our first Christmas together special.
• After talking to her, I realized that just creating memories together was enough.

After a stressful year of planning our perfect September wedding, I wasn't prepared to face additional pressure now that the holidays are approaching. This wasn't an ordinary Christmas filled with relaxation, eggnog, and just a sprinkle of family drama; this was the Christmas that would mark our first milestone as a married couple and set the tone for years to come.

During our first year planning the holidays as a married couple, we learned that navigating the season as a twosome is more stressful than we thought. Whose side of the family will we see? What traditions do we want to create or partake in? There were so many choices to make, and people pulling us in different directions, even with good intentions. Since we'd only get one shot at our first Christmas as a married couple, I worried that if we didn't create the perfect holiday, we would ruin this special moment.

I felt pressure to make our first Christmas together special

We live in New York City, and when we decided that visiting my family in Texas was too far this year (weddings are expensive!), we offered to host my wife's family, who were only a few-hour drive away. Foregoing travel would mitigate some of the holiday stress. However, marrying into a big family like I did, I was still worried our celebration as a newlywed couple would get lost in the holiday chaos. This is without any fault to my amazing new family; it simply can't be helped.

Many of their family traditions are also different from my own. For example, they like to celebrate on Christmas Day, while I love the magic of a sparkling Christmas Eve. I can still bring traditions to their family, like decorating gingerbread houses, which I've done every year. Part of the original excitement toward the holiday was thinking about all the family traditions we would create together.

It took me a long time to voice my concerns to my wife, worried I was overthinking it or wanting too much attention to still be on us. After all, we got married four months ago. However, my fears ended up being unfounded because, like the loving wife she is, Taryn listened and asked me what would make our holiday feel special. The truth was, I didn't know. Though I had all these expectations that this Christmas was supposed to feel different, I had no idea how to make that happen.

I had to get real with myself and understand that, just like when planning a wedding, putting too much pressure on yourself is the fastest way to steal the joy out of the process. Letting go of the idea of making things perfect allows me to focus on what truly matters: creating memories with my wife.

My wife and I decided to focus on creating memories together

So how do you go about making a newlywed Christmas as memorable as possible? We started with Christmas cards. Since we had a small wedding, not everyone in our life got to celebrate with us. Sending out Christmas cards we made together to those who are important to us helped us share our love — and our wedding photos. Speaking of wedding photos, there's no better Christmas gift for our family than a photo album to remember the special day.

We got an ornament with our wedding date on it for the tree, started planning out a festive dinner for our family, and, most importantly, we decided to prioritize spending time together. Little things like these helped me reclaim the excitement of our first Christmas. I realized I didn't have to put pressure on myself — or my wife — to do big things each day to have a special holiday season. We could do simple things, like share quiet moments or cook new holiday dishes as a couple.

I'm most excited to wake up on Christmas and have a private gift exchange (and not just because I love presents). Seeing Taryn open her gift will bring me irreplaceable joy, which I'm excited to share with her as a married couple. We made our mission simple: pick out a new winter scarf we think the other will love.

Our Christmas as newlyweds won't be the only one we spend together, no matter how special it feels. Romanticizing our first holiday was great in theory until it became a pressure cooker for perfection — decidedly unromantic. But in the process of reframing my mindset, I found that there was still magic and romance for the taking.

• Armani Latimer, 26, is a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader in her fifth season.
• During the 2024 "My Cause My Boots" game, she performed without a wig.
• She hopes her performance inspires people to take a stand and start impactful conversations.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Armani Latimer. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I'm in my fifth season as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, and the 2024 "My Cause My Boots" campaign game was the first time I performed without a wig.

Each year, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders choose a different cause to highlight for the campaign. During that game, members can customize their boots to highlight their cause.

Some of my teammates chose to raise awareness for things like mental health and human trafficking. We each pick a cause that's near and dear to us personally or has impacted someone we're close to. This year, I chose alopecia awareness as the cause I wanted to highlight.

In college, my alopecia got worse

I was diagnosed with alopecia when I was 12 years old. It didn't affect me that much when I was younger, partially because I didn't fully understand what having alopecia even meant, but I also didn't have many bald spots. Even when I started seeing more bald spots, I still had enough hair to cover them, so it wasn't really an issue.

It wasn't until I began college in 2016 at the University of Southern Carolina that the spots started to get bigger, and my hair took longer to grow back. My best friends I grew up with, and my family knew about my condition, but the friends I made in college didn't know until years later.

When you're starting college, you're just trying to make friends. It's hard to say right off the bat, "Hey, I'm not feeling like going out and doing my hair today because I found a bald spot on my head this morning." It was kind of hard to navigate my alopecia getting worse by myself, but I had to just push forward. My alopecia worsened during college, and that's also when I decided to opt for protective hairstyles in the form of wigs and sew-ins for the first time.

Shortly after graduating from college in 2020, I auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and decided I wanted to try wearing my natural hair. I removed all of the extension from my sew-in and went into 2020 training camp with my natural curls.

I loved wearing my natural hair out, but the demands of having your hair game-day ready every single day and trying to make the team can create a lot of stress. Stress can increase the rate at which your hair falls out with alopecia. The combination of that stress and doing my hair every day, whether it was the tension of using a brush or styling my hair with curlers, sped up the process of losing my hair.

When training camp ended and I officially joined the team, I decided to go back to wearing a wig because of the rate at which my hair was falling out. During my second season on the team in 2021, I lost my hair completely, and I've been bald ever since.

This year, I wanted to make a bold alopecia awareness move

This is my third year highlighting alopecia awareness for the "My Cause My Boots" campaign. I've revealed more and more about my alopecia journey with each year. One year, I filmed a video of myself getting ready and posted it on my Instagram. But this year, I wanted to take things a step further. At the beginning of the season, I decided to go without my wig for the game this year. Stepping out and doing something bold was a decision that felt placed on my heart.

I woke up the morning of December 9 feeling very excited, but the nerves started to kick in as we got closer to game time. When you know you're about to make a big impact on people, there's extra weight on you to do the moment justice. Most of the nerves came from knowing this would be a conversation for so many people and so many eyes would be on me.

I was both excited and nervous on game day

My teammates were extremely helpful in calming my nerves, and reassuring me they were completely behind me. My parents and close friends were also in attendance for the game. I remember hearing a few gasps when we started to walk on the field for the performance. I looked out to see a ton of phones and cameras everywhere. In my head, I was like, "Whoa, this is a lot of attention." I almost forgot one of the moves for half a second because I was too distracted. But once I settled into the dance, I had a great time and even shed a few tears.

My dad also has alopecia, and I've looked up to him my whole life as someone who has it and still is happy with life. Jada Pinkett Smith has also been an important representation of alopecia for me. It's comforting to see someone who looks like me rocking her alopecia without any fear of what someone might say.

I hope that my performance serves as a representation to other little girls struggling with alopecia that you can still go out and reach for your goals. I also hope my performance serves as a reminder that regardless of your platform, you can take a stand, make a difference, and start a conversation.

• Hotels around the world collaborate with luxury brands for their Christmas decorations.
• Some trees, like the one at Mandarin Oriental Jumeira in Dubai, have been designed by jewelers.
• Other hotels have tapped artists like Conrad Shawcross and fashion brands like Jenny Packham.

It has been a tough quarter for luxury labels like LVMH and Kering as key consumer markets like China pull back amid a globally unsteady economic environment.

But there's still plenty of reason for cheer ahead of the festive season.

The once fashion-exclusive brands are diversifying their offerings, from cafés and pop-ups to partnerships with historic hotels around the holiday season.

As the luxury travel sector bounces back from its COVID-19 era downfall — think the rise in high-end train travel — it's yet another space where brands can make their mark.

While festive collaborations aren't anything new, a struggling luxury fashion market makes it even more important for brands to capitalize on the moment. And the benefits of these collaborations aren't one-sided — Christmas tree lighting ceremonies at venues like Claridge's in London have evolved into beloved festive traditions, drawing crowds each year.

For many guests checking into hotels this holiday season, a well-decorated, designer tree display not only enhances the festive atmosphere but also serves as the ultimate status symbol that helps hotels stand out.

From colorful oversized bows to leather-crafted ribbon ornaments, here are 12 designer Christmas trees that are just as extravagant as the luxury brands behind them.

