Today is the winter solstice, also considered the official beginning of astronomical winter. Though it's the shortest day and longest night of the year — due to Earth's north pole being tilted farthest away from the sun — it also means we'll have longer periods of daylight from here on out (yay!). The winter solstice represents rebirth and renewal for many cultures: Learn about seven celebrations taking place around the globe.
— the Nice News team
Featured Story
What Went Right in 2025: Our Favorite Good News From This Year
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As much as the winter holidays are about celebration and coming together with family and friends, they're also the perfect time to pause and reflect on the past 12 months. This often comes in the form of New Year's resolutions, or identifying what you'd like to do better next year. But in true Nice News fashion, and especially after conducting a deep dive on the benefits of gratitude back in September, we'd like to offer an additional takeaway: all the good that came out of 2025. Anew women's softball league, a treatment for Huntington's disease, and the return of Reading Rainbowwere at the heart of some of our favorite stories of the year — click below for the complete list.
There's a lot of information out there about financial advisors — and a lot of questions. What should you pay a financial advisor? Is it worth paying them 1%? And what is a fee-only financial planner? With AdviserMatch, you can compare common pricing models and learn how advisor fees are typically structured, what that fee covers, and when it may or may not make sense for investors. Plus, understand how fee-only financial planners are paid, how they differ from other models, and what to know before hiring one. All that info and more below.
Want to Slow Things Down on Your Next Trip? Consider a Barge Cruise
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If the hustle and bustle of life is catching up to you and burnout is beginning to rear its ugly head (as it does for so many of us this time of year), might we recommend booking a micro-barge cruise? As opposed to traditional cruise ships, many of which can hold thousands of passengers plus attractions like roller coasters and zip lines, barge cruises are tiny, slow, and peaceful. Per Thrillist, these boats typically host just two to six guests and are most popular in France, offering picturesque views of the countryside alongside luxe, intimate accommodations. Such trips aren't about checking off destinations or landmarks — they're about taking a step back. Travel blogger Mary Chong took a barge trip in France's Burgundy region, and told the outlet "there's an undeniable magic in gliding through the heart of Burgundy on a barge." She noted "the quiet morning stretches on the sun deck, the delight of discovering small villages at our own pace, and the freedom to breathe and enjoy the simple beauty around every bend." Some view barge cruises as a way to resist overtourism — the small boats will often stop by rarely visited locales, rather than the major ports big cruise ships tend to hit. Stephanie Sack, who works for Barge Lady Cruises, said the company's rides highlight "the small slices of local life that mass tourism misses entirely."
Health
"Beating Incredible Odds," a Healthy Baby Was Born From a Rare Ectopic Pregnancy
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A Christmas miracle recently arrived at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center: A baby was born from an abdominal ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies are ones in which a fetus develops outside the uterus, and are rarely (if ever) viable, meaning the healthy baby boy beat "incredible odds," according to a press release from the hospital. The mother, 41-year-old Suze Lopez, didn't discover she was pregnant until her son, named Ryu, had nearly reached full term — and per John Ozimek, medical director of labor and delivery, "a pregnancy this far outside the uterus that continues to develop is almost unheard of." Lopez originally sought medical attention to remove a 22-pound benign ovarian cyst that had been growing for years, but wound up discovering she was pregnant after a routine test ahead of the surgery. "I could not believe that after 17 years of praying, and trying, for a second child, that I was actually pregnant," she said. She experienced abdominal pain three days later and went to Cedars-Sinai, where Ozimek discovered that her baby wasn't located in her uterus, but in a small space in her abdomen, and it was pushing the cyst forward. After 30 experts came together to conduct a complicated delivery and surgery, Ryu was born with minimal health problems and Lopez's cyst was removed, putting her on the path to recovery. "I appreciate every little thing. Everything. Every day is a gift and I'm never going to waste it," she said. Meet the Lopez family.
Environment
Used Tennis Balls From Wimbledon Become Cozy Homes for Tiny Mice
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The Wimbledon Championships are serving up a second life for used tennis balls — and the beneficiaries are pretty adorable. In England, conservationists turn old tennis balls into new homes for some of the country's tiniest residents: harvest mice. Leicestershire park ranger Dale Osborne told Good Good Good he first employed the idea in 2013, though it had been circulating in conservation communities previously. That year, flooding had devastated Watermead Country Park North's harvest mouse population, which nests in the reeds. To help the creatures survive, Osborne cut small openings into tennis balls and propped them up on raised stakes, safe from floods and predators. There, Osborne said, the mice could raise their litters — just one ball can fit up to 10 tiny rodents. The initiative has continued ever since, and donated tennis balls are a key part of its success. Now, Wimbledon is in on the action, sending used tennis balls every year to projects like Osborne's instead of to landfills. It's part of the tournament's broader sustainability effort, which includes a goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. See the mice in their tennis ball nests.
Born in New England and married to a mariner, Mary Ann Patten was no stranger to the high seas. But in summer 1856, at the age of 19, her skill as a sailor was put to the test. Patten's husband was captaining a ship through the notoriously dangerous Drake Passage when he became deliriously ill. After his first mate was imprisoned onboard for insubordination, Mary Ann stepped up to navigate the vessel safely out of harm's way — becoming the first woman to captain a merchant ship. Her thrilling tale of heroism is chronicled in a new nonfiction account, which draws on 19th-century women's maritime journals.
Hugh Bonneville — best known for his role as patriarch Robert Crawley in Downton Abbey — has a knack for narrating wildlife programs. Last year it was The Secret Lives of Animals, and now the British actor is back with a heartwarming docuseries about six endangered baby animals that were either orphaned in the wild or born in conservation programs. Filmed over several years, the show follows the youngsters as they're released into their natural habitats after being cared for by people, highlighting "the extraordinary bonds between humans and animals." All six episodes are streaming on Apple TV.
This Week in History
The First Basketball Game Is Played
December 21, 1891
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Regular readers of Nice News will know that basketball was invented by a college gym teacher struggling to keep his stir-crazy students occupied during winter. We wrote up an explainer of the sport's history in March, but for those who missed it, this is the ideal moment for a recap: The first game was played 134 years ago today. James Naismith was an instructor at Massachusetts' Springfield College, then called the International YMCA Training School, when his boss tasked him with creating an engaging indoor sport. He rose to the challenge: Drawing from American rugby as well as a childhood game called "duck on a rock," Naismith typed out the 13 rules of "basket ball." With the help of the school janitor, he tacked a peach basket onto the balcony rail on either side of the gym, and had 18 students test out his new activity. Read our article to see his original rules and watch a 1939 game.
AdviserMatch: Tax Strategies High-Net-Worth Investors Should Know
For high-net-worth investors, small tax decisions can have a big impact. AdviserMatch put together some tax planning strategies being commonly discussed for 2026, as well as guidance on what to consider ahead of time. Click below to learn more as we approach the end of the year.
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