Latest news with #SantaClaus
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Parents lie too: Psychologist reveals how common parenting fibs can affect children's mental well-being
The Myth of Limitless Possibility The Problem with Painting Selfishness as Evil You Might Also Like: Silent damage: How parental screen time is rewiring young minds and fueling mental chaos? Study reveals Toxic Positivity in a Smile Why 'Doing It Alone' Is Overrated Big Boys Don't Cry Is Honesty Always the Best Policy? You Might Also Like: Is tough love wiser than gentle parenting? New study questions the pampering style popular among Gen Z parents From tales of Santa Claus to promises that everything will be fine, parents often wrap their guidance in comforting half-truths. But are these small lies just harmless traditions—or could they be quietly shaping a child's self-worth, worldview, and future ambitions?Dr. Juli Fraga, a licensed psychologist with nearly 20 years of experience working with parents and children, suggests the latter. In a recent column for CNBC Make It, Fraga shared a list of six common lies that parents often tell their children—fibs that, while rooted in love or tradition, may ultimately do more harm than good. 'Some of these messages are well-intended,' she writes, 'but they don't hold up—and can hurt your child's emotional health, relationships, and even career path.''If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything'—it's a mantra plastered across classroom walls and bedtime stories. Yet, Fraga warns that this optimistic overreach can backfire. When kids are told success is guaranteed through effort alone, failure becomes a personal flaw rather than a part of the of promising the moon, parents might try helping children define success more realistically: not in terms of grand achievements, but through courage, growth, and of the most surprising truths Fraga shares is about the lie: 'You can't be selfish.' For generations, children have been taught that selfishness is inherently negative—synonymous with rudeness or arrogance. But the reality, she says, is more such a thing as 'healthy selfishness'—the ability to prioritize one's needs without guilt. Whether it's choosing rest over a playdate or saying no when overwhelmed, teaching kids this distinction can lead to higher self-worth and emotional strength.'You just have to look on the bright side,' is another favorite parental catchphrase meant to soothe emotional distress. But it may unintentionally invalidate a child's real feelings.'Kids should know it's okay not to be okay,' Fraga emphasizes. Teaching emotional literacy means acknowledging sadness, anxiety, and anger—not brushing them aside with forced cheer. Children who are allowed to sit with their feelings, she notes, grow into emotionally resilient the race to raise independent kids, parents sometimes push too far. Telling a child, 'You can do it all by yourself,' may discourage them from seeking help—even when they desperately need than promoting total self-reliance, Fraga encourages parents to strike a balance: foster autonomy, yes, but also let children know that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.'Big kids don't cry' is a phrase that quietly teaches children to suppress their emotions. But, as Fraga highlights, emotions aren't obstacles—they're 'brilliant messengers.' Denying children the right to express sadness or fear teaches them to bottle up feelings, often leading to issues like perfectionism or emotional detachment in urges parents to welcome those tears. 'Even if your parents didn't welcome your emotions,' she advises, 'you can give your child a different experience.'Another surprising insight? The classic moral lesson—'Honesty is always the best policy'—might need some Fraga maintains that truth-telling is vital, she makes space for the occasional white lie—especially if it spares someone's feelings in harmless situations. Teaching children the difference between hurtful deception and tactful compassion builds stronger, more empathetic the heart of Fraga's message is a gentle call to rethink how we protect children: not through sugar-coated fabrications, but through emotional truth. 'It's never too late to share a new message,' she says. And that message might just be the honest key to helping children thrive—in school, in relationships, and in all, perhaps the most dangerous lies aren't the ones kids tell—but the ones they grow up believing.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
TUI announces 'extreme day trip' to Lapland from multiple UK airports