Christopher John Rogers for Riggs Hotel in Washington, DC

Boutique hotel Riggs Washington, DC, has collaborated with fashion designer Christopher John Rogers and British paint and paper maker Farrow & Ball to create a dazzling 18-foot holiday tree.

Inspired by Rogers' childhood memories of food and family, the Carte Blanche collection, which debuted last September, includes 12 custom paint colors and three wallpaper prints, with names like "Cardamom," "Lobster," "Raw Tomatillo," and "Hog Plum."

These have served as inspiration for the holiday tree's colorful decor.

The 18-foot tree is decked in large, colorful bows.

The tree uses the 12 signature paint colors from the collection for oversize hand-painted bows and geometric wallpaper draped like fabric from Rogers' womenswear collections.

Ornaments, which Forbes reported took five days to make, include designs like blue lobsters, pink shallots, and silver sardines.

Sir Paul Smith for Claridge's in London

From sweet treats and scents to the star of the season, the Christmas tree, British fashion designer Sir Paul Smith has worked closely with Mayfair-based Claridge's to transform its lobby.

"When designing this year's tree, I automatically thought of a birdhouse, friendly and optimistic, a symbol of home which reflects the welcoming spirit of Claridge's," Sir Paul Smith told Harper's Bazaar in October, ahead of the tree's reveal.

The 19-foot tree is decorated with 100 bespoke birdhouses.

To create the ornaments for the tree, Sir Paul Smith partnered with British architect Nik Ramage and design studio Studiomama.

Ramage helped craft the birdhouses displayed on the tree, while Studiomama created "off-cut creatures" made from scrapwood to place at the base of the tree.

In addition to the decor, Smith's holiday fragrance, "Merrymaker," will be sprayed in the hotel's lobby, and a candy cart called "Paul's Pick n Mix," featuring his favorite Christmas treats, will be wheeled into the lobby daily.

Jenny Packham for Pulitzer Hotel in Amsterdam

British fashion designer Jenny Packham has brought her signature sparkling embellishments and silhouettes to Pulitzer Amsterdam's holiday decorations this year.

For the set design, Packham was inspired by renowned Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, whose ability to showcase the "quiet moments of beauty" stayed with her, she told WWD.

The nearly 29-foot tree is decorated with black-and-white bows.

At nearly 29 feet, the tree, draped in grosgrain bows — reminiscent of those on Kate Middleton's dress during King Charles' Trooping of the Colour procession — and handmade pearls, stands tall in the hotel's central courtyard.

The intricate details on the bows and large pearl ornaments accompanying them are inspired by Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring."

Ladurée for The St. Regis Hotel in New York City

From garlands and velvet bows to a 12-foot tree, The St. Regis Hotel in New York has undergone a complete festive transformation, thanks to its collaboration with French patisserie Ladurée.

In addition to the decor, the Parisian brand is also offering a festive afternoon tea experience at the hotel's newly launched tea salon, La Maisonette.

The 12-foot tree is decked with oversized macaron ornaments and dried golden florals.

The dessert brand has created macaron-shaped ornaments in shades of gold, cream, and teal, complete with matching velvet bows, to decorate the tree in the hotel's reception.

Underneath, the spot is surrounded by ribbon-wrapped gifts such as an advent calendar and sweet boxes. And next to it, there's a macaron cart that doubles as both a photo stop and a place to shop.

Garrard for Mandarin Oriental Jumeira in Dubai

London-based jewelry brand Garrard — appointed crown jeweler by Queen Victoria in 1843 — is bringing some of its holiday sparkle to Mandarin Oriental Jumeira this holiday season.

"Every year, our Christmas tree represents the ultimate celebration of sophistication and creative expression," said Werner Anzinger, the general manager of Mandarin Oriental Jumeira.

Of this year's tree, he said, "This new masterpiece crafted together with Garrard evokes the timeless luxury and glamour of both brands as we bring seasonal sparkle and joy to Dubai."

The tree is adorned with blue baubles and golden leaves, paying tribute to both brands.

This year's Christmas tree is themed around sapphires, the same gemstone used by the jeweler for a pendant for the hotel's fifth anniversary earlier this year.

The tree's golden branches are decorated with the Mandarin fan — the hotel's signature motif — large midnight-blue baubles, and an illuminated ribbon.

La Ligne for The Dewberry in Charleston, South Carolina

From Meghan Markle to Karlie Kloss, several celebrities have been spotted rocking a La Ligne outfit. This year, the brand has dressed The Dewberry's lobby for Christmas.

Interior stylist Tom Dunn, who has previously worked with the fashion label, helped design the tree.

The 12-foot tree is draped in ribbons and woven ornaments.

When decorating the tree, Dunn took inspiration from Charleston's sweetgrass baskets, incorporating natural elements like shed branches, woven baskets, and decorative sweetgrass into the decor.

The stylist added a touch of the outdoors to the Balsam fir, draping it with oak branches, wicker baubles, and tiny gold-toned flowers.

Ghurka for Primland Resort in Virginia

Connecticut-based luxury leather-goods brand Ghurka is known for its luggage and leather accessories, but this year, it will also be known for its cozy, country holiday aesthetic at the Primland resort, a private mountain estate in Virginia.

The tree in the resort's Great Hall is decorated with tiny bows made of leather.

Beginning with festive bright-red bows, Ghurka reworked its signature chestnut leather for the holiday decor.

The tree also features natural brass rivets and red ribbons with Christmas lights.

Guests staying at the hotel can also request a personalized tree en suite throughout the festive season.

Conrad Shawcross for The Connaught Hotel in London

The historic Connaught Hotel in Mayfair has stuck to simplicity with a hint of sparkle for its holiday makeover this year.

Helping with the designs is British sculptor Conrad Shawcross, best known for blending mathematical concepts and geometrical patterns within his designs.

The nearly 29-foot tree is bedecked with 90 lanterns.

The hotel's tree on Carlos Place has been dressed in 90 identical lanterns, each made from aluminum and hand painted with a silver coating.

Atop, the designer has added a shining star that lights up Mayfair and, per the artist, symbolizes hope this Christmas.

Baccarat for Mandarin Oriental in Singapore

It is a season of double celebrations for crystal brand Baccarat, which is marking its 260th anniversary this year by collaborating with hotels worldwide for festive experiences.

One of the hotels is the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore, where Baccarat also hosted a cocktail world tour earlier this year.

A new take on the traditional tree, the hotel's centerpiece is made from crystals.

Although the tree is slightly unconventional — with no leaves or branches — the hotel's centerpiece is certainly one of a kind, given that it's made from 24- and 40-light Le Roi Soleil chandeliers.

The crystal chandeliers feature intricate branches, tassels, and octagons stacked into a tree shape with the brand's logo on top.

Brioni for Hotel De La Ville in Rome

One of Rome's most Instagram-worthy getaways, Hotel de la Ville, collaborated with luxury Italian label Brioni for its holiday decor.

The result is a cozy, quiet-luxury aesthetic with elegant details throughout the lobby and, of course, a Christmas tree.

Hotel guests can also experience "tailoring en suite," where they can shop customized outfits crafted by Brioni's master tailors.

The tree features silk baubles made from fabrics used by the brand in its previous collections.

The Italian label has reimagined silk pieces from its previous collections to create custom ornaments for what it calls a sustainable Christmas tree.

The tree, designed in shades of blue, gold, and cream and arranged by florists, incorporates natural elements and is brightened with golden hues.

MCM for The Charles Hotel in Munich

The Charles Hotel in Munich is celebrating the holidays by creating an enchanting Christmas world titled "From Munich to Mars" in collaboration with MCM — think gingerbread-style ornaments, glittering displays, and a giant Christmas tree adorned with gold and bronze baubles.

If all of that isn't exciting enough, the hotel will also feature an MCM-branded advent calendar, in which guests can win one of 24 luxury gifts every day.

The tree is adorned with MCM-branded rocket and mini Christmas tree ornaments.

To uphold this year's theme, the hotel has turned to a holiday favorite: gingerbread. Taking inspiration from the traditional biscuit, MCM has used its colors to create rocket and Christmas tree-shaped ornaments.

