Month: November 2024

2024-11-22T19:01:00

(BPT) – Parents, does this scenario sound familiar? You’ve worked for hours in the kitchen preparing a beautiful holiday meal. You finally sit down to enjoy it … only to have your kids (and maybe some adults) engrossed in their smartphones. It’s not exactly the heartwarming holiday scene you were hoping for.

The reality is, connected devices have changed the very fabric of our society and are an indelible part of our lives. But here’s the important factor to remember: The true power of a smartphone is its ability to connect, not disconnect. To engage, not disengage. Put us in touch, not out of touch. But only if it’s used with purpose. And most caregivers agree that it’s important to unplug now and then.

That’s why Verizon created the Holiday Rules of Engagement or the 4 Fs. The concept is simple. Consider limiting phone usage during your holiday gatherings to four meaningful categories: Food, Friends, Family and Football. And then unplug and enjoy the day with the people you love.

Here’s how.

Food

Your smartphone is handy in the kitchen when you’re searching for new recipes or traditional favorites. But, the real magic comes from the fun you and your kids can have with your phone during meal prep. Encourage kids to help with cooking and document their culinary adventures. They can make videos of themselves learning new skills or sharing your favorite cooking tips. Even better, get Grandma involved and record her sharing family recipes and traditions. Once the meal is ready, take a quick photo of the spread and then agree to put the phone away until dessert.

Friends

Focus on the smartphone as a connection to friends. A fun activity for you and your kids is to create videos of the holiday bustle to send to those who can’t be there in person. Live video chats can make it seem like the miles melt away, connecting people near and far. Gather everyone around the fireplace and do a video call with your best friend who can’t be with you for the holidays. It will make her day, guaranteed.

Family

That same connection across the miles goes for family, too. While the busiest travel time of the year is always around Thanksgiving, less than half of all Americans travel for the holiday. That means lots of families are apart. If that sounds like yours, have your kids help you create videos of your holiday activities to share with family members who couldn’t make it. Considering having a child act as “moderator,” taking the phone around to let everyone participate. Technology can help bridge the distance and make everyone feel more connected.

Football

In some families, the holidays mean food and football. If you’ve got a football family, use your phone to keep up with your fantasy leagues, check scores and statistics, settle some arguments about who is the best quarterback of all time, then set it aside to enjoy the game with family and friends. And after the game is over, take the family outside to throw the football around. Added bonus: you’ll work off some of those calories.

Follow these 4 Fs and make it easier for kids to put the devices down and enjoy some screen-free time with the family. Remind them that the internet, social media and all their friends will still be there when they’re ready to plug back in.

To learn more about navigating technology in your family’s daily life, check out Verizon Family.

2024-11-22T15:33:00

(BPT) – The holidays are almost here! It means parties and events, hustle and bustle … and figuring out what to buy for everyone on your list. Sometimes it’s hard to get inspired with great ideas that your nears and dears will love at a price you can afford, right? The good news? Inspiration + savings are covered this year. One of the top gifts of Holiday 2024 is technology, and there are a lot of deals out there right now. Done and done!

Here are 5 ideas for hot tech gifts for everyone on your list.

Smartphones for the family

T-Mobile is running a hot deal right now. Get four new smartphones at T-Mobile — this includes Samsung Galaxy S24 and other eligible devices — and four lines for just $100/month. It doesn’t get better than that!

These new Galaxy phones are tech-tastic, too, with features like AI, Circle to Search with Google, which can be used to help solve math problems and translate entire pages of text in a different language, and Note Assist with Galaxy AI, which lets you focus on capturing your notes and then Note Assist will summarize, format and even translate them for you.

High tech spiral notebook for students

We’ve got to admit, this is pretty cool. The Rocketbook looks (a bit) like a regular spiral, paper notebook. Here’s the high tech twist: You can take notes, capture ideas, brainstorm, draw — whatever you do on paper — on the pad, and the Rocketbook digitizes your doodles and saves to the cloud device of your choice. Then you simply wipe the pad clean and it’s good to go. Look for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales at your favorite online retailer.

Wrist-worthy smartwatches for athletes (or those who want to be)

Everyone loves smartwatches (if you’re not already tracking your sleep and heart rate, where have you been?) and the Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm & 45mm) takes it to the next level with features for athletes or anyone who may be setting fitness goals for the coming year. The watch has workout prompts like Real Time Guidance — audio and haptic cues for when to sprint, cool down or maintain pace. It gives you the ability to program your workouts and even monitors your cadence and stride. It also has Offline Maps, with driving navigation, search and maps. Here’s the deal of the century: Get it for free at T-Mobile when adding a qualifying watch line.

