President-elect Trump floated NHL legend Wayne Gretzky as a potential candidate to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister in a social media post on Wednesday.
And it appeared Janet Gretzky – Wayne’s wife – got the message.
Janet Gretzky shared Trump’s Truth Social post on her Instagram Stories and posted the link.
"I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One as he is known in Ice Hockey circles. I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for Prime Minister of Canada, soon to be known as the Governor of Canada – You would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign,’" Trump wrote.
"He had no interest, but I think the people of Canada should start a DRAFT WAYNE GRETZKY Movement. It would be so much fun to watch!"
Trump’s post came as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced pressure to step down. Earlier this month, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned from Trudeau's cabinet. At the same time, opposition leader Jagmeet Singh called on Trudeau to resign.
The main opposition Conservatives have demanded an election.
"The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau," Trump posted to his Truth Social, trolling Trudeau, after previously suggesting Canada should become the 51st state in the USA.
"Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!!!"
Trump has also teased Canadians about adding the country as the 51st U.S. state.
"The Great One" appeared to support Trump amid his election win over Vice President Kamala Harris.
He was seen last month at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, after Trump’s presidential election win, wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap.
A Milwaukee resident said: "Those are kids. You know, I just talked to both of their parents and consoled them on Christmas, and that's the hard part."
President-elect Trump dished out a fiery Christmas message on Wednesday in which he wished a "Merry Christmas" to "Radical Left Lunatics," told the 37 prisoners whose death row sentences were recently commuted by President Biden to "GO TO HELL!," and more.
"Merry Christmas to the Radical Left Lunatics, who are constantly trying to obstruct our Court System and our Elections, and are always going after the Great Citizens and Patriots of the United States but, in particular, their Political Opponent, ME. They know that their only chance of survival is getting pardons from a man who has absolutely no idea what he is doing," Trump declared on Truth Social.
"Also, to the 37 most violent criminals, who killed, raped, and plundered like virtually no one before them, but were just given, incredibly, a pardon by Sleepy Joe Biden. I refuse to wish a Merry Christmas to those lucky "souls" but, instead, will say, GO TO HELL! We had the Greatest Election in the History of our Country, a bright light is now shining over the U.S.A. and, in 26 days, we will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS!" he added.
Biden recently announced that he commuted the sentences of 37 prisoners on federal death row to life sentences without the potential for parole.
"Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss," the president said in a statement, but noted that he is "more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level."
In a separate post, Trump declared, "Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people in its building 110 years ago), always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in 'repair' money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about 'anything.'
He also discussed Canada, referring to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the "Governor" of America's northern neighbor, while suggesting that Canadian businesses would boom if the nation became a U.S. state.
"Also, to Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, whose Citizens’ Taxes are far too high, but if Canada was to become our 51st State, their Taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other Country anywhere in the World. Likewise, to the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for National Security purposes and, who want the U.S. to be there, and we will!" Trump declared.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James had a message for the NFL following the team’s close win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
James scored 31 points and dished out 10 assists as Austin Reaves’ go-ahead bucket gave the Lakers a 115-113 win. But with the NFL creeping up on what was the NBA’s most exciting day of the regular season, James sent a warning shot to the league.
"I love the NFL. I love the NFL. But Christmas is our day," he declared.
Last year, the NFL scheduled three games on Christmas Day as it fell on a Monday. This year, two games were scheduled on Christmas. In 2022, regular season games fell on Christmas Day.
NFL officials said last year the league wouldn’t schedule any games on Christmas if it fell outside of a normally scheduled day.
"We’ve seen the opportunity with Thanksgiving and some of the audience that we’ve continued to build there," NFL executive vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder told The Wall Street Journal at the time. "We think there’s an opportunity when the calendar allows it on Christmas now, too, when we know our fans are going to be together."
It was only four months later when the league did an about-face.
"The fans clearly spoke," Schroeder told The Wall Street Journal in March. "There’s a big demand."
The report noted that the NFL would usually give the day away to the NBA and other programming and even moved the old NFL championship off of Christmas if it fell on that day.
This year, the NFL’s games were seen on Netflix. When the ratings come out, everyone will get to see whether James is right.
The NFL dispatched the first round of the College Football Playoff last week in their rare head-to-head matchup.