They've also built out a snowy landscape with gifts wrapped in brown boxes and a miniature, snow-capped gingerbread house to complement the theme.

Dolce & Gabbana for Hotel de Russie in Rome, Italy

Another Roman contender, Hotel de Russie, unveiled a high-fashion tree for the festive season, crafted in collaboration with luxury label Dolce & Gabbana.

The tree, which is located in the hotel's courtyard, was inspired by the brand's intricate work seen in its collections over the years.

The nearly 13-foot tree is covered with ceramic and glass baubles, colorful ribbons, and fairy lights.

The nearly 13-foot tree, decorated with glass and ceramic baubles depicting folk character motifs, big bows, and twinkling lights, adds a warm, festive vibe to the hotel.

Hues of gold pay tribute to the fashion label's signature style.

• I took an overnight train from Helsinki to Lapland that's called the Santa Claus Express.
• I paid $73 for my seat and the one next to me, so I was able to stretch out on the ride.
• Santa didn't appear on the 12-hour ride, but I found the journey exciting and festive anyway.

This month, I embarked on the overnight rail experience of a lifetime: Finland's Santa Claus Express.

The 12-hour train rides from the Finnish capital of Helsinki to Rovaniemi in Lapland — the "official home of Santa Claus," known for its Santa Claus Village.

For 70 euros, or about $73, I journeyed from the southernmost point of the country into the Arctic Circle.

My trip was a real adventure, but there are a few things I wish I'd known beforehand.

Some Helsinki hotels offer special checkout packages for guests catching late-night trains.

My train left at 11:13 p.m., so after checking out of my hotel at midday, I went and found a place to store my luggage in the city.

I also had hours to kill before boarding, so I visited the Senate Square Christmas Market, Temppeliaukio Church, and the Allas Sea Pool — working up a sweat in saunas then jumping in freezing water.

However, I later learned that many of Helsinki's hotels offer a late-night checkout package for these late-night trains. I don't regret my afternoon in the city, but others might prefer a quick power nap before the overnight journey.

The double-seat booking option was perfect.

My seat was about 47 euros, but the ability to book neighboring seats at a reduced rate was a game changer.

I added the 21-euro upgrade on a whim, but it really improved my experience. At 5-foot-3, I comfortably curled across two carpeted seats and managed to get some shut-eye.

Because I was traveling during peak season, all the carriages were booked. If I hadn't reserved the seat next to me, I would've been sleeping upright like a sardine with a neighbor.

I felt pretty smug being horizontal.

I should've brought an eye mask.

The biggest kicker was the conductor's insistence on keeping the carriage lights on overnight, apparently to prevent pickpocketing.

I get the gist of the strategy, but I'm actually not sure how effective it was for that purpose — everyone just covered their faces with their coats instead.

I'd undertaken a similar rail journey in Sweden last year and slept like a baby in the darkened passenger cabin. The low lighting even allowed me to spot the northern lights from the window. On the Santa Express? No such luck.

Sleeping with the lights on was much harder. In hindsight, I should've brought an eye mask or invested in a private cabin (40 to 160 euros) where I could control the light switch.

I didn't need to worry about the food options on the train.

I'd been worried about food quality on the train, so I hurriedly ate before boarding.

In hindsight, I didn't need to scarf down an 11 p.m. dinner. The train's restaurant car had an impressively varied menu.

Food service stayed open for dinner until 2 a.m. and reopened for breakfast at 4 a.m. There was a mixture of refrigerated sandwiches, pizzas, pastries, and alcoholic, hot, or soft drinks.

People weren't exaggerating about the dodgy internet.

Around an hour into the journey, both my mobile data and the train's complimentary WiFi stopped working.

I'd read other travelers' online reviews, and many people said that this would happen, but I hadn't expected it so early on in the trip, especially since we were still riding past fairly built-up suburbs.

Fortunately, I'd prepared for a digital detox and was carrying a pen and paper to jot down story ideas. Old school? Yes, but I have to admit it really amplified the feeling of adventure.

The toilets looked pretty but got a bit messy within the first two hours.

I'm happy that I snapped a picture of the toilets while boarding, as they looked pretty messy within two hours. It was a shame, as the decor and skylights were quite pretty.

On reflection, the situation wasn't helped by the small sinks — water splattered everywhere with each use of the tap.

Throughout the trip, they were usable but unappealing enough to make you think twice about drinking a coffee too fast.

Santa doesn't actually make an appearance, but the platform has a magical atmosphere.

My ride on the Santa Express was sadly Santa-free aside from the large illustrations adorning the carriage exteriors.

There was no festive dress-up or meet-and-greet on board, but the platform was magical nonetheless.

Carol singers erupted with Christmas songs, and barrier staff exchanged secret grins before allowing floods of giddy families onto the platform in festive Rovaniemi.

The excitement was infectious as I headed toward Santa Claus Village and the remainder of my trip in Lapland.

• My fourth-grade teacher showed up to school with painting materials one day.
• She told me she wanted me to paint something for her and my mom for the holidays.
• My teacher made me feel seen and included, and I still remember her.

There's a moment when you receive a compliment, and you shrug it off immediately as though an insect had just landed on your shoulder. That happened to me when I was sitting on the floor of my fourth-grade classroom, painting a poster for a school project.

The poster-maker job fell into my lap after I lost a game of "Not it." Truthfully, I was happy to sit quietly and draw instead of fussing with my classmates about how to do our book report.

When my teacher came over to check on our progress, she leaned in and told me how much she liked my painting. I felt a mix of embarrassment and disbelief at being singled out for such praise.

I was even more surprised when Miss J, as we called her, showed up at school one day with a large shopping bag. Inside were paint brushes, watercolor paints, and two sheets of paper rolled up and held together with an elastic.

She said she wanted me to paint her something and that the second canvas was meant for my mom so I could make her a Christmas present.

Deciding what to paint

A blank canvas can be anything you want. It's a scary thought for someone like me who overthinks everything, but that's precisely what Miss J wanted me to do: paint anything of my choice.

At 9 years old, I had dozens of paintings under my belt, but never this size and not on paper that didn't buckle and warp as soon as you touched it with a wet paintbrush. The paints seemed too nice and new to use on something other than a school project.

I thought of the books my mom would read to me and decided to paint something from "Winnie the Pooh." I chose the original version of the character for my teacher and the Disney version for my mom since she had a certain fondness for the Pooh Bear look, as you can tell from baby photos of me wearing a top with no bottoms.

I had a VHS tape of a Winnie the Pooh movie and set out to recreate the cover for my mom's painting. I sketched the design in pencil first.

Then, I began the daunting task of trying to fill this oversized canvas using my once pristine tubes of paint, now squished and dented.

What my teacher's gift meant to me

When you're from a different cultural background, sometimes people overlook what you have in common. For example, a colleague asked me what my family does this time of year despite encouraging everyone else to share their Christmas plans. Remarks like these single you out, and not in the caring way of a teacher who pays you a genuine compliment.

As one of a few kids in my fourth-grade class from an immigrant family and a single-parent household, everywhere I looked, there was someone whose life looked different from mine. But instead of assuming I didn't celebrate Christmas, which I did, my teacher just wanted me to feel included.

Her generous gift showed me I had a talent worth buying and actually using quality art supplies. She even had my painting professionally framed like my mom did.

I saw it once when we drove by her house in the sixth grade. It was, just as she said, right in the middle of her living room, surrounded by custom matting.

Memories fade, but colors endure

The teacher I saw every day, who introduced me to Maya Angelou and Jane Goodall, took a leave of absence when she found out she was having a baby. I moved on, too, starting high school a year early.

As an undergraduate student, I bumped into Miss J one evening. She was sitting in her car like she was waiting for someone, and I felt hesitant to approach her.

Maybe she wouldn't recognize me until she pointed at me and smiled. Her son came out of a nearby building, and she pointed at me a second time and told him, "That's the girl who painted the Winnie the Pooh picture in your room."

In grade six, I gave her a second painting as a baby gift. Thirty years later, I can't remember exactly what these paintings look like.

I just know that I wanted to capture the feeling of playing in the Hundred Acre Wood, the fictional place where Pooh Bear and his friends would gather.

My teacher's gift reminds me of something we all want: someone to acknowledge and remember us. I'll never forget her.

