LLM models are already capable of diagnosing scientific outputs, but, until now, had “no physical agency to actually perform" experiments.

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• 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.

• Kelly Okrepkie, 47, lives in Monroe, Connecticut and loves Christmas.
• She started decorating Christmas trees in her house in 2011, with the goal to have one in each room.
• She now has 13 Christmas trees that she decorates every year.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kelly Okrepkie. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I love Christmas.

When I was little my mom worked at a department store and I would always walk by their Christmas trees and think, "I want this when I grow up."

I started with my first tree when I got married in 2011. Then I had an idea: why don't I have one tree in each room? And then I started looking at the corners of each room and it slowly started to expand.

Now I have 13 Christmas trees that I put up every year.

Each tree has a meaning

I enjoy decorating trees that represent a certain meaning. I have a gold tree and a silver tree that remind me of the song "Silver and Gold" from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That song takes me back into my childhood.

I have a tree for my dad. I decorated it with cardinals and I actually found ribbon with music notes on it. He loved music. He grew up on a farm so I used burlap and natural wood, too. I also have a tree for my mother-in-law. She always wore red, so I used lush red roses with big blooms — it's very vibrant. There's an angel at the top to represent her.

I feel so excited when I decorate trees for my loved ones who have passed. It's like I get to celebrate Christmas with them.

I put a little glass angel in every one of my trees as a blessing for the new year. My nephew bought them for me years ago at his school fair.

I like to decorate trees for my husband, Joe. My "Emerald City" tree is for his favorite childhood movie, The Wizard of Oz. For that, I made a hot air balloon and I put ruby slippers under the tree. This year I'm making him a Pontiac-inspired tree. He loves cars.

I plan the trees a year in advance

I start planning my trees a year ahead of time. I begin getting ideas and slowly collect ornaments throughout the year so that when the time comes, I already have everything and I'm ready to start.

I have bins and bins and bins of ornaments in the basement, all categorized. It takes me days to bring everything upstairs. I start making props in July. I made an ornament wall out of styrofoam that I glued to the wall. I hot glued every single ornament. It took me 12 to 14 hours.

When I create, I can't have any interruptions. I get filled with adrenaline and excitement. I just put on Christmas music, put my phone on vibrate and get into the zone.

Each tree takes me about three to five hours to decorate, depending on the size. I always try to update my looks. I try to make them better and invest more into them. I learn a lot from designers on Instagram. I've learned how to work with ribbons and picks. Here's a great tip: if you want a different look for your tree, just buy picks and insert them all around. It's a cost-efficient way to change things up.

I spend between $600 to $1,500 per tree

Each tree, with its decorations, cost me probably between $600 and $1500, depending on the height and width. This year, I took a trip to the Christmas Palace in Florida and I got some giant candy canes and bears and penguins and ornaments and globes.

But you don't need to spend that much to have a beautiful tree. You can do things like add a lot of lights, add picks and cover them with a lot of ornaments to fill it out. Instead of throwing empty boxes out, recycle them under your tree. Wrap them up like big presents. I do this so my cats don't climb the trees.

I would love to design meaningful trees for other people. I'd help them pick colors and items that remind them of their loved ones. My dream is to create a Santa's wonderland where families could come visit and take photos and create traditions of their own.

When my trees are up from November until January, they're the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see before I go to bed. I don't know when this obsession is going to stop but it just makes me so happy.

• 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.

• I had a crush on my coworker and decided to tell him when my contract was up.
• He told me he was flattered but that he had a girlfriend.
• I wonder if the timing was off, but I'm glad I put myself out there.

I remember noticing him early on at my former job. He was funny and had a sunny smile, but he also struck me as confident and competent. A wave of excitement filled my heart every time he was around me, and I felt like a teenager with her first crush — even though I was in my mid-20s.

Maybe you don't like spoilers, but I do, so I will tell the truth right now. This is not a love story. This is a story of rejection after declaring my feelings to my former coworker when my contract ended.

I waited until my last day of work to finally confess my feelings for him, but I'm not sure it was the best decision.

I finally asked my coworker out

I didn't take the decision to tell him lightly. I debated with myself for a long time if I should tell him while we still worked together.