Cute wireless keyboard for people who are all thumbs

Who else is annoyed by typing email or texts or social posts on a smartphone? The Logitech Multi-Device Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard solves that problem with style! It comes in sweet colors like lavender, it’s wireless, it’s small and portable, and it works with just about any device. Pop it into your backpack or purse and you’ll never have to thumb-out a message again.

Speakers perfect for hosting and giving

Have a music lover in your life or need the perfect hosting gift? T-Mobile has you covered. For a limited time, you can get the JBL Clip 5 for free when you pick up a Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 9. The JBL Clip 5 is an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker perfect for those on the go and the Onyx Studio 9’s sleek design and booming sound will take care of all your holiday hosting needs.

For more tech-tastic holiday gift inspiration, check out T-Mobile’s holiday gift guide at t-mobile.com/devices/tech-gifts.

2024-11-22T08:05:00

(BPT) – The holidays will be here before you know it, and that means it’s time to compile a list of the perfect gift for everyone in your life. If you need inspiration, don’t worry. Why not make it simple and give everyone technology? There are so many new, next-gen models out this year that will delight everyone, from your teen to the artist in your life to the aspiring athlete. Boom, one and done.

Here are five next-gen technologies that are getting a lot of buzz for the 2024 holiday season.

Convertible AI laptop for creatives and freelancers

Give your favorite creative the ultimate blend of power, mobility and style with the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 Next-Gen AI PC. This sleek and versatile 2-in-1 PC, complete with an intuitive stylus, adapts effortlessly to any creative’s imagination. Whether sketching ideas, editing videos, or crafting presentations, creativity is unleashed on the world’s first next-gen AI convertible PC with inking and a haptic touchpad. Equipped with the latest Intel^® Core™ Ultra processor with a dedicated AI engine, the OmniBook Ultra Flip delivers cutting-edge performance and up to 20 hours of battery life to keep up with even the busiest lifestyle. AI-enhanced tools like HP AI Companion and Poly Camera Pro optimize everyday computing for greater productivity and collaboration while HP Wolf Security for consumers brings professional-level security to a personal device. Fuel creativity through AI inspiration with Windows 11’s built-in Copilot and embrace a more sustainable future by choosing an EPEAT^® Gold with Climate+ and ENERGY STAR^® certified device.

Powerful printer for photo lovers

The HP Envy 6155e Printer + Instant Ink is designed to kick your home printing experience up several notches. With its intuitive 2.4″ color touchscreen, navigating print jobs has never been easier. Vibrant color printing, scanning and copying, along with automatic two-sided printing — this stylish and sustainable next-gen printer can do it all. For the photo lover in your life, get those memories off the cloud and into picture frames! It prints gorgeous, borderless photos in vivid colors. The HP Envy 6155e also includes three months of free Instant Ink, ensuring you never run out of ink, as you’ll get new replacement cartridges sent to your door when you run low. And at less than $140, it won’t put a dent in your holiday budget.

Smartwatch for the health conscious

Several new smartwatches are getting a lot of buzz this year, including the Apple Watch Series 10, the Google Pixel Watch 23 and the Samsung Galaxy Watch7. Perfect gifts for aspiring athletes or health conscious people, these smartwatches will track your workouts, give prompts, count calories and steps and more. One thing to note about the Galaxy Watch7. If you’re concerned about the quality of your sleep, it has an FDA-approved apnea detector, in addition to an electrocardiogram and irregular heart rhythm notifications. You’ll need a Samsung phone to use these features and of course it doesn’t replace a doctor’s visit, but it can alert you to any potential problems you can then take to your doc.

Wireless earbuds for hybrid workers

Is someone on your list always on the go, taking meetings from virtually anywhere … and hates audio issues? The Poly Voyager Free 20 Wireless Earbuds deliver powerful sound and style, featuring Adaptive Active Noise Canceling and AI machine learning to provide crystal-clear communication. With up to 8 hours of listening time, they’re perfect for the hybrid workers on your list this year, and for the people who want to immerse themselves in their entertainment when they’re on the subway, train, or airplane this season. If you know, you know. Makes the holiday a little merrier when you can’t hear the chatter around you, right?

