Reusable cloth Christmas bags are all the rage, saving wrapping time, money and the planet

They’re also way cozier than the 2 million pounds of wrapping paper that ends up in landfills every year.

Dec 19, 2023

Photo credit: Amazon – People are moving to cloth gift bags as a lot of wrapping paper can't be recycled.

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Wrapping paper is a delightful invention, with all of its fun patterns and colors and wrapping methods, all in service of keeping gifts a surprise.

It’s also a total environmental blight, unfortunately. Most wrapping paper is one-time use only, as what makes it pretty and shiny and durable are usually plastics that can’t be separated from the paper for recycling. So into the landfill it goes, to the tune of 2.3 million pounds a year, according to Popular Science.

You can try to reuse wrapping paper, of course, but have you ever seen a kid tear into a Christmas present? You can try wrapping with simple brown paper, which is recyclable, but doesn’t feel particularly festive. You could buy eco-friendly wrapping paper, shelling out a pretty penny for something that’s still going to have to be purchased again and again.

OR you can go a whole new route by ditching the paper altogether and going for the truly old-fashioned, easy peasy solution of cloth gift bags that you either purchase or make yourself. If you think that sounds like a bit of a stretch, hold the judgment until you see how utterly adorable these bags are.

Cloth bags save so much time and headache compared to paper wrapping. Weirdly shaped gifts no longer matter as long as they fit in the bag. They also save you money over time if you use them for your household’s gifts and store them away with your holiday decorations each year. If you make them yourself, you can choose any color or pattern theme you want, but there are plenty of readymade coordinated options out there now to go with any decor.

And no, kids don’t care—in fact, they will probably appreciate the fact that their gift wrap is eco-friendly and they may even get nostalgic about seeing the familiar wrappings each year. (Our family has used cloth to wrap for presents for years, and our kids have actually developed favorites.)

Here’s a simple example—a mix of classic red-and-white patterns in assorted sizes for a bright, classic look. How lovely would a stash of these look all gathered under the tree?

red and white cloth gift bags — Red and white always works for Christmas. <a href="https://amzn.to/3v7H1fh">Amazon</a>

What if you went with a classy gold theme for this year’s decor and want the presents under the tree to match for a perfectly Instagrammable Christmas morning? Here’s a similar set in a gold-and-white pattern.

gold and white gift bags — Go for the gold with this set of Christmas gift bags. <a href="https://amzn.to/3RN1miF">Amazon</a>

Maybe you’re going for more of a cozy, casual, log cabin-y feel for your holiday. Plenty of plaid in Christmas colors right here.

plaid christmas gift bags — Cozy, cozy flannel bags with Christmas sayings on them <a href="https://amzn.to/41uzwuX">Amazon</a>

If you’re more drawn to the classic, Norman Rockwell, Christmases-of-yore vibe, check out these nostalgic Christmas prints:

vintage christmas cloth bags — These gift bags look like a throwback to "It's a Wonderful Life." <a href="https://amzn.to/3GRMMjP">Amazon</a>

Maybe you’re a modern maven with monochromatic merry-making methodologies. Or perhaps you’d like to be able to reuse your bags at other times of the year, too. These black-and-white babies might just do the trick.

black and white gift bags — These black-and-white bags could be used for any occasion. <a href="https://amzn.to/3RNXj5O">Amazon</a>

How about a standard-Christmas-wrapping-paper look, only as cloth Christmas gift bags instead?

mix of colorful Christmas bags — Get your colorful Christmas on. <a href="https://amzn.to/41wgTHa">Amazon</a>

Or maybe you don’t want a distinctively Christmas feel at all, but rather a mix of pretty, festive bags that could be used for the holidays or any time of year. There’s a whole assortment to choose from here to go with whatever your particular color theme might be.

mix of cloth bag patterns — Christmas bags don't have to be Christmas-themed.. <a href="https://amzn.to/3NABeVY">Amazon</a>

Or maybe you want the opposite—just blatantly Christmas-y images in bright, bold colors plastered all over everything. Here ya go:

assortment of colorful christmas gift bags — So many Christmas gift bag options <a href="https://amzn.to/3Rw8VsI">Amazon</a>

There’s just no shortage of options for cloth gift bags that are worth investing in to save time, money and the environment. Just be sure to check sizes so there are no surprises, grab a wide assortment and then revel in the fact that you’ll never get a paper cut or have to search for another roll of tape while wrapping presents for your family again.

