A Social Media Miracle and VIP (Very Important PSA) for the Holidays

Twitter hero reunites loved ones for the holidays

As a parent, we know how much our kids value their special lovey. We hunt for multiple backups in case their stuffed animal or blankey gets left at grandma’s (though they totally know the difference) and erupt into sheer panic if we forget to bring it on a trip, bribing our children to try to fall asleep without their best friend at their side.

When Lauren Bishop Vranch of London found a lost stuffed lion on a train, she immediately posted the fellow to Twitter to look for his owner. In turn, the Facebook group “Spotted on a Train” posted the photo to their page. That’s where the father of the little girl who was missing her friend “Roar” discovered his daughter’s favorite toy. After taking Roar on a few adventures of her own, Vranch returned the lion to his rightful owner just in time for the holidays. It’s a Christmas – and social media – miracle!

My PSA for the holidays

Just a warning for all the moms out there. If you’ve been watching Love Actually on basic cable all these years and decide one night that you want to watch it on Netflix with your second grader because it’s such a sweet, romantic holiday movie, please remember that A&E edits out all the racy, not-safe-for-kids scenes. Netflix does not. Oh no, it does not.

Hey everyone, your Christmas cards are nothing!

When it comes to the holidays, I’m incredibly lazy. And cheap. I was thinking about doing holiday cards the other day, but realized 1) I don’t want to spend the money, and 2) addressing 50 cards is so hard. So I posted a photo of Run DMC from the “Christmas in Hollis” video to my Facebook to symbolize my Christmas wishes for joy and peace.

Suffice to say, I’m nothing like the Holderness family. These overachievers put together a video as an alternative to the family holiday newsletter that is both charming and cringe-inducing. Set to Will Smith’s “Miami,” “Christmas Jammies” features the adorable family singing about their achievements over the past year, including participating in triathlons and their freaking appearances in Iron Man 3. How can a $2 box of Christmas cards from Walgreens compete with acting alongside Robert Downey, Jr.? Watching it, my feelings morphed from awkward uncomfortableness to admiration to sheer, unadulterated jealousy.

No, that’s not a tear. I just have a snowflake in my eye

There are a number of commercials that always remind me of the holidays – Santa sledding around on a Norelco, the “Old Man Winter’s Back Around” promos from Channel 5 (Hey, KSDK – I miss those!), the Folgers brother/sister ad with the creepy Flowers in the Attic vibe.

But this year, a new ad has entered the mix. Apple iPhone has released a 90-second ad entitled “Misunderstood.” In it, a seemingly sullen teen travels through his family’s holiday glued to his iPhone. Your immediate thought is – please tell me this isn’t Kevin from We Need to Talk About Kevin. But a twist at the end uncovers the teen’s true, heartwarming intentions. Let the shoulder-shaking sobs commence.

Pope Francis is all about the breastfeeding

Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, Pope Francis, is the rock star of religion. And this week, he just got himself a new group of mom fans.

In an interview with the Italian newspaper, La Stampa, the Pope subtly shared his support for breastfeeding moms when discussing the topic of worldwide hunger. When looking back a recent meeting with a mother who was too embarrassed to breastfeed in front of him, the Pope remarked to the reporter, “She was shy and didn’t want to breastfeed in public, when the Pope was passing. I wish to say the same to humanity: give people something to eat! That woman had milk to give to her child; we have enough food in the world to feed everyone.”

Now moms are wondering if the Pope could give a talking to that judgmental jerk at Starbucks who keeps giving them the evil eye every time they pull out their breastfeeding cover.

We’re going broke for our kids’ enjoyment

A survey conducted by Harris Interactive found that we may be going broke to turn our children into Violet Beauregarde. The survey found that 57 percent of parents are willing to take on debt in order to make their children happy for the holidays, and that gift givers put an average of $1,100 on their credit cards over the holidays. Furthermore, parents with a household income of less than $35,000 accrue $700 worth of gift debt while those with incomes of $75,000 accrue $300.

It’s scary the financial risk we take to get our kids what they want. If it’s something that worries you, The Today Show has some tips to help parents “brat-proof” the holidays. Uncomfortable, unnecessary headline aside, there are some good tips that can help us keep our budgets in check if we’re still picking up last minute gifts.

Kim Kardashian wants you to know she does not wax her child’s eyebrows

Because no Happy Hour can be complete without a mention of Miley, the Biebs or a Kardashian, in this week’s installment, Kim Kardashian was accused of waxing her 6-month-old daughter’s eyebrows. Granted, they do look less unibrow and much more arched – a look that requires me to grab a magnifying mirror, tweezers and a gallon of Tylenol-laced vodka to mask the plucking pain.

Kim has allegedly had plastic surgery, although I cannot confirm it. And she may be famous for an unconventional tape, although I’ve never seen it. But as media-savvy and appearance-obsessed as she is, I seriously doubt as a mother she is pouring hot wax on her infant’s face in order to shape her eyebrows. Well, I mean, I don’t think she did it. Yeah, no – she wouldn’t do that. Yet, for hours, the world was all a Twitter with the Great Eyebrow Controversy of 2013.