Lifestyle
Reader's Digest US
FILLING IN FOR Family
When families fracture, surrogate grandparents can fulfill essential roles for love and support
10+ min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
The Flight Before Christmas
Lucky kids get to visit Santa's workshop
5 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
HUMOR IN UNIFORM
While our frigate was taking on supplies at sea from a British ship, I noticed three of their sailors pointing to our destroyer’s squadron crest, which was proudly mounted on the side of our ship.
1 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Secret Santa Saves the Day
A stranger keeps the Christmas spirit alive for a little girl
5 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Ice, Ice, Baby! All About Antarctica
1 THE NORTH POLE gets all the attention this time of year, but what about the South Pole? The southernmost spot on earth and Antarctica, the continent it sits on, are surreal.
3 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Drawn to Help
A watercolor artist made a remarkable offer to people who lost their homes to the Los Angeles fires: \"I will paint it for free\"
2 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Our Hanukkah Miracle
Christmas takes on new meaning for a Jewish couple
3 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
EXERCISE CANCER AWAY
Prescriptions for exercise may soon join prescriptions for drugs as part of standard cancer treatment.
2 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
No Drama Llamas
BEING WITH LOVED ones during the holidays is a delight. Getting there is not.
1 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Taking Care of You ... All of You
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health
9 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
It's in the Bag
WE HAVE A fun family tradition for Christmas Eve. Well, we have a few, but everyone's favorite is the grab bag. After a chili supper and evening church, we all gather at my parents' house and dive in.
1 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
All About Recalls
How to find out and what to do if a food or product you bought is deemed unsafe
5 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Elf Mayhem Is Taking Over
It's time to restore decorum, says one of Santa's elves
4 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
The Christmas Truce of 1914
As World War I raged around them, soldiers facing off along one stretch of the fighting decided to hit pause
6 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
The Christmas Tree Mystery
Who decorated the big pine along a remote stretch of Montana highway?
4 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
ALL in a Day's WORK
At the start of her kindergarten class, my friend told her students, “I think we'll be inside at recess today, because it was raining on my way to work.”
2 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
ROCK BOTTOM
A HIKER SOMEHOW SURVIVED BEING PINNED IN A CREEK UNDER A 700-POUND BOULDER. THEN THE WATER STARTED TO RISE.
10+ min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
THE BEST MONEY I EVER SPENT
Deep Pockets
5 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Norman the Camel
WE ADDED NORMAN to the menagerie—Clydesdales, cows, emus, peacocks and more—on our 50-acre farm five years ago.
1 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
LAUGHTER
THE BEST Medicine
1 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
The Story Behind Our Stories
I’m so grateful to Derek Burnett for explaining how Reader’s Digest edits and fact-checks its stories (August/September). It’s frightening that much of the information online comes from underqualified and often unpaid sources. But it feels good to read the magazine with confidence, knowing your focus is to maintain our trust in you. You have done so. —GEORGIA KAY MCCARTNEY Urbana, IL
3 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Our Best Worst Christmas Idea Ever ...
... had four legs and a wagging tail—a puppy!
4 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Kindred Spirits
RECORD HIGH 49% of drinking-age Americans tried to cut out or cut back on alcohol this year. As more of us stay \"dry\" well past January, more bars and restaurants are offering alcohol-free cocktails (also called mocktails).
1 min |
December 2025 / January 2026
Reader's Digest US
Greetings from PERU AMATEUR CIRCUS
THE CLOWNERY STARTS on the sidewalk, even before you enter the big top. Crowds who show up to see the Peru Amateur Circus in Peru, Indiana, known as America's circus city, are greeted by merrymakers with silly jokes and swirly rainbow suckers. The smell of buttery popcorn fills the air; roaring trumpets fill the ears. Flossy cotton candy melts on the tongue. The circus is about to begin!
3 min |
October / November 2025
Reader's Digest US
LIFE
IN THESE United States
1 min |
October / November 2025
Reader's Digest US
The GREAT ALASKA TURKEY BOMB
A woman takes to the skies to make sure people in remote areas aren't forgotten for the holidays
5 min |
October / November 2025
Reader's Digest US
Greetings from MEDINA Ohio
IN OCTOBER 2024, Western North Carolina lay battered and sodden from the howling winds and relentless rain of Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, 500 miles north, in Medina, Ohio, a group of guardian angels started planning a surprise.
1 min |
October / November 2025
Reader's Digest US
Give Yourself a Pep Talk
We get plenty of support for big occasions, but what about everyday moments when we need to rally?
5 min |
October / November 2025
Reader's Digest US
Greetings from ASHEVILLE North Carolina
AND THE TOP HONOR GOES TO ...
10+ min |
October / November 2025
Reader's Digest US
THE CRYPTO SCAM THAT SNARED A SMALL TOWN
How did a successful banker gamble his community's money away?
10+ min |