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The pressure to spend heavily on gifts, celebrations and travel during the holiday season can feel overwhelming, especially as many people face a tight job market, rising debt and persistently high prices. Financial therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin said those feeling stretched are far from alone, urging people to be more intentional about their spending and to remember that showing care for loved ones doesn’t always require money. She noted that expectations fueled by nostalgia and social pressure often make the holidays more stressful than joyful. What do you get when pumpkin pie collides with deep-dish pizza? Experts say creating a clear budget is a crucial first step. Jennifer Seitz of family finance app Greenlight advised accounting for all seasonal costs — including travel, shipping and tips — and setting limits to avoid starting the new year in debt. Regular debt payments should also be included to prevent falling behind. Shopping strategically can also help. Consumer expert Trae Bodge recommends seeking out sales, coupon codes, cash-back offers and browser extensions that automatically find discounts. Bryan-Podvin also encourages people to identify what matters most by listing holiday expenses and prioritizing meaningful activities over obligation-driven spending. Setting boundaries, including declining events or gift exchanges, can reduce emotional and financial strain. Finally, experts suggest creating low-cost traditions focused on shared experiences rather than purchases, which can often leave more lasting memories than expensive gifts. Source: AP 

The holiday season is a time for family and celebration, but it can also bring high expenses. From gifts to travel and groceries, costs can quickly add up, making budgeting essential, experts say. Shopping expert Trae Bodge stressed the importance of saving wherever possible to avoid carrying debt into the new year. Plan gifts early and shop smartKiersti Torok, known as Torok Coupon Hunter on social media, recommends planning gifts well in advance to take advantage of sales. She buys Christmas stocking treats right after Halloween and buys decorations on clearance after the holidays. “Waiting until a few days after Christmas, you can find items up to 75% off,” she said, often using these deals for birthdays later in the year. Compare prices and use online toolsBodge advises comparing prices across stores, using coupons, signing up for emails, and leveraging browser extensions like PayPal Honey and Rakuten. While AI tools can suggest gift ideas, she says they are less reliable for up-to-date discounts. If an item isn’t on sale, look for a coupon or wait for a better deal. Save on groceries with couponsFor those hosting holiday meals, using grocery coupons can significantly reduce costs. Torok recommends starting with one favorite store and using its app to get accustomed to couponing, then gradually comparing prices at other stores. Cash-back apps like Top Cash Back and Ibotta can further boost savings. Buy in bulk and stock upGrocery expert Alli Powell suggests purchasing bulk items during holiday sales and freezing them for later use. This approach helps maximize savings and is useful year-round. Be cautious with store credit cards and buy-now-pay-later dealsBodge warns that store credit cards and buy-now-pay-later offers are only wise if you can pay off balances promptly. Mismanaged, these options can lead to high interest charges and affect credit scores. Flexible travel plans save moneyTravel expert Kyle Potter recommends booking flights first to maintain flexibility with dates and accommodations. Setting flight alerts on Google Flights can help track price changes and secure the best deals. By planning ahead, comparing prices, using coupons, and remaining flexible, holiday spending can be managed without breaking the bank.  

Health savings accounts, paired with high-deductible health plans, are designed to ease medical costs. HSAs offer a rare triple tax advantage — contributions are pretax, earnings grow tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are also tax-free. Yet many account holders don’t contribute the full amount allowed, and even fewer invest their HSA balances beyond basic savings accounts. Low-income workers often struggle to fund HSAs, making the HDHP–HSA pairing less helpful for them, critics say. But even higher earners sometimes avoid maxing out their accounts, partly because many HSAs charge maintenance fees or additional costs for investing. Unlike 401(k)s, HSAs can be freely moved between providers through transfers or rollovers. Here’s how to determine whether your HSA falls short — and what to do if it does. High-value tax benefits can be undercut by costs HSAs can outperform other tax-advantaged accounts, particularly for those expecting ongoing medical expenses. Even if used for non-medical purposes, HSAs still behave similarly to traditional 401(k)s or IRAs. But fees and limited investment options can significantly reduce their value, especially for small-account holders. What do you get when pumpkin pie collides with deep-dish pizza? Key items to review include: Setup fees: Charges at account opening, sometimes covered by employers.Maintenance fees: Monthly or annual charges to keep an account active.Transaction fees: Costs tied to using HSA funds for medical payments.Savings-account interest: Crucial for those keeping money in cash; rates often rise with larger balances.Investment expenses: Fund fees, sales loads or management charges.Investment options: Ensure available funds align with your long-term strategy.How to leave a subpar HSA If your employer-linked HSA has high fees or poor investment choices, you have three options: 1. Open your own HSA.If you’re enrolled in a high-deductible plan, you can contribute to an HSA of your choice and deduct those contributions on your taxes. This approach, however, requires more effort than automatic payroll deductions. 2. Transfer funds to a better HSA.Continue contributing via your employer, then periodically transfer money to another HSA with better offerings. Transfers have no tax implications and can be done multiple times a year. 3. Roll over funds to a different HSA.This works like a transfer, but you temporarily receive the funds yourself and must redeposit them within 60 days. Only one rollover is permitted every 12 months, and missing the deadline counts as an early withdrawal—with a 20% penalty if you're under 65. Source: AP 

