LARRY LIPSON - WINE REPORT FROM FLORIDA
For fifty years Larry Lipson was the food critic for the Los Angeles Daily News and now reports from Florida weekly with his thoughts and favorite picks for Food & Wine. His lovely Wife Lillian is also on hand at the Lipson Institute for advanced wine studies.
NICOLE JOHNSON – BUTTERBALL TURKEY TALK-LINE EXPERT
FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
It all began in 1981 when six home economists worked the phones that holiday season to answer 11,000 turkey-cooking questions. Since then the Turkey Talk-Line has grown in both the number of calls answered and experts responding.
AN EXPERT FOR EVERYONE
In order to create stronger bonds with and meet the needs of those who call in, the Talk-Line has diversified its ranks by adding Spanish-speaking experts and – most recently - the first male Talk-Line expert.
EMBRACING DIGITAL
With more tech-savvy people entering the kitchen the Talk-Line has embraced Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, live chat and email to help every cook get the information they need, when they need it.
WE'RE HERE TO HELP
Our Butterball experts are available to answer your questions by phone, online chat and email. Let’s talk turkey! 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372)
WWW.BUTTERBALL.COM
CHRISTINE CARTER - HAPPINESS EXPERT - KEEPING THE “HAPPY” IN HAPPY HOLIDAYS
For many, the holiday season triggers a mix of feelings: we’re excited for it to arrive, yet often end up feeling overwhelmed once it does. During these months when the desire to feel happy and the use of the word itself prevail, Dr. Christine Carter, sociologist and happiness expert, says you CAN take steps to make the holiday season happier – and less overwhelming.
5 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS HAPPIER -- EVEN IF YOU ARE SUPER BUSY
The holidays are, at best, a mixed-bag for most people when it comes to happiness. We tend to look forward to this time of year, only to feel overwhelmed when it comes. Here are five science-based ways to make the holiday season happier--and less overwhelming--this year.
#1: Trade high expectations for big appreciation. Do you have high hopes about what will make this holiday season a good one? Unfortunately, unmet expectations often make us feel disappointed or even resentful. The reality is that unless we consciously cultivate gratitude, we are more likely to feel frustrated when we don’t get what we want than we are to feel grateful when we do. Turn this “abundance paradox” on it’s head. First, watch for where your expectations are keeping you from enjoying yourself. Then, make an effort to find something about the situation that you truly appreciate. Disappointment rarely makes for happy holidays, but gratitude can bring joy to the world.
#2: Create a giving trifecta (or make every gift you buy help someone in need). A mountain of research shows that giving to others -- particularly those in need -- makes us happier, so I’m always looking for ways to buy my Christmas gifts from retailers that donate money to causes I believe in. For example, this year I’m going to purchase gifts through the AmazonSmile program using my Chase Freedom card. This creates a giving trifecta: First, I get a gift for someone on my Christmas list; second, AmazonSmile donates a percentage of my purchase to a charity I love (the Tipping Point Community, a local non-profit that fights poverty); and third, I’ll also donate the 5% cash back I get from the Freedom card to Tipping Point.
#3: Lower your standards. This is a busy time of year, and something’s got to give. Let it be the little things. Even though I prefer homemade meals, I become very dependent on inexpensive prepared foods from Trader Joe’s at this time of year. Similarly, I’ve lowered my fashion standards so much that I basically wear the same outfit in different slightly different colors every day. And I’ve stopped being such a perfectionist when it comes to gift giving; although I’d prefer to exquisitely wrap each gift in handmade paper, I get hives just thinking about having to wait in line at the post office to mail those gifts. This year I’m letting Amazon do my shipping and wrapping (see tip #2)!
#4: Have a go-to way to say no. We tend to have more invitations to events and parties, more opportunities to volunteer, and more people asking us to help out during the holidays than we could ever possibly accept. When we accept too many invitations, tempting as they might be, we eventually become too exhausted to enjoy the season. It helps to have (and practice!) a go-to way to say no. Mine is the strangely effective, “Thank you so much for asking, but that isn’t going to work out for me right now.”
#5: Put your to-do list on your calendar. One of the things that can detract from our happiness is our extra-long long task-list. Researchers used to think that worry about unfinished tasks was our unconscious mind trying to
ABOUT DR. CHRISTINE CARTER:
A sociologist and happiness expert at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, Christine Carter, Ph.D., is the author of Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents (2011).
A sought-after keynote speaker, Dr. Carter also writes an award-winning blog, which is frequently syndicated on the Huffington Post, PsychologyToday.com, PositivelyPositive.com, Medium.com, and several other websites.
Dr. Carter has been quoted or featured in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, the Boston Globe, as well as Real Simple, Men’s Health, Good Housekeeping, Parenting, Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, Fitness, Redbook, and dozens of other publications. She has appeared on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” the “Dr. Oz Show”, the “TODAY” show, the “Rachael Ray Show,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “CBS Sunday Morning,” “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer”, PBS, as well as NPR and BBC Radio.
WWW.CHRISTINECARTER.COM