The amazing version of the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" you didn't know your life was missing.

"Some more tea, Mr. Tolkien?" Your favorite authors, now in doll form.

Because gingerbread houses are so expected—behold, the gingerbread typewriter.

Make almost any outfit holiday-party-ready with a dose of sparkle.

Go ahead, explode! A surprisingly effective means of relieving stress.

The Life-Lifter: NBD, but this 17-year-old girl discovered a nanoparticle that kills cancer.

Photo: Thinkstock

In the same way that our actual waistlines have expanded over the past few decades (Americans are 20 pounds heavier than in 1990), our "in a perfect world" waistlines appear to be getting bigger, as well. A new Gallup poll found that women's idea of their ideal weight have generally increased. You might assume that we're just being realistic about what's possible, but sadly, the difference between our ideal and actual weights is going up, too: it's now 22 pounds vs. 13 pounds just 20 years ago. Clearly, cutting our ideal selves some slack isn't helping us stay healthy. This is something to keep in mind when we're looking for fitness motivation: instead of vowing to slim down "soon" but in the meantime buying the next size up in pajama jeans, maybe we should really focus on fitting into those old, uncompromising skinny jeans that refuse to give an inch.
 

Photo: Thinkstock

What controls the way you think? Genetics? Education? Pods from outer space? Could it be...vowels?

Consider this: Chances are, the name of your favorite flavor of ice cream contains lots of creamy-sounding “O” and “A” sounds, while your preferred cracker has a name with light, crispy-sounding “E” and “I” sounds in it. Why would this be? According to the ever-entertaining Robert Krulwich on his NPR blog, Krulwich Wonders, “Words with front vowels ("I" and "E") tend to represent small, thin, light things. Back vowels ("O" "U" and some "A"s ) show up in fat, heavy things.”

Apparently, the difference lies in the part of your mouth that makes the vowel sound. "I" and "E" vowel sounds are made by putting your tongue forward in the mouth, while with “O” and “A” sounds your tongue depresses a bit in the back of your mouth. What makes this so fascinating is that the vowel sounds in words can actually control the way people think about the words – across languages, people tend to associate “front” vowel sounds with light, small things, and “back” vowels with dark, heavy, large things. Krulwich has more on his blog about why linguists think this might be (along with some very entertaining illustrations).

Read More:
How Your Mind Controls Your Life
Exercise Your Brain: Read!

Photo: Thinkstock

Just now—I swear this really happened—I saw a truck driver park in front of a bodega, pull out an accordion and start playing it there in his parked truck. I was tempted to open his door and give him a high five. Shouldn’t we all have such unexpected and unique hobbies? Well, here’s one man who’s found an awesome new hobby: skateboarding. What's surprising about it is that he’s 76. Years old. 

I love a good story about an older person staying young by doing amazing things (that I myself am too cowardly for) – and Lloyd Kahn is just such a man. As he told ABC News, "I started skating when I was 65, but the first ride I took I fell and screwed up my wrist, but I kept at it.”  Kahn, who thinks that too many people give up as they get older, said, “Every day, I really do want to have some kind of fun.” Well, Mr, Kahn, I’ve been taught to listen to my elders, and this is some wise advice I am super into. With the proper padding and a helmet, of course.

Visit ABC News for the whole story, and to watch a video of the 76-year-old skater in action!

Read More:
The unexpected hobby of a famous poet
5 ways to stay youthful as you age

Men! What are they thinking? We can't always answer that, but we'll be posting our favorite glimpses into their world in this space every Thursday.

Photo: Thinkstock

* How many kids in how many countries does Santa have to distribute gifts to? One reporter does the math. (The Atlantic)

* A handy outline of everything you need to know about quarterback Tim Tebow. (Washington Post)

* Dr. Oz, the first man to appear on the cover of O, talks to Oprah about food, family, and what it really means to be healthy. (O Magazine)

* How Carlton Banks became an NBA style icon. (Grantland)

* "At first I was sad I wasn’t a solider, but as the role grew it became pretty important. Not to brag or anything."—Justin Souriau-Levine, who plays the littlest mouse in American Ballet Theater's production of The Nutcracker. (NYTimes.com)

Photo: Spoon Sisters

The weekend is within reach...let these little splurges make getting there more fun.Hanging Globe with Succulent Planting Kit, $29. This simple kit comes with a terrarium, plant, pumice and hanging string. Put it on your Christmas tree now; show it off in your kitchen, bathroom or any other place around the house all year long.

Champagne and Shimmer Acai Sugar Polish, $37.  Definitely a contender for the most luxurious body butter you've ever used, this has a slight shimmer, making it perfect to smooth over skin before you head out to a holiday party wearing  a shoulder-baring dress or top.

Zoku Single Pop Maker, $25. Make yourself a different pop every night. We're thinking egg nog, hot chocolate or even apple cider might taste pretty good in frozen form.

In case you haven't noticed, there's a lot of bad news out there. And we all have those days when we embark on our daily journey with a smile, only to get the feeling that the world is working to wipe that smile right away. Almost as if there were a man shouting, "Stop smiling!" right in your face; responding to your uplifting sense of hope and optimism by saying, "Repeat after me. University tuition fee." Or: "Climate change. Boom." Well, in the case of the kids in Michael Berliner's video "School Photo," there actually is man shouting these things, stealing the sweet "picture smiles" away. Until, that is, a 4-year-old's irrepressible grin proves to be his match. If this video doesn't brighten your day well, then, maybe you need to examine your inner "mean school photographer." Behold, the smiliest smile of all smiles:

School Portrait (2011) from Michael Berliner on Vimeo.

Read More:
Finding Smiles in Unexpected Places
6 Reasons to Smile Right Now

This holiday family photo primer includes do's, don'ts... and some really hilarious pictures:

Headed to the mall? The ingenious smart-phone app that might just be your holiday shopping savior.

"Don’t be passive." Tips on exercise (and life) from a  fit, pilates-loving, 100-year-old woman.

Sometimes it pays to snoop! This janitor found a treasure worth millions.
 
The Life-Lifter: And they say there's no such thing as a free lunch: customers at an Iowa cafe regularly pick up the tabs for each other's meals,  making "paying it forward" a way of life.

Photo: Hannah Whitaker

The best thing about going to a cookie exchange (aside from the 6 dozen cookies you cart home) is the often amazing recipes they help unearth. How else would I have come across my mom's friend Rita's pistachio-cranberry icebox cookies, or our neighbor Linda's Italian almond crescents, other than at Aunt Betty's annual bash? So when an editor at The Food Network invited me to a virtual cookie swap, I knew I had to join in. It works like this: on one day (today!), food magazines, blogs and other websites each "bring" a different cookie recipe to the table. Instead of sorting through your cookbooks or the millions of recipes online, you can scroll through this best-of-the-best list: Since each site is only allowed to share a single recipe in the swap, you know every one of them is going to be a winner.

Life Lift's contribution to the exchange is a butter cookie recipe from the December issue of O. The dough is beyond simple; what makes these sweets unique is that you use a glass with a design in the bottom (it could be a vintage water tumbler, a vase, a Ball jar or anything else you find in your kitchen cabinets) to stamp each circle of dough. Even something that’s just a basic ring looks beautiful when it’s sprinkled with colored sugar.