1 . From classic films like The Lion King to new Marvel and Star Wars series, the service has a lengthy list of worthy content. Look through the list of movies you can watch on Disney.

As the McCallister family take off for Paris for the holiday season, they accidentally leave their eight-year-old son Kevin at home alone at Christmas. While he’s left behind, the house is targeted by 2 robbers, Harry Lyme and Marv Merchants, who have just come out of prison. Kevin is left to take care of himself and defend his house.

Following the original Disney classic, the film follows everybody in the castle as they prepared for Christmas back when they were still under the spell(魔咒). Told by Mrs.Potts, we see what happened after Beast saved Belle from the wolves and they celebrated Christmas.

The Charlies are ready for a great Christmas in Palm Springs. However, Teddy and Amy are separated from the rest of the family and madly try to find a way to Palm Springs in time for Christmas. In the end, the family are reunited and learn a lesson about the true meaning of Christmas.

One of Frozen’s breakout characters Olaf, the snowman, has his very own adventure as he sets out on a mission to create Christmas traditions for Elsa and Anna.

2 . I was at a new school in a new state and needed something solid to stand on: a place to feel grounded. I also needed to do laundry, so I walked to a nearby self-service laundry and stuffed a machine with my clothes. As I struggled to close the washer door, the woman working behind the counter told me to give it a good hit with my hand. The washer did its job, yet even after an hour, the dryer seemed to have barely warmed my clothes. I left, having decided to air-dry them on my car in the August heat.

A month later, I learned her name was Sandy, which she told me after I’d helped her stop a washing machine from moving across the floor. I was grading poems at a table when one of the washers broke loose and skipped an inch into the air. I jumped to the machine and held on while she unplugged it. The next week, Sandy told me dryer No. 8 was the fastest.

It went on like this. I’d do laundry once a week, usually Thursday or Friday. Sandy worked Tuesday through Saturday and we’d talk small while I folded clothes. She told me about her son and his grades, as well as the new dog they’d just adopted. She was fascinated that I was studying poetry. She teased (开玩笑) that it was harder making a living as a poet than as a laundry attendant. Even then I knew she was probably right.

I began to recognize others there: workers taking breaks by the door, a mother and her baby, and even some delivery drivers. But Sandy was the center of my community. For nearly three years and almost every week, I’d do laundry and talk with her. We checked on each other, expecting the other to be there. We asked where the other had gone when we missed a week. There was a note of concern for the other’s absence, a note of joy at their return.

I’d found a place to stand on solid ground.

4 . At the hillside of the Emei Mountain in Sichuan, a homestay (民宿) — My Own little Yard (吾家小院) is attracting travelers from far and wide, especially on weekends. The owners of the homestay are a couple in their late 30s who decided to return to their hometown three years ago. Li Xiumei used to be in charge of a small company in Chengdu, and her husband was a sales director. It was an ordinary situation where Li’s husband was on business trips a lot and Li worked overtime on weekends. City life sometimes is not easy.

In 2020, they quit (辞掉) jobs and went back to their village, where there were plenty of homestays around their old countryside house coming into their sight. Stepping onto every balcony of every homestay, they could see the beautiful scenery of the Emei Mountain. More importantly, the villagers have earned a lot of money without entering cities to be peasant-workers, which impressed the couple most.

The couple began to rebuild their old countryside house, which was updated to have a hall, a tea room, a kitchen, and a dining room. Japanese cherry trees were planted in the east courtyard. A swimming pool was placed in the west courtyard, with a bar located on one side.

Li and her husband love gardening and music, and their new home gives them enough space to continue their interests and relax in the heart of nature. Li wants to share the quiet country life, so she makes her new home a homestay. During the summer holiday in 2023, their My Own little Yard — homestay became an online hit after guests shared their experiences on social media.

5 . Who says you have to stay indoors when the temperatures drop? Here are favourite places to explore this winter.

Athens, Greece

In Athens, every November temperatures stay around the mid-20s, so’ have a trip to the Parthenon and Acropolis. A full afternoon is also necessary for exploring the Museum of Cycladic Art and its exhibitions—recently it has hosted Picasso’s.

Edinburgh, UK

Yes, it’s probably going to be freezing cold. Hot coffee steams up in a pleasing, romantic fashion in cafes. People can take a few minutes’ walk from the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

For simple Scottish dishes there’s neighbourhood inn, the Little Chartroom. And the Sheep Heid Inn has been long enough to have served Mary Queen of Scots. In the eight bedrooms at the 18th century Rock House, each is a mixture of ancient details and current fashion.

