Category: News

Netflix was the streamer that started it all. Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Criterion Channel, Disney+, Shudder — they’d be nowhere without the company that started as a rent-by-mail DVD service. Nowadays, they’re not doing so hot. Reckless spending and fleeing subscribers have put the company in jeopardy, making them desperate. They’ve already created a cheaper ad-supported version, hoping to lure some folks back. Now they’re looking to do something they’ve long threatened.

A new report by The Wall Street Journal claims that Netflix brass are planning to put the kibosh on password sharing, in which one subscriber gives their login info to family and/or friends. It’s not an uncommon practice among their clientele. Indeed, the report says it will affect 100 million viewers, which is a lot of shared passwords. What’s more, the end of the good old days is coming awfully soon: The plan is reportedly coming into effect in early 2023.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos knows this won’t be popular. “Make no mistake, I don’t think consumers are going to love it right out of the gate,” he told investors earlier this month. And it is a gamble: Instead of throwing up their hands and signing up for their own subscription so they can keep streaming Seinfeld, many may simply bid adieu, turning to another streamer that doesn’t have such a draconian rule. Sure enough, when this plan goes into effect (if it does at all), it will make Netflix the only platform to restrict password sharing. Maybe they’ll have to give the next Knives Out sequel an actual theatrical run, just to keep the lights on.

(Via WSJ)

Is expensive whiskey ever worth it?

I mean … that’s a loaded question. If you’re an investor, then yes. Whiskey is a better investment right now than cars or art — any of it. If you’re looking for a good whiskey to drink, then the answer is a lot closer to “no” — but not never. Astronomically priced whiskeys bottles are often the best of the best and the rarest of the rare. That means that they’re usually delicious (the irony being most people will never get to taste any of them, ever). But if you do get to drink them… well, it’s a moment.

To really end the year with a bang, I grabbed some of the most expensive bottles from my shelf and put them to a big ol’ holiday blind taste test. $52,465. That’s how much these 10 bottles will cost if you buy them in retail right now. That’s patently absurd. The cheapest bottle on this list is $500. You could easily buy 10 $50 bottles of really good bourbon for that one bottle alone. There’s no question of that. But this is about more than just “really good” anything.

This is about finding something truly special. Our star-studded lineup today is:

• Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Fall 2022 Edition 19-Year-Old
• A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2
• Yamazaki Mizunara Japense Single Malt 2022 Edition
• George T. Stagg Uncut/Unfiltered BTAC 2022
• The Balvenie The Tale of the Dog Aged 42 Years
• Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Dovetail
• Michter’s Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon 20 Years Old
• Talisker Forests of the Deep Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 44 Years
• Mortlach Midnight Malt Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged for 30 Years
• FUJI Single Grain Japanese Whiskey Aged 30 Years

When it comes to ranking these bottles, I’m going on taste alone. There’s no sense looking at anything else. All of these whiskeys — from regions all over — are all some of the best of the best from their brands. We already know they taste great. But which one is truly the most embracing and delicious? Let’s find out!

• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• We Put A Whole Bunch Of Bourbons To A Giant Blind Test And Discovered Some Absolute Gems
• The Affordable Vs Expensive Blind Bourbon Bottle Battle
• The Best-Known Basic Bottles Of Bourbon, Blind Tasted And Ranked
• The 30 Best Bourbon Whiskeys For Fall, Blind Tasted & Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Deep leather, oily vanilla pods, dark chocolate-covered cherries dusted with salt and nutmeg, and a mild sense of really fancy Almond Joy with this faintest whisper of singed marshmallow and smoldering apple wood.

Palate: Woody spices with black licorice and spearmint candy blend into mint chocolate chip ice cream and root beer spiked with cherry syrup topped with creamy vanilla and dusted with cinnamon, clove, and dark cacao powder.

Finish: The end has a long and supple sense of those woody spices before delivering into soft Black Forest cake with a brandied cherry vibe and a hint of star anise-infused apple-berry cider.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a leathery nature on the nose with classic bourbon deep flourishes of very black cherry, salted caramel, cinnamon toast with cream butter and old vanilla pods, a touch of orange oil, and woody spice berries and barks.

Palate: Apple orchards and cherry pies open the sweet palate toward a massive heat from the ABVs that eventually fades towards creamed soft nut butter, vanilla cake, and apple cider spiked with spiced cherry tobacco.

Finish: The heat comes roaring back on the finish with brash woody winter spice and burnt orange with a touch of vanilla trying to find a counterbalance to all the heat.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a sense of winter spice that meanders from woody cinnamon bark toward cloves, allspice, anise, cardamon, and even some soft nutmeg before light yet. creamy vanilla custard leads to a thin whisper of sandalwood and lavender.

