by English Plus | Dec 25, 2025 | Social Spotlights
Why do we eat together? From the biology of bonding to the sociology of the dinner table, we explore how feasting acts as a universal language of peace and reconciliation across cultures.
by English Plus | Dec 24, 2025 | Social Spotlights
Are you tired of the holiday shopping frenzy? Discover how to reclaim the “sacred” in the season by choosing presence over presents. We explore meaningful alternatives to buying stuff, from experiences to the art of the handwritten letter.
by English Plus | Dec 23, 2025 | Social Spotlights
Does the festive season feel more like a struggle than a celebration? We explore the “Empty Chair,” reframe loneliness as solitude, and offer a guide to inclusive hospitality and finding peace in the noise.
by English Plus | Dec 22, 2025 | Social Spotlights
Feeling depleted? The story of Hanukkah isn’t just about oil; it’s a blueprint for burnout. Discover how to find “spiritual endurance” when your inner resources are running low.
by English Plus | Dec 19, 2025 | English Plus Podcast, Thinking Out Loud, When the Bells Stop Ringing
As 2025 comes to a close, we look at the transition from holiday magic to ordinary reality. Through stories set in a nursing home in Buenos Aires, a dark river in the Amazon, and a drought-stricken well in Turkana, we ask: How do we keep the music playing when the orchestra stops?
by English Plus | Dec 18, 2025 | English Plus Podcast, When the Bells Stop Ringing
And finally, we look to the day after. The bells have stopped ringing, the guests have gone, and the wax has hardened on the table. We often treat the holiday spirit like a decoration—something to be packed away in a box until next year. But what if the kindness, the open doors, and the shared bread were not a seasonal performance, but a blueprint for how to live? In this final reflection, we ask what it means to carry the light of the feast into the famine of the ordinary days ahead.
by English Plus | Dec 18, 2025 | Social Spotlights
Why does the holiday “high” fade so fast? Discover the science of the Hedonic Treadmill and learn how to build a structural foundation of gratitude that lasts beyond New Year’s.
by English Plus | Dec 17, 2025 | Social Spotlights
Why do we fear the dark? Explore the spiritual and psychological meaning of the Winter Solstice. Learn why “dormancy” is necessary for growth and how to find peace in the longest night of the year.
by English Plus | Dec 17, 2025 | English Plus Podcast, When the Bells Stop Ringing
In the drought-stricken lands of Turkana County, the sun is a hammer and water is more precious than gold. Zola, a young woman from the Turkana tribe, walks miles to the only working well, knowing it sits on the dangerous borderlands of the enemy Pokot tribe. When she arrives, she is not alone. A woman from the opposing tribe is already there. With no men and no guns—just two women and a rusted, heavy pump handle—they face a choice: hold onto the history of war, or work together to survive the day.
by English Plus | Dec 16, 2025 | Social Spotlights
Why limit kindness to December? Discover the psychology of the “Holiday Container” and learn practical strategies to carry the spirit of generosity, patience, and gathering into the rest of the year.
by English Plus | Dec 16, 2025 | English Plus Podcast, When the Bells Stop Ringing
The Amazon River at night is a cacophony of jungle sounds and pitch-black water. Thiago, a boat pilot, knows the dangers of the current, but when his engine dies on Christmas Eve, he finds himself drifting helplessly in the dark. Alone, with the rain pouring down and the river spinning him toward the unknown, he spots a faint spark in the distance. It isn’t a city or a harbor, but a flickering light on a rotting dock. This is a story about the terror of being adrift, and the humble lights that guide us home.
by English Plus | Dec 15, 2025 | Social Spotlights
Are you suffering from “check-box charity”? Discover the philosophy of Effective Altruism and learn how to move beyond temporary relief to fund systemic change. Stop buying guilt-relief and start investing in impact.