Readers Digest Australiaの December 2025 / January 2026 の目次

Dancing the Tears Away Jarom Ngakuru, a Maori man living in Robinson, Texas, was devastated. His grandmother had died in their native New Zealand and he couldn’t get home for the funeral. That’s when, he said on a TikTok video, his co-workers “brought home” to him. His brother-in-law taught the men the intricate choreography of the haka, a traditional Maori dance. They gathered in a large room and surprised Ngakuru with the dance: a quick squat, a vigorous thrust of the arms and a stomp of the feet accompanied by guttural shouts, followed by more complex moves, stomps and chants—the hallmarks of the haka. Halfway through, a stunned Ngakuru joined them. At the end, the men held their last position as Ngakuru wept in his brother-in-law’s embrace. Said a video…

THE PALISADES FIRE in Los Angeles burned Charlotte Tragos’s home to the ground. The height chart from when she was a child was marked on the kitchen wall. Family heirlooms filled the cupboards. Her parents’ wedding video from the 1990s was stashed away in the basement. All of it is gone. “It was a pretty special and unique house,” says Tragos, who fled with her parents, her younger sister and their three dogs when the fire broke out on Jan. 7, 2025. All the teenager took with her was her high school diploma, her dog’s ashes and a pair of sneakers. “The streets were packed with people running, driving on the wrong side of the road,” she says, adding that everyone knew they were running for their lives. A few…

Being with loved ones during the holidays is a delight. Getting there is not. Portland International Airport in Oregon puts passengers at ease in a unique way: with therapy llamas. These animals—including Prince (left) and Beni (right)—strut their stuff through the terminal, letting people pet and hug them. Wranglers Lori Gregory and Shannon Joy, a mother–daughter duo who run the nearby Mountain Peaks Therapy Llamas and Alpacas farm, say the 400-pound fluffs offer a welcome distraction from Yuletide travel stress. “I call them Santa Claus for adults,” says Joy. Passenger Lori Sackett was one of the lucky recipients of some llama love. “The sweet faces,” she told NPR. “What a gift.”…

ADULTS TYPICALLY HAVE 206 bones and 350 joints, which are made of bones plus the tissues that hold the bones together: cartilage, tendons, ligaments and nerves. With so many moving parts working hard every day, it’s no wonder that many people experience pain, stiffness or soreness in one or more of these connections. The smallest joint in the body is in the ear, and while it plays a crucial role in hearing, most of us aren’t even aware it’s there. The largest joint is the knee. Knees and other large joints like hips, shoulders and elbows are the ones that tend to become painful. We’re often quick to blame joint pain or stiffness on getting older. But it’s not just older folks who experience joint pain. Athletes and just plain…

Even if you’re a little too old to still believe in Santa Claus, there’s still something ever so magical about the festive season. It’s all about the fun decorations, festive food and most of all, treasured time with family and friends. Yet, taking the time to say thank you to someone special with a well-thought-out gift is one of the best things you can do at this time of year. After all, they say it is better to give than receive, and anyone who has ever nailed exactly the right present and been gifted a genuine thank you in return knows this can most definitely be true. The idea that the act of giving creates more happiness than getting is based on fact, with studies showing it helps release those…

THERE IS LITTLE more charming than the idea of a Christmas puppy. The festive music, the cooing family, that adorable little face with the holiday lights shining from its eyes. The reality, however, is something of a wreck. There you are trying to bake Christmas cookies, close out the year-end books or shepherd the kids through pageants and parties … and there is the puppy, needing to be let out every two hours. The time not spent mopping up accidents will instead be devoted to keeping the puppy from chewing on the tree, swallowing ornaments or knocking over the Nativity scene. And you will be trying to manage this on too little sleep, because, did I mention? The puppy needs to be let out every few hours, including at night.…

1. countenance n. ('kown-tuh-nuhns) A noble rank B facial expression C unwritten rule 2. odious adj. ('oh-dee-uhs) A horrible B musical C scented 3. proviso n. (pruh-'vigh-zoh) A umbrella B condition C suitor 4. impute v. (im-'pyoot) A critique B chalk up C refuse 5. pert adj. (puhrt) A young B sassy C gruff 6. copse n. (kahps) A undergarment B country road C group of trees 7. pallid adj. ('pal-uhd) A loveless B penniless C colorless 8. hauteur n. (haw-'tuhr) A impostor B haughtiness C small carriage 9. vex v. (veks) A aggravate B break a vow C curse 10. repartee n. (reh-puhr-'tee) A muslin gown B witty conversation C annual ball 11. lassitude n. ('lass-uh-tood) A snobbery B caution C fatigue 12. scrupulous adj. ('skroo-pyuh-luhs) A thorough B sociable C mysterious 13. obtrude v. (uhb-'trood) A persuade B object C impose…

Elite Paralympic Snowboarder, Sean Pollard, vividly recalls the exact moment that a 3.5 metre great white shark first ‘bumped’ his leg, on an overcast October day in 2014. What began as a blissful, solo-surfing session at one of his favourite beaches soon became a fight for survival - as a tag-team of volunteer first responders, ambulance personnel, hospital staff and the Royal Flying Doctor Service triaged and treated Sean’s catastrophic injuries. But it was also Sean’s incredible courage, stamina and resilience during the actual shark attack that day, that ultimately helped to save his life. Sean was given his first surfboard at the age of 8 and he quickly became obsessed with catching that next ‘big wave’. Sean, his mum and two younger brothers moved to Bunbury, Western Australia when…