Palate: The palate hints at agarwood with a dash of old potpourri next to sweet cinnamon and allspice in a slightly sour mulled wine with a bit of brown sugar lurking in the background.

Finish: The end leans into the woodiness of the spices with a bit more floral incense burning beneath it all.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Your nose is met with buttery pecan waffles loaded with dark salted chocolate chips and dripping with maple syrup that feels expensive next to darkly roasted espresso beans, singed vanilla husks, and dried sour cherries next to a medley of holiday spices.

Palate: The palate leans into those spices with a clear sense of sharp cinnamon, old clove buds, allspice berries, and whole nutmeg bulbs next to a hint of star anise and maybe some cardamom before that darkly roasted coffee jumps back in with a deeply stewed cherry in a dark treacle syrup before the ABVs buzz hard on the mid-palate.

Finish: The end amps up the woodiness with the spices and adds in a sense of old cedar bark, dark chocolate nibs, and a cherry-tobacco buzziness.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a classic sense of old and sweet malts on the nose that leads you to sweet and floral perfume that’s so subtle and enticing before a hint of sticky toffee pudding and geranium bound toward old mint rolled into chocolate malts.

Palate: The palate has a soft and salted toffee with honey nut cluster dusted with light notes of sweet winter spice and floral orchard blossoms before a hint more of honey and sweet old oak arrives.

Finish: That sweet oak drives the finish toward nutty creaminess, old orchard wood, and a sense of soft summer flowers with a hint of malt cookies cut with raisin and cinnamon.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a sense of tart red currants and old red wine barrels with a sharp grapefruit pith balancing things out before spearmint and raspberry jam lean the nose toward creamy and sour espresso with a hint of root beer cut with cherry syrup.

Palate: The palate leans into orange and lime leaves with a twinge of strawberry and rhubarb next to sage, mint, and parsley tied up with pine resin burned to toast marshmallows.

Finish: The end has a ginger vibe with a touch of spicy rum, cran-apple cider, wet wicker, old boots, and grilled pineapple drizzled with rummy toffee.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: A sense of dark cherry with deep rummy molasses, dried rose petals, old almond shells, and cedar bark mingle with a fresh pipe tobacco leaf just kissed with apple and pear essence with a hint of vanilla oils and old wintry wine spices.

Palate: The taste leans into smoldering vanilla pods with a sense of old oak staves from a dusty old cellar next to sweet cinnamon and cherry over dried sage and sharp spearmint with a clove syrup base and a dash of toasted marshmallow sweetness.

Finish: The end is full of dark cherry and woody spice with moist marzipan, burnt orange oils, and chewy fresh tobacco wrapped up in old leather and cedar bark with a hint more of that old cellar sneaking in.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a sense of classic fruit orchards with a hint of blossom next to briny smokiness from a distance that slowly fades in toasted seaweed salad tossed with roasted sesame seeds and chili oil with a fleeting sense of mild soy sauce lurking way in the background.

Palate: The taste leans into orange zest and maybe even lime leaves with a twinge of old and sweet oak before a twinge of soft rope dipped in seawater leads to a thin line of a beach campfire surrounds by grey stones and spitting rain.

Finish: A mild note of chili pepper arrives late with a mild waxiness tied to chocolate, plum, and pear with a final flourish of a fruit orchard in full bloom.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a lovely hint of malt dipped in honey with a touch of apple stewed with cinnamon and saffron that leads to roasted pork skin and fat cut with a sense of rosemary and singed sage before a honeyed oaked sweetness arrives again

Palate: The taste is like a creamy, apple-forward, malty lush elixir cut with hints of black pepper, burnt orange, and marzipan that leads to a sense of honey-soaked cinnamon sticks floating in apple cider.

Finish: There’s another rush of that black pepper late that leads to woody apple cores and wintry barks that eventually fade towards a mildly spiced apple-cinnamon tobacco leaf packing into an old cedar box.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is full of marzipan and nutty berry cobbler with a hint of orchard fruits, mulled wine, dark chocolate touched with very light spice, and a sweet and soft brown sugar vibe.

Palate: The palate opens with an old honey pot next to dark nut clusters with a pecan/dark chocolate/raisin vibe over malted cookies dipped in black currant compote and dusted with soft and powdery white pepper.

Finish: The end is lush and silky with a slight sense of wet reeds and cedar bark braided with faint tobacco kissed with dried red berries and soft toffee.

Part 2: The Ranking

10. A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2 — Taste 2

ABV: 72.25%

Average Price: Lottery Only

The Whiskey:

This new batch from Sazerac’s Virginia distillery is all about upping the ante on last year’s bold ABV release. This year, Batch #2 takes the ABVs even higher in this cask-strength bourbon bomb thanks to the careful selection of old barrels that are batched and left completely uncut and non-chill-filtered.

