• Seven superhero movies came out in 2024.
• "Deadpool & Wolverine" was the only superhero film to get a Rotten Tomatoes critic score above 50% this year.
• Sony released three new movies in their Spider-Man universe, including the universally panned "Madame Web."

"Deadpool & Wolverine" may have made a whopping $1.3 billion at the box office but, overall, 2024 has been a bad year for superhero movies.

Disney's Marvel Studios and Warner Bros' DC Studios released a film each in 2024 in response to superhero fatigue criticism over the last couple of years and as they prepared to enter a new phase in their respective franchises.

This left space for Sony and other studios to enter the market. But critics panned most of this year's superhero movies, with only Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine" receiving a Rotten Tomatoes score above 50%.

Here are all seven superhero movies ranked from lowest to highest, according to their Rotten Tomatoes critic scores.

"Madame Web"

Rotten Tomatoes score: 11%

Sony has made several blunders in its attempt to build its own Marvel Spider-Man universe (without any Spider-Man appearances), but "Madame Web" is possibly the biggest misfire.

Critics said the film was a mess. Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney, the two biggest stars in the film, distanced themselves from it after it received bad reviews and did not do well at the box office.

Fans mocked it, too, and generally didn't turn up to see the film in theaters. It is the lowest grossing film in the Spider-Man franchise, making $100 million.

"Kraven the Hunter"

Rotten Tomatoes score: 15%

Sony's Spider-Man universe ended on a low this year with "Kraven the Hunter" debuting with the lowest domestic opening weekend for a Sony Spider-Man movie ever.

It earned $11,000 in North America, which is roughly $4,000 less than "Madame Web" and roughly $70,000 less than "Venom," the first spin-off Spider-Man movie that Sony released.

Critics were not as hard on "Kraven the Hunter" as they were on "Madame Web," but still thought the film had a dull story and poor special effects. While some critics thought the film was so bad that it was entertaining, others thought it was a waste of time.

"The Crow"

Rotten Tomatoes score: 22%

1994's "The Crow" is widely regarded as a cult classic. However, its reputation was marred after Brandon Lee, the lead actor, was shot and mortally wounded by a prop gun that wasn't supposed to contain bullets, eight days before shooting wrapped.

Lionsgate's attempt to revive the superhero franchise failed critically and commercially. This time, Bill Skarsgård starred as Eric Draven, a recovering drug addict who gains supernatural abilities after being resurrected from the dead and seeks revenge on the people who killed him and his lover.

Some critics defended "The Crow" reboot, saying it wasn't unwatchable, but most reviews were more negative, saying the film was incoherent and not better than the original film.

2024's "The Crow" made $23 million in ticket sales on a reported $50 million budget. The 1994 version made $50 million.

"Joker: Folie a Deux"

Rotten Tomatoes score: 32%

There were big hopes for "Joker: Folie a Deux." Its predecessor made over a billion dollars, and Oscar and Grammy winner Lady Gaga took on the part of the hugely popular villain, Harley Quinn.

It was also a musical, following Joaquin Phoenix's Arthur Fleck as he stands trial for the multiple murders her committed in the first film, and begins a relationship with Lee Quinzel (Gaga).

But somehow, "Joker: Folie a Deux" disappointed both fans and critics and only made $206 million in ticket sales. Variety reported that Warner Bros. spent $200 million on the film and roughly $100 to market it, meaning the film likely did not turn a profit.

"Hellboy: The Crooked Man"

Rotten Tomatoes score: 37%

If you missed the latest "Hellboy" movie, you're not alone. Millennium Media, the production company that owns the rights to the Hellboy character, did not heavily promote "Hellboy: The Crooked Man," releasing the first teaser three months before it premiered in the US.

"Hellboy: The Crooked Man" takes Hellboy (Jack Kesy) back to his horror roots as he tries to take down a group of witches and their sinister demon leader, the Crooked Man.

Critics were divided on this film. Some said it was dull and had a messy script, while others praised it for actually being scary.

"Venom: The Last Dance"

Rotten Tomatoes score: 41%

"Venom: The Last Dance," the final film in the "Venom" trilogy, follows Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote Venom, who fleeing the world's military and a group of aliens working for Knull, Venom's creator

The "Venom" films are the only commercially successful movies from Sony's Spider-Man spin-off universe. Critics panned the series, and "Venom: The Last Dance" has the lowest-grossing of the three films.

But audiences still loved the film, which had the eighth-highest ticket sales of the year with a total of $475 million.

"Deadpool & Wolverine"

Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%

Since 2009, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have been engaged in a playful rivalry over who plays Canada's greatest Marvel superhero. Now they bring this feud to the big screen with "Deadpool & Wolverine."

