It is once again that scary time of the year when the sun becomes rarer and the weather begins to drop steadily until we’d rather stay in doors than face nature.
Depending on where you live, winter can be grueling even when indoors, so it’s important to prepare your home against the incoming snow and freezing weather. Popular Science compiled a list of things everyone should do in order to “winterize” their homes and face the freezing weather with as much comfort as possible. Check out five of the most useful tips:
It’s best to check your heating system before winter begins, that way you can make the necessary repairs with time and avoid paying extra for situations where it becomes an emergency. Check your heating unit and make sure that the filters are changed, and it’s been serviced recently.
Take advantage of the sun
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If you have a window that gets a good amount of sunlight, take advantage of those sunny days and open your drapes in order to let the sunlight in.
Complicated pipes can become a very expensive problem so it’s important to check them regularly to see if they’re insulated, especially if you’re in an area where it gets really cold. In order to avoid bursting pipes you should keep the heat on inside the house at a low setting, even when you’re outside.
Sealing up all of the leaks in your house will help your thermostat and heater work better. In the case of windows, you can seal them with window insulation film which will make your house warmer and is also very cheap. Draft blockers are also a simple solution for doors and windows, keeping heat inside the house and preventing cold drafts from rushing in.
By reversing the direction of the fan in your house, you’ll help the building stay warmer. The fan will absorb the cold air and push heated air towards you and whoever is in your house. It’s weird but it’s science.
At the beginning of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the green, pot-bellied, feline-faced Grinch is a bitter, foul-tempered misanthrope whose heart is “two sizes too small.” In the middle of the story, he plots to steal all the Christmas gifts in Whoville and toss them from a cliff. At the end, having learned that stealing the presents does not destroy the Whos’ fellowship and joy, he begins to see the deeper meaning of the holiday. He has a change of heart, and when he returns their gifts, his heart grows three sizes.
As a physician, I know that heart size matters. Having always assumed that bigger muscles are better muscles, in medical school I was surprised to learn that cardiomegaly, the medical term for a large heart, is in fact a sign of disease – most commonly an indicator of heart failure, a condition that afflicts nearly 6 million U.S. adults. The heart gets bigger because, as its ability to pump blood begins to decline, it allows its muscle fibers to be stretched more, like a spring, in order to recoil with greater force.
Of course, when Dr. Seuss described the size of the Grinch’s heart, he did not have in mind a medical condition. Instead he was indicating a metaphorical failure of the heart, an organ which has often been regarded as the center of affection and the seat of goodness. But just who was this “Dr.” Seuss, how did he come to be writing and illustrating children’s books, and what was he trying to get across in his strange little tale about the people of Whoville and their delightfully diabolical nemesis, the Grinch?
Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss, also known as Theodor Seuss Geisel, was the son of Henrietta (née Seuss) and Theodor Geisel. Born in Massachusetts in 1904, he graduated from Dartmouth College and then attended Oxford University. Working for a time as an illustrator for popular magazines and advertising campaigns, he also produced films for the U.S. Army. He published his first children’s book in 1937, and it was 20 years later that “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” first appeared.
Geisel’s 60-plus books have sold over 650 million copies and been translated into at least 17 languages, making him one of the best-selling children’s authors of all time. In addition, his characters have spawned television shows, films and a Broadway musical. Though Geisel left Oxford before receiving his degree, in 1956 Dartmouth awarded him an honorary doctorate, legitimizing “Dr. Seuss.” In 2012, it named its medical school the Geisel School of Medicine.
The Grinch
The 1966 television adaptation, which featured Boris Karloff as both the narrator and the voice of the Grinch, included the song, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
The Grinch’s heart figures prominently in the lyrics, which include the lines, “Your heart’s an empty hole,” “Your heart’s a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots,” and “Your heart is full of unwashed socks.” The book offers some clues as to how the Grinch’s heart came to be in such sorry shape.
Perhaps drawing on Charles Dickens’ portrait of Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol,” Seuss paints a creature who has been living in near-complete isolation for many years – in the Grinch’s case, 53 years atop a lonely cliff overlooking the town. Every year, he observes the people of Whoville celebrating the holiday, and the sounds of bells ringing and the singing of Christmas carols has become positively unbearable to him.
Like Scrooge, who considers Christmas a “humbug,” the Grinch believes that the festive spirit of the holiday is a mere fraud, a thin veneer of rejoicing that can be easily ripped away by depriving the Whos of the trimmings of the season. To his surprise, however, relieving them of all the gifts they give and hope to receive does not dampen their holiday cheer. Even after waking to find no presents under the tree, they join together in a joyous Christmas song.