Bottom Line:

This was so hot it burnt. That’s the point as it’s a hazmat whiskey. Still, wow, it’s a lot. That said, there’s a well-balanced and deep flavor profile under all that heat, you just need a firehose of ice to find it.

Also worth noting, these tend to top $3,000 easily once they hit the aftermarket — but will only cost $99 via the lottery.

9. George T. Stagg Uncut/Unfiltered BTAC 2022 — Taste 4

ABV: 69.35%

Average Price: $2,999

The Whiskey:

This year’s return of the Stagg is hewn from whiskey distilled all the way back in 2007 with Kentucky corn, Minnesota rye, and North Dakota barley. The juice was filled into new white oak from Independent Stave from Missouri with a #4 char level (55 seconds). Those barrels were then stored in the famed Warehouse K on the first and fifth floors over 15 years, wherein 75% of the liquid was lost to the angels. Finally, the barrels were batched and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was too hot too. Again, there’s a perfectly well-hewn flavor profile underneath all of that heat, you’ll just need some serious proofing in the glass to get there.

8. FUJI Single Grain Japanese Whiskey Aged 30 Years — Taste 10

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $4,190

The Whisky:

This whisky is made just seven miles from the base of Mt Fuji. The whisky in the bottle is a blend of whiskies made in a “Canadian grain whisky style.” The whiskies for this release were aged in used American oak for at least 30 years with some of the barrels in the blend hitting 40 years old. Then Master Blender Jota Tanaka selects the barrels that hit the exact right notes and meticulously blends this whisky with a touch of local mountain spring water.

Bottom Line:

This was really, really good. The only reason it’s a little lower is that it had the weakest finish of all of these pours. That said, I didn’t need a fire extinguisher on my tongue after I took a sip, so there’s that.

7. Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond Fall 2022 Edition 19-Year-Old — Taste 1

ABV: 50%

Average Price: $1,299

The Whiskey:

The latest decanter release from Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald Bottled-In-Bond series was made back in September 2003. Those barrels rested on three floors of rickhouse F and one floor of rickhouse X on the main Heaven Hill campus until October of 2023. They were then batched and proofed down to 100-proof for bottling.

Bottom Line:

This is pretty much a perfect bourbon. And it’s ranked seventh today. That’s kind of crazy.

6. Barrell Craft Spirits Gold Label Dovetail — Taste 6

ABV: 70.09%

Average Price: $499

The Whiskey:

This ultimate edition of Barrell Craft Spirit’s beloved Dovetail Whiskey feels genre-defining. The whiskey in the blend is made from Indiana, Tennesee, and Canadian whiskeys that are up to 25 years old that were finished in rum, port, and Dunn Vineyards Cabernet wine barrels. Finally, those barrels are batched and bottled 100% as-is in Kentucky.

Bottom Line:

This is one of those whiskeys that just keep going, making it so much fun to return to over and over again. Still, that could be conveyed as meandering and not as concise as some of the next whiskeys ranked below. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still delicious.

5. Mortlach Midnight Malt Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged for 30 Years — Taste 9

ABV: 49.1%

Average Price: $4,799

The Whiskey:

This is 30-year-old Mortlach from a couple of barrels that actually made it that long without drying out or becoming undrinkable — it’s kind of a miracle in that sense. The vatted whisky was finished in a trio of barrels — Bordeaux wine, Calvados, and Guatemalan rum — before bottling completely as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is a super rare Mortlach that also happens to have a once-in-a-lifetime finishing. Add in that there are only 350 bottles of this in the world, and you have something to cherish for life. If you’re looking for a slow sipper, it’s also amazing. As you sip it, it feels your soul with joy and then a little moment of sadness knowing that you’re drinking something we’ll never see again.

4. The Balvenie The Tale of the Dog Aged 42 Years — Taste 5

ABV: 47%

Average Price: $18,799

The Whiskey:

This whisky was named after a famed whisky thief — or “dog” — that was flattened to stop too much whisky being thieved back in the day. The actual whisky in the bottle is from two casks that were put on the racks in 1974 and 1978 and left alone.

Bottom Line:

Two casks from the 1970s (!) were married to create this one-of-a-kind whisky. And while the price is colossal, this is a stunning pour of whisky that everyone should try once in their lifetime.

3. Michter’s Limited Release Kentucky Straight Bourbon 20 Years Old — Taste 7

ABV: 57.1%

Average Price: $4,989

The Whiskey:

Master Distiller Dan McKee personally selects these (at least) 20-year-old barrels from the Michter’s rickhouses based on… I guess just “pure excellence” would be the right phrase. The bourbon is bottled as-is — no cutting with water.