It's not long before viewers are introduced to 20-year-old Joan Baez (Monica Barbaro), an already-established performer in the Greenwich Village folk scene. In her first scene, Baez takes the stage at Gerde's Folk City and sings "House of the Rising Sun," the fourth track on her self-titled debut album, released in 1960.
"Joanie was at the forefront of a new dynamic in American music," Dylan recalled in the 2009 documentary "Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound."
"She had a record out, circulating among the folk circles," he continued, "and everybody was listening to it, me included. I listened to it a lot."
In "A Complete Unknown," Baez's performance at Gerde's is followed by Dylan's. He sings "I Was Young When I Left Home," leaving the movie version of Baez awestruck.
The star-crossed encounter kicks off a fruitful collaboration and passionate romance, despite Dylan's existing relationship with Sylvia Russo (Elle Fanning).
Monica Barbaro and Timothée Chalamet as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown."
Searchlight Pictures
In real life, however, Baez had gone to Gerde's specifically to see Dylan.
"Somebody said, 'Oh, you've gotta come down and hear this guy, he's terrific,'" Baez told Rolling Stone in 1983. "And so I went down with my very, very jealous boyfriend, and we saw this scruffy little pale-faced dirty human being get up in front of the crowd and start singing his 'Song to Woody.'"
"I, of course, internally went completely to shreds, 'cause it was so beautiful," she continued. "But I couldn't say anything, 'cause I was next to my very, very jealous boyfriend, who was watching me out of the corner of his eye and trying to mentally slaughter Dylan, I think. And then Bob came over and said, 'Uhhh, hi' — one of those eloquent greetings — and I just thought he was brilliant and superb and so on."
The movie depicts Dylan and Baez starting a sexual relationship after another chance encounter, when Baez stumbles upon Dylan performing "Masters of War" in a coffee shop. Notably, this takes place in the throes of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, when the world seemed on the brink of nuclear armageddon. After kissing at the coffee shop, the pair return to Dylan's apartment.
In real life, Baez was instrumental in introducing Dylan to a larger crowd
Dylan and Baez became an unofficial musical duo in the early '60s, encouraging each other to refine their songcraft (she as a singer, he as a writer) and regularly performing duets at Baez's concerts.
In the 2009 Baez doc, one friend described the pair as "quite a force at that time," adding, "I think she had a crush on him. I know he had a crush on her."
The details of Dylan's life can be difficult for historians to confirm, given his penchant for myth-making and obfuscation. (He even asked Mangold to include an inaccurate scene in "A Complete Unknown," according to actor Edward Norton, apparently just for kicks.) So, it's unclear exactly when Dylan and Baez's relationship became romantic.
When Rolling Stone asked Baez how long they'd been involved, she replied, "You mean what period of three months was it? Um, Bob and I spent some time together. I honestly don't know what the year was."
Baez wasn't interested in drugs, which she said caused her to feel disconnected from other musicians, including Dylan. She also wanted Dylan to be more politically active outside his music, leading to a rift between them.
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez photographed in London in 1965.
Daily Herald/Mirrorpix via Getty Images
In 1965, a few months before the famous Newport Film Festival that saw Dylan "go electric," he invited Baez to join him on tour in England — but neglected to invite her onstage for any show. This trip is scrubbed from the timeline in "A Complete Unknown," but by all accounts, it was the death blow to their relationship.
"I just sort of trotted around, wondering why Bob wouldn't invite me onstage, feeling very sorry for myself, getting very neurotic and not having the brains to leave and go home," Baez told Rolling Stone. "That would be the best way to describe that tour. It was sort of just wasted time."
Dylan also traced their split back to 1965 and, more specifically, the frenzy of his newfound fame.
"I was just trying to deal with the madness that had become my career, and unfortunately she got swept along, and I felt very bad about it," he said in the Baez doc. "I was sorry to see our relationship end."
"A Complete Unknown" depicts Dylan and Baez duetting at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, but this didn't happen in real life; they were on the outs by then. (They did sing at the festival together in 1963 and 1964.)
Even after their relationship deteriorated, their connection fueled their art
Many fans believe Baez inspired notable Dylan songs, like the iconic 1965 hit "Like a Rolling Stone" and 1966 song "Visions of Johanna," though he's never confirmed either theory.
In 1968, Baez released her ninth album, "Any Day Now," comprised entirely of Dylan songs. Her 1970 compilation album, "The First Ten Years," includes six Dylan covers, including her much-loved version of "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right." She also released the 1972 song "To Bobby" as an open letter to Dylan, begging him to engage with the protest movement.