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In Partnership With Habitat For Humanity →

Homeowners celebrate the completion of their new home in Cambodia's Siem Reap Province alongside Habitat for Humanity volunteers and staff.

Culture, Family

A safe, stable home can change lives for the better. Here’s how Habitat for Humanity wants to make that possible for everyone.

Better health, better jobs, and a brighter future all start with access to a safe, affordable home.

Sarah Watts

3/25/2026
A single door can open up a world of endless possibilities. For homeowners, the front door of their house is a gateway to financial stability, job security, and better health. Yet for many, that door remains closed. Due to the rising costs of housing, 1 in 3 people around the world wake up without the security of safe, affordable housing.

Since 1976, Habitat for Humanity has made it their mission to unlock and open the door to opportunity for families everywhere, and their efforts have paid off in a big way. Through their work over the past 50 years, more than 65 million people have gained access to new or improved housing, and the movement continues to gain momentum. Since 2011 alone, Habitat for Humanity has expanded access to affordable housing by a hundredfold.

A world where everyone has access to a decent home is becoming a reality, but there’s still much to do. As they celebrate 50 years of building, Habitat for Humanity is inviting people of all backgrounds and talents to be part of what comes next through Let’s Open the Door, a global campaign that builds on this momentum and encourages people everywhere to help expand access to safe, affordable housing for those who need it most. Here’s how the foundation to a better world starts with housing, and how everyone can pitch in to make it happen.

Volunteers raise a wall for the framework of a new home during the first day of building at Habitat for Humanity’s 2025 Carter Work Project.

Globally, almost 3 billion people, including 1 in 6 U.S. families, struggle with high costs and other challenges related to housing. A crisis in itself, this also creates larger problems that affect families and communities in unexpected ways. People who lack affordable, stable housing are also more likely to experience financial hardship in other areas of their lives, since a larger share of their income often goes toward rent, utilities, and frequent moves. They are also more likely to experience health problems due to chronic stress or environmental factors, such as mold. Housing insecurity also goes hand-in-hand with unstable employment, since people may need to move further from their jobs or switch jobs altogether to offset the cost of housing.

Affordable homeownership creates a stable foundation for families to thrive, reducing stress and increasing the likelihood for good health and stable employment. Habitat for Humanity builds and repairs homes with individual families, but it also strengthens entire communities as well. The MicroBuild® Initiative, for example, strengthens communities by increasing access to loans for low-income families seeking to build or repair their homes. Habitat ReStore locations provide affordable appliances and building materials to local communities, in addition to creating job and volunteer opportunities that support neighborhood growth.

Marsha and her son pose for a photo while building their future home with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity in Georgia.

Everyone can play a part in the fight for housing equity and the pursuit of a better world. Over the past 50 years, Habitat for Humanity has become a leader in global housing thanks to an engaged network of volunteers—but you don’t need to be skilled with a hammer to make a meaningful impact. Building an equitable future means calling on a wide range of people and talents.

Here’s how you can get involved in the global housing movement:
- Speaking up on social media about the growing housing crisis
- Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity build in your local community
- Travel and build with Habitat in the U.S. or in one of 60+ countries where we work around the globe
- Join the Let’s Open the Door movement and, when you donate, you can create your own personalized door
- Shop or donate at your local Habitat ReStore
Every action, big and small, drives a global movement toward a better future. A safe home unlocks opportunity for families and communities alike, but it’s volunteers and other supporters, working together with a shared vision, who can open the door for everyone.

Visit habitat.org/open-door to learn more and get involved today.
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Photo credit: “William Shatner” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. – William Shatner's trip to space wasn't what he expected.