Bottom Line:

This is a perfect bourbon.

2. Talisker Forests of the Deep Single Malt Scotch Whisky Aged 44 Years — Taste 8

ABV: 54.6%

Average Price: $4,892

The Whiskey:

This is one of the more unique Taliskers to hit shelves. The 40-plus-year-old juice is made finished in casks made with staves that were charred with Scottish sea kelp and stave wood shavings. The staves are then used to finish the whiskey before it’s vatted and bottled 100% as-is.

Bottom Line:

Only 1,997 bottles were made this year and only 102 made it to the U.S. It’s worth tracking down one of those 102 if you can. This is a one-of-a-kind Talisker that’ll take your love of the brand even deeper thanks to a phenomenal whisky with an extraordinary finish.

1. Yamazaki Mizunara Japense Single Malt 2022 Edition — Taste 3

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $6,999

The Whisky:

This is one of the most sought-after whiskies from Yamazaki. The juice spends over 12 years maturing in Mizunara casks only — this isn’t some whisky that’s “finished” in old Mizurana casks for a few months. After over a decade of mellowing, the casks are hand-picked for their excellence, vatted, and just proofed before bottling.

Bottom Line:

This whisky is so freaking good. It’s just excellent.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

Yes, all of these are superior whiskies both in price and flavor profile. Ranking them is kind of stupid when you take a step back. How to rank perfection next to perfection? Alas, I did my best and here we are.

One thing we can take away from this exercise is that the most expensive bottle doesn’t always mean the best though. That’s something. Right? Right?!

There were rumors for years that Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman didn’t always see eye-to-eye, and recently, Sherman has started to make clear that he had some issues with special treatment Wilson received while the two were members of the Seattle Seahawks. Earlier this season, a Thursday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts sparked a rant from Sherman where he openly begged Wilson to “learn from your mistakes.”

After Thursday night’s game between the New York Jets and the Jacksonville Jaguars, the TNF crew decided to exchange some holiday gifts with one another. Because it was a television segment, the goal was to make people laugh, which included Sherman getting a Richard Sherman doll. There was, however, one catch: When Sherman squeezed it, the doll made a noise, as it was a recording of Wilson saying “Broncos country, let’s ride.”

This is, very easily, the best gift from the segment, although Taylor Rooks getting a Rolodex and Michael Smith getting an autographed picture from Eli Manning — who he once beat when they were both high school quarterbacks — are both very, very good. There is no word on whether or not Wilson will get some kind of a gift that gets a joke off at Sherman’s expense during the holidays.

There’s another new class of incoming GOP representatives. Will there be any nonstop nuisances like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert? Remains to be seen. But one of them has stuck out because he, well, appears to have lied about almost everything in his background. His name is George Santos, and he’s set to represent NYC’s 3rd District, comprising northwest Queens and northern Long Island. Santos initially responded to the accusations by misattributing a quote to Winston Churchill. But now he’s vowing to explain why he may have fibbed his way into Congress.

“To the people of #NY03,” Santos tweeted on Thursday. “I have my story to tell and it will be told next week. I want to assure everyone that I will address your questions and that I remain committed to deliver the results I campaigned on; Public safety, Inflation, Education & more.”

Republicans lying is nothing new; one of the most serial fibbers even spent four years in the White House. But Santos’ alleged fabrications are legion. A New York Times exposé claimed he’d not told the truth about his past employment, his debts, his personal life, and more. He allegedly lives just outside the boundaries of the district he will soon represent. He seems to have misled people about his Jewish heritage. And despite being a first — he’s the first openly gay non-incumbent elected to Congress, to say nothing about being a gay Republican (at a time when the GOP is at war with the LGBTQIA+ community) — he apparently was once married to a woman, which he failed to mention.

Anyway, this ought to be some press conference.

(Via Raw Story)

Dark rum and the holidays just go together. Grog, hot toddies, all the nogs, and so many rum-soaked cakes. The spicy dark spirit is a crucial ingredient in cooking all things nice this time of year. It’s also crucial for some great dark rum cocktails with a holiday twist.

The three rum cocktails I’m making below all have a holiday vibe, making them perfect for mixing at home over the next two weekends. Moreover, these are all pretty easy to master, even for a novice. All the ingredients are easily findable at a liquor and grocery store. And the most you’ll have to prep is to boil some water in a tea kettle for one of them.

Okay, let’s dive in and make some delicious dark rum cocktails for holiday sipping!