TO THOSE WHO WORKED the sometimes treacherous seas along that part of the English coast it was a tragically familiar discovery: the body of a drowning victim. There was very little to go by in determining the dead man’s identity. No wallet, no papers were found on his body. And there was little else of note, except for a tattoo on one hand and a watch, which had stopped working days before. For the local police the challenge was trying to work out who this poor soul was. Stymied at every attempt, investigators hit on the idea that the drowned man’s watch might provide clues. It did. And their routine quest was transformed into a search through a complex web of swindles, double and triple identities and a cold-blooded killer.…

Tired of Terrible T-Shirts? Give the Gift of a Donkey Instead. Ah, we all know the ritual. It starts with the crinkle of the wrapping paper, a brief flutter of hope, which dies a swift, painful death as you pull out… The Thing. Your mind races: I must not let my face betray the horror. You contort your features into that special, tight, Christmas-Present-Opening-Fake-Smile. It’s a miracle of muscular control: the eyes widen just a little too much, the mouth stretches, but never so much that you look manic, and the voice chirps, “Oh! How… unique!” It’s the Britney Spears T-shirt for a man who exclusively wears tweed. It’s the ceramic garden gnome with the suspiciously lewd expression. It’s the ‘World’s Best Accountant’ mug for someone who works in landscaping.…

How afraid you are determines how brave you are.—Rita Moreno, ACTOR, ON THE PODCAST WISER THAN ME If your church isn’t telling you to love your enemies, but keeps telling you who your enemies are, you’re not really in a church.—John Fugelsang, BROADCASTER, IN THE BOOK SEPAR ATION OF CHURCH AND HATE Drama and gossip can die. But greatness is hard to kill.—A’ja Wilson, BASKETBALL PLAYER, IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL To question what you know—what you think is true—is how the world advances.—Bill Gates, TECH ENTREPRENEUR, IN THE BOOK SOURCE CODE It’s never the pen. It’s the person who pushes the pen.—Mort Gerberg, CARTOONIST, IN THE NEW YORKER…

Towering over the vast agricultural landscapes, silos in Australia have historically served a critical function as enormous, bulk storage facilities for major grain crops like wheat, barley, and canola, efficiently connecting farms to the national rail and export networks. In recent years, these utilitarian concrete and steel giants have found a new purpose: the Silo Art Trail. Initiated in 2015, this movement has seen dozens of these towering structures transformed into magnificent, monumental murals across regional Australia. These artworks, often depicting local history, fauna, or farming life, have dramatically revitalised small country towns, turning the pursuit of admiring these striking public canvases into a fantastic and unique way to tour the Australian outback and support rural communities. Where is it? (Answer on page 149) A Devenish, North Victoria B Coonalpyn,…

WHEN HURRICANE HELENE barreled toward Florida’s west coast on Sept. 26, 2024, authorities ordered the evacuation of the small community of Indian Rocks Beach, located on a barrier island just 7 to 10 feet above sea level. But with the Category 4 storm forecast to miss them by more than 100 miles, many residents, including surf instructor Marty Thomas, 52, stayed put. Then, just before nightfall, with the power to the island cut off, a massive storm surge breached the town’s seawalls, dumping water into the streets. Thomas watched it grow from nothing to ankle high in minutes. He rushed to warn his neighbors in the single-story, six-unit complex where he lived. Thomas’s neighbors Mike Moran and his girlfriend, Heather Boles, began loading their dog and three cats as well…

The happy trick-or-treater at my door filled his basket with candy and gave me a huge “Thank you!” As he walked away, he turned around, still beaming, to say, “And I like your costume.” I might have felt complimented … had I been wearing one. —MICHELLE GABRIEL I have a relative who loves idioms and proverbs. In fact, she improves upon them, albeit unwittingly. For example, instead of “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander” or “The shoe is on the other foot,” she’ll say, “The goose is on the other foot!” Other favorites: “You’re walking on thin eggs, buddy!” “We’ll have to pay an arm and a knuckle.” “The squeaky wheel gets the bacon.” “Don’t feed Peter to eat Paul.” And, of course, “You can lead…

Hound Couture My shelter dog, Eddie, was a muscular mix of Labrador retriever and pit bull, with very little body fat and lots of stamina. He loved to swim in the frigid Puget Sound. We’d have to drag him out even if it was snowing. His little body would shiver for hours, so when we were back at home, I’d warm him up with blankets right out of the dryer. Eventually, I got him a custom wetsuit made from sleek turquoise and black neoprene. He’d get excited as soon as I brought it out. After that, it was even harder to get him out of the water. —LINDA RENNER Eviction Notice There’s only one chair to watch TV in my small loft. Miss Kitty usually sits on my lap for…

The ORBISCULATE Challenge EASY How many words can you find within the 11-letter word below? Words must be at least three letters long and appear in the dictionary (we use Merriam-Webster) to count toward your score. YOUR SCORE: BONUS The longest word we found within WINTERGREEN is 10 letters long. Can you find it? (Answer is below.) What’s With This Game’s Crazy Name? We first published “Warning: This Fruit May Orbisculate,” about a family’s made-up word, in our December 2021/January 2022 issue. Orbisculate means “when you dig your spoon into a grapefruit (or another fruit or vegetable), and it squirts juice directly in your eye.” Soon after, reader Sue Mollineaux of Torrington, Connecticut, wrote us to say that residents of her senior community had put their heads together and found…