• Business Insider asked etiquette experts about the mistakes to avoid when hosting for the holidays.
• It's important to make sure everyone feels welcomed — even unexpected guests.
• Hosts should also ensure there is enough seating for everyone at the party.

Although hosting friends and family for the holidays can be fun, there's no denying that doing so also comes with its fair share of stress. Without proper planning, things can even get chaotic.

To avoid making etiquette mistakes in the process, Business Insider asked two experts to share the top mistakes they see people make when hosting. Here's what they said.

Don't chastise guests for bringing an unexpected plus-one

Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert and the owner of the Protocol School of Texas, told BI that hosts should never reprimand a guest for bringing an unexpected plus-one.

If this happens, she said to address the issue later — not in front of others.

"You don't want to reprimand the guest or the guest's guest in front of anyone. Later on, you can say, 'Sally, I wasn't expecting a plus one because it kind of put me in an awkward position with other people.' But you can say that privately at another time, not that night," Gottsman said.

Make sure there is enough seating for all guests

When it comes to seating, it's important to double check your head count and ensure everyone has a place to sit. Gottsman said this should also be done for more casual events like cocktail or dinner parties.

"You want to have enough seating for people," Gottsman said.

Avoid creating a chaotic environment

Etiquette and hosting expert Carla Shellis said another common mistake hosts make is not considering how they want their event or home to feel.

By yelling and scrambling to get things done at the last second, the host can unintentionally leave the space feeling more chaotic than welcoming.

Gottsman shared similar thoughts, telling BI, "When the doorbell rings with your first guest, you should not still be in your hair rollers, or lighting candles, or racing around talking about how busy you are."

To combat a chaotic situation, Shellis likes to play music, light candles, and clean the space before her guests arrive. She also gives herself plenty of time to get everything done so she doesn't have to rush.

Be cautious when serving alcohol

Shellis told BI that serving too much alcohol is an easy way to create unnecessary issues at a party. That's why it's important to ensure everyone is enjoying themselves in moderation.

For instance, Shellis said when people ask her if she has any more wine, she'll say no and redirect them by offering other beverages like iced tea or soda.

"For 30 years, I've been hosting parties, and I'm going to tell you there's nothing that will kill a beautiful environment quicker than somebody that's hammered and acting foolish," Shellis told BI.

• 2024 was full of great movies.
• Big spectacles like "Wicked" and "Dune: Part Two" captured viewers' and critics' attention.
• Smaller dramas like "Civil War" and "The Substance" also packed a punch and prompted discourse online.

Giant sandworms! Singing witches! Horny tennis players! The best movies of 2024 offered a wide array of cinematic pleasures — and a double dose of Zendaya.

Below are Business Insider's best movies of 2024. Scroll to the end to see entertainment correspondent Jason Guerrasio and senior editor Caralynn Matassa's personal top five movies of the year.

"A Complete Unknown"

Almost twenty years after director James Mangold gave us the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line," he's returned to the space with a look at Bob Dylan's transition from acoustic to electric.

As much as the music will dazzle Dylan fans, it's the acting that's the highlight. Timothée Chalamet delivers one of the best performances burgeoning career, getting Dylan's voice and mannerisms down perfectly. — Jason Guerrasio

"A Different Man"

Sebastian Stan gives one of two standout performances this year in "A Different Man." The surreal, twisty psychological thriller follows Stan as Edward, an introverted, struggling actor with neurofibromatosis (a disorder causing facial differences) who is cured through an experimental procedure. Reinventing himself as "Guy" doesn't quite give him the dream life he'd hoped for, though.

The darkly comic film from writer-director Aaron Schimberg also features great supporting performances from Renate Reinsve (who had her breakthrough in 2021's "The Worst Person in the World") and Adam Pearson as Oswald, a confident and charismatic man who also has neurofibromatosis. — Caralynn Matassa

"Alien: Romulus"

For this latest trek back into the sci-fi world of "Alien," director Fede Álvarez takes full advantage of the IP by weaving a story that touches on the original movie and the world of "Prometheus." The result is a thrill ride that will satisfy fans of the franchise and scare the hell out of the newbies who have never seen an "Alien" movie. — JG

"Anora"

Sean Baker made a name for himself as one of the most acclaimed independent filmmakers, and for good reason. He excels at slice-of-life movies (2017's "The Florida Project" and 2021's criminally underrated "Red Rocket") that spotlight marginalized communities.

His latest, "Anora," centers on the titular sex worker played by "Scream 5" standout Mikey Madison. The film landed the Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor, thanks to Madison's subtly powerful performance and Baker's propulsive script. — CM

"The Apprentice"

It shouldn't come as a shock that the most polarizing movie of the year was one about Donald Trump's rise to power as a New York City real estate tycoon.

But take away your political views and opinions on Trump (which, I know, is hard), and this movie from director Ali Abbasi is a fascinating exploration of how those with power and influence move through the world.

And then there are the performances by Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Trump's fixer and mentor Roy Cohn, both of which should be recognized during award season. — JG

"Babygirl"

Nicole Kidman gives one of the best and boldest performances of her decadeslong career in "Babygirl." The erotic thriller, written and directed by "Bodies Bodies Bodies" filmmaker Halina Reijn, puts the female gaze on a distinctly male, often-problematic genre, tackling female sexuality, gender, and power dynamics as Kidman's Romy Mathis, a high-powered CEO, pursues a secret affair with her intern (Harris Dickinson). — CM

"Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F"

I wasn't expecting a "Beverly Hills Cop" sequel made on Netflix to give me some of the biggest laugh-out-loud moments this year, but that's exactly what happened.

Director Mark Molloy certainly understood the assignment: lean in to what made the first two movies so beloved (let's not talk about the third one).

Focusing on Eddie Murphy's jokes, big action sequences, and that memorable soundtrack, the fourth movie in the franchise became one of the surprise delights at the movies this year. — JG

"The Brutalist"

One of the boldest epics made in some time, this three-and-a-half-hour drama shot on VistaVision is an exquisite exploration of one immigrant's drive for the American Dream in post-World War II America.

Directed and co-written by Brady Corbet ("Vox Lux"), "The Brutalist" follows fictional character László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian-born Jew who survives the Holocaust and emigrates to the US in the late 1940s. Over three decades, Tóth, a talented architect, struggles to make a living and get his wife (Felicity Jones) to the States. Then a wealthy man (Guy Pearce) changes his life.

With masterful production design, photography, score, and performances, this is a movie that will stay with you long after you've seen it. — JG

“Challengers”

Zendaya dazzles in Luca Guadagnino's sporty, steamy drama.

As a former tennis great thrust into a love triangle with two other players, her now-husband Art (Mike Faist) and her ex-boyfriend Patrick (Josh O'Connor), Zendaya delivers one of the most layered performances of her career as she navigates love, lust, and mind games. — JG

“Civil War”

Alex Garland's latest showcases a United States that has been ravaged by civil unrest.

Kirsten Dunst is magnificent as a hardened war journalist in an existential crisis who travels from New York City to Washington, D.C. to cover the story. The war scenes are brutal and devastating, but that's the point. — JG

"Conclave"

Ralph Fiennes leads a drama filled with Shakespearian-level mystery, backstabbing, and intrigue as the Cardinal-Dean in charge of the papal conclave. In the process, he finds himself investigating scandals and secrets as the choices narrow for who will become the next pope.

Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini are also outstanding in supporting roles. — JG

"Deadpool & Wolverine"

After a bevy of delays that included Fox being bought by Disney, COVID, and the strikes by the writers and actors in Hollywood, we finally got the third "Deadpool" movie. And it was worth the wait.

From the brawls with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the endless Disney IP jokes, and a fight with countless Deadpools, the movie is the rare payoff for fans of superhero movies in the post-"Endgame" era of the MCU. — JG

“Dune: Part Two”

Denis Villeneuve's continuation of his adaptation of Frank Herbert's beloved sci-fi novel takes us back to Arrakis, where Paul (Timothée Chalamet) goes from the hunted to the hunter as he teams with the Fremen to fight his enemies and becomes a Messiah in the process.