• Our ‘Perfect Whisky And Coke’ Recipe Uses The Last Brand You’d Expect
• The Hemingway Daiquiri Is A Deeply Refreshing Summer Cocktail — Here’s The (Very Simple) Real Recipe
• It’s A Great Weekend For A Bourbon Old Fashioned — Here’s Our Recipe
• The Fall Old Fashioned Is The Perfect Weekend Sipper — Here’s Our Recipe
• This Smoky Negroni Variation Is The Perfect Backyard BBQ Sipper — Here’s Our Recipe

Chocolate Rum Old Fashioned

Chocolate and spicy dark rum really go well together. Add that chocolate vibe into a dark rum old fashioned with a hit of orange oils and you’ve made a spicy and rummy dark chocolate orange in a glass. It’s delightful!

Ingredients:

• 3 oz. dark rum
• 1 barspoon brown sugar
• 1 barspoon soda water
• 4 dashes of chocolate bitters
• Orange peel
• Ice

What You’ll Need:

• Rocks glass
• Mixing glass
• Cocktail strainer
• Barspoon
• Jigger
• Peeler

Method:

• Add the brown sugar, soda water, and bitters to a mixing glass. Stir until a base starts to form and the sugar slightly dissolves.
• Add the rum and stir until the sugar nearly dissolves.
• Add a large handful of ice and stir until the mixing glass is ice-cold to touch.
• Strain the cocktail into a pre-chilled glass over new ice (preferably a large cube). Express orange oils over the cocktail, rub the peel around the rim and body of the glass and drop the peel into the glass. Serve.

Bottom Line:

This is full of holiday vibes thanks to that orange chocolate flavor profile that’s amped up by rummy spice, mince pie vibes, and a sense of spiced holiday fruit cakes. This is the holidays in one rummy glass, folks!

Orange Daiquiri

The Daiquiri is a simple yet delicious summer concoction with sugar, fresh lime, and rum shaken over some ice. That’s it. You can add some serious depth and wintry vibes — like a tangerine in a stocking — with fresh orange juice and demerara sugar syrup (partially refined raw sugar). The crucial point is to express some lemon oils over the cocktail to bring a deeper sense of citrus and really help the final cocktail pop on the palate and senses.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 oz. dark rum
• 1 oz. fresh orange juice
• 0.5 oz. demerara syrup
• Lemon Peel
• Ice

What You’ll Need:

• Coupe, Nick and Nora, or cocktail glass
• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail strainer
• Peeler
• Juicer

Method:

• Add the rum, juice, and syrup to a cocktail shaker. Fill with a large handful of ice and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds.
• Strain the cocktail in a pre-chilled glass.
• Express lemon oils over the cocktail and discard the peel. Serve.

Bottom Line:

This would be great with just the orange juice and demerara sugar, but the lemon really takes it to the next level. There’s a deep citrus that’s darkened by the spicy and oaky rum that’s all amped up with those fresh lemon oils. It’s just delicious and a good way to use that tangerine in the toe of your stocking.

Hot Buttered Rum

There are few hot rum cocktails more indicative of the holidays than a hot buttered rum. The mix of butter, brown sugar, and winter spices with dark rum damn near screams holidays from the first sip to the last. And trust me, it’s not as hard to make as it sounds.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. dark rum
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 drop of vanilla extract
• 1 pinch each of nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and salt
• 4 oz. boiling water
• Cinnamon stick

What You’ll Need:

• Irish coffee mug
• Muddler
• Barspoon
• Jigger

Method:

• Wash the coffee mug out with boiling water and discard the water.
• Add the brown sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, and spices to the mug and muddle until a soft butter base forms.
• Top with rum and boiling water and stir until fully blended.
• Garnish with a cinnamon stick and serve.

Bottom Line:

You can basically set this up in the time it takes to boil the kettle for some water. It’s that easy. The reward is you get a sweet, spicy, and creamy hot cocktail that’ll warm you to your cocktails with a nice and spicy rummy base. It’s really the best of all worlds.

Pro tip: You can make the butter/spice/sugar base beforehand and store it in the fridge. Then you can scoop out spoons for each hot buttered rum you want to make and simply add the rum and boiling water to make this even faster than it already takes.

This post is being republished.

Watching Christmas movies may be my favorite pastime. Finding out that a new Hallmark, ABC Family, or Lifetime Christmas movie is now on Netflix is — no joke — what keeps me going. I love them so much. From the great ones like While You Were Sleeping to the multiple TV movies in which a woman gets trapped in a snow globe, there’s nothing like a cheesy, heartwarming, Christmas movie to really get you in the spirit of the season.

Today, we’re power ranking the Christmas foods in holiday movies — from grossest-looking to most delicious. Whether the dishes look high key disgusting or absolutely on point, you have to agree: None of these movies would be the same without their iconic food moments.

9. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation — Turkey

Poor Clark Griswold. The dude cannot catch a break. He tries so hard to make things perfect, and like any classic clown, he’s always going to fail miserably. Christmas is no exception.