On one hand, I thought it would be heartbreaking for me if he politely declined and I had to see him every day. On the other hand, if he accepted my invitations and we began going out together, an awkward situation would arise. Even if we were working in different departments, being in a small company where we met every day surely didn't help my dilemma.

So, ultimately, I decided to come clean when my contract was finally up. When my six months ran out, I said goodbye to all my coworkers and devised a plan. I decided to finally confess my feelings as he stepped out of the office. Unfortunately, he didn't leave the office alone, so my plan was foiled. But I couldn't keep my romantic feelings to myself anymore.

When I got home, I wrote him a message, finally revealing that I had a crush on him and wanted to tell him in person, but there hadn't been an appropriate occasion. A few minutes afterward, I added that we could have a coffee together one day — if he wanted to.

My hands were sweating as I stared at the three dreaded bubbles showing he was typing. A long text message appeared; he was incredibly kind, even when rejecting me.

He said that he knows how difficult it is to declare your feelings, so he thanked me. Still, he was already seeing another girl.

Being rejected is painful. It can easily affect our self-worth and make us feel like failures. Even though I expected this rejection, I wasn't prepared for that intrusive emptiness that left me feeling lost and thinking that no one would ever want me.

Telling my friend what happened made things slightly more tolerable, but I needed a way to cleanse this intoxicating mixture of emotions from my body and mind.

Summer meant a lot of exercise classes in parks and on the beach. I decided to trade emotional pain for physical strain, and I went to a total-body class in July's heat. Moving my body and sweating felt amazing. It made me temporarily forget this situation.

I'm ultimately proud of myself

One question kept nagging me: Was it even worth telling him the truth?

But now that some months have passed, I don't have any regrets about how things went. Sometimes, I think if I had told him earlier, things could have gone differently, but anguishing over how something could have been is never sensible.

Regardless of the timing, I am proud of stepping out of my comfort zone and declaring my feelings. As an introvert, this can be incredibly challenging.

Even if it was painful at the moment, being rejected was better than remaining in doubt about his feelings.

Rejection is like a period at the end of a sentence. It can feel like an abrupt close, but endings often turn into new beginnings.

• The smart ring market is exploding, with options available at Costco and Walmart.
• Rings aren't perfect health monitoring tools, but they can help detect patterns and some illnesses.
• Healthcare companies and the US military are increasingly interested in harnessing the tech.

The rich and famous have been wearing them for years, and competing for the very best sleep scores. Longevity doctors swear by them too. But 2025 may just be the year that smart rings become the "it" tracker for the masses.

"We call it a 'check engine' light for your body," Oura CEO Tom Hale told Business Insider. "It's a tool for you to become literate in the dynamics of your biometrics as they relate to your behaviors."

Oura has been the longtime leader in smart rings — the Finnish company debuted its first ring in a Kickstarter campaign 10 years ago. The undeniable giant in the smart ring space (for now), Oura recently debuted a slimmer and smoother 4th generation ring model, priced from $349 to $399.

Oura says it has been profitable for 14 months after many years in the red. On Thursday, the company announced a $200 million series D funding round, bringing its valuation to $5.2 billion.

There's also been an explosion of competitor rings, including the $349 Ultrahuman Ring Air, which debuted in 2022. In 2024, we've seen Samsung's $399 Galaxy ring enter the market as well as smaller devices like the longevity-focused and David Sinclair-backed $200 Virtusan ring.

It all heralds the beginning of a new wearables category that may eventually help people eat, exercise, sleep, and avoid illness a little better than we do now.

"I welcome all the competition," Oura's Hale said. "It makes us better, it's good for the market."

Every smart ring has a different competitive claim

Each smart ring company seems to have its own differentiator, the thing that they say makes them better than the rest, whether it's the thinnest ring band, the best battery life, or the biggest dataset.

They each generally track steps, monitor temperature, and log heart rate.

Dr. Daniel Kraft, a Bay Area-based physician-scientist and founder, says that's probably enough for the general consumer. We don't all need FDA-approved medical devices on our fingers. Instead, there's value in the consistency of the data a ring provides, monitoring trends day after day, learning about our bodies.

"We're all quite different and it's often the change from baseline that is most important," Kraft told BI.

