morning! Welcome to the daily briefing. This morning’s breaking news is:
Jane Onyanga Omara Here’s the news you need to know Wednesday, from how to enjoy your vacation to the latest on the Epstein file. 🎅 And let’s take a peek inside Santa’s workshop.
Create a cozy atmosphere with 3, 2, 1…
Today is Christmas Eve. Whether you’re celebrating a holiday or just chilling, today is an opportunity to make the most of your family, friends, or the things you love. Don’t you have any days off? Here’s how to earn PTO next year.
USA TODAY has a list of ways to celebrate this season (and we checked it twice!). This time of year, you can give back to a charity you care about or, like these people, get your neighbors together to cover your streets and cars with beautiful lights. Better yet, follow in the footsteps of Gen Z and host a DIY holiday party using paper chains and dried orange garlands. Eggnog is also included.
Watch the classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas” while wearing a Mrs. Claus-approved sweater or recreate old Christmas recipes. Listen to holiday tunes. But please skip these songs. There’s no pro football game tonight, but get ready to cheer on the NFL’s Christmas slate featuring Snoop Dogg with halftime performances at Broncos vs. Chiefs (8:20 p.m. ET), Cowboys vs. Commanders (1 p.m. ET), and Snoop Dogg vs. Vikings (4:30 p.m. ET). Speaking of dogs, your pup will be happy to see the Grinch.
More news you need to know right now
- American departure bonus? DHS will provide $3,000 to illegal immigrants who self-deport by 2026.
- Time to talk to your adult children. It’s not about sex, but it’s just as difficult.
- In a league of her own: Little League star Morne Davis has joined a new women’s professional baseball league. Davis, a 24-year-old outfielder, will be one of the players to watch when the WPBL begins play next August between Los Angeles, Boston, New York and San Francisco at a neutral site in Springfield, Illinois.
Let’s take a look
Take a peek inside Santa’s workshop
Tucked away on the edge of a narrow industrial park, this former heating and air conditioning company’s warehouse is filled with stacks of Barbie dolls, Legos, toy trucks, art kits, stuffed animals, baseballs and basketballs, board games and books. The effort in Montgomery County, Maryland, is one of more than 800 local Toys for Toys campaign centers across the country, where each year volunteers receive, sort, bag and distribute tens of millions of donated gifts to children in need. See how we make sure every child has a gift.
I want to talk to you about something.
Bruce Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis talks about ‘sadness’ during the holidays
Emma Heming Willis wrote a powerful essay about the sadness that comes with celebrating the holidays while her husband Bruce Willis battles dementia. In a post on his website titled “The Holidays Look Different Now,” Hemming Willis, 47, revealed that he was experiencing what he described as a “web of sadness” during the holidays.
before you go
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