In the multiversal movie, Deadpool (Reynolds) and Wolverine (Jackman) work together to save Deadpool's universe, find redemption for Wolverine, and lead a team of misfits to take down Professor X's powerful sister, Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin).

The final film was not only a finale to the R-rated hit "Deadpool" movie trilogy, but it was also a heartfelt goodbye to Fox's Marvel franchise, which ended when Disney bought Fox.

"Deadpool & Wolverine" also dispelled the myth that audiences were bored with superhero movies. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and became the highest-grossing movie in the trilogy.

• The Too Good To Go app aims to help consumers save money and reduce food waste.
• I tried it for a week to see how much I could save.
• I found it was most useful for fresh produce, but the pastries weren't always great.

Everything is expensive right now. It's rare that I ever leave the grocery store having spent less than I wanted to.

I've heard of apps like Too Good To Go, which sell surplus food at a discount, but never gone much further than signing up.

To test it out, I spent a week in early December only buying food from the app. I wanted to see if it was a viable way of saving money, sticking to a budget, and learning to be a bit more flexible with my cooking.

I also want to be more mindful about the groceries I buy and, unfortunately, sometimes waste.

Too Good To Go's CEO, Mette Lykke, told me in a recent interview that the app now operates in 19 countries across North America, Europe, and Australia, and covers 170,000 stores.

Lykke said the company hopes to inspire people "to make that the first step in a journey toward having a more responsible relationship with food."

"If we look at the state of the planet and the climate crisis, then it's pretty clear that something needs to change," Lykke said.

It was fun trying out new places in my city, London. While the pastries I received were hit-and-miss, the fresh produce from local stores was a real highlight.

Monday

Monday was largely spent figuring out the platform. I found that its map feature was the best way to find local cafés and stores.

I saw that an expensive café on my local high street offered pastries, so I opted for that — £3.90 ($4.95) for a blueberry muffin, chocolate chip cookie, and slice of banana bread.

After the sugar rush I was still hungry, so I chose a bag of sandwiches and pastries from my local Costa Coffee for £3.50 ($4.44).

I got a slightly stale pan au raisin and two sandwiches — one seasonal turkey feast, and a BLT which my boyfriend took for lunch the next day.

In total, I spent £7.40 ($9.39) on items worth at least £22.90 ($29.08), so the week was off to a good start.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, I switched things up by trying out fresh produce from a couple of local stores. They offered "surprise bags" of groceries for £4 ($5.08) each.

While I was slightly overwhelmed with what to do with it all, it was an absolute hit with my boyfriend, who is always thrilled to be met with a culinary challenge.

One of the bags had Padron peppers, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, radishes, and beets. I also received three packets of pita bread, a sourdough baguette, a fruit bar, some buttermilk, and fresh herbs.

The multivitamin patches were a curveball, which I have to admit I didn't try.

In the other bag, I got a melon, some Greek yogurt, lettuce, butter, rainbow chard, and sausages.

The sausages went in the freezer, but almost everything else was used to make a pasta sauce, roasted peppers, sauteed mushrooms, buttermilk pancakes, and basil oil. The beets got pickled.

The only thing we ended up having to waste was the watercress, which was already looking past its best.

In total, I spent £8 ($10.16) on items worth at least £24 ($30.48).

Wednesday

Tuesday's groceries went further than expected, so I bought another pastry bag to satisfy my snackiness during the day.

I'm not convinced the sourdough loaf and pastel de nata (which I squashed) I got for £4.09 ($5.19) truly had a full sale value of £12 ($15.24), but they were both pretty good.

The server recommended putting the loaf in the freezer and toasting the slices, which was a great tip that lasted me the rest of the week.

Thursday

I knew I was out for dinner with friends on Thursday so I picked up some Starbucks pastries on the way. This was the biggest letdown of the experiment.

Throughout the week, I realized that several cafés don't offer anything until quite late in the day, by which time the food has been sitting out for hours. This makes sense from their perspective, but it does mean that some of the food isn't at its best.

But for £2.50 ($3.18), a muffin, cookie, cinnamon bun, and cheese stick is certainly better than nothing.

In total, I spent £2.50 ($3.18) on items worth at least £7.50 ($9.52).

Friday

I'd been eyeing up a nearby Bangladeshi restaurant all week, so knowing I had a night in alone on Friday, I went for the £4.09 ($5.19) curry bag they were offering.

I got a few bhajis, some chicken and rice, two veggie curries, more rice, some okra, and what I thought was probably cabbage.

It was all good and spicy, though the bhajis were slightly stale.

In total, I spent £4.09 ($5.19) on items worth at least £12 ($15.24).

The results

For the whole week, I spent £26.08 ($33.11) on £78.40 ($99.54) worth of food.

Not every bag felt like amazing value. But some, especially the grocery bags, were genuinely impressive.

