The New York Times - Holiday Briefing: A day to celebrate

December 25, 2024

	By Natasha Frost and Gaya Gupta

Good morning, and happy holidays. Today’s newsletter celebrates cherished traditions on a special day.

A collection of little gnomes, mostly dressed in red, cover a side table in front of a lamp.

These little gnomes are part of a Swedish Christmas tradition. Ryan Lowry for The New York Times

A day for reflection and celebration

As a turbulent year draws to a close, we hope you will enjoy a few moments of peace and happiness today.

In this special edition of the Morning Briefing, we aim to bring some holiday spirit to your inbox. We’ll focus on the cheerful little heroes of Swedish folklore or the pleasure of Christmas ornaments, rather than what normally makes the headlines. (Well, we might have a little news below.)

For billions of people, today is about Christmas: Santa Claus (is yours as handsome as this guy?), a feast, carol singing, worship, the rewatching of festive classics. Take inspiration from a New York City bar and blast Mariah Carey’s holiday hit.

Perhaps you plan to light the menorah with loved ones for the first night of Hanukkah. (We have tips for making a D.I.Y. menorah.) If you relish latkes but are daunted by the prospect of dirty pans and umpteen potatoes, take this advice to heart: “The fun part is being at the table together. It doesn’t matter where the food came from.”

A few weeks ago, we asked readers about the traditions they are most looking forward to this year, and many of you wrote in. We’re featuring some of your thoughtful contributions in this special edition.

Enjoy your holiday traditions, however niche they may be. You don’t have to go for a walk, unless you really want to. If today is just another work day, take a few minutes to find calm. And if all you fancy is takeout and the pleasure of your own company, we toast to that, too.

Whatever today means to you, may it bring you joy. We’ll return to normal programming tomorrow.

Great holiday reads:

In Rochester, N.Y., it isn’t Christmas until the city shoots lasers at 20,000 crows.
An English city dressed up a statue as Santa Claus. Then it vanished.
This year, when two holidays fall on the same day, interfaith families are celebrating “Chrismukkah.”
A Filipino writer celebrates his heritage through the colorful star-shaped lanterns of his homeland.

IN BRIEF

The latest news

An illustration of a space probe aimed up at the sun against a dark background illuminated by rays of light

An illustration of the Parker Solar Probe headed to the sun. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Ben Smith

Space: NASA’s Parker Solar Probe attempted the closest-ever approach to the sun, slipping well into a stellar region that has never been explored.
Travel: American Airlines briefly grounded all its flights in the U.S. because of a “technical issue.”
Iran: The incoming Trump administration is debating how to approach Tehran — with openness to negotiations or with an attack on its nuclear program.
Netherlands: Five people were found guilty of public violence or incitement of public violence in relation to attacks targeting Israelis in Amsterdam last month.
Middle East: Israel said it shot down a missile that Houthi militants in Yemen fired after Israel’s defense minister threatened to “behead” the Houthi leadership.
Russia: A court sentenced Eugene Spector, a U.S. citizen, to 15 years in prison for espionage.
Belarus: As expectations grow for cease-fire talks over Ukraine, President Aleksandr Lukashenko appears to be trying to reboot his relations with the West.
Gaza: Christians huddled in churches to celebrate their second Christmas since the war began.
Elon Musk: The SpaceX C.E.O. is trying to make his own company town in Texas. He hopes to call it Starbase.

QUIZ TIME

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times, Chris Pizzello/Associated Press, Gurinder Osan/Associated Press, Katie Yu/FX

1. Can you name the four people pictured above?

2. Which phrase did Oxford University Press pick as its 2024 Word of the Year?

3. The novel “Orbital,” by Samantha Harvey, won this year’s Booker Prize. Where is it set?

4. Which country this year became NATO’s 32nd member?

5. What is the capital of Jordan?

6. What is a group of flamingos called?

7. What color took over the internet this summer, and where did it come from?

8. In Greek mythology, who angered the goddess Athena with her spinning prowess?

9. Which movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture this year?

10. How long is the longest baguette, which was made this year in France?

The answers to this quiz are at the end of this email.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

FROM OUR READERS

A family posing for a picture in front of a Christmas tree.

Alex Welsh for The New York Times

How do you spend the holidays?

We asked you to share your most treasured holiday traditions, old and new. Thank you to everyone who wrote in. Today, we’re featuring some of your responses.

Each year, I watch “Home Alone 3” on Christmas Eve with irrational glee. It was the first of the series that my father taped for me as a child, and I was shocked that it is the least well known of the franchise! I follow that up with “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Christmas Day. And at the crack of Boxing Day dawn, I sit down to catch the cricket. It’s my holy trinity. — Vijay Kannan, Bangalore, India

As kids, my mom would hide a pickle ornament on the tree after we went to sleep on Christmas Eve to decide who would get to open the first present the next morning. Now I’m 21 and my sister is 17, and I’m still looking forward to beating her at the pickle hunt. — Lauren Radicchi, Pawling, N.Y.

The Santa present opening (our youngest child is 28) is followed by Christmas swim in the Irish Sea (48 degrees Fahrenheit or 9 degrees Celsius) with the family, followed by a full Irish breakfast. — Joan Heelan, Dublin, Ireland

Years ago, I read about keeping important champagne corks from the year and writing the event, names or initials of people there, the location and date, and holding on to them. Once the tree is dressed we pop another bottle of champagne and read out all these celebrations. Tears and laughter flow. — Karen Eidsvik, Phuket, Thailand

Everyone in our extended family provides a list of 10 great things — large and small — from the past year for our Advent calendar. Through December, my husband and I get to read and celebrate these as we open each door. We had several significant deaths in our family this year, so it’s been even more poignant to reflect on all the good moments amid all the tough ones. — Elizabeth Lancaster, Prince Edward County, Canada

Tell us about your New Year’s resolutions: As we wrap up 2024, we’re asking readers about their most successful resolutions — the ones that changed their lives for the better. To share your thoughts, fill out this form.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Craig Lee for The New York Times

Drink: This Swedish mulled wine will fill your home with an extraordinary scent.

Read: Browse our pick of holiday romance novels.

Watch: “A Huey Freeman Christmas” continues what “A Charlie Brown Christmas” began.

Listen: Our pop critic recommends these 13 new holiday songs.

Play: Spelling Bee. And here are today’s Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. Happy holidays, and we’ll see you tomorrow. — Natasha and Gaya

The answers to the quiz are as follows: 1. From left to right: Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, Kendrick Lamar, Bashar al-Assad, Anna Sawai. 2. Brain rot. 3. In space. 4. Sweden. 5. Amman. 6. A flamboyance. 7. A bilious light green, from Charli XCX’s album “Brat.” 8. Arachne. 9. “Oppenheimer.” 10. 461 feet (140 meters).

Reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

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