Longitudinal trend lines can be useful for tracking things like how exercise, supplements, or stress are impacting a person's overall health. In Kraft's case, he watched his resting heart rate drop eight points over a roughly three-month period of daily exercise sessions.

"That gets people engaged, like, 'Wow, I make these small incremental changes and I'm going to see changes that show up in weeks and months and years,'" he said.

Until now, interest in Oura rings has largely been driven by word-of-mouth recommendations from friends, colleagues, and some longevity-focused physicians. Oura's friend referrals (a 10% discount) drive a lot of the business; almost half of Oura members were referred by a friend or family member, according to the company.

A smart ring is also "considered a little premium," Jeffrey Kim, Samsung America's senior product lead for the Galaxy smart ring, told BI.

2025 is shaping up to be the year that smart rings could go mainstream in a big way.

Multiple projections show the market for smart rings taking off, growing more than 20% year over year, until 2030. Over the past six months, Ultrahuman has started stocking its ring at major brick-and-mortar retailers in the US, including Best Buy, Verizon, Costco, and Walmart, and the company says more than 15,000 people in the US are picking up a new Ultrahuman ring each month.

Smart rings are about more than fitness tracking — they're being used for period tracking and to predict illnesses

Already, studies have shown smart rings are good at picking up when someone is about to get sick with a viral illness like COVID or the flu, by combining metrics like heart rate variability with temperature and breathing rate while asleep.

Some brands have also been carving out a niche among women, playing up their potential impact on women's health. In the US, women were not required to be included in medical research until 1993.

"We need more data," Dr. Umbereen Nehal, a fem-tech founder and pediatrician, told BI. "I would like to have accurate, personalized care. I would like to prevent bad things happening to me."

Women now make up the majority of Oura and Ultrahuman users (55% and 60%, respectively). Beyond sleep and fitness, a ring can use temperature to track a period — not a failsafe technique, but it's a non-invasive option to help people better plan when to have sex to conceive or avoid a pregnancy.

Nehal hasn't bought into the ring hype yet. In part, she says it's because the current rings are too "ugly" for her. But she also cautions consumers to maintain a "healthy skepticism" toward their wearables, and not take the data insights or recommendations as health gospel.

"Try to understand: who was this tested on? Who was this built for? How do you want to use it? Do you think this is a good way for what you want to know?" she said. "Recognize that when you buy a product, you are still in the driver's seat of deciding what to do with that information."

Having more at-home data on everyday health may prove useful, but it doesn't have to come from our fingers or wrists. Kraft said we can also harness health insights from cameras, voice recorders, and other easily accessible tech.

Ultrahuman founder and CEO Mohit Kumar imagines that his customers will use the Ring Air as an entry point into what can be a whole body and house health monitoring system, complete with a CGM for tracking blood sugar and a CO2 scrubber for cleaning the air.

Oura has recently partnered with CGM-maker Dexcom and inked a $96 million deal with the Department of Defense. Some US Army airmen have been trying out Oura rings in an attempt to optimize performance by helping make decisions about when they might need more rest, or a caffeine boost.

Medicare Advantage plan Essence Healthcare says it will start offering free Oura rings to seniors in 2025, in the hopes of reducing healthcare costs.

"If I see Mrs. Jones's resting heart rate went from 65 to 95 over the last month, and it's not just because she's been climbing stairs, it's when she's sleeping, boy, I might want to call and figure out what's going on cardiopulmonary-wise," Kraft said. "A lot of our healthcare issues, they show up in subtle ways weeks, months, or years early, and they're just not picked up on, they can't be picked on that short clinical visit — if you're lucky enough to have primary care doctor at all."

Smart ring vs smartwatch

Smart ring pros

• Small, inconspicuous, and unobtrusive
• Great for sleep tracking
• Long-lasting battery (~1 week)

Smart ring cons

• Not as ideal for sports like weightlifting or running; you can't track your pace, and it gets in the way when you're lifting weights
• Can't pick up a phone call or respond to a text
• Expensive

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make sure there is enough seating for all guests

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

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

Avoid creating a chaotic environment

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

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

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

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

Be cautious when serving alcohol

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

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

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

• This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Happy (early) holidays! If you're already thinking about what to do with money you might receive this season, perhaps follow this family's lead. They spent their $75,000 inheritance on a bucket list trip to South Africa. They say it helped them grieve.