The experience taught me a lot about how to be flexible. I'm now committed to focusing less on "use by" dates on food and sticking to the safety assessment Lykke taught me — "look, smell, taste, don't waste" — before throwing things out.

My advice for anyone downloading Too Good To Go is to use it with foresight. The app is great for saving money for those on a strict budget who are OK with some compromises.

Too Good To Go is available in huge stores in the UK (such as Asda) and the US (including Whole Foods), so there are plenty of places to try.

Lykke told me the nice thing about Too Good To Go is you don't have to give anything up, and she's right. From a quick scan of my area, there is bubble tea, ice cream, Turkish food, burgers, doughnuts, and more. You don't get to choose exactly what you want, but as long as you don't mind a bit of a surprise, it's worth a try,

"You actually get good food, it's a good deal, and you do something good," Lykke said. "It's win-win for businesses, for consumers, and for the planet."

• Tech employees share their salary negotiation tips, which helped boost their pay by tens of thousands of dollars.
• Their negotiation strategies include practicing pitches, using data, and leveraging multiple offers.
• Research and transparency are key in negotiating better compensation in tech roles, they said.

Sarra Bounouh has worked at consulting giant Accenture and three Big Tech companies.

But she still deals with imposter syndrome, especially when talking compensation.

"Going into a negotiation is always, at least for me, a very uncomfortable discussion," Bounouh told Business Insider. "I just want to push through and ask for what I deserve."

She and four other tech employees from Meta, Google, and Cisco shared their salary negotiation tips before joining a company or when trying to get promoted. They have used these strategies to add tens of thousands of dollars to their original offers in recent years.

Product manager at Meta

Avoid offering the first number. If you must, back it up with research, said Bounouh, a product manager who joined Meta earlier this year.

She suggested using resources like Levels.fyi or Glassdoor and selecting your role and geography to see recent offers and compensation that makes sense for that job.

"I personally don't like having detailed conversations about level and compensation from that first call with the recruiter because I want to meet the team, I want to meet the hiring manager, I want to get excited about the role," she said.

Bounouh prefers to negotiate her level and compensation once there's an offer on the table.

She said she often gets asked about salary expectations early in the process because recruiters say they want to save time for both sides.

She politely declines to share a number by telling the recruiter: "I don't have a number for your right now. I will need to do some research before getting back to you. At this stage of the process, I'm more focused on meeting the hiring manager and team."

Rehearsal is key for conversations about promotions or raises, she said.

Bounouh said she practiced her pitch for every job after Accenture and increased all three jobs' initial salary offers: Microsoft by 32%, Snap by 19%, and Meta by 37%.

Product manager at Oracle

Internal transfers between teams or offices are also an opportunity to negotiate your compensation package.

Ketaki Vaidya, who moved from Oracle's India to California office in 2022, said she approached her negotiation with an "everything under the sun is negotiable" mindset.

First, Vaidya looked at Glassdoor and talked to people who'd made the move to gather salary data. She wanted to ensure she was getting a fair offer for the US' cost of living.

"I was being given this offer for the credibility that I had built in the organization. I felt like I had an upper hand in negotiating," she said. "I was much more confident in asking for the things that I deserve — so it ended up being a very smooth transition."

After negotiating her base salary up to $80,000, she discussed other compensation components, including the timing of her next review, sign-on bonuses, relocation costs, paid leave, and remote work. She negotiated a sign-on bonus of $15,000 and a relocation allowance of $15,000, which weren't part of the initial offer.

Now, her compensation is about $130,000 annually, including stock units and bonuses.

Product manager at Cisco

When Varun Kulkarni switched from consulting to tech to work on more artificial intelligence projects, he was careful not to come off as aggressive during his pay negotiations.

Once he had offers from Cisco and others in hand in 2022, he was transparent with recruiters and mentioned other offers, without introducing his own counter number.

He asked recruiters how high they could go and what they thought about other offers.

"You want to kind of not be too pushy" he said.

His offer from Cisco already matched the market rate and what several competitors were offering, but he managed to negotiate it by 5%, bringing his total compensation to $180,000.

Product manager at Google

During his 2022 recruitment process at Google, Yung-Yu Lin used his employer at the time, PayPal, to land better offers from both companies.

He interviewed and landed jobs at several places — but their pay did not compare with Google's offer.

Lin decided to negotiate a retention package. PayPal countered with a 10% pay bump. He then renegotiated with Google.

Google offered a 20% raise on his original compensation at PayPal, which brought his offer to the $350,000 to $400,000 range as a senior product manager, including stock-based compensation.

Software engineer at Meta

Hemant Pandey, a senior software engineer at Meta, used other offers and research in his most recent job search.

