Claire Hopple

The year’s not over yet and already its bizarre occurrences and oddities are innumerable.

Sure, happiness is too abstract a concept to measure perfectly, and it’s safe to say that a serious case of the Mondays can find you no matter what poorly drawn boundaries you’ve planted yourself within. Still, an environment can make a significant impact on your overall mood.

Though most associate this blessed occasion with Frank Costanza boisterously shouting “A Festivus for the rest of us!” and attempting to wrestle his own son to the ground, Festivus has an even richer history than you might imagine. The list of Festivus supporters is continually growing and the event’s practices are evolving at a rapid clip.

You knew before you even finished reading the title that you’re addicted. You’re so addicted that you’re actually proud of it, smug even. And with Today’s Deals and free shipping, who can blame you?

Yes, you should be paying attention to matcha. Though it’s been around for hundreds of years, people on this side of the world are just starting to take notice of it. Better late than never to the healthy bright green tea party, I guess.

It’s not that you don’t love the people calling you (unless you’re solely receiving spam calls), it’s just that you’d rather be with them. You think that the phone can’t replace seeing their faces, experiencing their presence in all the dimensions currently available to humans. And sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) you just need time to recharge by yourself. Why does that feel so wrong sometimes?

First, if you’re bored, congratulations are in order.

It’s no secret that time away from the office needs to be savored as much as humanly possible.

Let’s face it, people love to throw around the word “healthy” as much as they love to sit on the couch in workout clothes.

Nothing makes me get my Grinch on faster than glitter-bombed Christmas wrapping and nasally voices ringing in my eardrums at every store.