Skip to content

Guest Post

berries, cranberries, red

The Saucy Science of a Thanksgiving Classic

Serina DeSalvio Ph.D. Candidate in Genetics and Genomics Texas A&M University Cranberries are a staple in U.S. households at Thanksgiving – but how did this bog dweller end up on holiday tables? Compared to many valuable plant species that were domesticated over thousands of years, cultivated cranberry

Members Public
brown and white pastry on brown wooden table

The Magnificent History of the Maligned and Misunderstood Fruitcake

Jeffrey Miller Associate Professor of Hospitality Management Colorado State University Jeff Miller teaches Hospitality Management at Colorado State University. He was a French-style bistro chef for 20 years before becoming a teacher. He has travelled the world looking for exciting culinary experiences and interesting cultures. Nothing says Christmas quite

Members Public
Does Chicken Soup Really Help When You’re Sick?

Does Chicken Soup Really Help When You’re Sick?

Colby Teeman Assistant Professor of Dietetics and Nutrition University of Dayton Preparing a bowl of chicken soup for a loved one when they’re sick has been a common practice throughout the world for centuries. Today, generations from virtually every culture swear to the benefits of chicken soup. In the

Members Public
Homesick for Ourselves

Homesick for Ourselves

Carol Lefevre, Visiting Research Fellow, Department of English and Creative Writing University of Adelaide Anyone parenting young children will be familiar with the phrase “there’ll be tears before bedtime”. But in a quieter, more private way, the expression seems perfectly pitched to describe the largely hidden grief of ageing.

Members Public
person holding black knit cap

Knee Pain: Here’s Why It Happens and How You Can Fix It

Philip Conaghan, Director, Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine Anna Anderson, Research Fellow in Qualitative Research Hemant Govind Pandit, Professor and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon University of Leeds Knee pain is a common problem. Global estimates suggest more than one in five people over the age of 40 have a form

Members Public
Person Lying on Bed Covering White Blanket

What Is Going On in Our Brains While We’re Sleeping?

Drew Dawson, Director, Appleton Institute Madeline Sprajcer, Lecturer in Psychology CQUniversity Australia Last night you probably slept for seven to eight hours. About one or two of these was likely in deep sleep, especially if you’re young or physically active. That’s because sleep changes with age and exercise

Members Public
stack of cookies and glass of milk
NZ

Santa Calorie Counting

particle.scitech.org.au Heated debates often flare in the festive season. Fuelled by the spirit of Christmas, controversial ideas can be flung flippantly across the table. Every year, without fail, someone will always throw one particular topic up for a heated debate. Exactly how many calories does Santa Claus

Members Public
Kris Kringles and Yuletide Jingles: Unboxing the Wonders of Christmas Lingo
NZ

Kris Kringles and Yuletide Jingles: Unboxing the Wonders of Christmas Lingo

Howard Manns Kate Burridge lens.monash.edu Howard works in the Linguistics Program, where he is the coordinator of the Master of Applied Linguistics. His primary research interest is language variation and change and the impact of this change on speakers and communities. Kate is a prominent Australian linguist and

Members Public
red Coca-Cola tram during snow
NZ

How Advertising through the Ages Has Shaped Christmas

Carl W Jones University of Westminster December 25, as we all know, is Jesus Christ’s birthday, a Christian celebration in which the myth of three kings who travelled far and wide to give gifts to the “new born king” inspires the modern Christian tradition of gift giving. Early gifts

Members Public
gingerbread near bowl with liquid

Why We Love Holiday Rituals and Traditions

Dimitris Xygalatas University of Connecticut The mere thought of holiday traditions brings smiles to most people’s faces and elicits feelings of sweet anticipation and nostalgia. We can almost smell those candles, taste those special meals, and hear those familiar songs in our minds. Ritual marks some of the most

Members Public
Billions Would Perish If We Just Stopped

Billions Would Perish If We Just Stopped

Tom Olohan Tom Olohan joined the Media Research Center as a Staff Writer for MRC Free Speech America and MRC Business in April 2023. Previously Tom worked for America Rising as a Field Researcher and Media Monitoring Associate and interned with Heritage Action and AIPAC.  He graduated from the University

Members Public
Reporter Gets Emotional over Treatment of Hostages

Reporter Gets Emotional over Treatment of Hostages

Nicholas Fondacaro Nick grew up in East Stroudsburg Pennsylvania. He graduated from Binghamton University in 2013 with a degree in Political Science. While at Binghamton he served as the Speaker of the Student Assembly and wrote for the Binghamton Review, where his love for journalism started. After graduating, he interned

Members Public
How the Nazis Co-opted Christmas

How the Nazis Co-opted Christmas

Joe Perry Georgia State University In 1921, in a Munich beer hall, newly appointed Nazi party leader Adolf Hitler gave a Christmas speech to an excited crowd. According to undercover police observers, 4,000 supporters cheered when Hitler condemned “the cowardly Jews for breaking the world-liberator on the cross”

Members Public
The Birth of the Classic English Christmas Dinner

The Birth of the Classic English Christmas Dinner

Joan Fitzpatrick Loughborough University Charles Dickens popularised the traditional, English Christmas in 1843 in his novel A Christmas Carol, when Bob Cratchit and his family sit down on Christmas Day to eat a dinner of goose with mashed potatoes and apple sauce accompanied by sage and onion stuffing and followed

Members Public
1 us dollar bill

How Christmas Became a Holiday for Children

Ryan McMaken Ryan McMaken is executive editor at the Mises Institute. Send him your article submissions for the Mises Wire and Power and Market, but read article guidelines first. Ryan has a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in public policy, finance, and international relations from

Members Public