Holidays News

Planning for holiday travel without affecting the sleep routine By Tim Sandle Trips can cause disruptions, particularly to kids’ sleep habits. However, the worst effects can be avoided, according to the developers of digital content providers at Moshi Twilight Sleep Stories.

December 24 & 25 are #1 days for cyber-fraud By Tim Sandle New data shows that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are the top times for online fraud. This finding comes from Riskified, the payments and fraud-prevention solutions provider, who found that fraud at this time extends to over a billion dollars.

Op-Ed: Poor employment practices disclosed over the Holidays By Tim Sandle There's something darker about the Holidays that is associated with employment issues, normally centered on workers losing their jobs being treated harshly. Two examples are explored here.

Review: New Second City holiday revue lacks chemistry, edge of past shows Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - The holidays are a time of disappointment for some, from kids who get nothing but clothes from Santa to single adults spending the season alone. This year, some Second City fans in Toronto might feel seasonal letdown by the company’s new revue.

Holiday wars commence — Amazon to offer free shipping to all By Karen Graham The battle for consumer's online shopping orders is heating up this holiday season, with E-commerce giant Amazon raising the stakes by offering free delivery to customers without having to meet the $25 minimum purchase threshold.

Q&A: Why vacation rentals are on the rise Special By Tim Sandle For the vacation and travel sector, the vacation rentals sector is showing impressive growth. David Kolodny and Phil Santoro, co-founders of VacationRenter explain the current trends.

Challenges for customer services over holiday periods By Tim Sandle Over holiday periods customer services departments come under greater challenges. Much of this can be off-set by automation and by changing the approach taken to customer relations. A leading outsource service provides some business tips.

Enjoy the holidays, but don't forget your fiber By Tim Sandle Atlanta - New research with mice has helped to shed light on how and why fiber has such a powerful effect on the entire body. Over the holiday season, it isn't only calories that matter but the type of food as well.

Frenchman invents lemony oysters in time for holidays By AFP Marennes - A French seafood farmer is proposing lemon-flavoured oysters this holiday season, a delicacy he perfected after four years of trial-and-error experiments in his garage.

Butter, wine, foie gras: French face triple whammy as shortages abound By AFP Paris - With butter spread thin and wine output drying up, whatever next for the unlucky French? A shortage of foie gras, the must-have liver pate that takes pride of place on most Christmas tables.

Review: Second City holiday revue satirizes Christmas traditions Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - Christmas is usually depicted as a happy season of good cheer, but in reality, it can be a time of stress, disappointment or loneliness for some. Leave it to Second City to roast the truths behind the myths in its new Toronto holiday revue.

Social media highlights across the Christmas period By Tim Sandle It may be a quiet period for many, but social media is especially active over the Christmas period, with people tweeting and posting the highlights and low-lights of the festive period. Digital Journal takes a peek.

Delving into the ‘science’ of Christmas By Tim Sandle As we’ve done over the past few years, Digital Journal takes a look at some of the Christmas and other Holiday season traditions and explores the science behind them.

Christmas cheer falls flat in crisis-hit Rio By AFP Rio De Janeiro - The Grinch -- in the form of devastating recession, giant corruption and unpaid salaries -- has stolen Rio de Janeiro's Christmas.Things are so tight in Brazil's party city that the traditional giant Christmas tree on the lagoon has been canceled.

Review: Soulpepper reimagines ʻWonderful Lifeʼ as a postwar radio play Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - As with other overexposed holiday classics – “A Christmas Carol”, “The Grinch” and so on – itʼs hard to see “Itʼs a Wonderful Life” in a fresh way. But Philip Grecianʼs stage adaptation tries a unique approach: a live radio play.

Weight loss tips for the Holiday season By Tim Sandle The end of December is coming soon and with it holiday activities and New Year revelries, plus plenty of opportunities to pack on the pounds. To help manage your weight during this time a leading psychologist provides some important tips.

Review: Cullen scores the biggest laughs in zany Dickens spoof Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - Charles Dickens’ works are so often viewed as boring, stuffy and antiquated these days, many don’t realize that his contemporaries actually saw him as a master of high and low comedy. Old Boz himself might even have enjoyed “Twist Your Dickens”.

France braces for annual travel 'Black Saturday' By AFP Paris - France is bracing for its annual Black Saturday, when millions of people return from their July holidays and millions of others take to the roads, rails and skies for their August break.

Top 6 things your Jewish friends are doing on Christmas Eve By David Silverberg On Christmas Eve, your city streets may not be as deserted as you think. For us Jews, Christmas is the time when we celebrate a different kind of holiday, one often involving movies, Chinese food and downtown strolling.

Review: Dumb but sometimes amusing ‘Rock & Roll Christmas’ opens in T.O. Special By Jeff Cottrill Toronto - “Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Christmas Tale” sounds like an absurd parody TV special from “The Simpsons” or “SCTV”. In fact, it kept reminding me of the old “KISS Saves Santa” bit from “Family Guy.” In 2015, life imitates silly art.

How to host a fun, professional, responsible office holiday party By B2B News Network Everyone loves a holiday party…except the people who organize them. Having to deal with different tastes and lifestyles while trying to be fun and responsible can make the holiday party a fierce creature.

Op-Ed: New product echoes the history of Polynesian art and tattoos Special By Jonathan Farrell Mililani - Riding on the wave of success of her "Maui By Design" hand painted Hawaiian 'Nei Hua' ornaments, owner Andrea Butter this year has launched an entirely new product line of Polynesian inspired leather wallets, called NĀ KOA, meaning "the courageous."

From SF With Love: Third generation is now taking the leadership of Dickens Fair Special By Jonathan Farrell San Francisco - The annual Great Dickens Christmas Fair starts early this year, ahead of 'Black Friday.' The fair's opening day is Nov. 21.

6 holiday shopping trends to watch for this year By Jessica Oaks The holiday shopping season has arrived and as shoppers stroll the stores aisles and peruse the e-commerce space they will notice some new and not-so-surprising trends marketers have implemented.

1 in 3 British holidaygoers prefers home comforts to culture By Sam Wright Over a third of British holiday-goers would rather be surrounded by home comforts than experience the local culture of overseas destinations, suggests a recent survey.

Hawaii tourism authority reveals record numbers By Jenna Cyprus When you think about Hawaii your mind shifts to warm beaches, beautiful weather, ancient volcanoes, and unique culture. It’s the combination of these things that keeps tourists returning each year.

35% of UK parents can’t afford summer holidays By Sam Wright The high price of holidays between July and August means that a summer break is out of budget for over 35 percent of British parents, new research suggests.

Keeping safe over the holidays Special By Tim Sandle Toronto - The excitement and activities of holiday season creates a timely opportunity to review safety strategies, like the buddy system, with parents and children. Two Canadian organizations have combined efforts to offer some timely advice.

Holiday lights revealed by NASA By Tim Sandle The NOAA/NASA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite, has allowed NASA to identify how patterns in nighttime light intensity change during major holiday seasons.

Lighting up London for Christmas Special By Tim Sandle There is something magical about lights and trees during the holiday season. Digital Journal paid a visit to London to explore some of the sights and the best bits are captured in this photo essay.

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