This classic Christmas dinner scene presents us with the world’s driest turkey. It is so dry that dust literally shoots out when Clark cuts into it. Important note: The sound effect here of everyone chewing what sounds like gravel really makes the scene. It’s the most extreme version of our collective nightmare of overdoing the Christmas main course and ruining the holiday, and it’s almost enough to make you seriously consider just skipping the bird entirely — lest your Christmas dinner end up like the Griswold’s.

8. A Christmas Prince — “Appetizers”

A Christmas Prince is so, so bad. And despite what the internet is telling you, not really in a good way. It’s like watching all the light and hope that goes out of a child’s eyes right after they find out that there is no Santa Claus or…. have to watch A Christmas Prince. Truly bleak stuff. That being said, there are some unintentionally hilarious parts of this movie that we cannot get enough of. Most of all, the neon toothpicks in the “Christmas Jellied Meat” that is served at a fancy cocktail party.

Every part of this movie — from the drab costumes, to the stock footage, to these toothpicks seem to be stuff that was already lying around the director’s house. But pretending this was a purposeful choice, we want to know so much more about the royal Christmas party in which they purposely call aspic, ‘jellied meat’ in order to disgust guests. Are they in bankruptcy and can only afford one plate of appetizers and therefore wanted to make sure no one took one so it can appear like many appetizers are being passed around? It seems plausible, as we know that the entire staff is made of drifters who just wandered into a palace and became staff without so much as an ID check. They’re obviously pretty strapped for cash.

7.Elf — The Spaghetti

This is about as gross a holiday food as one could imagine (remember when we made it?). It’s spaghetti with maple syrup, chocolate sauce, marshmallows, and Pop-Tarts, and yet, it’s still more appetizing than the appetizers in A Christmas Prince — which is something we all should take a second to really reflect on. Seriously, why is a palace trying to upset their very important guests?

6. Scrooged — Tab and Vodka

This is some glorious product placement at work. As Bill Murray tries to drown his sorrows, he turns to the drink absolutely no one has ever made ever, a Tab and vodka. The modern equivalent would be a Diet Coke and vodka, and honestly, if you are making this drink and not 16 getting drunk for the first time in your friend’s parent’s basement while they’re out of town, you need to have a serious “come to Jesus moment” with yourself. Because that’s gross, and you need to learn how to make a real cocktail.

That being said, Bill Murray can make pretty much anything seem cool. And drinking is a solid way to get through the holidays. In a “Would you rather” scenario between drinking Vodka Tabs and being sober with our dysfunctional families, you can pull out the time machine, because Tab and vodka just became our best and only friend.

Does Tab still exist? I don’t know. If only there was an endless source of useless knowledge right at my fingers in which I could look it up! But, unfortunately, no such web of world wide information is out there. So I guess we’ll just have to wonder forever.

5. Polar Express — The Hot Chocolate

If you’re ever looking for a song that works equally well for a children’s movie as it does for a sketchy guy standing outside of a strip club trying to give you a flyer, then look no further than Polar Express’ “Hot Chocolate Song”! With the lyrics like, “Oooo we got it. Hot, hot, Say we got it. Hot, hot. Hey, we got it,” you’ll be tantalized by both the delicious, creamy chocolate floating across the screen and the thought of “Girls! Girls! Girls!” at a classy place right off the highway.

Hot chocolate is an amazing holiday treat, and we’d rank it much higher, but where are the marshmallows, man? Hot chocolate without marshmallows is a hollow imitation of true Christmas cheer. Like vodka without Tab.

4.A Christmas Story — Chinese Food

Ah, casual racism played for laughs just in time for the holidays! This scene has aged about as well as the Youtube comments for it. “I hate when this scene comes on because my politically correct sister always gets offended, even though she’s not Asian,” one delightful commenter tells us. Yes, how could anyone be upset about racism if it’s not directed at them?! Insanity.

Anyway, stereotypes aside, the joyful message of eating Chinese for Christmas cannot and should not be lost. Whether you don’t celebrate Christmas or just want to celebrate it in a public place where your drunken aunt feels less comfortable taking her top off and playing show tunes on the piano, going to a Chinese restaurant is a solid and downright delicious way to celebrate Jesus’ birth.

3. The Family Stone — Morton Family Breakfast Strata

In my opinion, every Christmas movie about a dysfunctional family should end in a cathartic chase with everyone on the floor and covered in cold, egg casserole. Actually, even if you take out the “Christmas movie” part, what I said still stands. IRL, what amounts to a good old fashioned food fight would probably make everyone have more fun during the holidays.

