The 163 best holiday gift ideas for 2025, vetted by the Guardian US staff

Unique, tested gift ideas for every budget – from stocking stuffers to splurges – to cover every recipient and scenario

My schoolmates mocked me for being a UPF-free, ‘weird lunchbox’ kid. Turns out my mum was right all along

In the 90s my mum embarrassed me with her rejection of ultra-processed foods – but the growing body of evidence about them is vindicating her, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world

A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors

The 12 best US gifts for the fitness fan in your life, vetted by a CrossFit coach

From Lululemon to LMNT and Nike, here’s the fitness gear that’s stood up to sweat tests and made workouts better

She was pregnant and addicted to fentanyl. Getting to keep her baby saved them both

A baby is born in withdrawal every 18 minutes in the US, and most end up in foster care. At centers like Maddie’s Place, mothers stay with their infants – and leave together, in recovery

Hold an ice cube – and shake like a dog: therapists on 16 simple, surprising ways to beat stress

It can cause physiological and emotional problems, but none of us can avoid it entirely. Here are some of the best ways to react when stress hormones start coursing through your body ...

The one change that worked: I had Sad and felt desperate – until a scientist gave me some priceless advice

Since I was a teenager I had struggled in winter, experiencing excessive tiredness and low mood. A specific instruction lifted the gloom

Is it true that … you burn more fat by working out on an empty stomach?

There are modest benefits to exercising on an empty stomach, but it’s more important to burn more energy than you’re consuming

The 10 best shower curtains, including plastic-free options

From 100% cotton to recycled EVA plastic options, we subjected 10 shower curtains to a perpetually foggy apartment bathroom to find the best

Is there a dark side to gratitude?

Feeling thankful is increasingly touted as a cure-all, but sometimes there are reasons not to be grateful

After I burned out, physics helped me understand what had happened to me – and to move on

I thought hard work equalled success. I had to realise that’s not always how it works, in science or in life, says Google employee Zahaan Bharmal

The best self-care gifts in the UK for Christmas, from cosy PJs to massagers

Whether you go for affordable luxury buys or true indulgence, you can’t go wrong with these presents for pampering

I tried 10 laundry baskets to find the best hamper in the US – these are my favorites after at-home testing

With days’ worth of laundry, I trudged plastic, fabric, lidless and wheeled baskets up and down stairs and found winners

I thought there was something wrong with my body – until I shared a shower with 50 strangers

Naked in a forest, among people of every age, race, gender and physique, I finally shook off the self-doubt that had haunted me since my teens