Like the first movie, the visuals are stunning, but the sequel also features more Zendaya as Paul's love interest, heightening the stakes by the end. — JG

"The Fall Guy"

Though "The Fall Guy" underperformed at the box office, David Leitch's love letter to stunt performers is one of the most enjoyable movie-watching experiences of the year.

A big reason for that is the performances from Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, whose chemistry as they navigate an on-and-off relationship while coping with movie-making madness is off the charts. — JG

"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga"

George Miller's latest trek into the Wasteland may not be as jaw-dropping as his magnum opus "Mad Max: Fury Road," but the auteur of action still dazzles with breathtaking shots of desolate sandy vistas and ultra-violent car chases.

The major highlight is Anya Taylor-Joy as Imperator Furiosa (originally played by Charlize Theron in "Fury Road"). With very little dialogue, Taylor-Joy must use facial expressions and a multitude of stunts to convey her character's origin story and complex emotional arc. It's well worth the ride. — JG

"Gladiator II"

Twenty-four years after the Oscar-winning original, Ridley Scott returns to the Coliseum with a new star (Paul Mescal) and bigger fights. The result is an enjoyable mix of blockbuster thrills and nostalgic callbacks to the first movie.

But what sets "Gladiator II" apart is Denzel Washington, whose devilish, scenery-chewing performance as a gladiator owner with plans of getting his hooks into the Roman Senate elevates the movie whenever he's on the screen. — JG

“The Greatest Night in Pop”

The song "We Are The World" brought together the greatest musicians in pop and rock, but the story of how it came together makes the song even more remarkable.

This Netflix documentary from Bao Nguyen features never-before-seen footage and candid interviews recounting a single evening in Los Angeles that would become a defining moment for pop culture in the 1980s.

The documentary is replete with fascinating details about how the song and its ensuing celebrity spectacle came to be. From seeing how Michael Jackson created the hook to watching musicians like Cyndi Lauper and Huey Lewis give it their all recording long into the night, "The Greatest Night in Pop" is a must-see for anyone who lived through or loved the '80s music scene. — JG

"Hard Truths"

On a surface level, Pansy Deacon, the lead character of "Hard Truths," isn't someone you'd root for. She's a deeply depressed, angry middle-aged British woman who takes her fury out on anyone and everyone around her, from fellow shoppers at the supermarket to her own browbeaten husband and adult son.

The film starts out almost comically, as Pansy finds every imaginable reason to rant and rave at everything from babies with pockets (what do babies need pockets for anyway?) to the salesperson attempting to help her buy a couch. Marianne Jean-Baptiste infuses Pansy with so much heart and deep-seated pain that you can't help but feel for her, even as you're horrified by her behavior.

Writer-director Mike Leigh's unique filmmaking process (he and his cast start off without a script and collaboratively develop the characters) results in one of the most stunning performances of the year. — CM

"Incoming"

Hollywood is still trying to perfect this generation's high school movie. "Incoming" gets pretty close.

Following a group of friends who are the only freshmen invited to a party thrown by a senior, this raunchy comedy uses staples from the high school genre and mixes them with today's culture to concoct a hilarious movie. — JG

"Inside Out 2"

After a lot of confusion and frustration within the walls of Pixar over its COVID-era release strategy, the beloved animation house is having a much-deserved big-screen resurgence thanks to "Inside Out 2."

In the sequel to the Oscar-winning 2015 original, we catch up with Riley's key emotions like Joy (Amy Poehler) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) right when Riley hits puberty. And just like that, new emotions like Anxiety (Maya Hawke) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) show up wanting to be in control of Riley's feelings.

The movie is a funny and emotionally charged journey that highlights those impressionable years when we can no longer lean on our parents to make the right choices; it's now on us. — JG

"Longlegs"

Beyond having the most brilliant marketing campaign of the year, "Longlegs" is also genuinely freaky.

Osgood Perkins channels "Silence of the Lambs," mixed with devil worship and possessed dolls for good measure, for a crazy genre mashup: a police procedural horror movie. Maika Monroe gives an understated performance as traumatized FBI agent Lee Harker, who's investigating a series of murder-suicides that all point back to one mysterious figure: Longlegs.

The eventual reveal of what's going on — and the physical reveal of Nicolas Cage's Longlegs, a noteworthy entry in the actor's list of batshit roles — is disturbing and memorable. — CM

"The Last Showgirl"

Pamela Anderson gives a career best performance as an aging Las Vegas showgirl who must come to terms with losing her job when her revue abruptly closes.

Anderson holds nothing back as she plays a character who still is intoxicated by the glitz and glamour of the strip of yesteryear but comes to the harsh realization that show business has nothing left for a woman her age.

Ironically, after decades in the limelight, this is the role that is finally getting Anderson the recognition for her acting that she deserves. — JG

"Moana 2"

Originally planned as a TV series, Disney made the right move by turning this instead into a feature-length sequel to the beloved 2016 original.

This time, Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) must defeat an evil God who controls an island so that all islands across the sea can be reconnected.

The higher stakes, new characters, and catchy songs make the movie a worthwhile continuation of a story audiences couldn't wait to return to. — JG

"Nickel Boys"

Some viewers criticized RaMell Ross's bold decision to shoot "Nickel Boys," an adaptation of Colson Whitehead's 2019 novel, in a first-person point-of-view, where we see through the eyes of the character speaking. To that, I politely say: You're wrong, sorry.

The immersive filming style works perfectly to put the audience right in the mix as Elwood and Turner, two Black boys sent to a reform school called the Nickel Academy (based on an actual school in Florida), struggle to survive amid the racist institution's many often deadly abuses.

Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson give a pair of breakout performances as Elwood and Turner, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is devastating as Hattie, Elwood's devoted grandmother. It's a tough watch, but a worthy one. — CM

"Nosferatu"

Looking back on the work of Robert Eggers, his obsession with telling stories set long ago has led up to this: an adaptation of the iconic gothic vampire tale.

With exquisite production design, makeup, and effects to transform Bill Skarsgård into the creature of the night, and a tour-de-force performance by Lily-Rose Depp as a woman overcome by a spell that fills her with desire and fear, this is Eggers' masterwork. — JG

"Queer"

Yep, both of Luca Guadagnino's 2024 releases made this list. "Queer" is a very different film from "Challengers" in many ways, but both cement Guadagnino as a filmmaker with an innate understanding of desire and a master at evoking it onscreen.

Based on William S. Burroughs' 1985 novella, the movie follows William Lee, a gay American expat living in 1950s Mexico City, who becomes obsessively infatuated with the much younger Eugene Allerton. Daniel Craig's no-holds-barred performance as Lee, a stand-in for Burroughs himself, establishes him as one of the most talented and versatile working actors today. It's also gorgeously shot, courtesy of Guadagnino's go-to cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom. — CM

"Rebel Ridge"

There's always one Netflix movie that comes out of the blue every year and grabs attention. This year, it was "Rebel Ridge."

Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier ("Blue Ruin"), this impressive action movie gives a jolt to the genre with its gritty take. It's also a showcase for Aaron Pierre, who is on his way to big-screen stardom (he also voiced the title character in Disney's end-of-year release, "Mufasa.") — JG

"Strange Darling"

JT Mollner's thriller "Strange Darling" flew under the radar this year, but boy, is it a trip.

The story is told in a destabilizing nonlinear format; it's a clever narrative trick to make you think the movie is something it's not. Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner are knockouts as the two leads, keeping viewers transfixed and with our hearts in our throats. It's also beautifully shot by Giovanni Ribisi (yes, the actor) in his feature debut as a cinematographer. — CM

"The Substance"

"The Substance" is not for the faint of heart. French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat established herself as a genius of phantasmagoria with her debut feature, 2017's "Revenge," but she takes things up several notches in her follow-up.

The satirical feminist body-horror movie is completely insane, in the best way. It's a disgusting, disturbing, and extremely real fable of female self-hatred that goes off the rails (complimentary) like few movies I've seen before.

Demi Moore grounds it all as Elisabeth Sparkle, a washed-up middle-aged celebrity who's driven to try the mysterious drug dubbed The Substance after being fired from her aerobics show on her 50th birthday. Margaret Qualley is positively demonic as Elisabeth's younger and more perfect self Sue, the product of that black market serum fated to be Elisabeth's downfall. — CM

"Twisters"

This summer, we learned that if you mix Glen Powell and tornadoes, you've got yourself a hit.

