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It’s officially December. Which means that it’s officially time to deck the halls with holiday merriment. And for those who prefer faux trees to the real deal, have we found an incredible option for you. We first stumbled upon the design from BestProducts.com, and we think this might become our household’s signature holiday décor piece for years to come. Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the 67-inch Snowing Musical Christmas Tree from Fraser Hill Farm on HomeDepot....

With in-person school being cancelled and graduation ceremonies and celebrations being swapped for virtual Zoom meetings and yard displays celebrating this year’s graduating class, it’s been a tough few months for high school seniors amid the coronavirus pandemic. But from this dark time, we’ve been grateful to see so many light spots. From countless instances of neighbors toasting neighbors with thoughtful offerings (and plenty of cake!) to companies celebrating this year’s graduating class such as iHeartRadio launching a podcast series of commencement speeches, moments like this continue to move and inspire us....

The story of Nathan Smith is what Olympic dreams are made of. Born in Florida, Smith spent his childhood playing roller hockey in the Tampa Bay area. At age eleven, he took his talents to the ice and before long had made a name for himself as a top scorer in the area’s youth ice hockey league. In 2016, Smith helped his high school team win the USA Hockey national title – the first Florida team to ever claim the championship....

If there’s one voice America’s children want to hear now, it’s Josh Gad’s. The actor, who brought everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf, to life in the Frozen movies, is doing what he can to infuse a little joy into a scary situation. Amid nationwide social distancing due to the coronavirus outbreak, the 39-year-old Florida native has been reading to fans on Twitter each night since March 13. “Since we’re all stuck at home right now, I figured we would have a little fun together,” Gad explained....

The fresh air. The wildlife. Those sunrise and sunset views. It’s hard not to love Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Clearly, travelers are fans of this sprawling national park situated between the Tennessee and North Carolina border. Now, the National Park Service has revealed the park received more traction than ever by welcoming 12,547,743 visitors in 2019. This figure shatters the then record-breaking 11.4 million visitors in 2018. While the park’s three main entrances near Gatlinburg, Townsend, and Cherokee all hosted more visitors, making for about two-thirds of the park’s total visits, secondary park entrances also experienced tremendous growth....

It took many, many times over. Many, many stripped nails over, we could say. Many sad, broke-down, torn-up nail beds to get us to the point where we’re finally strong enough to resist picking off gel or dip powder nails. Please, hold the applause. Like responsible adults, now we take ourselves straight to the salon to get them properly soaked off. Again, the applause. But what happens when you can’t make it to the nail salon for whatever reason?...

Ah yes, the question we face every year: How soon is too soon to start decorating for fall? Well, we hate to break it to you, but there may not be a definitive answer. Really, you should decorate the moment that you’re feeling the fall spirit and want to enhance the effect by seasonally sprucing up your home. For some, this may mean that autumn calls as soon as back-to-school season in late August or when Labor Day announces the end of summer in early September....

This past Friday, June 12th, Jenna Bush Hager took to Instagram to share a moving message in honor of her grandfather George H.W. Bush’s 96th birthday that tugged at our heartstrings just so. “Dear Gampy, Today would have been your 96th birthday. I miss you every day—and see your gentleness and compassion in Mila, Poppy and Hal. I love you more than tongue can tell,” she wrote, captioning two beautiful family photos with the Bush twins as young girls....

Spending most of its life below ground has allowed the Southeastern pocket gopher to harbor a fascinating secret. Apparently, the rodent native to Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, glows in the dark. “It’s kind of an indescribable blend of purple and blue and pink,” J.T. Pynne, the scientist who made the discovery, told WABE. “It’s very, very psychedelic.” A recent Ph.D. graduate of University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Pynne published his illuminating findings in The American Midland Naturalist this month....

When snowy weather stranded hundreds of drivers on I-95 in northern Virginia for as many as 24 hours earlier this week, it was truckers who came to the rescue. As motorists ran out of fuel, water, and food, truck drivers tapped into their personal supplies—and in some cases, their cargo—to help those around them through the “unprecedented” crisis. “Us as truckers, we have the resources. We have water, we have food,” Richmond-based long-haul trucker Jean-Carlo Gachet told ABC News....