Travel company, TUI, has added a family-friendly day trip to Lapland to its Winter 2026 travel calendar - inclusive of flights, Christmas meals and winter sport activities TUI has launched a new "extreme day trip" to Lapland for the Winter 2026 travel season. Families can now visit the northernmost region in Finland conveniently from 11 different airports - and return the same day. The carrier has announced a run of flights from Cardiff for the very first time to Kittila, in Finland. Additionally, TUI will resume operation of day trips from Bournemouth Airport for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubbed the 'Search for Santa' day trip, the offering includes family flights to Kittila, as well as an in-flight meal consisting of a traditional English breakfast. After landing around mid-day, families will be whisked to Kittila's Snow Village for a packed day of snow-filled adventure. Activities range from sleigh rides, snow slides and a meet-and-greet with Santa Claus himself. The Snow Village is also home to an ice hotel with igloo-inspired rooms, an ice bar, an ice chapel and carved ice sculptures. TUI confirms that lunch and all activities are included in the price of your trip. However, the carrier suggests bringing extra euros for other food, drinks and souvenirs. The Search for Santa trip also includes a reindeer sleigh ride though snow-covered forests, followed by a husky-led sleigh ride around the Lappish countryside. Here, travellers will also be educated about how the dogs are trained and hear a tale about heroic huskies from Santa's elves. Snowmobiling is also available so adults can get in on the winter fun. The trip also includes an opportunity to engage with Lapland locals - hearing their stories and legends. For kids, arts and crafts activities will also take place. The Search of Santa would not be complete without a visit with the legend himself. After a short skidoo ride, kids will be invited to meet Santa before warming up by the campfire with hot berry juice. The 'extreme day trip' ends when travellers are delivered back to the airport for their flight home the same evening - enjoying an in-flight Christmas dinner in the air. Flights will run between December 5 and 23, 2026 with departures from London Gatwick, London Stansted, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol, East Midlands, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Cardiff and Dublin. Tickets start at a steep £750 per person. But again, all activities and meals mentioned above are included - as well as flights. On the other hand, if you can't wait until 2026 for this unique opportunity, you will be happy to learn about a similar experience taking place this December. Inverness Airport will host a one-day trip to Lapland on December 13, 2025 created and operated by Murray Travel. Passengers will depart from Inverness in the morning and return the same day, experiencing husky rides and ice skating in Lapland in-between. Graeme Bell, Inverness Airport's general manager, said: "It's a truly unforgettable adventure for families, offering the chance to meet Santa, enjoy exhilarating winter activities, and explore the stunning Arctic landscapes. It's going to be an incredible day."
NBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
Rick Huether, CEO of the Independent Can Company. Eric Kayne for NBC News Checkbook Chronicles Kicking the can down the road on tariffs won't work for this Maryland manufacturer Independent Can Company has raised prices twice this year already after Trump imposed 25% duties on steel in March, and then doubled them in June.
July 26, 2025, 7:15 AM EDT By Emily Lorsch When Rick Huether strolls the floors of his four manufacturing plants — two in Maryland and two in Ohio — employees' typical greetings such as, 'Hey, how's the family?' have been increasingly replaced with, 'Hey Rick, should I be looking for a job somewhere else?' Huether, the CEO of Independent Can Company, has had to raise prices on customers twice this year and it's the third time since President Donald Trump's first term. 'It's frustrating,' Huether said of the Trump administration's ever-evolving tariff agenda, which now includes 50% import taxes on the foreign-made steel his company relies on. 'I can't run my business the way I want to run it.' Huether, a Republican, said he shares the administration's goal of reinvigorating American industry. 'We want to bring as much manufacturing back to this country as you can. And as a family, we made a strategic commitment to being the specialty can maker in America with American workers,' he said. 'We want to be here.' But according to Huether, Trump has made that harder to do. He said he has never voted for the president because he dislikes how he treats people and communicates, and his trade policies have caused headaches for his business operations. 