A few years later, Baez wrote the heart-wrenching ballad "Diamonds & Rust," which was shaped by an emotional phone call with Dylan.
"Well you burst on the scene / Already a legend / The unwashed phenomenon / The original vagabond," she sings. "You strayed into my arms / And there you stayed / Temporarily lost at sea / The Madonna was yours for free."
Baez later described "Diamonds & Rust" as "the best song of my life."
"The really, really good stuff comes from down deep," she told Rolling Stone in 2017, "and that was how strongly I was affected by Bob in the relationship and everything. It'd be stupid to pretend otherwise."
"I love that song 'Diamonds & Rust,'" Dylan said in the 2009 documentary. "To be included in something that Joan had written — ooh. I mean, to this day, it still impresses me."
"Diamonds & Rust" was released in 1975 on Baez's album of the same name. Later that year, Dylan invited her to join the Rolling Thunder Revue tour alongside a wide cast of their contemporaries, including Joni Mitchell and the Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn.
In the Baez doc, Dylan said he remembers her as "completely in her element" during that time, while Baez characterized the tour as fun and carefree — a departure from her typical activities as a social activist. The experience seemed to mend a bridge between them, however temporarily.
Dylan and Baez performed a few more duets before cutting ties for good
The pair reunited at a 1982 Peace Week concert at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, performing a three-song set together: "With God On Our Side," a cover of Jimmy Buffett's "A Pirate Looks at Forty," and "Blowin' in the Wind," which Dylan had written shortly after they met.
Dylan's guest appearance at the anti-nuke event came as a shock to the crowd, given that he'd declined to denounce the Vietnam War and generally avoided political events.
The following year, when Rolling Stone asked Baez about Dylan's state of mind at the show, she demurred.
"I really have no idea. But I love singing with him," she replied. "He isn't in tune, the phrasing is nuts, and he always wants to do a song I've never heard before."
The magazine also asked if the couple would ever get back together, "when they're both 60 or something." Baez replied, "Spare us, please. Both of us."
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez perform in Hamburg, Germany during their 1984 European tour.
Baez came to discover she'd only been added to the bill because the promoter thought it would boost sales. In her 1987 memoir, "And a Voice to Sing With," Baez said she wasn't treated as an equal performer and was largely ignored by Dylan backstage.
After a few haphazard duets in Germany, Dylan stopped inviting her to share the stage with him, so she decided to quit the tour. In her book, Baez described Dylan as tired and disoriented when she said goodbye in his dressing room. She told him their touring together didn't work out, and he said, "That's too bad." She also wrote that he ran his hand up her skirt.
"Goodbye, Bob," Baez wrote. "I thought maybe I shouldn't write all this stuff about you, but as it turns out, it's really about me anyway, isn't it? It won't affect you. The death of Elvis affected you. I didn't relate to that, either."
The two musicians haven't been seen together since. While they did cross paths at a 2010 White House event to celebrate civil rights-era music, Baez said she didn't try to greet him.
"The chances of him just walking past me would be too awful a scenario," Baez told Rolling Stone. "It would just bring up feelings that aren't necessary."
"I learned a lot of things from her," he said during his acceptance speech. "A woman with devastating honesty. And for her kind of love and devotion, I could never pay that back."
Last year, Baez told Variety that she was not in touch with Dylan, though she didn't harbor any resentment. "I may never see him again," she said, "and that's OK too."
The author is not a fan of large kids' birthday parties.
Courtesy of Ashley Archambault
Whenever my son comes home with an invitation to a big birthday party, I'm filled with dread.
The birthday kid can't connect with everyone, and making small talk with parents is awkward.
I prefer our tradition of small family pizza parties.
My son is turning 11 this year, and it's the first time he has asked me if he could invite some of his friends from school to his birthday dinner. I told him that I wanted to maintain our tradition of having just our family over to celebrate his birthday, but that next year, we could plan something additional for him to do with a few of his closest friends.
However, no matter what, we'll still keep doing our traditional small family party, and I can't imagine that will change anytime soon.
My son's pizza parties have become a family tradition
Since my son was born, we have invited our close family members for a pizza party to celebrate his birthday. There ends up being about 10 of us, and since it's just family, it almost has the feel of a holiday get together. After pizza, we have cake and then he opens his presents. The entire time, my son is the center of attention, but I'm glad, because I want him to feel loved on his birthday.