Ultimate keyboard for the gamer in your life

The ultimate gift for the gamer on your list, the HyperX Alloy Rise – Gaming Keyboard takes your gaming setup to the next level with ultra-responsive 8k polling and easy customization. You can swap out key switches, change magnetic top plates, and add badges to make it uniquely yours. You’ll also get an upgraded RGB experience courtesy of the ambient light sensor that auto-adjusts the brightness, 10 keyboard profiles saved directly to the keyboard, and powerful customization via HyperX NGENUITY Software.

For more ideas for holiday gifts, including fun techie stocking stuffers, visit hp.com/us-en/shop/slp/holiday-gift-guide.

2024-11-22T11:05:00

(BPT) – Content sponsored and provided by Walgreens

It’s the holiday season — time for fruitcakes, ugly sweater parties, spinning the dreidel, and the ever-popular holiday greeting card. Even in today’s digital age, according to the United States Postal Service, Americans send over 1.1 billion season’s greetings by snail mail every year. Not only is it a fun tradition, but for many it’s a welcome reminder of connection and cheer during what can be an emotionally fraught time of year — a simple gesture that helps support positive mental health and wellness.

When it comes to taking or choosing the perfect holiday card photo, it can feel overwhelming trying to highlight friends, family and our furry companions. No matter the sentiment you want to convey, here are four quick tips to help you make the most of your time taking photos or picking the right one to wrap up this year. Plus, same-day printing and pickup can save in a last-minute time crunch!

Don’t be afraid to highlight the candid moments

Don’t rule out the day-to-day moments and locations that matter to you or your loved ones. Candid moments captured on camera convey authenticity, warmth, and humor that shine through.

During what is already a busy season, finding time to set up the family for a photo session is difficult enough. Make it fun for everyone by combining it with an already anticipated holiday tradition! If you bake cookies, pick out a Christmas tree or build a snowman each year, plan to use the moment for your holiday card photo.

Have a picture of the kids playing outside at the playground, playing board games or having a movie night? What about family pictures from last year’s holiday gatherings? Include these candid moments in a Year in Review card from Walgreens and share a heartfelt note to those on your holiday card list.

Pro-Tip! Scroll through your photo app to your favorited pics from the year prior. This will make it even easier to find a candid photo that feels like you.

Let the card design inspire you

Finding simple ways to eliminate stress can help you feel more in control of your well-being throughout this busy time of year. Rather than starting with planning a family photoshoot or going through a year’s worth of pictures, start the process at the end this year! Look through holiday card options on Walgreens Photo site and let your favorite design inspire you.

Find a collage card to add your top three photos to? Or maybe a Happy New Year card fits your favorite family outfits? Walgreens foil cards give a great New Year look and feel, so set up a group photo to fit the card!

Use lighting to your advantage

With today’s cell phone cameras, if you have good lighting, you can get a great photo! In order to take the best photos outside or indoors with natural light, focus on “golden hour” right after sunrise and right before sunset. This time of day will accentuate the natural glow of your surroundings, and the light won’t cast harsh shadows.

Once you have your favorite photo chosen, there are simple editing tips you can use to bump up the professional look. Bringing up the exposure a bit to brighten the photos along with increasing the contrast and saturation to bring out those colors works wonders. But be mindful not to do too much! A little goes a long way, especially if there are rosy cheeks or noses from seasonal sniffles. Consider a black and white photo filter in that case.

Focus on your furry family members!

While weddings, baby photos and other exciting moments fill in a lot of holiday cards, don’t forget your favorite furry companions! Take pictures this year and all season long having fun with your pets, hanging out in your favorite cozy spot, or playing with their favorite toys.

Or you can have fun with photos of your pets from the past year — did they splash around in the pool this summer or wear a fun Halloween costume? Add them to a Walgreens pet-themed card template for the perfect pawliday greetings to share with friends, family and other furry friends!

In addition to holiday photo cards, Walgreens has many other photo gifts to consider giving to a friend or loved one. Send ornaments, puzzles, party coasters and more to those on your shopping list — and with quick printing services, you can fill any last-minute gifting needs with same-day printing and fast delivery.

Pro tip! Use Walgreens Mail-For-Me cards to have your designed cards stamped and mailed to your entire address list to avoid spending time at the post office. All you have to do is create your cards, add your mailing info and recipient addresses, prepay, and Walgreens will mail for you! One more task checked off the holiday to-do list.

As the season quickly approaches, Walgreens has everything you need for your festive photo dreams and fun gifts on an affordable budget with quick turnaround. With the code CARDPHOTO you can get 60% off all Photo Cards & Premium Stationery through early January[1].

With the Walgreens Photo site offering hundreds of options, you can browse and buy online and in-store — Walgreens is available to make your holiday season simple.