'Chaos is our nemesis,' Huether said, echoing a concern many small business owners have voiced for months amid Trump's erratic tariff rollout: 'We can't plan when we don't have a vision of what's going on for the next two or three years.' Business highlights Independent Can Company's wares might already be in your cupboard. The Belcamp, Maryland-based family business, in operation since 1929, makes the packaging for everything from Wegmans' brand of Virginia peanuts to the Santa Claus tins filled with chocolates or popcorn that hit grocery shelves around the holidays. The company manufactures cans and other containers for popular consumer brands including Swiss Miss, Zippo and Titleist. One of its newest customers is the lip balm maker Burt's Bees. Independent Can Company — whose annual sales have averaged $130 million in recent years — used to have more than 30 domestic competitors in specialty can making, Huether estimated, many of which were family-owned businesses. Today there are just a couple left, he said. The company employs about 400 people across its four plants. A fifth, in Iowa, closed in 2024 due to what Huether described as a combination of clients' shifting packaging needs and Trump's first-term steel tariffs. He secured some exemptions from those levies at the time but still had to raise prices in 2018 by anywhere from 8-16%, depending on the product. Independent Can Company's manufacturing process relies on a highly specialized material called tinplate, a very thin-gauge, flat-rolled steel with an electro-coated surface of tin. Developed as a corrosion-resistant material safe for food packaging, tinplate supplies are limited — the product makes up only about 2% of global steel production, Huether estimated, and it's only roughly 1% of the steel produced in the U.S. Up until about 2007, Independent Can Company bought most of its tinplate domestically but now sources most of it overseas — the majority from Germany, along with Taiwan and South Korea — due to foreign suppliers' quality, service and price. The business adopted more efficient production systems starting in the 1990s, which included a new printing line in 2000 that uses a larger sheet size, boosting efficiency. The issue: steel coils large enough for that system aren't available domestically right now, partly because American steel companies haven't kept up with manufacturers' needs, Huether said. In addition, the materials Independent Can Company uses are about twice as expensive in the U.S. than in Asia and about 20% more expensive than in Europe, Huether estimated. Tariff impacts The cost squeeze is weighing on Independent Can Company as it struggles to rebound from a rough two years, amid pandemic-related supply-chain issues and cost swings. Those challenges left the company with a lot of expensive steel that it had to sell at a loss. But after tens of millions in capital investments, including in automation, Independent Can Company is finally settling into a new normal that Huether expects to put the company back on surer footing this year, tariffs notwithstanding. Still, access to affordable tinplate is non-negotiable and remains a wild card. That material alone represents 50-75% of its products' prices, Huether estimated. With tariff exemptions removed in March, Independent Can Company began paying Trump's 25% levies on all its imported tinplate, a steep new expense that Huether said forced the business to hike prices on some products by 8-16%. After the duties were raised to 50% in June, the company imposed another round of 8-16% increases. 'This adjustment is necessary to ensure that we can continue to provide you with the high-quality products and service you have come to expect,' Huether informed clients in a statement on the company's website earlier this year. 'We've really absorbed the amount of the tariffs that we can absorb,' he told NBC News. 'It's going to be passed through.' Bringing the shine back to 'Made in America' Huether is relieved that Independent Can Company hasn't lost business yet since the price hikes, but that worry is ever-present. There's a risk that some companies will switch to cheaper packaging, he said, including options that may not be as safe or recyclable. But it's hard to know how things will shake out… 'You instantly go to: Well, is this going to happen, or is it a tactic to get somebody to do something else? Is it real or not?' he said. In the meantime, Huether doubts whether rewriting U.S. trade policy can bring back American manufacturing overnight, or even in a few years. Huether believes in expanding vocational training in schools and eliminating the stigma often associated with certain career paths. 'We do not have the skills in this country to manage it,' he said, nodding to a reality that companies and analysts across a range of industrial sectors have underscored since the trade war began. 'It takes one to five years to get a full manufacturing plant up and running,' Huether said. 'We need time to do this.' What's more, 'We need predictability and consistency,' he added. 'We need to understand what the rules are. If the rules are constantly changing, we don't know how to play the game.' Emily Lorsch Emily Lorsch is a producer at NBC News covering business and the economy.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Father Christmas' official Lapland home suffers unseasonal heatwave with 31C temperatures and wildfire fears
