My mother recently asked me to make some Christmas cookies from her childhood. They're called spritz cookies, which comes from the German word for "squirt." (Lovely.) To get these dainty little almond-flavored delicacies right, we had to acquire a cookie press. The press feeds the dough through a shaped plate, and is supposed to give you intricate shapes at the press of a button. Now, anyone who spends time in a kitchen knows baking gadgets don't always live up to their promises, so I had absolutely no expectations. I mixed and tinted the dough, fed it into the tube … and by goodness, it WORKED! Rarely does one scream in their kitchen like they're watching their team win on a walk-off grand slam, but the little pats of dough spritzing out of the tube were so enchanting I couldn't help myself. They baked into perfect cookies, and we all got to indulge in a sweet memory. Aren't they pretty? ![]() What's your favorite holiday tradition? No matter your faith, culture or who you choose to call family, I want to hear what little things you do that help you feel surrounded by love and warmth this time of year. (Please try to keep them brief! We want to read and enjoy as many as possible!)
If there's something you'd like to see here, shoot us an email. Know someone who could use a little Good Stuff? Send them a copy! We hope you love it as much as we do. Our favorites this week Get going with some of our most popular good news stories of the week ![]() Lonely no more ![]() The Vitals
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![]() Raise a glass to... ![]() Two women who made football history! Callie Brownson, the chief of staff for the Cleveland Browns, became the first woman to be a position coach for an NFL team during last Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That makes Brownson the highest-ranking female coach in league history. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt University's Sarah Fuller (above) became the first woman to play in the Power Five Conference and the first woman to officially take the field during an SEC football game last weekend. While talking to CNN's Anderson Cooper, Fuller had a message for young women looking to blaze trails like hers: "You can't expect it to be easy. It's never going to be a straight shot." ![]() You gotta see this ![]() Well, THAT is an interesting Christmas ornament! Amanda McCormick, who lives in Coromandel Valley near Adelaide in southern Australia, came home to find a koala bear hanging out in her (very sturdy) Christmas tree. When she called a local koala rescue organization, the bemused operator thought it was a prank call! Despite looking quite at home among the branches, the young female koala was safely removed to a more appropriate, yet less festive, locale. ![]() Heroes among us ![]() When Bethany Moultry turned 6 in August, she had something particularly special on her birthday list. She wanted to help homeless people through this difficult time, and care packages seemed like the perfect idea. She and her mother Colleen Moultry launched "Bethany's Happy Bags for the Homeless" on Facebook, created an Amazon wishlist and partnered with local homeless shelters in Georgia. Each bag contained a handwritten note from Bethany as well as essential items homeless people need like beef sticks, first aid, toiletries, masks, Gatorade and more. The initiative went Facebook viral in October, and now students across the country are volunteering their time to make the bags. Bethany's family says the bags are great way to get people involved in their community during a time when more traditional forms of volunteering have been put on hold. Wanna get away? ![]() Couldn't you just picture yourself rusticating in this beautiful house in Oxford, England? Maybe writing a few pages of prose, or perhaps dream up one of the most iconic fantasy worlds in history? That's what J.R.R. Tolkien did here when he wrote "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." The house is going on the market soon, and actors from the "Lord of the Rings" films, including Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman, are crowdfunding so they can buy the property and turn it into a literary center in Tolkien's honor. If they're successful, it will be the first center dedicated to the fantasy author anywhere in the world. ![]() Hear, hear! When we have found what life's really worth, there'll be peace on earth. ![]() Who knew? ![]() Like it or not, where you were raised or spent a majority of your life makes a huge difference in who you are. This theory is called "place attachment," and it's way more complex and emotional than just, say, knowing local slang or liking your pizza a specific way. The theory can help us understand everything from good-natured hometown pride and nostalgia to extreme, troubling phenomena like xenophobia. It's also why so many people may feel out of place during times like this, when the world is changing in unpredictable ways and places don't feel the same as they usually do. If you're feeling homesick, experts say it's important to stay connected. Reading through local publications, keeping up to date with news in the area, making familiar food or even listening to songs you associate with that place can help ease those painful feelings. Rec of the week
Brought to you by CNN Underscored 23 Christmas lights to illuminate your home for the holidays Shameless animal video
There's always time for cute animal videos. That time is now. Oh, don't worry about him, he's just trancing around the Christmas tree! "Trancing" is a behavior in dogs where they will walk in sometimes comically slow motion around or under something so it juuust brushes their fur. Research shows it's not harmful and not the result of some medical condition, so it's most likely just one of those very weird dog behaviors. (Click here to view) ![]() A newsletter for the good in life
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