The Stone family may not get to eat this traditional Morton family breakfast together (unless they scraped it off the floor later), but I bet it’s really awesome. Meredith really seems to have her shit together, and while here she’s reduced to the trope of another uptight business lady who should stop being so frigid and being good at her job so a man will love her, I’ll take her cooking skills over most of those on this list.

Bet she can follow directions in a recipe, you know? And that’s why she’ll be alone forever.

2. Home Alone 2 — Limo Feast

When you were a kid, it somehow didn’t seem like Macaulay Culkin’s on-screen parents should be put in prison for negligence. You just thought, “Wow, they’re very absent-minded and constantly lose their son for days at a time!” Normal. Or if we didn’t think this was normal, at least we were too caught up in the fantasy to care. A pizza all to ourselves in the back of a limo like a fancy person? That seemed right up our alley. It also seemed to be at the height of ‘adulting’.

Unfortunately, I’ve yet to cruise NYC in a white limo while drinking coke out of a champagne glass since aging up, but I am confident once I hit it big with this article, I’ll be able to afford to. In the meantime, I look forward to the Home Alone gritty follow-up where Macaulay graduates out of foster care with only the clothes on his back and the emotional scars from his parents abandoning him and terrifying men actually trying to murder him when he was just a child.

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas — Roast Beast

Ah the feast of the Whos! It’s the most delicious-looking dinner of all time (what is it about cartoon food that always makes it look so much better than real food?). And as the Grinch carves the roast beast, his heart filled with new joy and Christmas spirit, we have to wonder, what kind of beast is it? I mean if someone says they’re serving you “beast” for dinner, roasted or not, it’s a question you’re going to ask. If I had to guess, due to multiple national parks and monuments possibly disappearing in the new year, it’s something endangered. Mmmmm. Nothing tastier than eating the ‘last’ of something and knowing an entire species has been wiped out forever. The Trumps know what I’m talking about. They know.

Merry Christmas!

Here we are at the end of another year on this beautiful rock hurtling through space and, as always, it’s been an eventful one.

We started the year with everyone obsessed with Wordle, then congratulated the guy who created it for his million-dollar deal with The New York Times. Russia invaded Ukraine and we witnessed the world rally behind the Ukrainian people. We said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II, the world’s second-longest reigning monarch. We said hello to galaxies we’d never seen before, thanks to the James Webb telescope.

As we head into 2023, let’s remind ourselves that, no matter what the people who profit off of polarization try to sell us, there is far more that unites us than divides us. Our human family may have hard problems to solve, but look how far we’ve come. There’s so much we can do when we recognize our oneness and work together to make our world a better place.

One thing that makes the world a better place is joy. That’s why we pull together these weekly roundups—there’s positive power in a smile spreading from person to person.

So enjoy and share your favorites, whether it’s with a stranger, a friend or a grumpy uncle. Everyone can use a little shot of wholesome joy.

1. 3-year-old Emi teaches us the real meaning of friendship.

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A person you can run to who makes you laugh and makes everything better and better? That’s true friendship right there. Preschoolers seriously make the best philosophers. Read the whole story and catch more of Emi’s commentary about friendship here.

2. Iceland’s lovely tradition of Jólabókaflóð is like holiday heaven for introverts and book lovers.

Literally translating to “Christmas book flood,” this Icelandic tradition dating from WWII involves everyone gifting books and then cozying up to read them together on Christmas Eve. With hot cocoa, no less. Sign me up. Read more about Jólabókaflóð here.

3. Andrés Cantor calling the winning goal for his home country of Argentina is pure joy.

u201cIncredible: Witness Andres Cantor, Buenos Aries born Argentinan-American Broadcast legend calling the penalty which won World Cup for Argentina. All that is good about sports and life ud83cudde6ud83cuddf7ud83cudf99ufe0fud83dude4cu201d

— roger bennett (@roger bennett)
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The Argentine-American sports announcer has been waiting for this moment for decades. He conveyed the emotion of an entire nation and it couldn’t be sweeter. Read about Andrés Cantor and the incredible World Cup final here.

4. Young Lionel Messi fan dancing before World Cup is the energy we all need.

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Smooth, little man. Smooth.

5. Daughter ‘pranked’ her dad during their wedding dance, then he surprised everyone.

@nancylestock

When everyone thinks you’re pranking your dad….and then he joins in 🕺💃🏻 #wedding #fatherdaughter #surprisefatherdaughterdance #fatherdaughterdance #surprise

Noice. Love a fun daddy.

6. Parrot plays peek-a-boo with neighbor’s cat and it’s hilarious (sound up).

@tyla

This is way too cute 🥹 But we all know the cat’s real intentions 😅 #funny #petsoftiktok #parrot #cat #cattok #cosy #cutie #foryoupage #cuteanimals #fypシ

What do we think the cat is thinking here?