On the agenda:

• For Generation Alpha, learning to read is becoming a privilege.
• How to pull off the quiet-luxury style, even if you're not rich.
• She stayed at an "otherworldly" Norwegian ice hotel. She'll never do it again.
• Inside the daily routine of a biohacker who wants to live to 150.

But first: A time to say thank you.

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Insider's app here.

This week's dispatch

Dip into your holiday cheer fund

Even as many Americans are dealing with tipping fatigue, the holiday season can be a time to thank the workers who make their lives easier — with a tip.

According to Bankrate's 2024 Tipping Culture Survey, which surveyed 2,445 US adults earlier this year, many Americans plan to tip their teachers, childcare providers, housekeepers, landscapers, and mail carriers.

Etiquette expert Nick Leighton told Business Insider that it's important to ask those in your community how much they intend to tip since a tip amount is "made up of a constellation of factors, including the nature and length of the relationship with a person and what's considered 'typical' in your area."

Still, if you're wondering how much to tip the people who've helped you all year, here's some general guidance.

Etiquette expert Diane Gottsman told BI that a good tip is typically how much you'd pay childcare providers, housekeepers, and lawn care professionals for a normal visit. However, it may not be legal for teachers and mail carriers to accept tips. Instead, thoughtful non-cash gifts may be more appropriate.

Why our kids can't read

There has never been a golden age for reading scores in America, but a report from last year has raised alarm bells. Reading performance among 13-year-olds has hit its lowest level since 2004, the report found.

Legislators and school districts are touting new, expensive reading programs to improve literacy rates. However, teachers and parents say that's still not helping kids discover the joy of reading. Families who can afford it are moving their kids to different schools or hiring tutors, driving a deeper societal wedge.

Inside the reading wars.

Luxury on the low

Quiet-luxury style is still in vogue. It's all about using high-quality, understated pieces to create chic, effortless looks that say, "I'm rich."

Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow nail the trend. Luckily, quiet luxury is easy to duplicate. A personal stylist shared the tips to keep in mind for achieving the look.

Don't go overboard with logos.

Iced out

Dana McMahan and her husband spent $475 for one night in a Norwegian hotel straight out of "Frozen." Staying in the lodge, McMahon writes, was a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience with an "otherworldly" glow.

But would she do it again? Absolutely not. As it turns out, sleeping on ice isn't the most comfortable arrangement.

An Arctic abode.

Biohacking and business

Every morning, longevity clinic co-owner Kayla Barnes-Lentz, 33, spends 2.5 hours biohacking. Her routine includes her first round of electromagnetic field therapy, a workout, sun exposure for her circadian rhythm, sauna time, a shower, and more — all before breakfast. Her goal is to live to 150.

Barnes-Lentz told BI that her longevity habits — many of which aren't fully scientifically proven — have helped her reverse her biological age by 11 years.

Her daily routine.

What we're watching this weekend

• "Virgin River": Netflix's drama series about a small town returned for season six this week.
• "Juror No. 2": Clint Eastwood's courtroom drama film is now streamable following a quiet theatrical release earlier this year.
• "Beast Games": YouTuber MrBeast's new game show kicked off this week on Prime Video, featuring 1,000 contestants vying for a hefty $5 million cash prize.

See the full list

What to shop

• Not too late to save on jewelry: Though it might be too late to get them for Christmas, Blue Nile's jewelry makes incredible gifts for yourself or a loved one. During its holiday sale, rings, bracelets, earrings, and more are up to 50% off.
• Actually comfy ankle boots: A good pair of ankle boots is versatile, comfortable, and durable. But not all pairs are created equal, so we've rounded up 17 styles to meet your needs, like waterproofing, affordability, and everyday wear.
• Avoid another price hike: YouTube TV will join the wave of streaming services raising prices next year. If you're planning a switch, these are some of the best alternatives to consider.