Valletta, Malta

Flights from the UK to Malta’s capital are only around £30, making it one of the best destinations for a November trip. This tiny city has a temperature of 17 or so and has changed itself into a year-round city break with artistic cafes, hotels and newly opened galleries—Muza opened last year and houses the former National Gallery collection.

8 . Istanbul & Faces

Titled “Timeless City: Istanbul & Faces”, the Turkey photography exhibition celebrates the 30th anniversary of Istanbul and Shanghai’s sistership. The 42­year­old photographer focuses on the distinctive (独特的) historical quarters and the atmosphere that spreads in Istanbul. His work also pays respects to its people as well, with well­defined portraits.

Date: Till Jan. 18, 10 a.m.—4 p.m.   Venue: Shanghai Art Collection Museum.

Knitted Works

The knitted (编织的) show is aimed at raising awareness of post natal depression. The works were created by more than 20 mothers from different cities. All the knitted dolls and other works will be sold with the profits (利益) going to charity when the exhibition ends. If you are interested in the knitted works, you can order a special piece.

Date: Till Jan. 1, 7 a.m.—9 p.m.   Venue: B1 Jinxiu Fun.

Old Shanghai Teahouse

The newly­opened zone at Shanghai Dungeon features nostalgic sets and experiences for visitors to have “scary fun”. Visitors can wear traditional Chinese costumes and take photos with the performers.

Date: Daily, 11 a.m.—8 p.m.   Venue: Mosaic Shanghai Mail.

Musical Titanic

The Tony Awards winning musical “Titanic” is in Shanghai with more than 100 characters cast. The impressive stage effects promise to take the audience to the bottom of the ocean.

Date: Till Jan. 22, 2 p.m.—7:30 p.m.   Venue：SAIC Shanghai Culture Square.

9 . Over the last century, engineers all over the world have spared no effort to achieve the unachievable in bridge design.

Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge

No bridge is as long as the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in the world. The 164.8-kilometre-long bridge built in 2011 in China serves as part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The trip from Ningbo to Jiaxing that previously took 4.5 hours has been reduced to two, thanks to this bridge.

Rio-Niterói Bridge

Completed in 1974, the Rio-Niterói Bridge in Brazil is the second-longest bridge in all of Latin America connecting the cities of Rio and Niterói across the Guanabara Bay. The Rio-Niterói Bridge is technically known as a “box-girder (箱形梁)” bridge, made of special concrete. It receives an astonishing 140,000 (or more) vehicles per day.

Hartland Covered Bridge

The Hartland Covered Bridge is the world’s longest covered bridge. The 1,282-foot-long bridge was opened in 1901 and has been on Canada’s list of National Historic Sites since 1980. Although it was originally built without a roof, the bridge was capped with wooden materials during the repairs in 1921.

Jiaozhou Bay Bridge

The newly-built Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China was named “world’s longest bridge over water” by Guinness Book of World Records in 2011, a title previously held by the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The dispute was settled when the title of “longest continuous bridge over water” was given to the causeway, with the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge receiving the title of “longest bridge over water”.

10 . When you’re sitting in class or behind your desk waiting for the clock to strike a time when you can go home, it is natural that the mind can wander (漫游) a bit. It is common for your mind to wander to a vacation and even travel the world. What if there is a way that you can travel the world without having to pay any money?

A person that managed to make it around the world without spending much was Shantanu Starick. How did he trade off his service? Starick realized that as a photographer he had a service that people would usually be willing to pay money for, but he would instead offer his photography service to anyone who could provide him with food, shelter and transportation. Starick has been traveling for a surprising 30 months and has visited countries ranging from the United States to Ecuador.

In English-speaking countries, trading off service and communicating aren’t difficult for Starick. However, in more far areas where there isn’t an English-speaking person in sight it can be quite difficult. More than anything locals appreciate (欣赏) the effort behind trying to speak their language, even if you don’t exactly sound like a native speaker.

You can do it too!

Honestly, with a bit of confidence, drive and a skill you can trade, you’ll be able to do exactly the same as Starick.

Start thinking about what you can do to get around the world without paying money. With our social networks and the connectivity our world has, you can easily connect with and market yourself to people across the world without any effort.