7. Mariah Carey celebrated a boy’s joyful performance of her iconic Christmas song.

u201cYour kid IS everything!!!!!! Knox, you made my day. Your JOY gives me and everyone watching JOY. THANK YOU for reminding me why I wake up in the morning and do what I do. I love you u2764ufe0fu2764ufe0fu2764ufe0fu2764ufe0fu2764ufe0fu201d

— Mariah Carey (@Mariah Carey)
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Knox is autistic and his mom shared the video with the caption “#AutisticJoy on full display! My kid is everything! I hope Mariah sees this!!” And she actually did. Read the full story here.

8. This ‘Little Drummer Boy’ performance is probably unlike any you’ve ever seen, but definitely worth watching.

Big sound. Big drums. Epic, epic version of an old classic from For King & Country. Read more about it here.

9. Check out this doggo who loves looking at Christmas lights.

Upworthy on Instagram: “Look at that face 😍😍😍🎄⠀
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(Via u/pacmaneatsfruit on Reddit) ⠀
⠀”

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Seriously, that face though.

10. Let’s get ready to roll into 2023 like…

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(Always helpful to have a friend to give us a nudge. :))

Hope that brought some smiles to your face and joy to your heart!

If you’d like to have these roundups and other highlights of humanity delivered right to you, sign up for our free newsletter, The Upworthiest, here.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Today is December 23, which might be a day on which some of you reading this realize that there’s somebody in your life for whom you forgot to get a Christmas present. Christmas is just two days away, but thankfully, Wu-Tang Clan have come through with a last-minute gift: Legacy, a new coffee table book that only costs a cool $360,000.

The book measures 21 inches by 21 inches and has over 300 color pages “showcasing rare and unseen images of the band by leading photographers including the legendary Danny Hastings, PROTIM PHOTO, Kyle Christy and Andy Cantillon as well as friends and family of the Clan.” Don’t worry, though, because $360K will also get you “a striking bronze-encrusted black steel chamber” made from “400 lbs of steel and bronze” to encase the book. Each chamber is “individually designed by the sculptor Gethin Jones (protégé of Antony Gormley)” and “inspired by the ancient past and the bronze ritual bowls of the Zhou Dynasty whose first ruler was King Wu-Wang.” They “consist of Spun Mild Steel bowls while the raised ridges, base and logo are furnished in solid brushed brass.”

These things are likely to move quickly given their accessible price point, so if you’re eyeing one of these, act fast, since only 36 are being made. Maybe Bob Dylan will grab one.

Learn more in the video above and on the Legacy website.

After recently winning the World Cup with Argentina’s national team, Rodrigo De Paul was a special guest last night (December 22) at his girlfriend’s concert. Argentine pop star Tini celebrated De Paul coming home with the golden trophy.

Tini was present for the first three games that Argentina won to cheer on her boyfriend, De Paul. Her fans gave her the nickname “Amuletini,” considering the singer to be a good luck charm. After winning the World Cup against France, Argentina’s national team returned home to their country earlier this week. Tini closed out her tour last night at the Campo Argentino Del Polo in Bueno Aires. The concert was streamed live around the world.

Tini brought out De Paul as a special guest. He emerged with the World Cup trophy in his hand. He also put his golden medallion from the competition around Tini’s neck. After singing “Dale Campeón” with the audience, De Paul thanked Tini for her love and support.

“I have by my side the woman of my life,” De Paul said in Spanish. “I love her with all of my heart. I learn from her everyday. She shows me how to be better, to work hard, and to not give up. And I believe a part of what I achieved is because of her. In my worst of my life, she appeared and brought love and light.”

After the concert, De Paul showered Tini with more words of love in an Instagram post. In a comment, she responded, “What a beautiful moment. I admire and love you too, Rodrigo. Thank you for being in my life and making me happy.”

Rick Rubin doesn’t do things conventionally. He has always refused to work in an office space, and prefers going green as opposed to plastic packaging. In a new interview with Maxim, The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. discussed the experience of working with him.

“I don’t think if I told you what it looked like and what it was,” Hammond said, “you’d fully understand the ‘magical-ness’ of where we were and how it was to record like that.” He added, “It felt really touching that one of his favorite recording experiences was this one he just had right now.”

This follows Rubin’s discussion of the experience recording with the band in Costa Rica. “We rented this house up on the top of a mountain and set the band up outside,” Rubin said on The Joe Rogan Experience. “So they’re playing… It’s like they’re doing a concert for the ocean, on the top of a mountain,” he continued. “It was incredible. And we did that every day, playing out in the [open], and they didn’t want to leave. It was, like, the best experience.”

Details about the new LP are still forthcoming; their most recent record was 2020’s critically-acclaimed The New Abnormal.