Smoky Mountain Station in Pigeon Forge offers the ultimate getaway for train fanatics of any age—and there’s no ticket required. You may have traveled across the country on Amtrak, enjoyed a meal or a tour on a dinner train, or even stayed at the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. But you’ve never had a locomotive experience like this one. This vacation rental from Vacasa contains all the comforts of home (and then some!...

For someone who has sensitive skin, the one product I never thought twice about using was my Chapstick. I would always carry around a tube with me to help soothe my dry, flaky lips throughout the year. Unfortunately I turned into a clown one December and had to give it up. Yes, a clown. During final exam week of my junior year of college, I started to notice a red rash around my mouth....

Gumbo and jambalaya are classic Louisiana dishes that have become popular across the country. Both dishes boast multicultural Creole and Cajun roots, so they are similar all the way up to the point they’re quite different. The main difference between the two is the role of the rice, which is integral to both. Gumbo is served with rice that is cooked separately, but rice goes into the jambalaya pot. People who grew up eating gumbo and jambalaya often retain lifetime loyalties to the way it was made in their family, community, or favorite restaurant....

It may not seem like it, but all those vegetable peels, ends, and stems we throw out while cooking could actually be put to delicious use instead of in the trash. And just because something is limp or wilted doesn’t mean you can’t give it a second life either. Don’t confuse wilted greens with those that are so far gone they are a bit slimy which indicates spoilage. Add those to your compost pile not your pesto!...

Sometimes the best cooking discoveries come from a moment of desperation. It was the end of the work week and I was making a slapped together, raid-the-refrigerator pasta for dinner. As I sauteed garlic and mushrooms in a skillet, I realized that this pasta could go from so-so to hey-this-is-actually good if I added a little cream. I checked the fridge, and of course, we had none. But I did have a container of buttermilk, leftover from some cornbread I made earlier in the week....

Easter is right around the corner, which means it’s time to gather spring blooms for festive arrangements, bouquets, and centerpieces. Lenten roses, Easter lilies, azaleas, tulips, and other pretty pastel flowers are probably the first come to mind. Succulents aren’t a typical choice, but this holiday houseplant shouldn’t be overlooked—the Easter cactus (Hatiora gaertneri). It’s a relative of popular Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti. A perk of this easy-to-care-for pick? It can be kept alive all year long, going dormant in winter and sprouting its vibrant star-like blooms again in spring....

WATCH: Netflix’s Bridgerton Is Based on a Book Series by Julia Quinn The Giver of Stars, Jojo Moyes The Return, Nicholas Sparks 28 Summers, Elin Hilderbrand The Dare, Lauren Landish The Duke and I (Bridgertons Book 1), Julia Quinn Outlander, Diana Gabaldon The Restaurant, Pamela M. Kelley Regretting You, Colleen Hoover Temptation (The Hunted Series Book 1), Ivy Smoak By A Thread, Lucy Score The Hunter (Boston Belles), L.J. Shen Devious Lies, Parker S....

Don’t toast the nuts Although we usually recommend toasting nuts before you cook with them, you can skip this step when making a casserole. Untoasted nuts will brown nicely as the casserole bakes, and won’t burn. Rest the streusel Yes, I know that sounds weird. If your casserole has a streusel topping, mix the ingredients with melted butter until it is combined, then set the bowl aside for 20 minutes or so....

In their hit HGTV show Home Town, Erin and Ben Napier have made us fall in love with historic homes, the town of Laurel, Mississippi, and well, we also fell in love with the two of them. The Mississippi natives have given their all to help revamp and revive their beloved hometown. Along the way we’ve learned some great lessons from the pair. We learned about the value of choosing white bath towels from Erin, how to design the best layout for a great kitchen, and we certainly hope our significant other has taken some notes about how Ben proves simple gestures can make a big impact on our loved ones....

Cookouts are a fixture of Southern summers (and tailgating parties). Grilling is such a no-brainer of summertime dinner parties that the question isn’t whether or not you’re firing up the barbecue, but whether you want lime-grilled chicken, lemon-grilled salmon, Cajun shrimp kabobs, classic hot dogs, or the all-time favorite burger. There is nothing better than a grilled smashed burger with bacon and cheese except, maybe, a ranch turkey burger right off the barbecue....