Since we keep the guest list small, everyone knows each other, and my son has time to truly visit with everyone. Plus, the fact that it's the same group of people that come every year makes it more special. It feels like everyone there is partly raising him and has the privilege of getting to watch him grow up.
Even though it's not a big party, I still decorate so that it doesn't feel like just another day. Plus, because my son has a December birthday, the Christmas decor has always doubled as party decor. When my son was really little, I think he thought Christmas was for him, so the time of year has always been on my side.
While my son likes going to big parties, I do not
I am filled with dread whenever my son comes home from school with a birthday invitation. While he has fun at these parties, I do not. I have always disliked the large kids' birthday party, as I find myself wandering around and trying to supervise my son and his friends or awkwardly trying to make small talk with other parents.
These large gatherings always make me question my own decision to keep my son's parties small, so I've always paid attention to the child whose birthday it is. I have noticed that there isn't enough time for them to visit with everyone that comes and that their family members get the least of their attention.
These children want to play with their friends, just as my son would if he had a big party like that. The events remind me of my own childhood parties, which were large, or of my wedding as an adult, where the party is a whirlwind, and I'm left feeling like I missed out on seeing everyone.
I feel I've made the right decision in keeping our celebrations simple
While my son is getting older and his birthdays will change to a degree, I'm glad I've kept them small. I know he has a great time. This year when everyone left, he said he didn't want his birthday party to be over, and I knew it was because he loves to spend time with everyone that came over.
His relationship with his friends is different, so as he gets older, he can celebrate with them as well, but separately and in a different way. What I have always wanted for my son on his birthday is just for him to know he is loved, and I think the smaller, more intimate gatherings achieve that best.
Kim Ollerhead of Scottsdale, Arizona, said she and her 6-year-old twins who require booster seats had a safe experience in a Waymo.
Kim Ollerhead
Kim Ollerhead let her 6-year-old twins who require booster seats ride in a Waymo.
Ollerhead, a Scottsdale, Arizona, resident, said the experience felt fun and safe.
For now, Ollerhead said she doesn't see too many reasons to reguarly use Waymo for her family.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kim Ollerhead, a 43-year-old Scottsdale, Arizona resident and mother of two twin children. It's been edited for length and clarity.
Waymo has become a frequent sight around our neighborhood in Scottsdale, Arizona.
For the longest time, I kept seeing those white, driverless Jaguars in our city — so much so that my kids and I started playing a game where we count how many Waymos we spot in a day.
I took a few rides in a Waymo last summer by myself and was really impressed by the response time of the autonomous driver whenever it detected a nearby pedestrian or cyclist.
After that experience, I decided to surprise my twin children, William and Emerlyn, for a short Waymo ride on their sixth birthday last year. They've been asking to ride in one for some time, asked so many questions about it, and they both finally weighed enough to sit in booster seats.
My kids loved it.
I called a Waymo to take us to a restaurant for dinner about four miles away from our house.
Just like any Waymo ride, the car pulls up with your initials lit up on the LIDAR sensor that sits on the roof of the car. My kids thought that was hilarious.
Installing the booster seat in the Jaguar was super easy. There's two latches on each booster seat and I just tighten them like I would if I was putting them in my car.
Waymo's Jaguar I-PACE has latches to attach booster seats, Ollerhead said.
Kim Ollerhead
I can't say that I would want to call a Waymo if my kids were a few years old and I still had to use a baby car seat, because moving those seats are a pain.
My kids were shocked, but a happy shocked, when the Waymo took off.
They were a little nervous at first. But that changed when they saw how the Waymo came to a stop at a stop sign and successfully made its first big turn.
I don't think they got used to the fact that there was no driver. Throughout the entire ride they were so excited and had so many questions like, "What is it doing? What is that?"
It was a short ride to the restaurant. The car pulled over, I made sure to unbuckle my kids, and we all waved goodbye to the Waymo.
The kids loved their first ride. They wanted to take Waymo to school. They asked how old they have to be take a Waymo by themselves to school.
They even joked: "Mom, can you just pretend you're not here? Can you just not talk to us so we can pretend like we're in a driverless car?"
I'm like, "Yeah, sure."
