The Weekly Wrap: December 7, 2025

My library held its final webinar of the semester on Friday. A colleague presented on "digital hygge" or creating cozy, healthy online habits. It was a delight! Since we got some snow on Friday, the webinar brought the perfect mix of cozy and useful material to the final workday of the week.

If you want to add some digital hygge to your life, here are some things to try:

• Create a cozy space - Get ergonomic tools (like adjustable desks, chairs, and keyboards) or cuddle into a pile of blankets. Light a candle or two. Turn on a cozy playlist. Do whatever you need to feel warm.
• ​Curate your feeds - Follow accounts that make you feel informed, inspired, or calm - unfollow the rest. Mute what you need to take a break from. 
• Train your algorithm - Pause and interact with content you like. Scroll past bad content or log out immediately when things start to head in a direction you don't like. (Some platforms will even let you reset your feed and start over.)
• Limit notifications -T urn off anything that isn’t essential to reduce interruption.
• Use cozy videos - Pick cozy or calming videos to have open on the side as you work. Try for something with minimal animation, warm colors, and soothing sounds.
• Create screen-free zones -  Keep certain spaces or times (like meals or bedtime) tech-free.
• ​Declutter your digital spaces - Clean up your inbox, organize your files, and delete unused apps. Close all those extra tabs!
• Practice slow tech - Do one thing at a time instead of opening infinite tabs or windows.
• ​Balance consuming with creating - Spend as much time making, learning, or connecting (offline!) as you do scrolling.
• Log off without guilt - A break is healthy. The internet will be there when you get back

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What's your best digital hygge habit?

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• Whatever the actual number, far too many people are living in poverty. [WaPo - gift link]
• I am agog. (But this story was a hoot to read.) [The Ringer]
• Yeah. Not touching these toys. [ParentData - may be paywalled]
• I am intrigued by this parenting choice. So much so that I already talked about it with the Husband. [The Atlantic - gift link]
• How weight loss drugs are impacting spending and social patterns. [WaPo - gift link]
• A wonderful walk through the history of American food. [The Takeout]

• Why passenger rail lags behind in the US. [The Indicator]
• I genuinely enjoyed listening to this interview with Simon Cowell. [The Daily]
• The urbanism of Sesame Street. [99% Invisible]
• The cost of new data centers. [Short Wave]
• Tumbleweed tree! [Atlas Obscura]
• A fascinating interview about free speech. [The Daily]

• Never thought I would be mesmerized by the creation of the artwork on a goalie's helmet. [jboairbrush]
• It's Hallmark holiday movie season! We started our binge with Christmas at the Catnip Cafe. (They always seem to have an animal based one.) This movie was better than the premise would have you believe. Dare I say this was a bit risqué. One of the characters is divorced! A kiss (a real one, not a peck) happens before the end! There was some saucy repartee! But there were also the usual tropes - big city career girl heads home to a small town, a small business at risk, and our hero is the heart of the town. [Hallmark]
• Next, we moved onto A Royal Montana Christmas. Ignore our heroine's awful attempt at an accent. (At least it was consistent.) The main standout about this movie was that there was no real conflict. It was just two adults having to make hard life choices. [Hallmark]
• I cringed when I saw the title Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper. I thought this was going to be an awful entry in the Hallmark holiday genre. Instead, it's one of the best! It has quite the witty script with the perfect level of campy acting. Plus, our two leads have actual chemistry. Also, in a final win. They jokingly address some of the plot pitfalls of previous Hallmark movies. [Hallmark]

• Colder weather meant it was time to bust out a family favorite, oven roasted autumn medley. I have learned to bake this all on a sheet pan. It just cooks faster than when I used a casserole dish. We choose to use chicken apple sausage which blends perfectly with the veggies. [Budget Bytes]