Secret santa gift exchanges are always a lot of fun, whether in your office or friend circle, or with a total stranger. Sometimes you can score a really fantastic “Santa” as well. For example, an unidentified Reddit user got Bill Gates this year! The Reddit Secret Santa gift exchange began in 2009 and since then,

Christmas is a day best spent with those you love, but sometimes life and work does get in the way and you are forced to get a little creative. Such was the case with Pierce Vaughan, a flight attendant for Delta Airlines, who had to work several flights throughout Christmas Eve and Day, so her

After welcoming their second daughter into the world, Jasmine Parent and her partner Jeremy Crawley made a commitment to transform their lives together. At 300 pounds, Parent was at her heaviest and while she was filled with joy that her family was whole, she was struggling both mentally and physically. “I looked at myself in

Many of us have fond feelings for the barista at our favorite coffee shop, but how many of us can say that their barista set off a seismic change in their life? That’s the story Ryan Estis shared about Lily Olsen, a barista works out of a Starbucks in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The

There’s so many stories out there of children being kidnapped, and being in their teens before finding out their roots, if at all. But imagine if that story went down a different path entirely and a woman was well into her more mature years of adulthood before she discovered who she really was. That is

Sometimes, when it seems everything in life is stacked against us and we are, ultimately, all alone, we can feel hopeless. This is especially true when we do not have family by our side. A perfect example is this story of a Florida-based homeless man who had not seen his daughters in more than twenty

People with disabilities are often kept away from adventures, but with a little consideration and compassion, there’s no reason every child can’t experience the beauty and wonder of nature with their friends and classmates. Ryan Neighbors is a 10-year-old 4th grader based in Kentucky with spina bifida. She uses a wheelchair to get around, but

If you don’t know Lizzo already, you’re about to. There’s a very good reason AfroPunk has dubbed the future icon “the star we need right now.” The uber-talented 31-year old singer, rapper, and classically trained flautist (no joke) is becoming more and more recognized for her unique and delicious sound. Plus— she’s a bad-ass, body

Alisia McKennon had never made weight loss a priority, even as she struggled to keep up with her toddler. Her weight prevented from her realizing a longtime dream, but even then, she kept postponing weight loss.  It wasn’t until she had a health scare that she found her the motivation she needed to make a

Claire Mills is a young woman in her twenties who works a difficult and intense but incredibly important job. She makes her living working 12-hour nursing shifts in the neonatal intensive care unit at a Texas hospital. Being around struggling babies can be emotionally tough, but Mills does it because she cares about each and

With the anniversary of Princess Diana’s death upon us, it’s a poignant time to look back at the important role she played in society and the royal family. She wasn’t just the former wife of a future king (and mother of the next king) and a style icon. She was a woman who used her

“When haters go after your looks and differences … you know you’re winning.” This is a powerful statement from a powerful young girl, and just one example of what makes Greta Thunberg so unique and special. Even at the young age of 15, Greta Thunberg is very well known for her environmental activism, but right

Justin Bieber has gotten a lot of flack in recent years, from the media and his fans alike, for his increasingly outlandish and bad behavior. From illegally bringing his pet monkey into Germany to peeing in a mop bucket at a restaurant, the newly adult Bieber has seemed a far cry from the teen singing

For most of us, true love happens just once in a lifetime. But for one couple, it ended up happening twice, in a most unusual way! Two years ago, tragedy struck and, at only 23 years old, Laura Faganello suffered a traumatic brain injury. It was a freak accident where a pole fell on her

The Amazon is on fire, and the damage seems insurmountable. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and think things are just too severe to make a difference, but there’s always something we can do to make a terrible situation easier to handle. With his latest Instagram post, Leonardo DiCaprio proved just that, announcing a major initiative

Almost two decades ago, a bright star was lost. To this day, the world is still mourning that woman — and what she represented. August 25 marks the 18th anniversary of the very sad and untimely death of Aaliyah, when she was just 22 years old. But is the tragedy of Aaliyah’s death overshadowing the

A former child refugee tracked down a man who, decades ago, gave her a special gift during an act of extreme generosity –- and then got to thank him in a poignant reunion! Mevan Babakar lived in a refugee camp in the Netherlands after she and her family fled the Gulf War in the 1990s.

Sometimes, people let us down, and it can be hard to trust again –- but friendship and renewed trust can come from the most unexpected of places — like man’s best friend. After Luke Salmon, a 15-year-old boy from Kent, England, was bullied at school because of his psoriasis, his mom Lauren was really worried

Madonna, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha. These are just a few powerhouse, brilliant, women, forces to be reckoned with, who have often been misunderstood, their bold, platform changing ways being relegated to the status of “bad girl” or “troublemaker.” It might seem easy to dismiss Ke$ha as a party girl known for such raunchy songs as “Tik

Social House, made up of Mikey Foster and Scootie Anderson, are a musical duo who first made their footprint in the music industry by writing and producing for stars like Jennifer Lopez, Meghan Trainor, NCT 127, and Ariana Grande — for whom they co-wrote several songs on her platinum album Thank U, Next. Their move

Character actor Danny Trejo may be known for his intimidating, tough-guy persona due to his villainous roles in movies like Desperado and TV shows like Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy, but he was quite the hero recently when he rescued a baby trapped in a car wreck in Los Angeles. This was nothing like

Five years ago, the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS had taken over our news and social media feeds. Millions of people and plenty of major celebrities have dumped buckets of ice water over their heads to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease. It was a trend that went viral — and

It’s easy to talk the talk, but it’s not as easy to walk the walk, and when Greta Thunberg travels across the Atlantic to attend UN climate summits, it’d be fair to assume she’d fly. But she won’t. Instead, she’s going to live the message she’s trying to convey, and will be sailing across the

Celebrities may feel larger than life, like they don’t live with the same needs as the rest of us, but they do. Celebrities also go through hard times, and when they do, they often only make it through with the support of their friends. Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Selma Blair has been leaning

There’s nothing more terrifying than feeling adrift and out of control – now imagine if you are a six-year-old girl in the ocean! When a little girl recently was swept out to sea on a raft, her father frantically called for a lifeguard – but there was none to be found. Instead, the four Butler

When a family hiking excursion left Jeremiah Peterson out of breath, he realized it was time to focus on his health. “I remember being bent over heaving just trying to catch my breath,” Peterson, of Missoula, Montana, told People. “When I looked up, I saw my wife and three kids [10, 8 and 7] easily

Being in her presence is thrilling and unsettling, interacting with her even more so. Her head turns, her eyes blink, and her mouth moves as she speaks. Her hair is brown hair is short and streaked through with caramel-colored highlights, her neck and ears are draped in pearls. She pauses between thoughts, peppers statements with

Life is grand — rich and monumental, not unlike a grand piano. It inevitably uses gravity to return finally return us to a state of inertia, the same way gravity keeps our bodies tethered to the Earth as we experience life. My maternal grandmother has always loved playing the piano and although she’s felt a

Ariana Grande has gone through a lot the last few years, and she’s done it all in the public eye. First, her concert in Manchester, England was attacked by a suicide bomber who killed 23 fans and parents. Just two weeks later, Grande rallied with a charity concert to support the victims and survivors, One