November/December 2018

On Christmas night, families gather to sing carols, light candles, and dream of miracles. From the November/December 2018 issue.

In Rockwell’s classic Christmas scene, a boy makes an astonishing discovery of mistaken identities and big red coats.

If you have a problem with people who say “no problem,” you just might be the problem.

This issue’s You Be the Judge involves gruesome toilet injury, massive suits, and major changes to California law. Who was in the right? From the November/December 2018 issue.

The tale of an odd friendship between two innocent souls — one young and one old.

The only thing sensible people ever drank, said the editors, was water.

Recognizing that her plans for the Christmas season—making a few deadlines—were stale and unprofitable, Joan Didion sets out to be the kind of woman who makes 20 hard candy topiary trees and homemade figgy puddings.

Every month, Amazon staffers sift through hundreds of new books searching for gems. Here’s what Amazon editor Chris Schluep chose especially for Post readers this season:

Scientific methods and rising literacy were key ingredients for a culinary revolution

Christkindl-style markets are popping up around the U.S., offering gifts and foodstuffs representing authentic holiday traditions of America’s unique patchwork of nationalities and heritages.

In 1905, Post editors offered some general guidance for choosing meaningful gifts that still rings true more than a century later.

If a long, extravagant meal in the Tuscan countryside is wrong, Sara Jenkins doesn’t want to be right. From the November/December 2018 issue.

Noted film critic Bill Newcott, creator of AARP’s “Movies for Grownups,” offers his picks for favorite films. From the November/December 2018 issue.

This eager volunteer traded business suits for hiking boots to help scientists study the Earth.

In the 1880s, Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound eased monthly woes using herbal remedies…and a heavy dose of alcohol.

Richard DeFino was 17 when he first realized he had a mental illness. It took years to accept the idea that his condition simply wasn’t going to change overnight.

Mae West had aged by the year 1964, but the inner Mae hadn’t changed at all.

The secret to a rich and meaningful life lies in passing along what you have learned to the next generation. From our November/December 2018 issue.

Twenty years after regular broadcasting began, the editors took a cold, hard look at TV. From the November/December 2018 issue.

This 1905 Post editorial cynically noted that outraged voters were easily distracted.

In early summer of 1918, American forces threw back a German offensive that threatened to capture Paris. Later, when they paraded through the French capital, they were cheered by ecstatic Parisians. From the November/December 2018 issue.

With more than a million documents to their name, including a Wagnerian opera, a rescue report from the Titanic, and an original draft of the Bill of Rights, the Karpeles Manuscript Libraries have practically anything you can think of. From the November/December 2018 issue.

Americans spend more than $12 billion per year on supplements, but are they doing us any good? From the November/December 2018 issue.

There’s nothing like a motorcycle trip to excite the imagination. From the November/December 2018 issue.

Post contributor Todd Pitock on the magic and misery of spending a night at the Hôtel de Glace, made entirely of ice and snow. From our November/December 2018 issue.

Fred Rogers taught Cable Neuhaus valuable lessons about life and essential human values. From the November/December 2018 issue.

“Who doesn’t love a deviled egg?” asks celebrity chef Curtis Stone. “Fresh herbs are the key to this recipe. Forgo the spice rack and use fresh chives, parsley, and tarragon — the trinity of flavor for this slight riff on a classic.”

The Post’s West Coast editor interviews the Queen of Country, Reba McEntire, about her faith, family, and future. From the November/December 2018 issue.