Science, Technology

William Shatner describes the incredible pain he felt when he finally went into orbit

He had a profound experience of the “overview effect.”

Annie Reneau

Upworthy Staff

4/27/2026

Statistically speaking, the number of humans who have traveled into space is insignificant. But the experience of leaving our home planet and venturing into the great beyond is incredibly significant for the individuals who have actually done it. One of those fortunate humans is actor William Shatner, who spent three years pretending to hurtle through space in his iconic role as Captain James T. Kirk on the original Star Trek series. As captain of the USS Enterprise, Captain Kirk was dedicated to exploring “strange new worlds,” seeking out “new life and new civilizations,” and boldly going “where no man has gone before.”

Naturally, Shatner has spent a lot of time pondering what it would be like to actually experience leaving Earth, and when he took the opportunity to join Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin trip to space in October 2021 at age 90, he was able to compare how his expectations met up with reality. Shatner shared an excerpt from his book with Variety, and it reveals that his initial reaction to being in space was surprisingly dark.

“I love the mystery of the universe,” Shatner wrote. “I love all the questions that have come to us over thousands of years of exploration and hypotheses. Stars exploding years ago, their light traveling to us years later; black holes absorbing energy; satellites showing us entire galaxies in areas thought to be devoid of matter entirely… all of that has thrilled me for years…”

What Shatner actually saw when he looked into space

However, as he looked out the window of the spacecraft (a real one, not a screen on a film set) and looked in the direction opposite Earth, “there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold,” he wrote. “All I saw was death. I saw a cold, dark, black emptiness. It was unlike any blackness you can see or feel on Earth. It was deep, enveloping, all-encompassing.”

As he turned back toward “the light of home,” he saw the opposite. “I could see the curvature of Earth, the beige of the desert, the white of the clouds and the blue of the sky. It was life. Nurturing, sustaining, life. Mother Earth. Gaia. And I was leaving her.”

Then he had a stunning revelation: “Everything I had thought was wrong. Everything I had expected to see was wrong.”

“What you have given me is the most profound experience I can imagine,” William Shatner, back from space, tells Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos. "I’m so filled with emotion about what just happened. It’s extraordinary. I hope I never recover from this.” https://t.co/kQc9VBTOVy pic.twitter.com/4QR5aluuwj
— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) October 13, 2021

Again, this is a man who has spent much of his life thinking about space, not as an astronaut or astronomer or astrophysicist, but as a human being stuck on the Earth’s surface, struck with wonder about what’s out there. He explained what he had been wrong about:

“I had thought that going into space would be the ultimate catharsis of that connection I had been looking for between all living things—that being up there would be the next beautiful step to understanding the harmony of the universe. In the film ‘Contact,’ when Jodie Foster’s character goes to space and looks out into the heavens, she lets out an astonished whisper, ‘They should’ve sent a poet.’ I had a different experience, because I discovered that the beauty isn’t out there, it’s down here, with all of us. Leaving that behind made my connection to our tiny planet even more profound.

“It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever encountered. The contrast between the vicious coldness of space and the warm nurturing of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness. Every day, we are confronted with the knowledge of further destruction of Earth at our hands: the extinction of animal species, of flora and fauna . . . things that took five billion years to evolve, and suddenly we will never see them again because of the interference of mankind. It filled me with dread. My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral.”

The overview effect and what it means for all of us

Shatner explained how this “sense of the planet’s fragility takes hold in an ineffable, instinctive manner” for many astronauts when they view Earth from orbit. It’s part of the “overview effect,” the profound shift in perspective that comes with seeing our collective home from a distance. With no visible borders between nations or peoples, it becomes clear that our divisions are all manmade, which can change the way we view humanity as a whole.

The experience left Shatner with renewed conviction to focus on what we share in common.

“It reinforced tenfold my own view on the power of our beautiful, mysterious collective human entanglement,” he wrote, “and eventually, it returned a feeling of hope to my heart. In this insignificance we share, we have one gift that other species perhaps do not: we are aware, not only of our insignificance, but the grandeur around us that makes us insignificant. That allows us perhaps a chance to rededicate ourselves to our planet, to each other, to life and love all around us. If we seize that chance.”