2024-11-22T12:01:00

(BPT) – Are you planning your menu for an upcoming holiday dinner? There are so many recipes to choose from when deciding on the main dish, sides and desserts.

This year, make your holiday dinner pop by adding pomegranates to your holiday menu. These ruby-like seeds are eye-catching and add a juicy sweetness to any dish.

Why pomegranates?

California-grown pomegranates are harvested from October to January. The season may be short, but it’s oh-so-sweet, just like the fruit. Because the pomegranate season is perfectly aligned with the holidays, there’s no shortage of festive ideas to make snack time and recipes pop with color, flavor and nutrition.

Best of all? Pomegranates are high in vitamin C and potassium, a great source of fiber and low in calories. If you have wellness goals this holiday season, eating pomegranates can help! Pomegranates are chock full of vitamin C, polyphenols, potassium and other necessary nutrients.

How to incorporate pomegranates into holiday meals

So, how can you incorporate pomegranates into your holiday meals? The possibilities are practically endless.

“From a gorgeous cheese platter to a holiday ham, the pomegranate’s bright, juicy, red arils elevate any dish. Not to mention, they make a fabulous centerpiece!” said Tara “Teaspoon” Bench. Tara served as the former food editor of Martha Stewart Living, and knows a thing or two about creating show-stopping holiday meals.

To celebrate the season, Bench has partnered with the Pomegranate Council to help you create a holiday dish that will have your friends and family asking for seconds. Check out her recipe for baked ham with pomegranate glaze that features these stunning ruby red fruits.

Baked Ham with Pomegranate Glaze

Garnish your holiday ham with a burst of freshness using vibrant pomegranate arils! Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s or Sunday dinner, this ham is sure to impress with a sweet pomegranate glaze.

Prep time: 30 minutes; Cook time: 2 hours 15 minutes; Yield: 12-16 servings

Ingredients

1 (7-pound) bone-in, spiral-cut smoked ham

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups 100% pomegranate juice (divided)

2/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup pomegranate arils

Herbs for garnish (if desired)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place ham in a large roasting pan and pour in chicken broth along with 1/2 cup of pomegranate juice.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring remaining 1 1/2 cups of pomegranate juice, brown sugar and lemon juice to boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat and let mixture simmer until it slightly thickens, about 10 minutes.

3. Stir in mustard and ginger and continue simmering until sauce reduces to about 1 cup, approximately 5 more minutes.

4. Pour half of glaze over ham, cover with foil and roast for 1 1/2 hours, basting occasionally. Internal temperature should reach 125°F in thickest part of ham.

5. Remove foil, brush ham with remaining glaze and roast uncovered for another 30 minutes until top is lightly caramelized.

6. Transfer ham to cutting board and carve it off the bone. Arrange slices on a platter, garnish with fresh herbs and sprinkle with pomegranate arils.

7. If desired, pour pan juices into a bowl to serve alongside ham. Leftover ham can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Want to know more about pomegranates and how to incorporate them into your holiday meals? Visit www.Pomegranates.org or www.TaraTeaspoon.com.

2024-11-22T14:01:00

(BPT) – The holidays are just around the corner and for many people, that means big plans. It’s about traditional family recipes, new favorite dishes and your loved ones gathered around the table enjoying the bounty of it all. If you’re that holiday host, you know a lot of your time is spent in the kitchen. Along with the joy of cooking for friends and family, it’s important to keep an eye on fire safety as well.

According to the National Fire Prevention Agency, Thanksgiving Day is ground zero for kitchen fires. More fires happen on that day than any other. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day follow close behind. Nobody wants those kinds of holiday memories.

Kitchen fires can be simple to prevent with a little care and preparation. Here are some tips, from your good neighbors at State Farm^®:

Stay alert and attentive. Always keep an eye on what you’re doing and check the food regularly. Don’t wander out of the kitchen to chat with your guests. Instead, create an outpost where they can join you in the heart of your home, or better yet, help out.

Save the wine for dinner. If you’re sleepy or have consumed alcohol, don’t use the stove or stovetop. The same goes for any medications that might make you drowsy.

Watch for sleeves and oven mitts. Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop.

Be prepared. Keep a fire extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fires nearby and make sure you know how to use it. And, when’s the last time you changed the batteries in your smoke alarms? Make sure they’re working, too.