After two years at Salesforce, in 2021 he applied to Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and two other companies. He used offers from these companies to negotiate his compensation at Meta.

"Be very transparent that you have other offers. Even if you have interviews going on, mention those, because it's also leverage," he said. It signals to the recruiter that they have to move fast and work with your parameters.

Meta's recruiters matched the base salary and restricted stock units from the highest of all offers.

Aside from being transparent, Pandey said it is important to be proactive and research how compensation works in different companies. For example, candidates should compare how stocks are refreshed, he said. A refresher is when the stock option portion of an employee's compensation is updated.

"I also negotiated my sign-on bonus and said, 'Hey, at Salesforce, I'll be leaving my $30,000 to $40,000 of annual bonus if I join you. Can you help me accommodate that?'"

Pandey was offered $520,000 in annual pay, including stock options, in that 2021 move.

"The most significant thing happened in my career when I made the move from Salesforce to Meta, which was close to almost 80 to 90% hike" in pay, Pandey said.

Do you work in tech, consulting, or finance and have a story to share about your career journey? Please reach out at [email protected].

• I'm the youngest of three siblings — and the only Gen Zer.
• When I graduated this year, I faced the realities of job-hunting and adulthood.
• I learned lessons from observing my sisters and other millennials navigate their 20s.

After 16 years in the education system, my time as a student ended on a random Wednesday afternoon in April. I was finally free from lectures, tests, and group projects — but thrust into the realities of a scarier world: adulthood.

In this world, there were no set milestones to tell me I was on the right track. Everyone seemed to be on a path to something greater, but I felt directionless.

I know I'm not alone. Every 20-something has probably felt at least a little bit lost in life. But amid mass layoffs and the threat of AI replacing jobs, stepping into the job market as a fresh graduate in 2024 felt like diving head-first into an abyss.

An August report by an early careers platform, Handshake, surveyed 1,925 graduating students. They found that 57% of the students felt pessimistic about starting their careers — an increase from 49% of graduating students last year. Of the 57%, 63% said the competitive job market contributed to their pessimism.

The stress of not knowing whether I could secure a job was compounded by uncertainty about my career. I had studied journalism but wasn't sure if it was the right fit. I had the irrational fear that if my first job turned out to be the "wrong" choice, I'd be relegated back to the start line of the rat race.

Amid a brewing quarter-life crisis, I looked to my sisters, aged 28 and 31. They do many things that people of my generation may scoff at, like watching Instagram reels exclusively and using the laughing emoji. But they seem to have figured out one thing: life after college.

Here's what I've learned from watching them conquer the Roaring Twenties.

Life doesn't end when school ends

Toward the end of college, I mentally prepared myself for the fast-approaching expiration of youth.

"You must treasure your university days," relatives constantly reminded me at yearly Lunar New Year gatherings. They painted adulthood as a bleak portrait of bills, mundanity, and loneliness. So, when the time came, I was reluctant to let go of my identity as a student.

But as the youngest sibling, I also watched my sisters graduate from college, get married, and build their own homes. I saw them achieve promotions at work, find new hobbies, and start a life outside the one I knew of us growing up together.

Adulting isn't easy — I now know that. But there are also so many new milestones and freedoms that come with it, and there is so much to be excited about.

A job is just a job

My elder sister works in communications and the other in architecture. Even when their hours stretched into the night and weekends, they built a whole life outside work.

One started a sticker side business, and the other is now an avid runner.

It wasn't always smooth. My second-oldest sister burned out after working too much in her first job and took a career break. She prioritized work-life balance at her next job.

In that way, millennials and Gen Zers are alike. A 2024 report by Deloitte found that work-life balance topped the priorities for both generations when choosing an employer. When asked which areas of life were most important to their sense of identity, both generations agreed that jobs came second only to friends and family.

Distancing myself from the idea that my job had to be my one true passion lifted a weight off my shoulders. As much as I still want a job that gives me purpose, I also make time for other aspects of life that fulfill me, like working out and spending time with friends.

Just give it time

As with most worries, the fear that I'd never find a job was unfounded. In July, I started my first job as a junior reporter. But when the first day at work finally ended, I trudged home in a daze.

"I have to do this every day for the next 40 years?" I asked my second-oldest sister, who laughed. It wasn't that I didn't like the job. It was the change in routine from school life to a 9-to-5 that unsettled me.

"You'll get used to it," my sister said. Six months in, I still don't know if I will. But seeing my millennial counterparts thrive has encouraged me.

It's not just my siblings who have set an example. At work, my millennial colleagues are a constant source of guidance to the Gen Zers in the office. On social media, millennial influencers brand themselves as "internet big sisters" and give advice on navigating the complex years of their 20s.

Older millennials are now turning 40, but they were once in the position of Gen Zers, being scoffed at by the older generations for being "lazy" and changing work culture.