He chose reflection over champagne

Upon returning to Earth, Bezos offered Shatner champagne, but he turned down the offer because he needed a moment to collect his thoughts on what he had just experienced. He told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that the trip gave him a moment to reflect on his life. “What’s equally important is caring, loving, the planet is going to be inundated, unless we do something about it,” he told Fallon. “All the deep things that we should be thinking about, every so often, we need to be reminded. And that moonshot, that did it to me.”

Just beautiful. Since most of us will never leave Earth, we can take inspiration from those who have, acknowledge our essential oneness and do everything in our power to protect our beautiful, life-giving home.

Shatner shares more of his reflections on life on this planet and beyond in his most recent book, “Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder.”

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.

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Photo credit: @HealthLongevity1/YouTube – At 71, Emmie Sanh feels stronger than ever.

Health, Science

Strong 71-year-old woman is showing that heavy weightlifting is for seniors. Doctors agree.

“I don’t lift for my age – I lift for my life.”

Erik Barnes

4/25/2026

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Emmie Sanh was at a low point. She didn’t feel good, barely exercised, and was tasked with caring for her aging mother. Like many people, she realized her life needed to change, so she decided to take up weight training. Here’s the thing, though: she started at the ripe young age of 68.

Now Sanh’s commitment to strength training has gotten her noticed, with many people inspired by the videos she uploads to her social media. Commenters have remarked on her energy level and have been impressed by the number of squats, curls, lunges, and other weight-room exercises she showcases.

View this post on Instagram

“If you told me 50 years ago that I’d be lifting heavier than ever and feeling my most energetic at 71, I never would’ve believed you – but here I am,” Sanh told Women’s Health. “Getting older is inevitable but weakness is optional, and I’m so grateful that I get to do hard things at 71. After all, I don’t lift for my age – I lift for my life.”

Why many doctors recommend weight training for seniors

Understandably, many people consider weight training to be a younger person’s game. Typically, many older adults become weaker and lose size or stature, making weight training look like it’s for younger people. But that is precisely why many doctors recommend that adults include more weight training and resistance exercise as they get older.

Studies have found that heavy weight training by seniors can benefit their lives. Such strength training can help prevent muscle mass from deteriorating and can improve mobility. Muscles build, tendons get stronger, and bone density increases. Building bone density is important as a person ages, helping reduce the risk of osteoporosis.

What weight training exercises should seniors try?

Personal trainers who spoke to Upworthy offered exercise recommendations and tips for seniors who want to head to the weight room.

United States Marine Corps veteran and professional trainer Victor Kanashiro suggests Smith machines as a great place for older lifters to start.

“A few examples of safe heavy weightlifting exercises for older adults include Smith machine squats, Smith machine bench press, and Smith machine rows are effective options,” said Kanashiro. “These movements provide the benefits of compound barbell lifting while adding built-in safety features like adjustable safety stops, which help reduce the risk of injury and make heavy lifting more accessible.”

Strength and fitness trainer Allison Kalsched echoed that weightlifting machines can offer more stability and safety. Kalsched also recommends that older lifters start much lighter than they might think, as they are not in the same bodies they were in during their 20s.

“I would always suggest starting simple with the basic movements such as squats, pulling movements, pushing movements and carrying weights while walking,” said Kalsched. “These moves mimic the activities we all have to complete to be an active participant in life, so training in the gym should prepare us for a long and strong life.”

Other workout tips

Kalsched also mentioned that seniors can check their eligibility for SilverSneakers through Medicare to receive free memberships to participating gyms. On top of that, she recommends a private session with a personal trainer for exercise guidance. If they cannot afford it long term, one or two sessions should be enough to help a senior learn a routine and proper form so they can continue their fitness journey independently, if they wish.

To keep your golden years golden, it is worth going to the gym to lift some iron.

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Photo credit: Canva – Diners celebrate a birthday dinner.

