Disarm an Angry Uncle Like a Pro
Make it through a family holiday gathering in one piece with these tactics from the FBI’s former lead international kidnapping negotiator.
christmas
A collection of 33 issues
Um for the Holidays
It's the most wonderful time of year, but for atheists and agnostics, it means something altogether different. We asked a group of non-believers to tell us how they’re spending their secular holiday seasons.
2013 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
Grandma got run over by a reindeer. Which is just as well, because she wouldn't have liked the gift you bought for her at the last minute. Gift ideas for the ungifted.
2012 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
'Twas the day before Christmas, when all through the house still no presents were purchased—again, you're a louse. Gift ideas for the ungifted.
Liner Notes for Christmas
Christmas is a time for family and friends and very weird songs that only get played once a year. Eleven holiday songs researched and fact-checked to explain their appeal, including the mystery behind endorphins solely released by Mariah Carey.
The Ghost of Berserker Christmas
Don’t worry this Christmas if your grandfather shoots up the neighborhood—it’s all in keeping with 200 years of tradition that have been whitewashed by consumerism. How wild Christmas—night of carousing, gambling, and booze—became family-friendly.
Home for the Holiday Tech Support
When the annual trip home becomes a customer-service visit to “fix the internet,” sometimes even bourbon can't save the day. We gathered a half-dozen of our favorite tech writers and editors to help anticipate the headaches of 2011.
2010 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
You made your list, you checked it twice, then you waited until the last minute to do any of your shopping. Ideas for gifts for everyone on your list, whether they want them or not.
Give and Take
December is the season for taking: taking money from strangers; taking care to avoid crying on the phone. Holiday confessions from a charity call-center employee.
2009 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
It's that time of year again--actually, it's way past that time of year. And again, you still haven't done your holiday shopping.
Happy Challah-days
For its holiday promotion, a retailer enlisted hundreds of dancers to dress up like elves in Union Square. A break dancer and former Orthodox Jew was among their ranks.
How to Lose Friends and Alienate Family
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. We step in with some last-minute advice for a reader confused by a Christmas party conundrum: Do friends and family mix?
2008 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
It's a holiday tradition: You're giftless mere hours until Christmas, and it's printouts and January ETAs for the unlucky few on your list. Gift ideas for the eternally belated.
How to Go Caroling
'Tis the season to be jolly, all over the cul-de-sac, on your neighbors' porches, against your neighbors' most fervent holiday wishes.
Christmas Carols, Revised for the Recession
Not only reckless, “dashing through the snow” appears wasteful, certainly not a prudent act in uncertain times.
Our 2008 Holiday Letter
No matter how factual the accomplishments gained or the tragedies sustained, holiday letters, like the season itself, are often sugarcoated. But not this time.
2007 Holiday—uh—Christmas Survival Guide for Slackers—uh—Cultural Warriors
Talented gift-givers put time and thought into selecting presents for their loved ones. Gift ideas for the ungifted.
Axis of Evil: Annual Letter to Our Members
’Tis the time of year for annual reports, holiday cards, and family update letters.
2006 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
It's always better to give than to receive--at least that's what your loved ones say, just as they're about to open another present from you.
I'll Be Home for Christmas
The joy of having interns is dreaming up ludicrous projects for them to complete. We dispatched our own New-York newcomer to visit every possible holiday event he could find in the city and report back.
The Gift of the Magi
It’s Christmas morning, and a couple’s yuletide glee is under siege by the secular progressives. A provocative television personality and 19th century author spins their tale.
2005 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
You made your list, checked it twice, and still haven't bought a single gift. With just over 48 hours to go, it's gift cards or IOUs--or these suggestions for the presents nobody will forget, no matter how much holiday cheer they down.
How James Yeh Is Celebrating Christmas in San Francisco
Sometimes you can't make it home for the holidays: Just ask our writer, who recently moved away from his hometown in rural South Carolina. We asked people from his high school what they thought he was up to; here's what we learned.
What Your Christmas Tree Says About You
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we address the great American class divider: Are your tree lights white or colored, or even (gasp) blinking?
2004 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
Every year you show up with a stack of giftcards from Rite-Aid. And every year your family roasts your chestnuts for waiting until the last minute to do your shopping. This year will be different.
Saying Grace
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we show how saying grace before a holiday meal doesn't have to be a chore, and how if you know what to say, your thoughtful words may make the holidays more special. And then sometimes not.
Dear Santa
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we answer a late, incoherent letter to Santa Claus that was mistakenly delivered to our offices.
2003 Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
Last year you did all your shopping on the drive to grandmother's house, but this year you've got a chance to make good.
Free Red Wine and Other Humiliations
Your parents and friends enjoy Christmas for similar reasons: your personal embarrassment, shame, and discomfort, assuming you’ve behaved badly enough to warrant their bowls full of jelly.
Santa Claus
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we determine once and for all the existence of Santa Claus.
Holiday Survival Guide for Slackers
Don't know what to get your (sorta) loved ones for the holidays? Well, there's always powdered urine.
Santa's Not-So-Little Helper
You know Santa: cheeks like a rose, nose like a cherry. Now meet the Krampus, a boozy, goat-horned menace that whips European children during the first days of December.
Holiday Gift Guide
Thanksgiving's over, Chanukah's in full swing, and Christmas is right around the corner. Our recommendations for what to get that special someone, i.e., yourself.