This sequel to the 1996 hit "Twister" features more GGI-fueled storms and chemistry so hot between Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones that audiences were bummed they didn't kiss at the end — everything you need from a hit summer blockbuster. — JG

"Wicked"

I was prepared to be a hater heading into "Wicked." After all, how could someone successfully adapt one of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time? After being blown away by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande's performances, I'll gladly admit I was wrong.

As the movie's seemingly endless press tour has demonstrated, Erivo and Grande have incredible chemistry as Elphaba and Glinda, two witches who were once best friends before their paths diverged. Erivo is devastating as the lost, deeply lonely but resolute Elphaba, while Grande imbues so many layers into her performance as Glinda. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable movie experience with a showstopping finale, even if it's not the most technically impressive film on this list. — CM

"The Wild Robot"

Based on Peter Brown's popular books, "The Wild Robot" weaves one of the most emotional yarns of the year. The movie tells the story of Roz (Lupita Nyong'o), a robot who washes up on a deserted island and learns the ways of the wildlife that inhabits it, leading to her becoming the guardian of an orphaned gosling.

Beautiful to look at, with animation that has a watercolor quality, it's the uplifting story that elevates this movie from an impressive fantasy tale to a work that will be cherished by audiences for years to come. — JG

Jason's top five of 2024

1. "The Wild Robot"
2. "The Apprentice"
3. "The Brutalist"
4. "The Substance"
5. "Conclave"

Caralynn's top 5 of 2024

1. "The Substance"
2. "Hard Truths"
3. "Queer"
4. "Anora"
5. "Nickel Boys"

• My kids are teenagers now, but they believed in Elf on the Shelf for more than a decade.
• When I was deep in my elf years, I complained about the work, and now I miss it.
• These days, my elves are literally sitting on a shelf, and the holidays aren't quite the same.

My kids are 14 and 16 now, but they held onto their belief in Elf on the Shelf for over 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. Over the years, the elves toilet-papered the bathroom, hung everyone's underwear on the Christmas tree, and made snow angels in flour on my kitchen counter.

I have always been, if nothing else, organized. Each year I'd make a spreadsheet with the elves' activities for the entire month of December. December 3? Fishing in the kitchen sink with Goldfish crackers. December 18? Stealing Baby Jesus from the nativity set. The ideas varied from maximum mom effort to simple. Like Christmas gifts, I'd buy the supplies in advance and store them away so I had what I needed for a month of elfin shenanigans.

Now that my kids have outgrown Elf on the Shelf, I miss it

I'll never forget times when, as we sat at dinner, my 6-year-old daughter would dreamily say, "I wonder what the elves will do tomorrow?" or the moments I'd hear my 8-year-old son exchanging stories with his friends at school about what everyone's elves did the night before.

We were an all-in elf family: We watched the "Elf on the Shelf" holiday cartoon special, we owned EOTS pajamas, we added Elf Pets — like a reindeer and a St. Bernard — to the fold, and I … well, I was exhausted keeping up with it all.

"I forgot to move the elves," I'd sometimes groan, warm under the covers and ready for bed. More times than I care to admit, I was up at midnight sneaking around the house, setting up scenes to make my kids think the elves drew mustaches on our family photos or were taken hostage by their Lego minifigures. Later, on bleary-eyed coffee dates with mom friends, we'd commiserate over our hatred of the elf, which always seemed strange to me, considering it was an evil we willingly brought on ourselves.

I don't regret telling my kids the elves weren't real, but it's still bittersweet

My kids' disbelief in Santa Claus and all the magic that comes with him came later than other kids. In fact, after a particular Christmas of wearing myself out with the magic-making, I told my husband, "I am so sick of an imaginary man getting credit for all the hard work I do as their mom." Tired of the Santa-run patriarchy, I decided if they were still living in the world of make-believe by Easter, I'd spill the beans.

When Easter rolled around, I had to sit my 11 and 13-year-old kids down and tell them the truth. They admitted they'd suspected it for a while and, of their own accord, asked my husband if they could make me an Easter basket that year. Inside were all my favorites: lottery scratch-offs, lip gloss, Hot Tamales, and a copy of "The Velveteen Rabbit," my favorite children's book. Inside, they'd written, "Mom, thank you for all of the magical holidays."

These days, the elves are, quite literally, on the shelf

For the first few elf-free Christmases, we jokingly moved Jingle and Garland from room to room. I'd slide the elves behind the mirror of my daughter's dresser then, the next day, find the creepy little felt creatures staring up at me from my office desk. These days, however, the elves are stationary. They are quite literally on the shelf, sitting on a bookshelf with some other holiday decorations as a relic of Christmases past. And, hear me out: I miss them.

Raising two teenagers is wildly fun and I'm not the mom who often laments how "fast it all goes" and pine for the toddler years. Still, there's a bit of magic missing from my home during the holidays — magic that left with my kids' belief that Jingle and Garland, two scout elves from the North Pole, returned to Santa nightly to report on their behavior and came back to pull silly pranks each morning while they slept.

Making holiday magic is a lot of work, but it's worth it

I'll never be the parent who tells younger moms and dads to "enjoy every moment," because parenting is stressful and hard. But I will tell you this: Enjoy those late nights waiting for your kids to fall asleep so you can move your Elf on the Shelf to its next destination. Relish in those little voices shrieking in delight about elves found having sack races with stuffed animals or tea parties with Barbie dolls. 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.

And pro tip? Set a reminder on your phone to move that darn elf before you get snuggled into bed for the night.

• Christophe Rull is a world-renowned chocolate master and executive pastry chef at the Hotel Bel-Air.
• Business Insider asked him to share his favorite store-bought chocolate brands.
• Rull swears by Läderach, a family-owned chocolate company in Switzerland.

Christophe Rull is a world-renowned chocolate master, a cast member of Netflix's "Bake Squad," and the executive pastry chef at Los Angeles' iconic Hotel Bel-Air.

So, when it comes to anything sweet, we definitely trust his opinion.

Rull is developing a chocolate program at the hotel's new bakery, The Patisserie, but was happy to share the two store-bought chocolate brands he loves — just in time for holiday shopping — with Business Insider.

Rull has been working as a pastry chef for more than 25 years. He's won two Food Network baking competitions — "Halloween Wars" and "Holiday Wars" — and starred in the Netflix series "Bake Squad." Rull also represented the US at the 2021 World Chocolate Masters, which is regarded as the "world cup" of chocolate artistry and selects 18 finalists every three years.

Rull told BI that one of his favorite store-bought chocolate brands is Läderach, which is currently run by 2018 World Chocolate Masters champion Elias Läderach, who made history as the first Swiss person to win the title.

Läderach has been producing handcrafted Swiss chocolates since 1962. It now has 200 chocolateries worldwide, including in eight states across the US, plus the UK, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

If you don't have a Läderach chocolatier nearby, you can buy its wide variety of offerings online.

Rull told BI he also swears by Jean-Marie Auboine's chocolate brand.

"He was my mentor for a few competitions about chocolate showpieces," Rull said. "He's one of the top chocolatiers in the country for sure."

Auboine was the executive pastry chef at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami and the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas before starting his eponymous company in 2011.

"It started with two people," Rull recalled. "Now, he delivers to Costco and luxury hotels all over the US."

The 16,000-square-foot Jean-Marie Auboine Chocolatier is located on the Las Vegas Strip, but the brand's variety of chocolates, caramels, French macarons, and more can be purchased on its website.

• I'm the only vegan in my family, and I stock up on holiday foods everyone can eat at Trader Joe's.
• Boxed baking mixes take the work out of holiday desserts, and Trader Joe's has some fun ones.
• Trader Joe's frozen appetizers simplify holiday entertaining at dinners, parties, or gatherings.

As the only vegan in my family, the holidays can be challenging — I want everyone to enjoy the festivities without having to sacrifice their favorite foods.

Luckily, the variety of seasonal products at Trader Joe's simplifies hosting without compromising anyone's dietary preferences.

Here are some of my favorite vegan Trader Joe's products for entertaining friends and family this time of year.

Boxed mixes streamline holiday baking.