The few times I've been in a Waymo, I've had mostly safe experiences.
The only reason why I'd hesitate to take a Waymo is because of horror stories I've heard about Waymos making strange maneuvers on the roads. There was also one experience when I was with my sister where the Waymo tried to overtake another car in front of us and we couldn't figure out why it was doing so. That made me a little nervous.
Even then, my family and I took a few Waymos after that experience and everyone was impressed with how the Waymo navigated tough situations, like driving through busy parking lots.
I don't think Waymos will be a part of my kids' daily experience. We're constantly on the go, and I wouldn't call a Waymo to, say, attend soccer practice because of all the stuff I have to fit inside the car.
Also, where we live, nothing is close by so you're jumping in the car and driving 10 to 15 minutes wherever you go. And a lot of mom life is just being a taxi — going to soccer, going to the dance, going to this competition and that — so a lot of the times it's just easier to be in your own car.
I could definitely see a situation where I would call a Waymo for my kids when they get older. For example, I could see myself calling a Waymo to give them a ride to and from a friend's house.
A Waymo spokesperson told Business Insider that riders must be 18 years or older to ride in a Waymo vehicle alone. Passengers 17 years or younger must be accompanied by guests.
I also know some of the "cool moms" who have babysitters were talking about how they love using a Waymo so they don't have to wake up their kids just to drive the babysitter home.They just call a Waymo for the babysitter.
So it's not like the Waymo ride was a once in a lifetime experience for my kids. I definitely wouldn't rule it out.
An Azerbaijan Airlines flight from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny in Russia crashed landed.
Issa Tazhenbayev/Anadolu via Getty Images
An Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed in Kazakhstan, killing 38, including both pilots.
Remarkably, nearly half the passengers — 29 people — survived.
The airline's president praised the "heroism" of the pilots and crew while speaking to reporters.
The president of Azerbaijan Airlines praised the pilots of flight J2-8243 after the plane, carrying 67 people, crashed in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
Although both pilots were among the 38 fatalities reported by Kazakh authorities, nearly half the passengers— 29 people —survived.
Samir Rzayev, who heads up the airline, also known as AZAL, told reporters on Wednesday that the two pilot's "heroism will never be forgotten."
"While this tragic accident brought a significant loss to our nation, the crew's valiant dedication to their duties until the last moment and their prioritization of human life have immortalized their names in history," Rzayev said, according to the Azerbaijani news agency Report.
Rzayev said the pilots collectively had over 15,000 flight hours and that the plane had recently passed a technical inspection.
"Despite these measures, the causes of the incident are still under investigation," Rzayev added.
The Embraer 190 jet had departed from Baku, Azerbaijan, early Wednesday, bound for Grozny, Russia.
Adverse weather conditions led to a diversion, the airline told BBC News. The flight-tracking website Flightradar24 shows that the plane made a crash-landing at about 06:28 local time near Aktau, Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan's Senate Chairman Ashimbayev Maulen told Reuters on Thursday that the cause of the crash remains unknown.
Preliminary information from Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, suggested that the plane diverted after a bird strike caused an onboard emergency, according to AP.
However, Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, put the blame on Russia. On Wednesday evening, he claimed in an X post that the commercial airline was "shot down by a Russian air defense system."
In the post, he said there is video footage from inside the plane, showing "punctured life vests and other damage."
Others have also suggested Russian involvement.
Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm, told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that the plane may have been damaged by a Russian anti-missile system. The firm cited footage of the crash, the apparent damage to the aircraft, and recent military activity in the area.
"Incidents of civilian airliners being misidentified and shot down by air-defence systems are not unprecedented in the region," a critical alert issued by Osprey and provided to Business Insider said.
Oliver Alexander, an OSINT analyst, said in a message to BI that "at this point, I don't think there is enough available evidence to conclusively say what exactly happened (type of missile etc)."
But he added that "all the evidence I have seen points to the aircraft being hit by shrapnel from an air defense missile which severely damaged the elevator and rudder controls."
Ukrainian drones have targeted Grozny in recent weeks, and the governor of the Russian region of North Ossetia said in a Telegram post on Wednesday that there were Ukrainian drone attacks carried out in a number of regions of the North Caucasus Federal District that day.
The district includes Grozny and the surrounding area.
The post specifically mentioned a drone being taken down in Vladikavkas, about 70 miles west of Grozny.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in a statement: "There are videos of the plane crash available in the media and on social networks, and everyone can watch them. However, the reasons for the crash are not yet known to us."