Now, they've drawn the map for Gen Zers' entry into the strange world of adulthood. It's made adulting just a little less scary.

• 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.

• A new study suggests universal pre-K programs could increase parents' earnings.
• Researchers found that those who enrolled their kids in free pre-K made about 21% more
• Universal pre-K programs have also been shown to help kids' long-term futures.

Universal pre-K has long been thought to boost children's lives and futures, but a new study suggests parents could also reap the benefits of free and early education for their kids.

Economists found that parents who had the opportunity to enroll their children in a universal pre-K program in Connecticut saw increased earnings by about 21% while their kids were in the program, as well as persistent gains for up to six years after.

The study, published in the National Bureau of Economic Research this month, looked at a New Haven pre-K program that provides six and a half hours of free schooling each day to three and four-year-olds, as well as wraparound childcare before and after school.

Parents who were lucky enough to win the school lottery saw several positive economic benefits, according to researchers. In addition to increased wages over time, those whose kids enrolled in the program also got an average of 12 more working hours each week, the study found.

"Parents whose kids have access to reliable, high-quality child care in the pre-K period are more likely to work during that period, and they work more hours," wrote economist Emily Oster in her ParentData newsletter. "This extra work allows them to get on a steeper career path."

The authors of the study similarly chalk it up to career continuity.

"This means that even though everyone eventually ends up working the same number of hours, the group that was able to invest in their career early have higher wages and therefore more income," Oster added.

Historically, parents haven't been required to send their kids to school until Kindergarten in most states. But in recent years, a growing number of municipalities have begun offering schooling for children as young as 3.

Supporters of universal pre-K say the concept gives kids an equal starting position heading into school and opens them up to educational opportunities at a younger age. Opponents, however, point to the high costs associated with providing free childcare.

Several studies in recent years have recorded some of the benefits for kids, including 2021 research that found children who attended universal pre-K are more likely to graduate high school and attend college. The study also pointed to positive behavioral impacts for those students.

The positives go beyond academics, too. A 2017 study found that universal pre-K helps more kids access healthcare, such as earlier detection and treatment for conditions like asthma and hearing and vision problems.

Affordable childcare and universal pre-K could also flush billions of dollars back into the US economy, a 2022 study from left-leaning think tank The Century Foundation found.

President Joe Biden included universal pre-K in the Build Back Better Act, which failed to garner Congressional support back in 2021. The legislation would have allowed three million more parents to either enter the labor force or increase their working hours, the Century Foundation report found.

The new study out of New Haven notably did not find any evidence that universal pre-K programs improve students' future test scores — a finding in line with prior research that suggests the biggest benefits are more long-term, Oster noted in her newsletter.

"In the end: from an economic standpoint, the biggest value to universal pre-K may be that it helps parents return to the labor force and make a better life for their families in the short and long run," Oster wrote. "And of course, that's also good for kids."

When we introduced last year's annual list of the best games in this space, we focused on how COVID delays led to a 2023 packed with excellent big-name blockbusters and intriguing indies that seemed to come out of nowhere. The resulting flood of great titles made it difficult to winnow the year's best down to our traditional list of 20 titles.

In 2024 we had something close to the opposite problem. While there were definitely a few standout titles that were easy to include on this year's list (Balatro, UFO 50, and Astro Bot likely chief among them), rounding out the list to a full 20 proved more challenging than it has in perhaps any other year during my tenure at Ars Technica (way back in 2012!). The games that ended up on this year's list are all strong recommendations, for sure. But many of them might have had more trouble making a Top 20 list in a packed year like 2023.

We'll have to wait to see if the release calendar seesaws back to a quality-packed one in 2025, but the forecast for big games like Civilization 7, Avowed, Doom: The Dark Ages, Grand Theft Auto 6, and many, many more has us thinking that it might. In the meantime, here are our picks for the 20 best games that came out in 2024, in alphabetical order.

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• A secretary bought three shares of her company's stock for $60 each in 1935.
• Grace Groner reinvested her dividends for 75 years, and her stake ballooned to $7.2 million.
• Her employer, Abbott, shared Groner's story in a recent website post.

A secretary paid $180 in 1935 for three shares of her employer's stock. By the time she died in 2010, her investment had mushroomed to $7.2 million.

Abbott, a pharmaceutical company, gave a shout-out to the former employee in a recent post on its website.

"As we celebrate 101 years of dividend payouts, we're remembering one of the earliest Abbott investing success stories, that of Grace Groner, who worked as a secretary at Abbott for over 40 years," the post reads.

"In 1935, Groner bought three shares of Abbott stock for $60 each. She consistently reinvested her dividend payments and quietly amassed a $7.2 million fortune. Groner passed away in 2010, at the age of 100, and it was only then that her multimillion-dollar estate was discovered."