Whether you're not a baker or just short on time, Trader Joe's multipurpose gingerbread mix is great for making cookies, cakes, bars, and more.

The mix itself is naturally plant-based, and to keep it that way, I use a flax egg and plant-based butter when I prepare it.

Precut vegetables and herbs speed up meal prep.

In the winter, I rely on Trader Joe's flavorful holiday vegetable hash.

Since the peeling and chopping are already done, I just sauté or roast the mixture of diced butternut squash, sweet potatoes, red onions, celery, parsley, sage, and rosemary before adding it to dishes.

It gives me a headstart on dinner when I'm making stuffing, soup, or side dishes with quinoa and wild rice. The mix also tastes great in breakfast scrambles and burritos.

Peppermint popcorn is an instant hit on the dessert table.

Sweet meets savory in Trader Joe's seasonal peppermint-crunch popcorn, which mixes dark- and white-chocolate-coated kernels tossed in crushed candy canes.

It's great for a holiday dessert table or a cozy movie marathon, but it also makes a nice host gift.

Sometimes, I'll even add it to a larger holiday snack mix or rice-crispy treats for extra festive cheer.

Trader Joe's holiday gummies are just plain fun.

It's easy to keep my candy dishes full with Trader Joe's gummy Scandinavian Tidings, which come in all sorts of festive shapes.

I also saw a Festive Chaos candy mix this year. It contains bovine gelatin, so it's not vegan, but the rest of my family can enjoy it.

Aside from snacking, these festive bags make excellent stocking stuffers. You can also use them to decorate gingerbread houses and top holiday cupcakes and cookies.

Candy-cane Joe-Joe's are a must for me every winter.

Perhaps the most anticipated product of the season at Trader Joe's is its candy-cane Joe-Joe's.

The peppermint sandwich cookies are great on a holiday dessert board, chopped and stirred into a bowl of ice cream, crumbled on top of eggnog, and dunked into mugs of hot cocoa.

You could even crush them into bits to make an easy pie crust.

The regular candy-cane Joe-Joe's are "accidentally" vegan — meaning they just happen to be fully plant-based. However, the gluten-free version of the cookies may contain milk and eggs, per the ingredient list.

Stuffed olives are a game changer.

Zesty lemon-stuffed olives are my top pick for adding flair to cocktails, mezze platters, and charcuterie boards.

The citrusy olives are good as a right-out-of-the-jar snack, but I also skewer them on toothpicks alongside vegan cheese and cocktail tomatoes or chop and swirl them into dips.

If lemon isn't your thing, other stuffed-olive options are available, including garlic and jalapeño.

Peppermint mini marshmallows add a jolly twist to classic favorites.

The vegan peppermint mini marshmallows are something I look forward to all year.

Toast and sandwich them between graham crackers and chocolate for festive s'mores, or melt them with vegan butter for a holiday take on the quintessential rice-crispy treat.

For the ultimate seasonal beverage, I like to include them on my hot-cocoa bars alongside plant-based whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Trader Joe's frozen appetizers are a huge help.

I check appetizers off my to-do list with Trader Joe's frozen crispy vegetable pouches.

The pockets of pastry dough are filled with jicama, taro, cabbage, carrots, onions, and shiitake mushrooms for an elegant plant-based hors d'oeuvre.

They're seasoned with garlic, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and red chili, adding global flavors to your holiday menu. Plus, they're ready to eat in under 15 minutes.

Click to keep reading Trader Joe's diaries like this one.

• As the eldest sibling, I felt pressure to spend money on my family during past holidays.
• It made me happy, and I wanted to be seen as successful. This year, I'm not making as much money.
• My financial position gave me anxiety, and I needed to find a solution.

I take the role of being the "eldest sibling" seriously. As the oldest sibling, I want to be a good example for my younger brother, look out for my family's needs, and be reliable and responsible.

For me, financial success is the best way to fulfill this role. In 2023, I stayed true to my role while making a decent monthly income. After monthly expenses, I could save some part of my salary. I'd spend that on my family when I visited over the holidays. But in July 2024, I turned to freelancing. My income wasn't stable, and I felt more financial pressure than ever.

As the holidays neared, I grew more anxious about money. I was still finding my footing in the freelancing world, and my savings were drying up. If I wasn't earning well, I couldn't spend well, either.

I worried about whether I could afford holiday expenses this year. I wanted to live up to what I expected of myself and what I felt my family expected of me. I also wanted to avoid the mistakes I'd made during the holiday season last year.

This year, I'm not in the same financial position as I was last year

When I went home for the holidays last year, thanks to my stable income, I wasn't worried about spending or having a holiday budget. However, I realized I should have set a spending limit when I returned. I had gone overboard.

My "eldest daughter syndrome" had kicked in several times. Treating my family to dinners, arranging celebrations for cousins, buying last-minute gifts — I wanted to take care of everything. I wanted to be reliable.

This year, my heartbeat quickened at the thought of going home. Whenever my brother called me to plan a dinner or a trip with the cousins, I would instantly check my account and wonder how I would afford it.

I didn't have the same financial privileges I'd had the year prior. Freelancing seemed promising, but I hadn't yet gotten in the groove of onboarding regular clients and earning a consistent income. I wouldn't get paid for 1-2 months after submitting one-off assignments and had to rely on my savings for expenses.

The whole month before I went home to see my family, my anxiety was through the roof. I needed a plan to navigate my financial anxiety. But first, I had to understand why it exists.

I had to look at why I felt so much pressure to pay for everything

I had a few fears. I was afraid I'd run out of money because of last-minute expenses, like dinners and gifts. I was afraid that my family would have to cover me if that happened. Lastly, I feared they would judge me if they had to cover me. I also didn't want anyone paying my way; after all, I felt like I was supposed to look out for my family, not the other way around.

I realized that spending money on my loved ones wasn't just a way to fulfill my role as the eldest sibling. It also gave me immense pleasure and was important to me. Whether it was a small gesture or a cozy dinner, I wanted to offer it.

As I explored further, I thought about how I spent every holiday since I'd started earning my own money. My parents, my cousins, everyone would offer to pay for things or contribute, but I'd insist on taking care of it. I'd go to great lengths to make sure I was the one paying. Once, I argued with my mom to let me pay for her new sweater, in front of the cashier.

When I thought back, I realized that though I enjoyed paying for things in the past, no one else expected it from me. I wanted to do it because I wanted to be perceived as responsible. In reality, I realized that I was adding unnecessary pressure on myself, especially when I was struggling to earn well.

Once I identified the problems, it was easier to look for solutions.

I figured out ways to alleviate pressure on myself

First, I allotted money to a holiday budget and decided to take on a couple of extra freelance projects to make sure sticking to it wouldn't strain me financially. I also installed a savings app that automatically transferred a fixed amount from my bank account daily. I could withdraw those savings if I went over my predetermined budget.

I noticed that the idea of unplanned holiday expenses like last-minute gifts was freaking me out. I started looking for gifts a month in advance so I'd have time to choose things that fit my budget.

Next, I examined the pressure I always felt to pay for outings with my family. I realized that I didn't have to pay for everything while struggling to build a career — and, further, no one expected me to.

Once I gained control of my holiday budget, I started to feel more confident. I also realized that I don't — and can't — always have it all together as the eldest sibling. I had to come to terms with the fact that I can't pay for everything this year. I can foot the bill for a couple of dinners with my family and cousins, but not all of them.

Letting someone else pay might challenge how I thought of myself in my role as the older sister, but keeping up that perception for myself just isn't worth it. I decided to be open to others contributing or offering to pay. I'm trying to make my peace with it.

I also reassure myself that my budget is restricted only for this holiday and that there are many more lavish holidays to come.

• Our home is within walking distance of a good school, but it wasn't the best fit for my daughter.
• To get to her school, we learned she would have to rely on Washington, DC's public transit system.
• She was just 10 at the time, but the experience taught her independence and confidence.

Just before my daughter was born, our family purchased a house in a quaint neighborhood in Washington, DC. We stretched our budget to buy a home on a quiet, tree-lined street in a "good" school district. Like many families, schools were the driving force behind our decision.