The message
Instead of destroying the spirit of the holiday by stripping away its trappings, the Grinch, to his surprise, ends up purifying and amplifying it. In doing so, he echoes the sentiments of his creator, who at the age of 53 was brushing his teeth one 26th of December and “noticed a very Grinch-ish countenance in the mirror. It was Seuss! So I wrote about my sour friend, the Grinch, to see if I could rediscover something about Christmas that obviously I’d lost.”
The idea that the Christmas holiday has built up so many commercial accretions that its essential meaning has become obscured is not a new one. Nearly 500 years ago, the reformist theologian John Calvin famously wrote that, because the birth memorialized in Christmas is of the utmost importance, earthly things – “all enjoyments, all honors, all things desirable” – must not be allowed to supersede its holy meaning. Genuine celebration is impossible unless it is focused on the real cause for joy.
Geisel, the grandson of four German immigrants whose upbringing was steeped in Lutheranism, knew this tradition well. What matters most about Christmas is not the merchandise in the shops or the presents under the tree, but what is in the heart of the those who rejoice in the true meaning of the holiday – the idea that generosity and love pulse at the very core of creation, and that it is in acknowledging what we have received that we open up ourselves up fully to sharing and fellowship.
To be sure, we can do a lot to promote cardiac health by avoiding smoking, maintaining physical fitness, and eating right. But when we talk about undergoing a change of heart or getting our heart in the right place, we have in mind more than a biological pump that needs fuel. We are talking about what it means to be human, who we are as human beings, and what kind of people we are aspiring to become. As the Grinch discovers, a fully human life is possible only for those whose hearts are big and full.
Move over Rockefeller Center. After tallying all the votes, the winner of our ‘Let It Glow Christmas Blitz‘ contest was Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. And we did our research. It turns out homeowners in the Dyker Heights neighborhood have an unspoken competition for whose house is most LIT.
In honor of its Fresh Toast win and holiday spirit, here are the five Dyker Heights homes in Brooklyn with the brightest Christmas cheer on Instagram.
One way to get through a large gathering of relatives, cheek pinches, politics at the table, prezzies for days and kids awaiting Santa Claus is to get pretty baked before the party. Just don’t overdo it, and if you do accidentally eat too much of that edible you’ve been saving for just such an occasion, here’s how to handle your high self.m
First of all, do some calm self talk. Not panicky, fast paced self-talk that amps you up and increases paranoia, but the kind where you’re gentle with yourself. Remind yourself that pot has never, ever, ever killed anyone and that this too shall pass. Remember that you signed up for the experience and you might as well enjoy it.
So the Elf on a Shelf is staring you down? Look away. Try to keep your eyeballs open and elevated to still make eye contact. If anyone comments on your blazed eyes, just blame it on a tree allergy and if the tree is fake say you were up all night with Santa getting this party together. No matter what you say, brush it off.
Now if there are relatives there who are well aware of your pot use and either approve or disapprove, here’s how to navigate any backhanded comments: laugh, not too loud, not too soft, just a sincere chuckle and maybe a “you’re just jealous,” in a fun way. The smartest thing is to let go of little jabs and keep the party focused on the spirit of the holiday.
Another way to handle it if there’s kids around is to immerse yourself into being the fun aunt or uncle. Play games, hide and seek, UNO, find a special ornament or, if you’re lucky enough to have a white Christmas, bundle everyone up and go into the yard to make a snowman to greet Santa and his reindeer. The fresh air will do you good, as will the massive distraction.
Do feel free to stuff your face. Don’t be gross, but eat to your heart’s content. The munchies are great in a too high situation when there’s a spread of food that fills a table. Then again, if your Christmas is more of a low key gathering of select family and friends, just remember the self-talk, to breathe normally and deeply and to remember that it only lasts a few hours. No matter how high you get at Christmas, it’s likely you’ve been as high if not higher before: you’ve got this.
Christmas is a competition. Moms compete with one another to see who can deliver the best gift to their families while the men try to drink each other under the table. Or is that just how it goes with my family?
Anyways, one of the other Christmas competitions that have brewed in recent years is that of the light show. Families have went insane with how intricate and brilliant some of their light displays have become. You wonder just where does one find the time?
The best, undoubtedly, involve a music show of sorts. A popular song in the culture corresponds with the lights on display, flashing colors synchronizing to the beat and lyrics of the track.
In honor of the holiday season, we thought we’d share some of our favorites.
All snowflakes are unique, but they still all fall into 35 categories of shapes. The shape we associate with flakes the most are “plane crystals.”
Remember when precious snowflakes were something other than an insult on internet forums? Let’s take a moment to appreciate these tiny artworks that fall from the sky.