People Skills, Science

A man skipped his friend’s birthday dinner because the cheapest entree was $41 and people are rallying behind him

Is $41 for a “birthday burger” reasonable, or is this a friendship red flag?

Adam Albright-Hanna

Upworthy Staff

4/24/2026

Sean Lans got an invitation to his friend’s birthday dinner. He looked up the restaurant. The cheapest entree on the menu was $41. There was also a $35 cover charge at the bar they were hitting afterward. He did the math and proposed a compromise: he’d skip dinner and meet everyone out later.

His friend was not happy about it.

Sean posted about it on TikTok (@seanlans), and the video took off because almost everyone watching had been on one side of this exact conversation at some point. “I’m not looking to spend the equivalent of a week of grocery money on a single night out,” he said in the video. That line landed for a lot of people.

@seanlans
Restaurants in new york are so expensive in general it’s actually crazy #nyc #birthdaydinner #storytime #gay #expensive #broke #fyp
♬ original sound – seanlans

The responses split along pretty predictable lines. Some thought $41 wasn’t that bad and he should have saved up if this friend mattered to him. Others pointed out that nobody should be put in the position of choosing between their budget and showing up for someone’s birthday.

Diners celebrate at a restaurant. Photo credit: Canva

One commenter offered the most reasonable take: “If someone is unable to attend my boujee birthday dinner, that’s fine. I’ll schedule another affordable dinner date for us to celebrate together.”

Sean later told Bored Panda he was surprised to learn how many people assume the birthday host covers everyone, and also surprised that several commenters thought $41 for a single entree was totally reasonable. He also noted that other people in the group didn’t actually want to go to that restaurant either. He was just the one who said so.

You can follow Sean Lans (@seanlans) on TikTok for more financial-based content.

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https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto/55203734853/in/dateposted/Astronaut Reid Wiseman, the Earth, and the moon.

Innovation, Science

Astronaut explains the profound existential pain he felt after returning from moon orbit

“I don’t think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we are looking at right now.”

Tod Perry

4/24/2026

After going into space for the first time, astronauts experience a profound shift in perspective known as the overview effect. When they look down on Earth, they no longer see borders, politics, or religion. Instead, they see a beautiful blue marble floating in space where everything on its surface is magically connected. After seeing the Earth from afar, many of humankind’s squabbles and battles seem petty and inconsequential. This incredible shift in perspective can be exhilarating, but also isolating.

The four astronauts who were aboard the recent Artemis II mission, NASA‘s first trip around the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, shared their experiences of the overview effect upon returning home on April 10. Astronaut Reid Wiseman struggled to find words to express his incredible, unique experience.

Seeing Earth from space was life-changing for astronaut Reid Wiseman

“I’m not really a religious person, but there was no other avenue for me to explain anything or experience anything,” Wiseman said. “So I asked for the chaplain on the Navy ship to just come visit us for a minute. When that man walked in, I’d never met him before in my life, but I saw the cross on his collar, and I just broke down in tears.”

Wiseman added that it is “very hard to fully grasp what we just went through.”

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A post shared by Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid)

“When the sun eclipsed behind the moon, I turned to [astronaut Victor Glover] and said ‘I don’t think humanity has evolved to the point of being able to comprehend what we are looking at right now,’” Wiseman said.

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen also said that he had trouble “trying to find words” to describe his time in space accurately. “But what kept grabbing my attention, when the lighting was right, and we were looking out the window, is that I kept seeing this depth to the galaxy,” he said. “That was mind–blowing for me. The sense I had of fragility and feeling infinitesimally small.”

Astronaut Reid Wiseman. Credit: NASA HQ/Flickr

A thin blue line separates life on Earth from the darkness of space

Another profound realization astronauts have is that Earth’s atmosphere appears remarkably thin from space. “You see the thin blue line of the atmosphere, and then when you’re on the dark side of the Earth, you actually see this very thin green line that shows you where the atmosphere is,” Mission Specialist Christina Koch said, according to NASA. “What you realize is every single person that you know is sustained and inside of that green line, and everything else outside of it is completely inhospitable.”