Azerbaijan Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Rzayev, the airline's president, told reporters that the plane's black box had been recovered and that "its analysis is being conducted in line with international aviation standards."
Aircraft manufacturer Embraer said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened" by the crash and was working closely with relevant authorities to support the investigation.
The author (not pictured) helped her kids get rid of stuffed animals and blankets they didn't use anymore.
Maskot/Getty Images/Maskot
Getting rid of stuffed animals can be hard for kids because they have sentimental value.
We learned to donate them instead of throwing them out.
We contacted our local soup kitchen and realized there were more things we could donate.
This fall we got new carpeting. While packing our house we found dozens of items from our kids' childhood — clothes, stuffed animals, cuddle blankets — shoved into closets and under beds. Things that hadn't been previously donated or recycled but they were also not using. Except now, we didn't have space for.
While surrounded by piles of sweet plush faces — the white dog now gray from being loved, the bunny from grandpa — we knew we needed to figure out where to send them. Thankfully I have a good friend who volunteers at a soup kitchen. She shared that they have a need for stuffed animals and my kid's childhood friends would find a new home.
Letting go of stuffies can be hard
Getting rid of things that have sentimental value isn't easy. When I was moving in junior high I struggled getting rid of my stuffed animals. Each one had meaning to me — the Figment plush from Disney World, my first Care Bear — and the idea of throwing out stuffed animals seemed mean.
Items that are a comfort to us, like stuffed animals and blankets, can be hard to let go of. These items have nostalgia, provide emotional comfort, or may be a reminder of someone we love. I can't let go of the stuffed animals my grandma had before she passed away.
Knowing that their stuffed animals would go to kids who needed them, helped my kids as we sorted through the large pile of plush.
A volunteer at my local soup kitchen also told me that stuffed animals tend to be gone within minutes since it's not something they have often.
Knowing this made us look at all the unused items we have and think about what else we aren't using — things that are just sitting on a shelf, that could have new life as a comfort to someone else.
The stuffed animals were just a start. By talking with volunteers we learned there was a serious need for items we didn't think we could donate.
Winters where I live are rough. Cold-weather clothing and blankets are in high demand. Even items like throw pillows and mattress toppers are put to good use. Our coat closet was a treasure trove of boots, gloves, and hats that we were ready to give away.
Socks and undergarments are popular and most places will take underwear and bras. I had so many pairs of toddler underpants post potty training — I wish I knew then what I know now and had donated them.
I checked with my kids before putting something on the donate pile
I sometimes look at my kid's room and have flashbacks to the book "Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room." I just want to walk in with a huge garbage bag and get rid of all the mess.
Blankets, stuffed animals, toys, books — especially the story you read to them before bed — should be something you agree on before donating. You don't want to get rid of something that has sentimental value.
I asked around before finding where to donate our things
I was surprised how many of my mom friends had connections or volunteered at places. Schools, townships, and churches are another good source.
During the holidays many charities ask for new items. Keep their information because they may take used items the rest of the year.
Your local food bank is an excellent resource for locating soup kitchens and food pantries — places that may provide support beyond food.
It feels good to donate items that help another parent get their kid through a growth spurt, provide blankets needed during the cold months, and give-away stuffed animals that are a comfort to a child in need.
A cooler labor market means it could be harder to find a job now than a couple of years ago. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows there were 1.1 job openings per unemployed person this past October, the latest month with data, compared to 1.3 job openings per unemployed person a year earlier.
Stacie Haller, the chief career advisor with ResumeBuilder.com, said she thinks "people aren't necessarily as prepared when they enter a job search today" because they may think the job market is the same as it was many years ago.
But for job seekers who are struggling, there are ways you can try to improve your odds. Below are some things that you may want to change if you aren't landing a job.
You are sending out way too many résumés
One issue could be you're sending out a bunch of résumés, including for jobs you don't even want or for jobs where you don't have the desired experience. Haller suggested having most of what an employer is looking for before applying to the role.
"I would prefer people to not send out 800 résumés just throwing spaghetti against the wall," Haller said. "That's when you hear from people, 'It's a horrible market, and I can't get a job.'"
Gabrielle Davis, a career trends expert at Indeed, told Business Insider people should first consider the things that matter to them in a job beyond a paycheck, such as the benefits and whether it's remote, instead of first applying to many roles.