She gifted her entire fortune to a foundation she'd established in support of her alma mater, Lake Forest College. She earmarked the money to finance internships, international study, and service projects for students.

Groner hung onto her Abbott shares for over 75 years without selling a single one, despite several stock splits, and used her dividends to bolster her stake.

She was likely able to leave her nest egg intact for so long because of her simple lifestyle. She lived in a one-bedroom house, bought her clothes at rummage sales, and didn't own a car, the Chicago Tribune reported in 2010.

Her shares would be worth north of $28 million today, excluding dividends, given that Abbott's stock price has roughly quadrupled since 2010. The drugmaker's market value has risen to around $200 billion, meaning it now rivals Disney, PepsiCo, and Morgan Stanley in size.

• 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.

• Martins Lasmanis, the founder of Supliful, struggles with balancing startup growth and family time.
• Supliful quickly gained traction, and Lasmanis began working 16-hour days with three young kids.
• He now schedules family time and delegates work to manage 'dad guilt' and improve work-life balance.

My youngest son turned 3 this year — the same age as my startup, Supliful. As I watched my toddler playing on his birthday, I felt a strong sense of guilt creep up inside me. He wasn't a baby anymore, and I realized I'd missed out on him growing up.

"They grow up so fast!" is what all parents say. That day, this cliché suddenly felt terrifyingly real. Even worse — it felt as if, over the past three years, I'd spent more time growing my startup than paying attention to my children growing up.

That feeling was torturous

I've always wanted two things in life: a big family and my own business. Family is where I find peace and joy, and I find self-fulfillment in business. I've never been able to sit still and must be in constant motion.

In 2021, when I became a father of three and founder of a newly launched startup, I felt I was on the right path. My life goals were being met. I was nailing it.

While I didn't expect raising three kids and building a company from scratch would be easy, I didn't worry much either. I had already been there — a few years prior, I was running a successful online store while raising two preschoolers. I thought I had the experience necessary to handle the new responsibilities.

I was wrong

I soon realized my new venture had much more potential and was more complex and demanding than anything I had built before.

When I attracted serious interest from VC investors, my company was still in its ideation phase. We onboarded hundreds of users just three weeks after making our product public. By our second year in business, we were already making over $1M in revenue.

Success came with challenges and new responsibilities. I had to quickly grow our team, onboard new partners, and open a new fulfillment center on the other side of the world to ensure quality service to our clients — all while ensuring we didn't run out of money.

I spent my days on back-to-back calls with investors, business partners, and new hires. In the evenings, I sometimes had to help my colleagues pack and send out orders. I'd regularly travel between our office in Europe and the fulfillment center in Denver, feeling guilty for leaving my family behind every time.

My wife was extremely understanding

Throughout our 13 years together, my wife has always supported me. Although she wasn't happy about me staying late in the office or leaving for another business trip, she always encouraged me to pursue my career goals.

Without realizing it, my working days got longer. At one point, I worked 12 hours a day and sometimes as many as 16 hours.

I still tried to be as hands-on as possible with my kids. My wife and I had our own caregiving "shifts" — I covered mornings and after-work, taking the kids to and from school and day care. My wife handled the evening, taking care of dinner and putting the three to bed. We all tried to spend time together between dinner and my late work calls.

Eventually, a dreaded day came

"Daddy, you're working too much." My 7-year-old daughter caught me off guard. We had just finished our dinner one evening in September, and I prepared to disappear into my home office for another round of calls and emails. I responded "I know. I'm trying to build this business, but I should be more present with you."

I realized I was experiencing an enormous feeling of guilt — the feeling of failing as a parent because I wasn't there for my kids. While I saw my tight work schedule as a sprint that would eventually end, my kids only saw me working.

I had heard about "mom guilt," a term often used to describe the feeling women have when they believe they're not meeting their own or others' expectations in their role as parents.

I felt "dad guilt" — the dark side of entrepreneurship and many other demanding jobs requiring long hours. Every day, I feel guilty for not prioritizing my children or failing to build my startup.

I wish I had an easy fix to make this all balance out

I don't have a solution, but I have found a few things that make the weight easier to carry.

I make it a point to schedule family time on my calendar and never cancel it. I treat it as seriously as any work meeting and make a real effort to be present.

I set high standards, but I've had to remind myself that perfection isn't real. Sometimes, I take stock of the good I've done, balancing it against the areas I wish to improve. Reminding myself of these positives helps me feel more at peace with where I am.

I've delegated more work to my team, allowing me to spend more time with my kids this past month. We're moving to the US next year, so that will be another adventure.

Through it all, I'm beyond grateful for my wife. She's my best friend, and her unwavering support allows me to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams.