First, let’s learn how snowflakes form, from the Why Files:
“Snow forms when water vapor in the air drops below the freezing point, and the vapor loses an amount of energy called the ‘heat of crystallization.’ A similar process forms ice, except that the water is a solid, not a vapor… Because of the geometry of bonds between water molecules, snow flakes are all based on hexagons. Still, depending on temperature and humidity, the bonding can result in any number of shapes. And since conditions can change as the flake gets bounced around in a cloud, one shape can change into another.”
All snowflakes are unique, but they still all fall into 35 categories of shapes. The shape we associate with flakes the most are “plane crystals.”
Now that you know a little more about the icy crystals you’re catching on your tongue, check out these examples of snowflake photography. Where would you rate each of them?
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Super-macro snowflakes barely look real. 4/10 because we’re not sure if it is real at all.
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Snowflakes or sugar? Hard to say. For artistic interpretation, however, it gets a 6/10.
One of the world’s most famous Christmas carols, “Silent Night,” celebrates its 200th anniversary this year.
Over the centuries, hundreds of Christmas carols have been composed. Many fall quickly into obscurity.
Not “Silent Night.”
Translated into at least 300 languages, designated by UNESCO as a treasured item of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and arranged in dozens of different musical styles, from heavy metal to gospel, “Silent Night” has become a perennial part of the Christmas soundscape.
Its origins – in a small Alpine town in the Austrian countryside – were far humbler.
The song’s lyrics were originally written in German just after the end of the Napoleonic Wars by a young Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr.
In the fall of 1816, Mohr’s congregation in the town of Mariapfarr was reeling. Twelve years of war had decimated the country’s political and social infrastructure. Meanwhile, the previous year – one historians would later dub “The Year Without a Summer” – had been catastrophically cold.
The eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Tambora in 1815 had caused widespread climate change throughout Europe. Volcanic ash in the atmosphere caused almost continuous storms – even snow – in the midst of summer. Crops failed and there was widespread famine.
Mohr’s congregation was poverty-stricken, hungry and traumatized. So he crafted a set of six poetic verses to convey hope that there was still a God who cared.
“Silent night,” the German version states, “today all the power of fatherly love is poured out, and Jesus as brother embraces the peoples of the world.”
A fruitful collaboration
Mohr, a gifted violinist and guitarist, could have probably composed the music for his poem. But instead, he sought help from a friend.
In 1817, Mohr transferred to the parish of St. Nicholas in the town of Oberndorf, just south of Salzburg. There, he asked his friend Franz Xaver Gruber, a local schoolteacher and organist, to write the music for the six verses.
On Christmas Eve, 1818, the two friends sang “Silent Night” together for the first time in front of Mohr’s congregation, with Mohr playing his guitar.
The song was apparently well-received by Mohr’s parishioners, most of whom worked as boat-builders and shippers in the salt trade that was central to the economy of the region.
The melody and harmonization of “Silent Night” is actually based on an Italian musical style called the “siciliana” that mimics the sound of water and rolling waves: two large rhythmic beats, split into three parts each.
In this way, Gruber’s music reflected the daily soundscape of Mohr’s congregation, who lived and worked along the Salzach River.
‘Silent Night’ goes global
But in order to become a worldwide phenomenon, “Silent Night” would need to resonate far beyond Oberndorf.
According to a document written by Gruber in 1854, the song first became popular in the nearby Zillertal valley. From there, two traveling families of folk singers, the Strassers and the Rainers, included the tune in their shows. The song then became popular across Europe, and eventually in America, where the Rainers sang it on Wall Street in 1839.
At the same time, German-speaking missionaries spread the song from Tibet to Alaska and translated it into local languages. By the mid-19th century, “Silent Night” had even made its way to subarctic Inuit communities along the Labrador coast, where it was translated into Inuktitut as “Unuak Opinak.”
The lyrics of “Silent Night” have always carried an important message for Christmas Eve observances in churches around the world. But the song’s lilting melody and peaceful lyrics also reminds us of a universal sense of grace that transcends Christianity and unites people across cultures and faiths.
Perhaps at no time in the song’s history was this message more important than during the Christmas Truce of 1914, when, at the height of World War I, German and British soldiers on the front lines in Flanders laid down their weapons on Christmas Eve and together sang “Silent Night.”
The song’s fundamental message of peace, even in the midst of suffering, has bridged cultures and generations. Great songs do this. They speak of hope in hard times and of beauty that arises from pain; they offer comfort and solace; and they are inherently human and infinitely adaptable.
So, happy anniversary, “Silent Night.” May your message continue to resonate across future generations.