A sparkling exhibition of royal jewels opened Wednesday in Paris, even as the city continues to absorb the shock of October’s audacious crown-jewel theft at the nearby Louvre Museum. The four-minute robbery emptied cases in the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery, forcing its closure and raising concerns about the security of France’s cultural treasures. Meanwhile, the “Dynastic Jewels” exhibit at the Hôtel de la Marine — itself the site of a famous 1792 crown-jewel theft — is displaying diamonds, tiaras, and other historic pieces that survived revolutions and exile. Spread across four galleries, the exhibition features over a hundred items from the Al Thani Collection, the Victoria and Albert Museum, King Charles III, Cartier, Chaumet, and French national collections. Highlights include the 57-carat Star of Golconda, Queen Victoria’s sapphire coronet and emerald tiara, Catherine the Great’s diamond dress ornaments, and a Cartier necklace crafted for an Indian ruler. Gen Z and Millennials turn to sustainable, home-grown alternatives While curators did not disclose security specifics, the Hôtel de la Marine was modernized with high-grade protections when it reopened in 2021. The Louvre, meanwhile, is upgrading surveillance and anti-intrusion systems after the theft, and none of the stolen items have been recovered. Curator Amin Jaffer said the exhibit demonstrates how gemstones and ceremonial objects historically reflected identity, power, and prestige. Yet some Parisians feel the timing is sensitive. “People are still upset about the Louvre incident, and now there’s another jewel display opening nearby. It feels too soon,” said Alexandre Benhamou, a gift shop manager. Despite the uneasy backdrop, curators hope visitors will appreciate the history, craftsmanship, and stories embedded in the treasures. Source: AP

Paleontologists have documented 16,600 dinosaur footprints in Bolivia’s central highlands, shedding light on the behavior of the massive creatures that roamed the region over 60 million years ago. The footprints, located in and around the village and national park of Toro Toro in the Bolivian Andes, belong to theropods — the two-legged dinosaur group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex. The study, conducted over six years mainly by researchers from California’s Loma Linda University and published in PLOS One on Wednesday, marks the largest collection of theropod footprints ever recorded globally. “There’s no other site in the world with such an abundance of theropod tracks,” said Roberto Biaggi, co-author of the study led by Spanish paleontologist Raúl Esperante. The preserved prints reveal a range of dinosaur behavior, including attempts to swim. Scientists identified 1,378 marks showing claws scratching soft lake-bottom sediment just before rising waters covered them, protecting the impressions from erosion. “These tracks provide a remarkable window into dinosaur life at the end of the Cretaceous,” said Richard Butler, a paleontologist at the University of Birmingham, who was not involved in the research. Despite surviving millions of years, the footprints face modern threats. Farmers, quarry workers, and highway construction have disturbed the site over the decades, while the area remains virtually devoid of dinosaur bones, teeth, or eggs, unlike other South American fossil-rich regions. Researchers suggest the dinosaurs likely moved through the region rather than settling there permanently. The range in footprint sizes indicates that giant theropods, around 10 meters (33 feet) tall, coexisted with much smaller dinosaurs, some only 32 centimeters (1 foot) tall at the hip. Footprints reveal behaviors skeletons cannot, showing when dinosaurs walked, ran, stopped, or turned. Why so many dinosaurs congregated at Toro Toro remains unclear. Some experts suggest they visited an ancient freshwater lake, while others believe they may have been fleeing danger or searching for new habitats. Biaggi noted that research at the site is ongoing, with more footprints expected to be discovered along the edges of the already uncovered areas.