• Boeing is having a rough year.
• The company has faced mechanical problems, lawsuits, a leadership shake-up, and layoffs.
• Here's a breakdown of how Boeing's year has gone from bad to worse.

Boeing has been going through it this year.

From losing a door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight, causing a side panel to blow out in midair, to an exodus of corporate executives, the company has faced a litany of crises in 2024. The company's stock has fallen about 35% this year.

In a message to employees during the company's third-quarter earnings call, Boeing CEO Kely Ortberg said the company was at a "crossroads."

"My mission here is pretty straightforward," she said. "Turn this big ship in the right direction and restore Boeing to the leadership position that we all know and want."

Here's how Boeing's year went from bad to worse.

Emergency on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282

The problems began almost immediately this year when, on January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 lost a door plug midair, blowing a hole in the side of the plane. While no one died in the incident, several passengers were injured, and the pilots were forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon.

In the aftermath of the incident, the FAA temporarily grounded over 170 of Boeing's 737 Max 9 planes until they could complete safety inspections.

The Justice Department opened an investigation into Boeing shortly after, and the FBI told passengers aboard the flight that they might have been victims of a crime.

Ongoing litigation

Boeing was hit with multiple lawsuits this year.

Passengers from the Alaska Airlines flight filed a class action suit against the company just days after the incident.

"Passengers were shocked and confused, thrust into a waking nightmare unsure if these were their last seconds alive," the lawsuit said.

Boeing's shareholders filed a separate class action suit against the company in January, stating that it had prioritized profit over safety, Reuters reported.

Separately, in July, Boeing struck a plea deal related to two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. If a judge had approved the deal, it would have allowed Boeing to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud, avoid a trial, pay a fine of about $244 million, and invest at least $455 million in safety and compliance measures.

Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion in 2021 in a deal with the federal government to avoid prosecution for the crashes, but Justice Department officials said in May that Boeing had violated portions of the deal, putting a trial back on the table. Relatives of the deceased passengers asked a Texas judge in October to throw out the agreement, which they called a "sweetheart" deal. The families have previously called for the company to pay a fine amounting to nearly $25 billion.

In December, the judge rejected the deal. A lawyer representing families who lost people in the 2019 crash told BI that they "anticipate a significant renegotiation of the plea deal that incorporates terms truly commensurate with the gravity of Boeing's crimes."

FAA audit of Boeing's safety procedures

The Federal Aviation Administration commissioned a report into Boeing following the fatal 2018 and 2019 crashes — and the results published in February weren't good news for the company.

The FAA report found 27 insufficient areas in Boeing's safety procedures, including no clear system for employees to report safety concerns, confusing management structures, and poor communication with employees about safety procedures.

The latest statement from the FAA about Boeing's compliance to remedy the safety issues was published in August. It said the agency continues "actively monitoring Boeing's progress in a variety of ways," including regular reviews by FAA experts of Boeing's safety procedures and issuing airworthiness certificates for every newly produced Boeing 737 Max. 

The FAA itself has faced scrutiny for its oversight of Boeing. A report from the Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General in October found the agency's checks were insufficient.

Exodus of Boeing executives

In March, Boeing announced a leadership shake-up.

CEO Dan Calhoun said he would step down. Stan Deal, the CEO of the company's commercial airplanes division, said he would retire. In the same announcement, board chair Larry Kellner announced his plan not to seek reelection.

Stephanie Pope, the company's COO, was promoted to replace Deal shortly after his departure. At the end of July, Kelly Ortberg was named the company's new CEO.

Ted Colbert, who headed Boeing's defense, space, and security division, became the first prominent executive to leave the company after Ortberg took over. Colbert's departure was announced in September.

Stranded astronauts

The aerospace company faced another high-profile problem in June when NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams traveled to the International Space Station on Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spaceship. It marked the first time Boeing flew astronauts to space.

The astronauts left Earth on June 5 and were supposed to return after eight days, but issues with Starliner's thrusters and helium leaks caused delays. NASA and Boeing began troubleshooting the problems to bring Wilmore and Williams back home. However, in late July, the two astronauts were still stuck at the International Space Station.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program manager, Steve Stich, said in a press briefing that month that Elon Musk's SpaceX could bring home the astronauts if needed. After working with Boeing to determine whether the two astronauts could safely return to Earth on Starliner, NASA announced in August that it chose SpaceX to do the job instead.

"Spaceflight is risky," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a press conference. "Even at its safest. Even at its most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine. So, the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station, and bring the Boeing Starliner home un-crewed, is a result of a commitment to safety."

The decision was a major blow to Boeing, which spent $4.2 billion developing Starliner. Wilmore and Williams' flight was the final step Boeing needed to clear for NASA to certify Starliner for human spaceflight. It highlighted just how far Boeing lags behind its competitor, SpaceX.

