【推荐1】Many of us believe that all foreigners celebrate Thanksgiving. But this is simply not true. Only the US and Canada mark the day – and they do so on two different dates.

Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November in the US. This year, Thanksgiving in the US falls on Nov 21. But, in Canada, the festival has always been on the second Monday of October, the season for maple (枫叶).

There is, however, some debate as to when Canada’s first Thanksgiving actually happened. Some claim it started in 1578 when English explorer Martin Frobisher landed in the Canadian Arctic. But others believe it was created by French navigator (航海家) Samuel de Champlain in 1604, who liked to keep his crew happy by throwing harvest parties.

Either way, the Canadian version of Thanksgiving isn’t as big a deal as it is in the US. “It is,” according to Sara Levasseur at McGill Daily, “less noticeable, like many Canadian things”. It’s basically just a simple holiday, little more than a celebration of the harvest.

There are no presidential pardons (总统特赦) of turkeys, no parades and no American football. It is “celebrated most typically with a plentiful stuffed-turkey meal and other seasonal indulgences (当季美食), as well as a genuine appreciation for all that Canada has to offer”, said HuffPost.

“Canada’s Thanksgiving is often seen as a time to simply relax and eat good food,” Levasseur writes. “It is more of a subtle (微妙的) feeling, like long drives home on tree-lined roads. It’s the feeling of home.”

【推荐2】Many people say that they have seen creatures such as yetis and mermaids. However, the existence of these creatures has never been proven. Despite this, these creatures frequently appear as characters in literature, films and television programmes. Below are some of the most well-known mythical creatures, which you may talk about when telling bedtime stories.

Yetis: There are many stories about sightings of a large, hairy creature that lives in the snow-covered mountains of the Himalayas. It is said to resemble a giant ape and walk like a man. Many scientists have visited the Himalayas in search of this giant creature, and though they have never seen a yeti, many people claim to have seen huge footprints in the snow. Due to the cold and dangerous conditions in the mountains, it is impossible for humans to explore there for long, so it is difficult to know what creatures may live there. See also Bigfoot a similar creature from North America.

Phoenixes: The phoenix is a bird that is said to be the size of an eagle and to have colourful feathers. Many stories report that the phoenix lives a long life and that once it grows old it will make a nest and set itself on fire. After the phoenix’s body has been consumed by the flames, it will be born again from the ashes. It is thought to represent the Sun, which sets every evening and rises again each morning. Stories of the phoenix are found in countries throughout Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Mermaids: A mermaid is a creature that lives in the sea. The upper part of a mermaid’s body is human while the lower part is a fish’s tail. Stories of mermaids have been around for thousands of years and exist in many cultures. In British stories, mermaids are often portrayed as evil creatures that give sailors false information leading to their deaths. There are, however, many stories showing mermaids as beautiful creatures that help humans at sea. Some people believe stories of mermaids were made up by sailors who saw sea mammals such as dolphins.

【推荐2】One of the best ways to practice forgiveness is with the REACH method. REACH stands for Recall, Empathize (移情), Altruistic (利他的) gift, Commit and Hold.     1    

Recall, The first step is to recall the wrongdoing in an objective way. The goal is not to think of the person in a negative light, but to come to a clear understanding of the wrong that was done.     2     Don’t push aside anything, especially if it makes you feel angry or upset.

Empathize. Try to understand the other person’s point of view regarding why he or she hurt you, but don’t minimize the wrong that was done. Sometimes the wrongdoing was not personal, but due to something the other person was dealing with.     3     They often don’t think clearly when they hurt others, and they just lose control.

Altruistic gift. This step is about addressing your own shortcomings. Recall a time when you treated someone unkindly and were forgiven.     4     Recognizing this helps you realize that forgiveness is an altruistic gift that you can give to others.

Commit. Commit yourself to forgiveness. For instance, write about your forgiveness in a journal or a letter that you don’t send or tell a friend.

Hold. Finally, hold on to your forgiveness. This step is tough because memories of the event will often happen again. Forgiveness is not erasure (消除).     5     When bad feelings arise, remind yourself that you have forgiven and finally you want good for the offender.

【推荐3】Knowing How and When to Say Sorry Can Build Better Friendship

Have you ever argued with a friend and said or done something you regretted?     1    . Knowing how to apologize can help you become friends again and to understand why you fell out in the first place.

Why do we argue?

We argue for all kinds of reasons. For example, you might think your football team is fantastic, but your friend disagrees, or you don’t want someone to join in your game. Sometimes, especially if you are angry, things can become out of control, and you’ll say or do something you regret.     2    . But it’s important to resolve your differences afterwards so bad feelings don’t get worse. This is where an apology can help.

What does saying sorry mean?

We all make mistakes, and apologizing is a way of admitting we’ve got something wrong and will try not to do it again.     3     . An apology needs to show the other person that you are genuinely sorry, you accept responsibility for your actions, and that you want their forgiveness.

    4    ?

Sometimes another person may pressure you into taking the blame when it has nothing to do with you. If you feel this is happening, try talking about why you argued in the first place and explain how it made you feel. If you still can’t agree, you could ask a parent or teacher to help you resolve the problem.

Does apologizing always work?

A genuine apology is a magic word. It may take time for someone to understand and forgive.     5    . But you can feel good about trying to fix things and promising yourself to do better next time.