Indonesia’s first-ever giant panda cub is thriving, vocal, and feeding well, according to the conservation park where he was recently born. Indonesian Safari Park on Sunday released photos and video of the tiny, fluffy cub nestled in an incubator and wriggling and squeaking as his mother held him close. Hu Chun, a 15-year-old female panda, delivered the cub — named Satrio Wiratama, or Rio — on Nov. 27 at the park in Cisarua, West Java. The name reflects the shared commitment of Indonesia and China to protect endangered wildlife, the park said. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto officially announced the cub’s name on Thursday during a meeting with senior Chinese political adviser Wang Huning, displaying the newborn’s photograph. The park says Rio is in stable condition, displaying strong cries, healthy nursing behavior, and consistent weight gain. Over the coming weeks, he is expected to develop better body temperature control, open his eyes, grow more fur, and become more active. At The Gentle Barn, Thanksgiving turkeys are meant for cuddling — not carving For now, the park is prioritizing the wellbeing of both mother and baby, and the cub will remain off-limits to visitors. Hu Chun and her mate, Cai Tao, were sent to Indonesia in 2017 as part of a decade-long conservation collaboration with China. They live in a special enclosure roughly 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Jakarta. Giant pandas — long seen as China’s unofficial national symbol — are central to Beijing’s well-known “panda diplomacy,” through which the animals are loaned to zoos worldwide. Due to their difficulty breeding, each successful birth is celebrated. Fewer than 1,900 giant pandas remain in the wild, found only in China’s Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. Source: AP

As 2025 nears its end, many apps and platforms are rolling out annual recaps, giving users a snapshot of their online activity over the past year. From music streaming and video watching to language learning, these summaries highlight top songs, artists, videos, and habits. Spotify released its Wrapped on Dec. 3, showcasing users’ most-streamed songs, artists, and podcasts. A new feature, Wrapped Party, lets friends compare listening habits on Spotify’s mobile app. YouTube Recap debuted Dec. 2 in North America, with a global rollout this week, summarizing users’ watch history, including music consumption, via the homepage or “You” tab. Apple Music Replay, available since Dec. 2, details top songs, genres, and artists, accessible in the app or at replay.music.apple.com. Amazon Music Delivered also launched Dec. 2, providing a yearly summary to listeners with sufficient listening history. Twitch offers an annual recap for users with at least ten hours of activity, accessible at twitch.tv/annual-recap. Language app Duolingo released its Year in Review, showing lessons completed, streaks maintained, and minutes practiced. Users can access it in-app via prompts or the small logo on the home navigation page. These recaps provide a fun way for users to reflect on their digital habits in 2025. Source: AP 

When Emily Day planned her October wedding in Calgary, she skipped a traditional florist and instead planted her own flowers — a creative experiment that opened her eyes to the environmental toll of the global flower trade. Her dried, homegrown arrangements cost far less than store-bought bouquets and lasted long after the ceremony. Day and her fiancé built garden beds from wooden shipping crates and planted varieties such as yarrow, feverfew, strawflowers and statice. They harvested and dried the blooms in midsummer before the first frosts. On her wedding day, her autumn-themed bouquets included blue echinops from a nearby farm and tansy picked from roadsides. The entire project cost about 1,300 Canadian dollars ($925), significantly cheaper than hiring a florist. It also pushed her to consider the heavy carbon footprint of imported flowers — from plastic packaging to long-haul flights. Younger generations planning weddings and special events are increasingly choosing eco-friendly alternatives: growing their own flowers, foraging wild blooms, opting for potted plants or working with florists who prioritize sustainability. Many businesses now focus on local sourcing and repurposing flowers after events. The environmental cost of imported bloomsImported flowers often travel from South America to North America through long, energy-intensive supply chains, said Kai Chan, a sustainability scientist at the University of British Columbia. Cut flowers require refrigeration and are frequently flown in — both major sources of greenhouse gases. Large-scale monoculture fields used for growing roses and other flowers also degrade soil and reduce biodiversity. Chan said flowers grown by local farmers are typically a better choice, as they require less travel and are usually produced in ways more compatible with local ecosystems. A shift toward local, seasonal choicesOmaha-based florist Holly Lukasiewicz of District 2 Florals prioritizes sustainable methods, from avoiding non-biodegradable green foam to sourcing local blooms. She offers composting services and preserves flowers for clients. She hopes customers increasingly embrace seasonal flowers instead of expecting any variety year-round. King Charles III’s charity sells Christmas stockings sewn from Sandringham drapery Imported flowers became dominant in the industry thanks to trade policies and cheaper production costs, said Neil Anderson, a horticulture professor at the University of Minnesota. While many consumers choose the least expensive option, others are willing to pay more for local, eco-conscious flowers. Debra Prinzing, founder of the Slow Flowers Society, said local flowers can make weddings more personal: couples know exactly where the blooms come from, and seeing them again in bloom can bring back memories year after year. The Knot’s editorial director, Esther Lee, said sustainability has become a priority for many couples who want their weddings to reflect the character of the region and include meaningful, local touches. What about artificial flowers?Artificial flowers are sometimes marketed as eco-friendly alternatives, but many are made from plastic and shipped long distances. Silvia Bellezza of Columbia Business School said buyers should look closely at manufacturer data rather than assuming artificial options are greener. For Day, the benefits of her homegrown flowers continued after the wedding. Guests took arrangements home, and a friend later reused several pieces at her own ceremony. She said dried flowers can be reused repeatedly — and when they finally wear out, they can go straight into the compost bin. Source: AP 