The ability to work from home can feel like a blessing or a curse, depending on you mood. While it’s nice to have freedom and the opportunity to create your own schedule, this lack of structure can also make the simplest tasks drag on forever. Working from home may be comfortable, but it’s also a situation that’s potentially filled with all sorts of distractions, ranging from your TV to a book on your nightstand.
Now that Christmas is around the corner, many office workers are presented with the chance to work from home. For those newbies, and veterans, honestly working from home never gets any easier, here are five tips that can help you be as productive as possible:
The key word here is strict, because you should still take advantage of your schedule’s flexibility. As you work from home try to have a set window for lunch time and for short break, allowing you to get some distance from the work and return with more motivation. It’s also important to maintain your sleep and work out schedules, trying to ensure that you have a routine. Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean that you’ll have to spend the entire day i doors. It’s actually very encouraged to leave your house.
To-do lists are great, making you put things down to paper and helping you visualize your short term and long term objectives. Making a list will help you stay focused and remind you of all the stuff you have to do, avoiding distractions and making you feel accomplished when you get something done.
On your to-do list, highlight the tasks that matter most and that you need to get done as soon as possible. It may feel like you’re staying busy and accomplishing things when you start to do the simpler tasks but the reality is that, at some point, you’re gonna have to do the demanding and annoying work you’ve been avoiding. Prioritize it, get it over and done with, and then complete the less demanding work. Prioritizing will boost your productivity and help you save some time.
Promising to work for three hours straight sounds daunting and really hard. Distractions and boredom are inevitable so try to be realistic and commit yourself to 30 minute of work where you won’t check your phone or email and where you’ll steer clear of social media. This small window of time will allow you to get work done fast and efficiently. You can even reward yourself afterwards by taking a walk, having something to eat, or looking at some videos. If it works for kids why shouldn’t it work for you?
When you feel like you’re trapped and lonely and like you can’t get any work done, then it’s time to leave the house. Take a walk or take your work to a coffee shop or a library. Sometimes changing your environment is all you need to get some motivation.
Often referred to as the “Aussie”, the Australian Shepherd actually originated in America in the 19th century. The breed gained its popularity as a herding dog in the rodeo circuit and amongst the Western cowboys. Agile, medium-sized with a penetrating gaze, the Australian Shepherd comes in a variety of different colors, including merle, and sometimes will have incredibly light blue eyes.
Here we gaze into five of the deepest blue-eyed Australian Shepherds of Instagram.
Let’s get one thing straight from the get-go: Movies are almost always better under an influence. Especially during the holidays, when there’s so many themed drinks and parties to go around. But sometimes it is great to kick back, chill and catch a flick. To help, here are 7 Christmas moves which are better when high.
But some are better than others. And now that the season is in full swing, you might be feeling a little down—totally normal, totally treatable with the help of cannabis if you so choose, but definitely conducive to vegging out with a movie marathon now and again.
A Christmas Story
Apparently there are people left who have never seen A Christmas Story. Somehow, this cult-film classic has slipped under the cultural radar for some. How that’s possible, when fishnet leg lamps are sold everywhere, is beyond us. But if this is your first time watching A Christmas Story, you are lucky enough to view it in a time when getting high in your own home is easier than ever—so bake a pan of brownies and get cozy.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Twenty-three years later, Tim Burton’s stop-motion masterpiece holds up. Disney wanted to do a few sequels of it, in typical Hollywood milk-a-franchise-forever style, but Burton refused. Watch this one knowing it’s the rare instance of creative integrity winning over dollars in Hollywood.
Scrooged
Tread carefully with this one: Getting too blazed and watching Scrooged is a bad move, and will surely send you into an existential crisis about your past and future selves. Hitting the sweet spot, however, is recommended for maximum Bill Murray enjoyment.
Ernest Saves Christmas
With 80’s treasure John Cherry as the most obnoxious yet likeable character, this one’s a must-watch if only for the nostalgia feels. It just so happens that you can watch the whole thing on Youtube, lucky you:
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
We can’t forget about the Griswolds. They’ve taken us on a Vegas trip, a cross-country road trip, a European vacation, and a few spin-off adventures, but the Christmas one is a classic. Read up on some weird trivia, hit the bong, and pop in that VHS tape.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Think you’re too grown up for Muppets? Please. We need some silliness before this year closes its god-awful tab, and this one brings it.
Die Hard
This is undebatably a Christmas flick, but people find ways to debate it anyway. If you’re one of the Die Hard yule-deniers, give it another try high, and please report back on whether the whole thing is an ode to goodwill toward men. Except all the men Bruce Willis shoots. Not those men.
