Editor’s note, December 25, 8 am ET: This story is being republished for the holiday season. It was originally published in 2020. It might seem unbelievable given that the “Christmas creep” now begins before Halloween, but the true Christmas season actually starts on Christmas Day itself. That’s right: December 25 marks the official start of […]

Editor’s note, December 25, 8 am ET: This story is being republished for the holiday season. It was originally published in 2024. When I was about 7, Los Angeles public schools shifted to a “year-round” schedule. The effect, for my elementary school, was a shorter summer break (boo), and an extra-long winter break (also, it […]

After a successful 2024 election, Vice President JD Vance came into the White House ready to shake things up, support President Donald Trump at all costs, and post whatever he wanted online.  But what does Vance — the former “never Trump” conservative who has maneuvered, at least for now, into the position of MAGA heir […]

This story was originally published in The Highlight, Vox’s member-exclusive magazine. To get early access to member-exclusive stories every month, join the Vox Membership program today. I wasn’t always a boring newsroom-bound editor. Back in my days as a Time magazine foreign correspondent, I used to fly to far-flung places, recorder and notebook in hand. That’s how, […]

As Future Perfect has in past years, we’re spending this holiday season rounding up our most-read stories of 2025 — a quick way to see what landed with you when you had the whole internet to choose from. Looking over the list, two themes dominated. One is intensely everyday: what we eat and drink, what […]