The aurora australis glowing over the Indian Ocean. Credit NASA Johnson/Flickr

Ultimately, when someone experiences a major shift in perspective, the important thing is how they incorporate it into their lives. “You come back to sea level, and then you have a choice,” Glover told NASA. “Are you going to try to live your life a little differently? Are you going to really choose to be a member of this community of Earth?”

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Photo credit: Canva – A young woman looks at her phone in bed.

Science, Technology

A Stanford study paid 36,000 people to stay off Facebook. The results were hard to argue with.

“Getting rid of my Facebook and Instagram accounts was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Adam Albright-Hanna

Upworthy Staff

4/23/2026

A large Stanford University study paid roughly 36,000 Facebook and Instagram users to log off in the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election and found that the people who stayed off felt measurably better.

The study split participants into groups: about 275 were paid to deactivate their accounts for six weeks, while others logged off for just one week. Both groups showed improved emotional well-being compared to those who kept scrolling, but the effect was more pronounced for Facebook users who went longer without it.

The results broke down along some interesting lines. Facebook users over 35 showed the biggest mood improvements, along with undecided voters and people without college degrees. Among Instagram users, the 18-to-24 group benefited most.

None of this is entirely shocking in the abstract since most people have a pretty good intuition that less time doomscrolling means more mental breathing room. What makes this study notable is its scale. This wasn’t a self-selected group of digital detox enthusiasts. These were ordinary users, many of whom presumably went back to their feeds afterward, and the boost showed up clearly in the data.

Young people staring at their phones. Photo credit: Canva

The comment section on ABC News’s video coverage said it more plainly: “Getting rid of my Facebook and Instagram accounts was the best thing I’ve ever done.” Another: “The worst thing about social media is that people are in it for hours and they don’t even realize it.”

The study doesn’t argue that everyone should quit. It does suggest the relationship between habitual social media use and emotional well-being is real, measurable, and probably worth paying attention to.

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Photo credit: Canva – A woman notices a man's mistake.

People Skills, Science

A 60-year-old study keeps proving that tiny mistakes make you a lot more likable

A little blunder can go a long way.

Tod Perry

4/23/2026

Studies show that when we meet someone new, we check for two traits to decide if we like them. First, we decide whether they have a warm personality. Do they come off as kind, friendly, or accepting? Second, we assess their competence. Are they intelligent, skilled, and do they have basic social skills?

If you pass the warmth/competence round of meeting someone new, another way to make sure that people like you is to make a small blunder. People have already assessed that you’re competent. Making a small mistake and having fun with it will make you more relatable. The psychological phenomenon is known as the Pratfall Effect.

What is the Pratfall Effect?

Psychologist Elliot Aronson first identified the Pratfall Effect in a 1966 experiment in which he had participants listen to an audio recording of someone taking a quiz and doing incredibly well. At the end of the recording, some participants heard the quiz-taker spill coffee on themselves, while others didn’t. Those who heard the coffee spill rated the quiz-taker much higher on likability than those who did not.

The basic reasoning behind the Pratfall Effect is that when someone is seen as competent, a mistake makes them more relatable. A terrific example of this is Jennifer Lawrence tripping at the 2013 Academy Awards. At the moment when she was being awarded for her incredible performance in Silver Linings Playbook, she fell on her face. No doubt this made her all the more likable because everyone watching on TV thought, “Oh, she’s just like me.”

If Lawrence had become angry or cursed the stairs for the fall, people would have thought less of her, but after she fell, she received a standing ovation, and she laughed about it. “You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell, and that’s really embarrassing, thank you,” she opened her speech.

The Pratfall Effect doesn’t work in every situation

Now, the Pratfall Effect will only work to your advantage in a situation where people think that you are competent. If you are really good at your job and you accidentally mispronounce a word in a speech to your coworkers and laugh it off, they will like you more. However, if this is a situation where you are less competent, say, you are learning how to golf, and during a practice swing, you accidentally let go of the club, launching it into the air, people will probably think less of you.

