📽️ Film Review: “Father Mother Sister Brother”—Three families deal with life and death: Not exactly what we’ve come to recognize as “holiday fare,” the film nonetheless captures the sometimes stilted and awkward air surrounding annual gatherings of families at this time of year. The winner of the top prize at the most recent Venice Film Festival, the internationally financed “Father” takes place in three different countries in the present day and examines the dynamics of socio-diverse families.

🎶 Music: A melodic tribute to the new year: New Year’s marks a moment of reflection and starting fresh, often celebrated with “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight. But it isn’t the only song for the occasion. In 1942, Bing Crosby offered another option with the romantic “Let’s Start the New Year Right,” featured in his hit film “Holiday Inn.”

🌾 Tradition: Decades of tradition, thousands of lights, and one message older than time: Every year families around Australia spend countless hours—and expense—decorating their homes with thousands of Christmas lights.

Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tale ‘The Angel’: In his fairy tale “The Angel,” Hans Christian Andersen shows that a life is defined by the actions which fill it. A life filled with acts of love and kindness is precious and joyful, even amid hardships. Read more →