Wilmore and Williams are now expected to return to Earth in 2025 on SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship, which launched for the International Space Station in September. The astronauts were initially set to return home in February, but NASA announced they would be delayed until March as SpaceX readies its spaceship.

Union strike

Thousands of unionized Boeing employees walked out in September after contract negotiations broke down.

The strike began despite a promising pay package proposal, which would have raised wages by more than 25% over the contract period for more than 32,000 employees in the Pacific Northwest.

Ultimately, union workers denied the proposal and voted to initiate a strike, which is costing the company about $50 million a day.

Negotiations stalled, with both sides filing National Labor Relations Board violations accusing the other of negotiating in bad faith.

Boeing and union leaders reached a tentative deal on October 19 that included a 35% general wage increase spread over four years and a one-time ratification bonus of $7,000.

However, striking Boeing employees rejected the deal on October 24.

"After 10 years of sacrifice, we still have ground to make up. We hope to resume negotiations promptly," the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said on X.

The 53-day strike ended in early November when workers approved a new contract.

Layoffs

Boeing began furloughs of white-collar workers in mid-September after the strike began. Select employees were required to take one week off every four weeks on a rolling basis.

Ortberg, in a staff memo, also announced that executive leadership would take a "commensurate pay reduction for the duration of the strike," though details of the pay reduction remain unclear.

Layoffs began several weeks later. In mid-October, Boeing announced plans to lay off about 10% of its 170,000-member workforce.

In a memo to employees, Ortberg said Boeing was in a "difficult position" and that "restoring our company requires tough decisions."

The company also delayed production of its 777X twin-engine jet and discontinued production of its 767 cargo plane, the memo noted.

Production delays with the Boeing 777X plane

The experimental 777X is Boeing's newest widebody plane, banking 481 orders from more than a dozen global carriers even though regulators have not yet approved it to fly passengers.

But the aircraft has been riddled with production problems — like supply chain issues, design troubles, and now the ongoing strike — which have already put it five years behind schedule and set Boeing back $1.5 billion.

That hole will likely deepen with the latest entry delay to 2026, further eroding the industry's trust in Boeing's 777X program. It could also push carriers to choose Boeing's European rival Airbus and its already-in-service Airbus A350.

The aircraft is still uncertified but started certification flight testing in July. Testing was halted in August due to a problem with a key part that connects the engine to the aircraft, CNBC reported.

Production troubles with Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft

The FAA announced in January that it would not grant any production expansions of Boeing's MAX aircraft, including the 737 MAX 9, following the emergency on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.

"The Jan. 5 Boeing 737-9 MAX incident must never happen again," the FAA said in a press release said.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said Boeing would not be cleared to expand production or add additional production lines for the 737 MAX "until we are satisfied that the quality control issues uncovered during this process are resolved," according to the press release.

Boeing held a three-hour meeting with the FAA in June to address safety and quality concerns. Afterward, Whitaker spoke at a press conference, where he told a reporter that expanding production of 737 MAX planes was still up in the air.

The FAA told Business Insider, "This is about systemic change, and there's a lot of work to be done. Boeing must meet milestones, and the timing of our decisions will be driven by their ability to do so."

The agency added: "Boeing has delivered a roadmap to change its safety culture, and the FAA will make sure Boeing implements the changes they have outlined. We will not approve production increases beyond the current cap until we're satisfied they've followed through on implementing corrective actions and transforming their safety culture."

Boeing restarted production of the 737 Max in December following the strike's conclusion.

Whistleblowers report problems at Boeing

Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, testified at an April Senate hearing that the company ignored his reports on safety concerns, that his boss retaliated against him, and that he received threats against his physical safety.

The Senate subcommittee investigating Boeing's safety and quality practices released a 204-page report in June. The report included accounts from several whistleblowers.

Sam Mohawk, a Boeing quality assurance inspector, said the company lost track of hundreds of bad 737 parts and instructed employees to conceal improperly stored plane parts from FAA inspectors.

Another whistleblower, Richard Cuevas, wrote in a June complaint to the FAA that holes were being incorrectly drilled on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner planes.

Money woes

In a sign of how Boeing's problems have hurt its bottom line, the company said in a regulatory filing to the SEC in October that it had entered a $10 billion credit agreement with four major banks: JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Citibank.

The company also filed a prospectus saying it might sell up to $25 billion in securities.

"These are two prudent steps to support the company's access to liquidity," Boeing said in a statement.

While workers were on strike, Bank of America analysts estimated that the work stoppage cost Boeing $50 million a day.

To save money, Ortberg, the company's CEO, instructed top executives to stop flying private jets and instead fly economy on commercial flights.

• 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.