【推荐1】For the holiday gathering, you may be wondering how you’re going to pull it off. Before we go into the specifics, a few words of general advice: You don’t have to throw the party your parents did.     1    

We talked to a party-planning expert, Miller. Here’s her advice on how to host a stress-free holiday gathering without losing your mind.

The best way to avoid being exhausted is to be prepared. Many seasoned hosts set their tables several days in advance. “Always pretend your event is a few days before.” Miller says.    3     She recommends cleaning the house, rounding up an extra dining chair and buying drinks a few days in advance.

Before you choose your menu, determine your serving style.     4     If you’ve got the space for it, a family-style meal — where people sit around a table and food is passed on big plates — can cut down on the need for complicated decorations. “Food can be part of the design, so you’re not going crazy with flowers or anything,” she says.

The pandemic has made takeout an option not only for family dinners, but also for entertaining, because many restaurants now offer specific holiday dinner dishes to take home.     5     “You can do a party with literally no cooking,” Ramos says. “I like to live in the in-between, but it’s up to you.” Time- and stress-savers include relying on make-ahead dishes.

【推荐3】When I was a kid, I really looked forward to all holidays.     1     A lot of delicious food, a lot of toys and the whole family in one place. I look forward to them even now, of course, as things have stayed pretty much the same, except that I don’t get toys anymore.

    2     We get filled with warmth knowing that everyone always has a place to go back to, no matter what part of the world their lives take them to. A lot of people prefer to chase their ambitions (追求他们的抱负), which is tiring and filled with stress.     3     It feels so good seeing someone after a long time and catching up on each other’s lives.

    4     It’s always been associated (联系) with a feeling of connection. Taking part in the preparation of a meal together with your family is such a worthy experience.     5     Also, you’ll enjoy it more knowing that everyone helps bring the food to the table. It brings smiles to our faces when we have that meal together. It’s also fun to help clean up the dishes when everyone’s full.

【推荐2】When was the last time you flew too high on a swing and lost your stomach, or burst out laughing so hard that you started crying? If it’s been awhile since you’ve had this kind of fun, you’re not alone.

A lot of us are still recovering from the habits formed in the past. And these days, events outside of our control are taking a serious effect on our health. Last fall, 76% of adults surveyed by the National Psychological Association said stress from various aspects has affected their health. They reported experiencing headaches, depression, nervousness and exhaustion.

But the antidote may be hiding in plain sight. Two recent books argue that making room for more fun in your life could balance out both the stress and the tendency to escape it.

In The Fun Habit: Hone The Disciplined Pursuit of Joy And Wonder Can Change Your Life, published in January, psychologist Mike Rucker makes the case that pursuit of fun experiences may be even more valuable than seeking the sometimes abstract goal of happiness. “Happiness is a state of mind,” Rucker writes. ”But fun is something you can do. It doesn’t require education, money or power. All it requires is intentionality. If happiness is a mirage (海市蜃楼), fun is your backyard oasis.”

And science journalist Catherine Price, author of The Power of Fun, published in 2021, has a similar view. “We really neglect fun and we are so casual and careless about how we use the word,” Price says, but it is “essential for our happiness and health.”

And fun can be so many things. Last year, when NPR asked readers to share what they’re really into, more than 1, 500 of you responded with a deliciously wide range of pursuits. Meanwhile, Price and Rucker presented much advice for ways to build more fun into your life.

【推荐1】“When one door of happiness closes, another opens. ”

“The best and most beautiful things in the world must be felt with the heart. ”

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. ”

Who will you think of when hearing these inspirational sayings? People consider deafness, blindness, and other disabilities as weaknesses but that is not often the case, and it certainly wasn’t the case for Helen Keller. When she was a child, she was described as a “Monster” by her family members, because she would lose her temper at any time, and always behave at will. All of that changed within a year and she transformed fully. She became one of the greatest inspirations that the world has ever seen, because she didn’t just change herself, even others.

This famous American author, was born on June 27th, 1880, in Alabama, America. She was born normal, with normal sight and hearing abilities. His father Arthur was a soldier of the Civil War. All was good until Helen had a rare disease called “Brain Fever”. She recovered from the disease but at the cost of her sight and hearing abilities.

This did not stop her from the amazing accomplishments she would achieve. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan helped her and made her increase the ability to communicate properly so that Helen graduated from college in 1904 and won many awards. She became one of the best humanitarians the world has seen, along with becoming the founder of the ACLU. Among her most famous books is The Story of My Life, The World I Live In, and The Open Door.

【推荐3】On 25 January each year, the national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns, is celebrated. Burns, born in 1759, became famous at the age of 25. His poetry went on to become famous around the world.

The poet died in 1796, aged just 37. Burns Night began five years later when his friends gathered on what would have been his birthday, to celebrate his life. The evening was held at Burns's former home, with events that are now traditions. These include a feast, where someone reads Burns's famous poem Address to a Haggis（a kind of sausage）. After supper there are poetry readings, Scottish dancing and singing, including Burns's song Auld Lang Syne.

This year, Burns Night was a bit different because of the spread of COVID-19. In Alloway, Scotland, a local radio presenter hosted a live webcast, The Burns Night In, at the house where Robert Burns was born. People across the world just enjoyed talks about the poet and Scottish music.

The Centre for Robert Burns Studies at the University of Glasgow invited 2, 500 clubs, schools, and universities in 150 countries to share their plans for Burns Night on social media. They used the information to make a map of the celebrations which stretched from Antarctica to South Korea.

"He's a poet who travels very well," said Pauline Mackay, a leading professor at Glasgow University. "He could write very seriously, but also with great humour," she explained, adding that the song Auld Lang Syne is all about friendship and unity.

In a slightly more unusual celebration, a Scottish butcher posted a short video online in which he attached a haggis to a weather balloon, flying to the edge of space. "After a year like no other, we wanted to kick off 2021 by lifting the spirits of the general public," he said.