Congrats, you made it through the holidays! We all know the myth of relaxation and merry-making is propped up by many layers of labour, all crammed into December (I see you, parents!). Come January, it’s time to truly relax. The only new year’s resolution worth making, in my opinion, is to enjoy this year more than you did the last (we’re all pleased to see it out the door, yes?). And to do it by keeping our people close.
Here are a few recommendations for that hard-earned free time.
If you have …
6 minutes, 17 seconds: 1MILLION x Squid Game Season 2 World Premiere Event Dance Performance on YouTube
Screenshot of the 1MILLION x Squid Game Season 2 world premiere event dance performance.1 Million Dance Studio/YouTube/Supplied
Squid Game, South Korea’s massive, late-capitalist horror hit, is back and blood is spilled within minutes. If you, like me, watched the first season wincing, cut the tension with this performance by the 1MILLION dance crew from the world premiere in Seoul. Dressed in the iconic red suits and black masks, the killing squad goes K-pop. As one online commenter noted, it’s hard to take them seriously on the show after watching this. Yes, exactly.
For those of us who need to pregame Squid Game with self-soothing, this is it.
13 minutes, 15 seconds: Beyoncé Bowl on Netflix
Beyoncé, centre left, and her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, perform during halftime of an NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, on Dec. 25.David J. Phillip/The Associated Press
On Christmas Day, Netflix’s first foray into live NFL games was a ratings smash, but we all know who’s boss. Viewership peaked for the Beyoncé Bowl halftime performance, which is now available as a stand-alone special. Watch it again – every time gets better.
Beyoncé hasn’t always been welcomed by the country-music industry but in this, her first performance of her 2024 album, Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé obliterates criticism with a stunning homage to her roots and a celebration of Black cowboy culture. Beyoncé pulled in more than 500 performers, including fellow Black female country singers, rodeo queens, trick riders and a local HBCU (historically Black colleges and universities) marching band.
Need inspiration this year? Play the long game. Know your roots. Channel your inner Beyoncé – she just showed you how.
49 minutes, 9 seconds: David Yeager and Angela Duckworth: 10 to 25 – The Science of Motivating Young People on YouTube
Screenshot of David Yeager and Angela Duckworth: 10 to 25 – The Science of Motivating Young People.The 92nd Street Y, New York/YouTube/Supplied
You can’t just watch dance videos all day? Oh, you have responsibilities, including ushering your children into their adult years? Have I got something for you.
David Yeager is a middle-school-teacher-turned-academic researcher, and his book, 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, has revamped how I speak with my children. A key insight from his work is that young people aren’t lacking the ability to make rational decisions. Rather, their brains are wired to seek out status and respect. It’s better to go with the power of this evolutionary tool, than try to “grownsplain” (Yeager’s word) and nag our kids out of it. (We all know that doesn’t work anyway.)
In this conversation, Yeager gives the gist of the book, including a vast knowledge of research. Stories of great mentors, coaches and teachers inspire while the practical advice remains simple.
“It’s not that the teenage brain is irretrievably incompetent,” he says. It’s actually us, the grown-ups, who need to change.
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