A woman who made a mistake. Photo credit: Canva

Not everyone has the same reaction to a competent person making a blunder. A follow-up paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people’s reaction to the mistake will differ depending on their level of self-esteem. People with lower self-esteem will feel greater admiration for their boss who spills coffee on their shirt while driving to work because it levels the playing field. But people with high self-esteem who are more comfortable around their boss won’t care as much if they make a mistake.

Ultimately, being likable isn’t about impressing people; it’s about knowing how to be human. The key is that once you’ve proven to others that you know what you’re doing, you can feel free to trip up every once in a while because it’ll make them like you even more.

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Photo credit: Canva – A woman holds a newborn baby.

Health, Science

Women who give birth experience a ‘second puberty’ well before perimenopause

The process can take up to two years to complete.

Jacalyn Wetzel

4/23/2026

Puberty is a beast, one that most people try not to remember until they’re standing face to face with their own child and their wildly fluctuating hormones. Unfortunately, for those born with female reproductive organs, adolescent puberty is only the first puberty they will experience.

Many people think “second puberty” refers to the symptoms of perimenopause, which is also the result of fluctuating hormones. Perimenopause comes on a little more gradually than puberty. While the smells, mood swings, and raging hormones might feel familiar, those symptoms usually appear years after hormones begin to decline.

A pregnant woman with her shirt open. Photo credit: Canva

There was even a recent moment in Internet history where young women were calling their mid-20s “second puberty.” This was due to them noticing a positive change in appearance that solidified their mature features. Many referred to it as a “glow-up,” focusing on the positive effects of coming out on the other end of puberty. While that’s endearing, puberty is due to an influx of increased hormone levels, which alter the way the world perceives you and how you perceive the world.

Women who have given birth, or will in the future, experience more of a true “second puberty.” This occurs after the birth of their first child, when the mother’s system is flooded with a hormonal shift that literally alters her brain. The “second puberty” birthing people experience is actually called Matrescence, a term meaning the process of becoming a mother coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael.

A woman holds a newborn baby. Photo credit: Canva

According to the scientific journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences:

“The hormonal fluctuations of pregnancy, birth, and lactation initiate rapid and extreme physiological transformations that are unparalleled across the lifespan. These biological changes are accompanied by a dynamic restructuring of the physical, emotional, and social environment. In concert with these adaptations, the maternal brain undergoes significant structural and functional neuroplasticity as well as cognitive adaptations across the peripartum period. The brain is transformed, in preparation for and in response to, a developing child.”

Every person charged with caring for an infant undergoes beneficial cognitive changes. Oxytocin is released in the caregiver’s brain regardless of sex or gender, whether the child is related biologically, through adoption, or fostering. Think of it as nature’s way of trying to encourage the survival of the species.

A woman smiles while holding a newborn baby. Photo credit: Canva

Current studies show that Matrescence is unique to the birthing person, causing the brain to do more than make cognitive changes. When someone experiences this “second puberty,” the sudden hormonal shifts create structural changes to the brain. A study published by Human Brain Mapping found that adolescent girls and adult first-time mothers had the same monthly measurement of gray matter loss.

“In both cases, these reductions were accompanied by decreases in cortical thickness, surface area, local gyrification index, sulcal depth, and sulcal length, as well as increases in sulcal width,” the authors of the 2019 study explained. “In fact, the changes associated with pregnancy did not differ from those that characterize the transition during adolescence in any of these measures.”

A woman looks down at a newborn baby. Photo credit: Canva

According to studies, the reduction in gray matter caused by Matrescence lasts up to two years postpartum. While the infamous “mommy brain” caused by the loss of gray matter in the hippocampus may be bothersome, it seems to serve a purpose.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences noted, “Lower hippocampal volume at 4 months postpartum is associated with positive mother–child interactions, suggesting hippocampal changes have broad implications in maternal caregiving behavior, beyond cognition.”

This “second puberty” news made its way to social media. You can listen to one Instagram creator share their understanding of Matrescence below:

View this post on Instagram

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Photo credit: Canva – A jar of honey. A sack of potatoes. A bouquet of roses.