"I think that when job seekers function from maybe a place of slight panic, they don't do that because they feel like, 'I just have to move fast because the market's moving fast. I have to get all the stuff in, and I'm just going to see what sticks,'" Davis said. "And that's not always really fruitful for them. So I think that it's better to take a much more intentional approach to the actual job search."
You are waiting too long to apply
OK, so you have decided to send out fewer résumés that are more focused on gigs you want. Now, don't wait too long to actually apply.
Haller said job seekers should reply to a job posting within 24 hours "to at least have a shot to be in the mix."
Haller said people come to her and say, "'Oh, I saw a job posting that I'm interested in.' And they take days, if not a week, to reply."
She added, "By the time they send their résumé out, that company's probably on final interviews."
You might need to reconsider the contents or format of your résumé
Six seconds. That's how long Haller said job seekers have "to capture somebody's attention by your résumé or by your profile."
Formatting could be important to consider when putting together a résumé in hopes of successfully landing work.
"You need to know how to create and format a résumé that works in today's job search process," Haller said, adding this "means the formatting should be cleaned, standardized, and easy to read."
Leanne Getz, vice president of tech staffing firm Experis's delivery channels, said the résumé should also be similar to things noted on a candidate's online profile, like on LinkedIn. She also said résumés should be accurate and be in their own words.
"We're seeing candidates utilizing certain AI tools to generate the résumé, and it's fine to use it to help guide or give you suggestions, but you want to be careful about having something like ChatGPT design your whole résumé," Getz said. "It's easy for recruiters to pick up on that. It doesn't seem authentic."
You are not considering your connections
There's more that can be done than uploading a résumé to a job application. Haller said job seekers may want to see who they can contact at the company beforehand.
Haller said, "The last thing you want to do is dump your résumé into" an applicant tracking system "if you have another way to make contact inside that company."
Getz noted people could consider who they may know at the place they're hoping to get a job when they are applying.
"It is often about the network and who you know, but it also is sometimes just a game of numbers," Getz said. "There are so many applicants. You have to just keep applying, be consistent, be persistent, be patient."
You are not doing sufficient prep for an interview
If you get the good news that an employer is interested in interviewing you, it's probably best to prepare for the interview with some research.
Haller said people should know the company's mission, why they even want to work for the employer, and prepare questions to ask during the interview.
"I've interviewed people as a hiring manager with people who have no idea what the company does or why they're even interested in a job," Haller said. "That's a waste of everybody's time."
Some helpful hints of what to say during the interview are in the job posting itself.
"The job posting tells you exactly what they're looking for," Haller said. "That's where your prep starts. So if you know what they're looking for, you want to prepare as many examples that you can about what they might ask in reference to what they're looking for in the person they hire."
Getz also talked about being prepared and other basics of interviewing. Getz said to make "sure that you're dressed professional, that you've prepared, that you've done your research on the company that you're interviewing with, that you have strong questions to ask, that you're prepared to answer behavioral style questions."
Don't do an interview from a car and eliminate any background noise, Getz also advised. Getz emphasized the basics of doing an interview because "it could be one of those minor, little things that knock you out of consideration that could have been overcome by simply being prepared, dressed for the interview."
Davis suggested preparing a few main points that you want to reiterate in every interview round. "If you're speaking to maybe two or three people at a company, just because you've spoken to the same people at one company doesn't always mean that they are sharing exactly what you've spoken about to their colleagues," Davis said.
She added those main points can help show your prep, and she said, "Any sign of preparedness to an employer means, OK, this person is showing up. They're here. They're taking it seriously."
You aren't sending a thank-you note, or you're following up too much
Davis said a handwritten thank-you note could be good if you did an in-person interview. Even if it was not an in-person interview, Davis said sending a simple thank-you note on the same day could be good.
Davis said the note should thank the person for their time and include something personal from the interview to show you were listening.
"I think that really goes a long way," Davis said. "And after that, it's kind out of your hands, so waiting to hear back from the recruiter or hiring manager and then going from there."
Getz said "to be cautious about how often you're following up" because you're not the only job candidate a hiring manager is talking to. She said people don't want to overdo their reach out, and it should be professional.
How long did it take you to find a job, or how long have you been unemployed? Reach out to this reporter to share your experience at [email protected].
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