The ultimate holiday hosting guide, written by our readers.

It’s here! Over 300 people sent me their tips and tricks for hosting this holiday season, and I’ve compiled them all here. This Google doc has some of the highlights. Feel free to add your own tips and tricks by commenting, and I’ll update with your recommendations!

MOTHERHOOD

ICE arrests are forcing American moms to leave their jobs. A new analysis shows that increased immigration enforcement is reducing labor in the child care workforce. The ripple effect is impacting mothers with young children. 19th News >

This single mom is squeezed by LA’s cost of living. Now she’s running for mayor. Progressive housing advocate Rae Huang is challenging Karen Bass for Los Angeles mayor, promising free transit and social housing. 19th News >

A pregnant mother died after she couldn’t get an abortion in Texas. Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her. Capital B News >

The maternal paradox. ‘Scientific motherhood’ promised to create high standards for child-rearing. But it’s really a system designed to police women. Aeon >

POLITICS

Trump is using the National Guard attack to collectively punish communities of color. Trump has wreaked collective punishment on immigrants following the shooting of two National Guard members in DC. Truthout >

Trump’s DOJ pressured lawyers to “find” evidence that UCLA had illegally tolerated antisemitism. An investigation by ProPublica and The Chronicle of Higher Education reveals how the U.S. government ignored due process to gin up its attack on the University of California. ProPublica >

Racism reparations haven’t disappeared, they’ve gone local. With the second coming of President Trump and his followers, the reparation movement has hit a brick wall nationally. Here’s how cities are responding. Los Angeles Times >

GAZA

The number of aid deliveries into Gaza fall short of ceasefire terms. Under the October deal, Israel agreed to allow 600 trucks of aid into Gaza each day. However, only an average of 459 trucks a day have entered between Oct. PBS >

Nearly 795,000 displaced Palestinians at flood risk after Storm Byron makes landfall in Gaza. Heavy rain has begun falling across hundreds of displacement sites, overwhelming areas where even moderate rainfall can quickly become dangerous. Despite the ceasefire, displaced Palestinians continue to live in overcrowded areas with little protection against rising water levels. IOM >

Gaza’s babies “scarred by war before first breath” by malnutrition. Mothers who’ve been left starving in Gaza are now giving birth to underweight or premature babies who die in intensive care units or struggle to survive as they endure acute malnutrition. UN >

IMMIGRATION

They came to the U.S. legally. Then Trump stripped their status away. “Status: Venezuelan,” a new documentary from ProPublica filmmaker Mauricio Rodríguez Pons, follows a family trying to hold on to their legal status as the second Trump administration targets Venezuelans amid an immigration crackdown. ProPublica >

Fear, flights, and forced returns: How a U.S.–Ghana deportation pact is reshaping lives. Ghanaians at home and abroad are navigating hope and an uneasy partnership between Washington and Accra. Capital B News >

Church Nativity scenes add zip ties and gas masks to protest immigration raids. One baby Jesus lies in a manger in the snow, wrapped in a silver emergency blanket with his wrists zip-tied. NPR >

‘There’s power in numbers’: New Yorkers are banding together to protect street vendors from ICE. With ICE targeting vendors and fear rising, community groups are organizing fast to keep New Yorkers working on the streets safe. The Guardian >

CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM

The Supreme Court sounds surprisingly open to a case against a death sentence. The justices seemed to reject Justice Neil Gorsuch’s earlier call for major changes to the rules governing punishment. Vox >

New York prisons are still struggling to resume normal operations nearly a year after an illegal officers’ strike. New York’s prison system didn’t collapse simply due to understaffing, but rather a longstanding culture of minimal accountability for officers. Prism >

ENVIRONMENT

The people who feed America are going hungry. Climate change is escalating a national crisis, leaving farmworkers with empty plates and mounting costs. Grist >

2025 is the year the US gave up on climate, and the world gave up on us. While the U.S. sits in self-imposed isolation, the rest of the world, led by China, raced ahead to invest in renewables and commit to climate action. Grist >

CULTURE

Amy Sherald on “American Sublime” and why integrity still matters. The artist talks to Derek C. Blasberg about moving her landmark exhibition from the Smithsonian to the Baltimore Museum of Art and how her values shape her vision. Harpers Bazaar >

I created this list for myself because I’ve been binging some pretty lowbrow, disappointing shows these days. Here are some documentaries I love (and one I’m looking forward to watching) this holiday season.