Our house is within walking distance of what were then well-regarded elementary, middle, and high schools. We thought we had created a perfect lifestyle, one that included our children walking to and from school until they graduated from high school. I was grateful for the privilege to be able to do so. The plan worked brilliantly for my daughter's elementary school years. We made the seven-minute walk to school and back together until she was in fourth grade. Then, she preferred walking with a friend. No one batted an eye in our nearly crime-free neighborhood.

The middle school in our neighborhood wasn't a good fit

Everything changed when my daughter started middle school. Although we originally intended to send her to our neighborhood school, we found a charter school that was a much better fit for her. I rejoiced when she got in. However, my joy was quickly replaced by despair when I realized there was no good way for her to get there and back. For the first time in my daughter's life, she wouldn't be able to walk to school.

Our school district doesn't provide transportation to students. Because my four kids attended four different schools, each in different parts of the city, driving her wasn't realistic either. Nevertheless, I wasn't willing to let this logistical nightmare get in the way of sending her to a dream school.

I realized putting my daughter on the city bus was the only feasible option

Washington, DC, is a city with a robust and reliable public transportation system. As I frantically searched for a solution, it became clear that taking the city bus was the best, and perhaps only, solution. My daughter, who has a late summer birthday, was only 10 when she started middle school. I worried about sending a child so young on the bus alone but decided we would have to give it a try.

My daughter has taken public transportation around the city since birth, but never without an adult. Even though she is a born-and-bred city kid, I still worried about her navigating public transportation alone at such a young age. Although she had already been walking to school without supervision for two years, she had done so safely enclosed in a familiar neighborhood, surrounded by families I knew would have treated her like their own if she ever needed help. Now, I was thrusting her alone into a big city. I worried but took a deep breath and committed to the plan.

We taught her the ins and outs of public transportation

My husband and I did our best to prepare our daughter for her new responsibility. We took her on a few practice runs, not telling her when she made mistakes like missing her stop and guiding her as she course-corrected on her own. We taught her lessons about safety, like always keeping her backpack on her lap to avoid theft, sitting near the driver so she could ask for help if anyone bothered her, and never wearing flashy jewelry. We made sure she understood how to use our transit system's app so she could check what time she needed to catch her bus and plan her route.

The first day of school arrived, and she was on her way. She had a couple of mishaps during the first few weeks. Once, she got distracted and rode right past her stop. Another time, she got on a bus going the wrong way. When these mistakes happened, as I knew they would, she called and we talked her through a solution. She always found her way home, more confident in her navigation skills and ability to adapt if something went wrong.

My daughter loves her independence

Some other parents thought I was being irresponsible by allowing my 10-year-old to ride the bus alone. However, my daughter rose to the challenge and thrived. Now, she is 14 and in 9th grade. She not only takes the bus to get home from school, but deftly navigates all forms of public transportation around the city. She loves her independence, and so do I.

When we travel, my daughter is adept at navigating new public transportation systems with ease. College, and even more independence, is approaching faster than I would like. Seeing my daughter find her way in vast, unfamiliar places gives me confidence that she will be okay on her own when she eventually launches.

If I had listened to those who thought my daughter was too young to handle this type of independence, she would not be at the fantastic school she goes to today. She would not be able to zip around the city, go shopping, see movies, or visit friends with such ease and without her Mom's help. She wouldn't have as much confidence as I see daily, confidence that spills over into other areas of her life. It's bittersweet to see my daughter so deft at a skill that takes her one step closer to complete independence, but it's one she needs. I'm glad she developed it early.

• I visited Walmart in Wisconsin and New Jersey to compare stores in the Midwest and the East Coast.
• Milk was less expensive in Wisconsin, but a dozen eggs cost the same at both locations.
• New Jersey's Walmart had a food hall startup, Wonder, founded by a former Walmart executive.

As a Midwesterner who moved to New York City a decade ago, I still find myself surprised by regional differences in national brands.

As part of an ongoing series comparing nationwide retailers in the Midwest and on the East Coast, I visited Walmart locations in Wisconsin and New Jersey to compare their prices, offerings, and store amenities.

First, I visited a 200,000-square-foot Walmart store in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

The following week, I visited a Walmart in Teterboro, New Jersey, around 8 miles from Manhattan. Unions and politicians have long blocked Walmart stores from opening in New York City due to concerns about its potential impact on local businesses.

The 150,000-square-foot Teterboro store is one of 12 flagship Walmart stores in the country, offering technologies and amenities unavailable in all locations.

Here are the most surprising differences I noticed.

At Walmart in Manitowoc, Wisconsin's state flag was displayed at the checkout counters.

Wisconsin's state flag features a coat of arms and a badger flanked by a sailor and a yeoman.

New Jersey's state flag was displayed at the Walmart I visited in Teterboro.

New Jersey's flag depicts its state seal in the official state colors George Washington chose during the Revolutionary War: buff and Jersey blue.

"In almost all stores, a US and state flag are displayed near the storefront as a show of support to the communities the company serves," a Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider.

The Walmart store in Wisconsin had an entire aisle of beer including many local brews.

Wisconsin is known for its beer, and New Glarus Brewing's Spotted Cow is one of the state's most beloved brews.

In New Jersey, Walmart didn't sell alcohol because of the state's liquor licensing laws.

The Teterboro Walmart had plenty of ginger beer, sparkling grape juice, and non-alcoholic cocktail mixes, but I was surprised it didn't sell any alcohol.

New Jersey's liquor laws dictate that only two locations of corporately owned supermarkets can sell beer, wine, and spirits in the state, NJ.com reported.

In the Midwest store, toiletries like CeraVe face wash were stocked on open shelves.

In Wisconsin, the only personal care products kept on locked shelves were sexual wellness items like condoms, emergency contraceptives, and pregnancy tests.

In the East Coast store I visited, the same items were kept behind lock and key.

I noticed the same phenomenon when I compared Target stores in the Midwest and New York City. On the East Coast, more items were kept in locked cases to prevent theft.

A Walmart spokesperson told Business Insider that "some products are subject to additional security," determined "on a store-by-store basis."

A gallon of store-brand skim milk cost $2.96 at Walmart in Wisconsin.

In February, the government benefits resource website HelpAdvisor analyzed findings from the 2023 US Census Household Pulse Survey and determined that Wisconsin had the lowest average grocery costs out of any state.

The same gallon of milk cost $3.29 in New Jersey, a price difference of 33 cents.

Milk at New Jersey's Walmart costs 11.2% more than it did in Wisconsin.

Grocery prices often vary by state due to differences in labor costs, food distribution costs, and the overall cost of living.

"We're committed to meeting our customers' shopping needs wherever they shop with us and understand in-store pricing can differ due to regional operating costs, extensive supplier networks, strict regulatory compliance, and competition," a Walmart spokesperson said.

In Wisconsin, a dozen large eggs were priced at $3.97 and came in Styrofoam cartons.

The grade-A eggs were also from Walmart's Great Value brand.

At Walmart in New Jersey, the eggs were also $3.97 but came in paper cartons.

Styrofoam food service products have been banned in New Jersey since 2022, although egg cartons were exempt from the ban until earlier this year.

I was surprised that eggs cost the same at both locations even though they were packaged differently.

In Wisconsin, an outdoor services counter offered assistance with hunting and fishing licenses.

The store also stocked pellet guns and air rifles for small game hunting.

I didn't see an outdoor services counter at the Walmart in New Jersey.

A Walmart spokesperson confirmed that outdoor sporting licenses are not offered at the Teterboro location, though they are available at other store locations in New Jersey.

The Teterboro store also didn't stock any guns other than toys and water guns.

The Wisconsin Walmart sold a variety of prepared foods in the grocery section.

The Walmart store in Manitowoc featured a bakery and deli. It also sold packaged salads and take-and-bake pizzas.

In New Jersey, the Teterboro Walmart featured a Wonder food hall, a startup founded by former Walmart executive Marc Lore.

Lore previously served as Walmart's president of e-commerce. His startup, Wonder, offers dine-in, delivery, and takeout meals from restaurants by celebrity and Michelin-star chefs.

Teterboro is the third Walmart store to open a Wonder location. The others are at Walmart stores in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, and Ledgewood, New Jersey.

Wonder has continued to grow, acquiring the meal-kit company Blue Apron for $103 million in 2023 and GrubHub for $650 million in November.