Claire Hopple

Hey, the holidays are coming up, and you’re gonna see some relatives.

You more than anyone should try to carve out some space for yourself.

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.

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?

Nostalgia is actually considered a valuable copoing mechanism for depression, anxiety, and especially grief. Plus, not only does it counteract anxious feelings, it can actually make you more hopeful about the future. No wonder a higher occurrence of nostalgic feelings are found in the most resilient people.

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.

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

You mention wanting to feast on a sweet stack of pancakes for Sunday brunch and the next time you open Instagram, there’s an IHOP ad star

It's a new year! But it's the same old story with you and your lover, er, I mean, your phone.

Some weeks are longer than others.