Father Christmas ' official home village in Lapland has suffered a record-breaking heatwave, as fears mount that wildfires will ravage the area with increasing frequency. The Arctic city of Rovaniemi in northern Finland, Lapland's capital and home to Santa Claus, has been melting amid unprecedented heat in the region. Lapland, which is 500km above the Arctic Circle, has seen temperatures soar to 31C, more than 10C above the seasonal average. The level of consistent heat has never been experienced in the region before and reindeer have even been forced to flee into roads and villages to escape mosquitos. A heatwave in Finland is defined as at least three days in a row where the temperature exceeds 25C. Friday was the 14th consecutive day that temperatures climbed past 30C in the country - the first time since record began in 1961, the Finnish Meteorological Institute said. Ylitornio and Sodankylä recorded the highest temperatures of 31.7C in Lapland earlier this week, while wildfires have ripped through the wilderness north of Rovaniemi. Lapland is a sparsely populated region and fires can burn for long periods before help arrives. But emergency services responded to dozens of incidents this week, including smoke sightings, building fires, and wildfires. Some schools and nurseries have seen outdoor activities cancelled and health officials have told people to stay hydrated in Rovaniemi. The excessively hot weather has sparked added concern about climate change in the Arctic. The polar region is heating up five times quicker than the global average, the UNs intergovernmental panel on climate change said. 'Due to climate change, these sorts of heatwaves in Lapland are expected to become longer and more intensive over this century, Ville Siiskonen, of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, told The Telegraph. Finland is not alone in feeling the heat as scorching temperatures continue to boil Europe, with two people dying in Cyprus as wildfires raged through the country. The Acropolis in Athens was also closed as temperatures soared past 40C. Meanwhile, England and Spain recorded their hottest ever June's last month. The Met Office said June's mean temperature of 16.9C was a record,while Spain's average of 23.6C 'pulverised records', the national weather service Aemet said.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Climate
- Irish Independent
Santa's in a sweat as Lapland's record heatwave hits 32C
After an unusually cold and rainy spring and early summer, the region, which lies inside the Arctic Circle, has been caught in an intense and persistent heatwave. The heatwave had stretched across 15 consecutive days by yesterday. Finland's official heatwave threshold is three days with highs over 25C. In Rovaniemi, the administrative capital of Lapland (and the hometown of Santa Claus), daily maximum temperatures jumped from just 11C in late June to 29C by mid-July. Elsewhere in Lapland, temperatures have climbed even higher. Weather stations in Ylitornio and Sodankyla recorded peaks of 32C earlier this week, around 10C above the seasonal average and among the highest temperatures ever measured. Several other locations across Lapland have also reported their longest heatwaves since records began. Going into next week, forecasters have said the heat will ease. Jason Nicholls, AccuWeather's lead international forecaster, told The Independent: 'The ridge of high pressure responsible for the heat over the region will push eastward this weekend, which should result in the heat easing this weekend and early next week.' Finnish Meteorological Institute's meteorologist Jaakko Savela said the last time Lapland experienced a heatwave like this was in 1972. 'But even that only lasted 12 to 14 days, depending on the exact location,' he told the BBC. 'Records are being broken.' The weather has sparked fresh concerns about the pace of climate change in the Arctic, which is heating up four to five times faster than the global average, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The panel has warned that heatwaves like this are becoming more frequent and intense due to human-driven climate change. Mr Savela said that this particular heatwave in Lapland was not directly caused by climate change. He told the BBC: 'Climate change has had an impact. Without it, temperatures over the last two weeks would have been lower'. Meanwhile, the region's long summer days, where it is still light outside at 11pm, are keeping temperatures high late into the night.
