Nora Taylor

Growing up in a city, everyone I knew locked their door. Granted, we all hid keys in easy to find places like the doormat right in front of the locked door, but we locked them nevertheless. Turns out, not every region of the country locks their doors equally. A new survey from Safehome.org looks at the door locking habits of folks across the country. While they have a reputation for being easy-going and welcoming, turns out Southerners draw the line at letting you just waltz on into their homes.

Growing up, my dad was a firm believer of that if you were paying for a hotel room, you were entitled to take a few towels for the road. Turns out, dad laws aren’t real laws and stealing towels from a hotel room is not only frowned upon, it is technically illegal. So what is fair game? Hotels actually want you to take toiletries—they’re not going to re-use them and it’s a good way to spread the brand around. Everything else, though, is strictly off limits.

Have you ever been a few hours into a Netflix binge and wondered why you can’t just be professionally lazy? TUI, an airline and vacation agency in Sweden, is currently on the hunt for four “professional slackers.” If hired as a professional lazy person you will have to do a few things. Slackers will be required to wear beachwear, sit in a chair with their toes in the sand, read a book, nap and ignore passers by.

If you want to do some good and bring a little holiday magic into your life and the lives of others, you can play St. Nick for a family in need through Operation Santa. You can “adopt” a letter to Kris Kringle that was sent to the USPS and help make the holidays happier with a few easy steps. Operation Santa started in 1912 when the postmaster at the time allowed postal employees to open and read the letters addressed to Santa.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for puns. Inspired by The Mindy Project’s iconic Wreath Witherspoon, witty denizens of the internet have come up with their own celebrity inspired Christmas decorations—and they’re just delightful. Writer and excellent person to follow on Twitter, Dana Schwartz , kicked things off with a Christmas tree decorated with the most festively named of the white Chrises, the Chris Pine Tree.

There are lots of little ways you can be more environmentally friendly around the house; from weatherstripping to chemical free cleaning, little changes can make a big impact. One start up has harnessed the goodwill of individual households to make a large impact on the environment. OhmConnect organizes “events” to make sure that people’s efforts to save energy are put to the best use possible, by powering everyone down at the same time.

Using data from Google Maps, Google News Lab has figured out where we’re going, what we’re looking for and when we’re getting there around Thanksgiving. So, if you’re trying to eat Chinese food on the way to the plant nursery on Black Friday, you’re not alone—but you should probably avoid driving at 9am. So how’d they figure out that folks in Texas are particularly interested in bicycle sharing locations?

The winter installment of The Magnolia Journal, Chip and Joanna Gaines’ quarterly magazine, hits newsstands today. The issue offers up a ton of tips for filling your home with cheer, remaining sane and grateful during the hectic season, and offers a peek into their newest vacation rental, The Hillcrest Estate, all done up for the holidays.

A Dutch company has combined two of the internet’s favorite things: sleep deprivation and robots. Somnox, the world’s first sleep robot, just exceeded its Kickstarter goal and should hit the market in the next year or so. The robot, which looks like a cuddly little bean, is designed to help lull people to sleep using “breathing regulation, audio and affection.” Sleepers can tuck the Somnox under their arm or hold it like a teddy bear when falling asleep.

With Valentine’s Day this week, we’ve all got love on the brain. And if you’re sitting in your apartment, lost for words to express how you feel to your loved one, maybe it’s time to figure out your IKEA love language. Do you love your partner like a BEKVAM or a MALM? Take this super scientific, highly romantic quiz to find out. A. Knowing someone is serious about our relationship B. Being one half of an “it” couple C.

While I normally subscribe to the Groucho Marx-ism of not wanting to be a member of any club that would have me, I would happily make an exception for Nap York, a new wellness club that offers stressed out and busy New Yorkers a quick place to nap in peace. The signature experience of Nap York, the Nap York Pod, offers a private refuge to rest, relax, recharge and meditate.