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Steps you can take to care for yourself during the holidays

Lifestyles

StatePoint With seasonal stressors like end-of-year work deadlines, gift shopping and hosting potentially weighing on you, plus all those extra sweets and indulgent foods to nibble on, the holiday season may be the happiest time of year, but it’s not always the healthiest. Protect your skin You may be aware that the more free radicals you have in your body, the more skin damage can accumulate over time. But did you know that exposure can be particularly high during the holiday season? There are a few reasons for this. One is that cooler temperatures are linked to sugar cravings, ...

Is inflation affecting travel points, miles

Lifestyles

By SAM KEMMIS NerdWallet Inflation has made the cash prices of flights and hotel stays skyrocket this year, but it’s having a surprising effect on a different currency — your airline miles and hotel points. Across the board, your airline miles and hotel points are actually worth more than last year, which is unusual because points and miles generally devalue over time. However, this year’s increased value of points and miles isn’t enough to keep pace with inflated cash prices for hotel stays and flights. Travelers should still target redeeming their points and miles with ...

How to make a charity a beneficiary in your will

Lifestyles

Giving to charity can be a rewarding endeavor that makes a difference in the lives of people in need. Many people donate throughout their lives, and some people may want to impart a more lasting legacy by continuing to support a charity even after they have passed away. Incorporating a charity into an estate plan is a great way to continue giving after you pass away. Individuals may not know how to make charities beneficiaries in their wills. A financial planner, attorney or accountant can answer the more complex questions individuals have about naming charities as beneficiaries in a ...

From Wordle to sweets, holiday gift ideas for the grown-ups

Lifestyles

NEW YORK (AP) — Adults. They, too, need fun stuff for the holidays. From sweet treats to things with wheels, some ideas for pleasing a child at heart this holiday season: Board games The Shakespeare Game: This bard-in-a-box extravaganza has players collecting characters and racing around London’s theaters. The idea is to put on as many plays as possible before others “steal your ideas, burn down your theaters or spread the plague!” The winner rakes in the most box office bucks and is the fastest to fame and glory. $35. Wordle: The Party Game. Did you see it coming? Hasbro ...

Principal wears costumes to get kids ‘giggling’

Lifestyles

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) — A dinosaur, a snowman, or a cowboy. You never know what you might see in the morning at Clear Lake Middle School. Principal Mike Lester has been frequently dressing up in costumes to welcome students for four years now. A Halloween and Homecoming dress-up day enthusiast, he occasionally wears silly outfits outside of those special occasions. “I just saw how much fun I had with (dressing up), and I like getting kids laughing and giggling,” Lester told the Mason City Globe Gazette. “I’m like, ‘Why can’t we do it every day somehow, or as much as ...

Five ideas for investing

Lifestyles

Family Features Consider these examples of actions you can take, some bigger than others, that benefit the larger community. Create shared common spaces Nearly every community can benefit from the addition of resources that benefit multiple families. Examples include community gardens, playgrounds, parks and sites for regular farmers’ markets, to name a few. Acquiring the space is often the greatest challenge, but if you’re inspired to lead such an effort, forming a committee of like-minded peers can be an effective step toward raising the funds to create a project that ...