Making Sense of Science, Science

Couple uses a potato and honey to turn grocery store rose into a garden

There you are at the grocery store check-out, tempted to buy a bouquet of roses. They’re beautiful and cheery and so easy to grab and go. Only, you opt out. Sure, they’re beautiful, but they don’t usually last more than a week, making it tough to rationalize the spending. But what if that weren’t true?…

Cecily Knobler

4/23/2026

There you are at the grocery store check-out, tempted to buy a bouquet of roses. They’re beautiful and cheery and so easy to grab and go. Only, you opt out. Sure, they’re beautiful, but they don’t usually last more than a week, making it tough to rationalize the spending.

But what if that weren’t true? The popular social media handle known as Jeff & Lauren (@Jeff&Lauren) have a clip making the rounds wherein Jeff shows that something magical can be done with a single “store-bought” rose. By simply using a few household food items, he is able to turn one rose into an entire rose bush.

Honey, potatoes, and water

In the clip, we see Jeff dipping a bright pink rose into a jar of honey. The top chyron reads, “I did this for my wife.” He then takes the honey-dipped flower and sticks it firmly into a pre-cut hole in a russet potato. He takes the entire potato/flower hybrid and buries it into a potted plant. Lastly, he cuts the bulb and leaves off, leaving just the stem, and waters it heavily. In time (at least according to the simulated video), it re-grows into a rose plant.

On the YouTube account My Garden Channel (which is self-described as a channel that “focuses on houseplants and gardening, run by a team of experienced gardeners and horticulturists”), they note a super interesting tidbit. The flowers and the spores of the potato are in direct competition with one another. In other words, sometimes the experiment yields, well…potatoes instead of flowers.

To avoid this, the expert in the video suggests shaving the skin off the potato. “The skin of the potato is where the shoots will most likely develop. You’re not trying to grow a potato. You’re simply trying to feed the rose cutting, as it tries to root.”

How to do it

Under the clip, they explain how it’s done, and they spare no detail. “Rooting roses in a potato is an unconventional yet intriguing method of propagation. The idea is simple: the moisture and nutrients from the potato can help nourish the rose cutting as it develops roots. To try this, you start by selecting a healthy rose cutting, about 6-8 inches long, with at least a couple of leaf nodes. After trimming the bottom of the cutting at a 45-degree angle, remove any leaves near the base.”

Now it’s time for the potato. “Next, you poke a hole in a medium-sized potato, just large enough to insert the cutting without wiggling. Push the drill bit through the potato to make sure the stem comes out of the bottom of the potato just a little bit. The potato acts like a natural nutrient sponge, keeping the cutting hydrated. After placing the cutting into the potato, you can plant the entire potato in soil, burying it a few inches deep in a pot or directly in the garden. Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged, and cover the cutting with a plastic bag or bottle to create a humid greenhouse effect.

Over the next few weeks, with care and patience, roots may form as the rose cutting absorbs moisture and nutrients from the potato, potentially growing into a new plant. While not guaranteed, this method combines natural elements in a creative attempt to root roses in a novel, supportive environment.”

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Why a potato?

In an article for The Spruce, author Ashlyn Needham explains why, in fact, a potato is used. “In essence, you’re using the potato to speed up the rooting process, which is crucial for producing established roses. It’s important to note that you won’t actually be growing roses in potatoes, just starting the process.”

Does it work?

Commenters have weighed in. Under Jeff&Lauren’s Facebook post, there are over a quarter of a million likes and thousands of comments. One shares, “My grandmother did that. Back in the seventies, she came for a visit. I had many different rose bushes. She cut stems from every bush. She wrapped them in damp paper towels and then wrapped them in plastic. She flew home to Oregon and planted the stems. She had rose bushes the next year.”

Another wound up with what we knew could happen: “I tried this… and I wound up with potatoes.” This comment alone got a lot of support.

This Facebooker gives the surprising tip that, perhaps, you don’t even need the potato, writing, “I just cut off part of a stem and stuck it in the dirt. Then watered it regularly. I have several new rose plants from doing just that. They took almost immediately.”

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