Need a unique gift for the royal enthusiast in your life? Consider a Christmas stocking crafted from curtains that once hung at King Charles III’s Sandringham estate, hand-sewn by members of a sewing group at Dumfries House in Scotland. The King’s Foundation, which aims to preserve traditional crafts, oversees the work done at the estate. Members of the Dumfries House Sewing Bee recently completed the stockings, delicately stitching the repurposed royal fabric as they chatted over warm drinks while rain tapped on the windows of the 18th-century home, located south of Glasgow. “It’s been absolutely wonderful,” said 72-year-old Christine Wilson, a retired finance officer. “The sewing bee has such a lovely atmosphere—we’re great friends—and we support many charities too.” Wilson and her fellow volunteers produced 25 stockings, each individually numbered. The final piece, No. 25, will be presented to King Charles as a Christmas gift. The auction, which runs until midnight on Dec. 12, will raise funds for the King’s Foundation, which trains more than 15,000 young people each year in practical fields such as hospitality and animal care. “We hope the winners will treat these stockings as future family heirlooms, passed down for generations,” said Sarah McClymont, lead tutor for the foundation’s Future Textiles program. This marks the foundation’s third such auction. The first, in 2023, featured kimono jackets made from former Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle drapes. In 2024, students at the Highgrove Gardens furniture school created footstools upholstered with more repurposed royal curtains. And there’s no fear of running out of fabric—Buckingham Palace alone boasts 760 windows, meaning an almost endless supply of gently used royal textiles.

As the holiday rush began, Jordan Gullotta chose to spend part of her week in a place that brings her calm. At The Gentle Barn — a Tennessee animal sanctuary known for its therapeutic programs — she can groom a cow, stroke a sheep or simply soak in the peaceful atmosphere. But on this visit, she held something new: a blind turkey. Within moments, the brown-feathered bird named Smudge relaxed in her arms, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. “Oh my goodness, you’re so snuggly,” Gullotta whispered. While turkeys usually take center stage on Thanksgiving dinner tables, The Gentle Barn founder Ellie Laks says they can also make surprisingly affectionate therapy companions. “People already know that dogs, cats and horses offer emotional support,” Laks said. “At The Gentle Barn, we ask, ‘Why not turkeys?’” The idea came years ago when one particularly vocal turkey shadowed Laks around the farm. When she knelt down and invited the bird closer, it became clear the hen simply wanted to be held. The Tennessee sanctuary is home to about 60 animals rescued from abuse or neglect, many of them older or living with injuries. One turkey receives acupuncture for hip pain, and a goat who lost its back hooves to frostbite now moves with the help of a custom wheelchair. “We rehabilitate them, give them a safe home, and when they’re ready, we partner with them to help people heal from similar experiences,” Laks explained. “They help people connect to the love and magic animals can offer.” Can’t take hormone therapy for menopause? Doctors say effective alternatives exist Though often dismissed as unintelligent or aloof, turkeys are deeply perceptive and loving, she said — something visitors like Gullotta quickly discover. The Middle Tennessee State University student had come before to visit the cows, her favorites, but hadn’t expected turkey cuddling to be on her agenda. “The turkeys love in their own way — it’s different, but really special,” she said. Turkey therapy sessions are offered all year, and The Gentle Barn — which also operates a location in California — hosts a special Thanksgiving event where visitors can feed and pet turkeys as an alternative way to celebrate. Guests can also sponsor rescued turkeys to help support their care. Source: AP