Germany is on the fringe of the true contenders in the 2026 World Cup. Current betting odds place Germany between 11:1 and 14:1 to win the tournament, behind the other favorites: Spain, France, England, Brazil, Argentina, and Portugal.
So it got me thinking about all the other people who host "watch parties" and invite friends over for a big game. So naturally, instead of wanting to talk about sports, I just want to hear about the drama surrounding your sports social gatherings. So tell me... Do any of you have a disasterous "watch party" story to share? Did someone try to propose during the halftime show and get rejected
People say it takes a village to do difficult things: raise a child, sustain a community, build a barn. But we don't often talk a lot about what it takes to be a villager. What does it mean to not just be in a community, but to help create one? Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, says the key is to put yourself out there, even if it's scary.
"Instead of squeezing our life into the original floor plan, I reimagined the function of each area so the apartment could work harder for us. I swapped the bedroom and living room, turning the old closet into a small but fully functional office nook - I modified a desk to fit the narrow space and hand-painted subtle stripes to give the area its own identity and create a visual break between the living room and the tucked-in workspace,"
Indeed, in January, the Atlantic's Ellen Cushing declared that America is in a party deficit, quoting a 2023 Bureau of Labor Statistics report that found only 4.1% of Americans attended or hosted a social event on an average holiday weekend. That figure was down a whopping 35% since 2004. Maybe the pandemic is to blame. Or the loneliness epidemic. Or smartphones.
Dozens of women who considered me their gay best friend sounded great until it was time to exchange presents with all of them during the holidays. I was too cheap to buy all my friends expensive Christmas gifts but too classy to give them something, well, cheap. I had also grown tired of spending $50 on something pointless in bulk, usually a criminally overpriced novelty item.
Parting with a lot of expensive wine is the cost of hosting Harry. Although his liver would probably appreciate it, placing any limits on what he's allowed to consume would be rude and decidedly non-festive. So here's what you're going to do: Open one bottle of the good stuff, or as much as you need to pour everyone a glass. When that's gone, switch to bottles you don't care about-perhaps
But the thing is, wine doesn't need to be that complicated. When it comes to my work at Bon Appétit, I'm most interested in helping people loosen up around shopping for wine and just go with their instincts. Wine is not, in my experience, this big, scary thing. At its best, it's an exclamation point in an already wonderful meal. For me and the Bon Appétit team, it's an excuse to spend even more time around the dining table.
If anyone knows anything about the unique blend of financial planning combined with hosting guests, it'd be author and the founder of The Financial Diet, Chelsea Fagan.