More of this week's top reads:

• Mark Cuban says 60 is the new 40. He follows 3 habits to stay youthful.
• BI's Rachel Hosie tried microtox: the antiaging treatment that smoothes without freezing the face.
• Ultraluxury hotel brands are turning to cruise ships and private jets.
• A gut-health scientist who trained as a chef shared her 2 easy, go-to breakfasts.
• A travel reporter stayed at one of the most expensive lodges next to the Serengeti National Park, where she fell asleep listening to lions roaring.
• The cancellation of 'Freaks and Geeks' broke Linda Cardellini's heart. It also taught her a valuable lesson.
• Review: The 6 best places to order last-minute Christmas dinner online in 2024.
• A Greek Mediterranean diet expert shared the best advice for Americans who want to eat better on a budget.

The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York City. Grace Lett, editor, in New York. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York. Amanda Yen, associate editor, in New York.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I figured out ways to alleviate pressure on myself

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

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

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

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

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

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

• In 2019, after relapsing multiple times, I stopped drinking.
• I was discharged and decided to treat Christmas Day as any other day, not to be pressured.
• I didn't have the urge to drink, and it was exactly what I needed.

November 10th, 2019, could have been my gravestone date, but it became my sobriety date instead.

It was my fourth and final detox from alcohol addiction; I had been caught in a cycle of repeated relapse for several years — this time, I had to make it work.

During my hospital admission, I naturally thought about the future and the next steps in my recovery. At that moment, the thought of Christmas filled me with dread.

The reality is that alcoholism makes you more and more insular, and I was desperately clinging on to the few people I had left. Knowing I was going to be spending Christmas alone for the first time felt like a punishment. It was the opposite.

The previous year, I blacked out

The previous Christmas Eve, I had been in the same hospital for a mental health crisis. While there's no question my drinking significantly exacerbated my mental state, at the time, I wasn't thinking about sobriety.

When I had been discharged earlier on Christmas Day, I went home and slept through the day. It had become routine: I would be kept overnight and discharged the following day after being seen by a psychiatric nurse. I woke up at about 7 p.m. to drink just enough to prevent having withdrawals and went back to bed. Truth be told, I don't remember anything between Christmas and New Year's Day, and it was the longest I'd ever blacked out.

This time around, I was discharged after an eight-day admission for detox, and my first priority was getting through my coming holiday without any alcohol.

I treated the day like a normal one

Two days before Christmas Day, I decided to treat it like any other day but make it extra special. I bought a chicken to roast, vegetables, and an extra nice dessert.

Because I was no longer drinking alcohol, my biggest dilemma was what I should drink. So I bought fizzy grape juice — like wine but without the alcohol. Every time I felt my anxieties rise about the big day, I told myself: "It's only a day, and it will be over before you know it."

What surprised me was that no one really asked me what I was doing for Christmas, which actually made it easier. In previous years, before my epic relapse, I was invited to my friend's house. His mother would come over from Paris; he'd cook pheasant and all the trimmings. However, this year, he and his mother were going to Switzerland for a skiing trip, leaving me out in the cold.

In my teens and 20s, I would go to my dad's place, which often involved him being drunk and passing out in the afternoon. This was not something I wanted to do, and it only served as a reminder of why I needed to stay sober.

Christmas can be anything you want

I realized that there was no "right way" to do Christmas. That was where a lot of the pressure came from — the traditions, the presents, the goodwill, and the expectations that come with it.

On the big day itself, I decided to do exactly what I wanted to do. I'd earned it after all the work I'd put into my sobriety the previous few weeks. I cooked my roast chicken with unconventional herbs and spices and had my gluten-free dessert and sparkling grape juice. I allowed myself to watch trash TV, which reminded me why I never habitually watched anything.

Unlike Christmases gone by, I didn't have to get up to go anywhere or even get dressed. Knowing there were no people involved eased my anxieties. There were no awkward conversations around the dinner table with relatives I only see at Christmas, big birthdays, or funerals. Nor did I have to down a bottle of wine to ensure there was enough alcohol in my system to get me through the day. This was my Christmas, and I did it my way. It turned out to be bliss.

Many people think the idea of spending Christmas on their own sounds lonely and unappealing. For me, spending Christmas alone is about taking responsibility. The alternative is that I would re-expose myself to triggers that contributed to my complex PTSD, which underpinned my alcohol addiction.

Now approaching my sixth sober solo Christmas, I'm looking forward to it.