Do you really need to fry the turkey? Yes, deep fried turkey is delicious. But it’s also dangerous. Each year, deep fryer accidents cause 60 injuries, five deaths and $15 million in property damage. If you’re determined to deep fry your bird, never leave it unattended, do not use the fryer in your garage or in the rain or snow, wear goggles and protective clothing and have that fire extinguisher very close at hand.

If you have a cooking fire, what should you do? Here are some tactics for what to do in case of fire from State Farm:

Turn off the heat source. Immediately turn off the burner for stovetop fires. For oven fires, turn off the oven and keep the door closed.

Cover the pan with its lid. Always cook with a lid beside your pan. If you do have a fire in the pan, don’t throw water on it. Instead, slide the lid over the pan. Do not remove the cover because the fire could start again. Let the pan cool until you’re absolutely sure the fire is out.

Do not move the pan. Moving it could cause the fire to spread.

Do not try to extinguish it with water. Using water on a grease fire is not effective and can cause grease fires to splash and spread.

Use your fire extinguisher. For larger fires, use the extinguisher you have close at hand.

When in doubt, get out! If you’re not comfortable doing any of these things, or if the fire hasn’t been suppressed, get everyone out of the house quickly. Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number after you and your family are safe outside.

By following these tips, you can help keep your family, friends and home safe from kitchen fires. For more information on kitchen safety, visit: https://www.statefarm.com/simple-insights/residence/putting-kitchen-safety-first.

This content is sponsored by State Farm.

2024-11-21T11:29:00

(BPT) – For many small businesses, the holiday season is crucial to hitting their yearly financial goals — and for some, it’s make or break. Small business owners project 33% of their total yearly revenue from seasonal shopping this year, and 61% say holiday revenue is a key factor to the success of their business. The good news? Ninety-three percent of consumers are planning to shop small this season, according to the QuickBooks Holiday Shopping Report 2024.

Holiday shopping is in high gear. Still, there a number of things small businesses can do to maximize their sales through the end of the season, including these three tips:

Be ready for peak shopping days to capture last-minute shoppers

Being prepared this holiday season will be critical — starting with ensuring you’re ready for the days when consumers plan to shop most. Two in three consumers plan to shop on Black Friday (November 29) and Cyber Monday (December 2) and more than a third (34%) plan to shop on Small Business Saturday (November 30), according to the report, based on a recent survey of U.S. consumers and small business owners commissioned by Intuit QuickBooks. Overall, consumers expect to do nearly 40% of their holiday shopping on these days.

To get ahead of the inevitable rush, small businesses should have a connected inventory management system to track everything in one place, such as QuickBooks Commerce, offer flexible shopping and shipping experiences for customers, and increase marketing efforts that remind consumers of their unique products and offerings.

A seamless checkout experience is also crucial to making a sale, so small businesses should implement an integrated payments solution like QuickBooks Payments, allowing their customers to choose the way they’d like to pay via online invoicing, mobile payment apps, and in-person card readers.

Deals, deals, deals

Given tough competition from big-box retailers and decreasing consumer spending due to rising costs and inflation, it’s increasingly important for small businesses to offer competitive prices and holiday deals to attract customers. The report found that over two-thirds (64%) of consumers are prioritizing shopping at stores that offer low prices and deals, while a little more than half are looking for coupons and promotions to save money.

“Consumers are faced with tough financial constraints, and are increasingly looking for flexibility and convenience in how they shop and interact with businesses, as well as deals and offers to offset costs,” said Joseph Black, Director of Product Management, Accounting and Commerce, Intuit QuickBooks.

Equally as important is how to market those deals, coupons and promotions to customers. The survey found 54% of respondents prefer targeted emails as their top choice for learning about deals, followed by in-store promotions (40%) and direct mail (33%).

With the help of marketing platforms like Mailchimp, small businesses can turn their marketing data into personalized messaging, using the most effective channels to reach customers with the right discount at the right time.

Leverage digital tools

Digital tools help small businesses compete during the holidays (and any season). They can level the playing field between small and bigger businesses because they increase efficiency, helping to streamline operations and complete crucial tasks to keep their business running smoothly. Digital tools help easily track sales and inventory, manage payments and invoicing, and keep cash flow in check leading up to this season’s key shopping days.

The report found the best workplace systems to help small businesses glide through the holidays include project management software, customer relationships management (CRM) tools, and invoicing and payment tracking software, among others. These digital tools can help make workflow, sales, inventory and staffing seamless and efficient — the proverbial well-oiled machine — during the holiday shopping season to meet the increased demand.

For more information, tools and tips small businesses can use to have a very happy holiday season, visit the QuickBooks Success in Every Season hub.