Here is the AP Lifestyles digest for the week of Dec. 14.

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HOLIDAYS

Virus Outbreak-Safe Santas-Photo Gallery: Seeing Santa is for many families a holiday tradition that goes back generations. It’s the annual snapshot that year-after-year marks the passage of time, and a reminder that children believe in magic — and that a jolly bearded man can make their wishes come true. But it’s Christmas in 2020, and everything is different. By Jocelyn Gecker. SENT Thursday.

Virus-Outbreak-Office-Parties: Many companies are forgoing office holiday parties this year because of virus concerns. But others say their employees want some kind of bash to break up the anxiety and isolation. The challenge is how to organize a virtual celebration that doesn’t feel like yet another Zoom meeting. SENT Thursday.

One Good Thing-Operation Santa: Pandemic prompts scaled back Christmas tradition in Alaska. SENT Tuesday.

HOMES

Homes-Soothing Decor — Our homes are getting a workout these days as the place to work, study, sleep, exercise and more. And don’t forget to unwind. Interior decorators say it’s easy to refresh your rooms to create a more restful home space for 2021. By Kim Cook. SENT Tuesday: 650 words, photos.

FOOD

Food-Local Mail Order: One easy way to spread holiday cheer when you’re socially distanced is to send food and gifts. And by ordering hometown favorites from local businesses, you can nurture a sense of place too. From Maine lobsters to Texas barbecue to San Francisco sourdough, there are lots of options. By Katie Workman. SENT Monday: 750 words, photos.

HEALTH

Virus-Outbreak-Viral-Questions-Vaccines-Kids: Will children be able to get COVID-19 vaccines? SENT Thursday.

Virus Outbreak-Viral Questions-Sports: Which winter sports are safest to play during COVID-19? SENT Tuesday.

Virus Outbreak-Nursing Home Worry — After 110,000 deaths ravaged the nation’s nursing homes and pushed them to the front of the vaccine line, they now face a vexing problem: Skeptical residents and workers balking at getting the shots. By Bernard Condon and Matt Sedensky. SENT: Monday 1, 230 words, photos.

PERSONAL FINANCE

Online-Shopping-Scams: How to spot fake shopping sites and avoid being scammed. SENT Tuesday.

Virus Outbreak-Nonprofits — The American spirit of generosity this holiday season may be no match for the coronavirus. Despite record amounts of charitable donations this year, the effects of the pandemic are suffocating nonprofits across the country as organizations face soaring costs and demand for help, yet are largely without their own support systems. By Sally Ho. SENT Monday: 960 words, photos.

Nerdwallet-Skimpy Life Insurance — If anyone depends on your income — or your unpaid labor, such as caregiving or parenting — you probably need life insurance. An insurance calculator can help you determine how much to buy and for how long. By Liz Weston of NerdWallet. SENT Monday: 860 words, photo.

ENVIRONMENT

Monarch Butterfly-Threatened — Trump administration officials are expected to say this week whether the monarch butterfly, a colorful and familiar backyard visitor now caught in a global extinction crisis, should receive federal designation as a threatened species. By John Flesher and Ellen Knickmeyer. SENT Monday: 1,020 words, photos.

TRAVEL

San Francisco-Cliff House: San Francisco’s iconic Cliff House restaurant to close. Sent Monday.

CULTURE

Smithsonian-Emoji-Acquisition: The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum has acquired two emoji that have helped broaden diversity for users of the tiny pictures. It becomes the third museum to add emoji to their digital collections. By Leanne Italie. SENT Thursday.

PETS

US Exchange-Nevada Pet Cemeteries: Next to a dry desert lakebed off the Searchlight highway is the sound of metal tags clinking on a collar. Is there a dog running between the scrub brush? Is the mind playing tricks? On this patch of desert between Boulder City and Searchlight, highway sounds and dusty silence blow through the final resting places of countless beloved pets. UPCOMING Saturday.

ONE GOOD THING

One Good Thing-Estonia Dog— In a Northern Tallinn district a neighborhood has raised money for a sculpture to a “legendary” stray dog. By David Keyton. UPCOMING Wednesday: 600 words, photos and video

YEAR’S END

The Year in Publishing — In the world of books, it was a year like no other and a year in some ways not so different. An industry that prides itself on free expression and high ideals was forced to confront its own blind spots about race and gender. The pandemic shut down bookstores around the country and forced publishers to cancel author tours or move them online. Yet through it all, books kept selling. By National Writer Hillel Italie. UPCOMING Monday: 900 words, photos.

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A GLIMPSE AT WHAT'S COMING NEXT WEEK:

Virus Outbreak-Winter is Coming: Now, winter is arriving — a winter like no other in living American memory. And with its imminent approach, a nation holds its breath. UPCOMING: 1,150 words and photos. By Mallika Sen. UPCOMING Monday.

One Good Thing-Charlie Brown Christmas Trees: Frank Pichel’s Christmas trees will probably never be picked to light up New York’s Rockefeller Center. They look more like the scrawny, pitiful tree made famous in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” But Pichel and his customers don’t seem to mind. His trees have been flying off the lot since he started selling them last month to raise money for a school that provides scholarships for students from an impoverished area. UPCOMING Tuesday, photos.

Gardening-Winter-Young Trees: Young trees need protection during the winter from animals, cold, dryness and sunscald. Tips on protecting them. By Lee Reich. UPCOMING Wednesday, photo.

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In case you missed it:

YEAR ENDERS: YE-Over It and Not, YE-Pop Culture

HOLIDAYS: Holidays-No Drama

HEALTH: Virus Outbreak-Under the Knife, Virus Outbreak-Viral Questions-Surfaces, Virus Outbreak-Vaccine Q&A

CHILD CARE: Virus Outbreak-Black and Latino Child Care

FOOD: Vanilla

GARDENING: Best-Tasting Apples, Philadelphia Flower Show

REPRESENTATION: TV-Holiday Movies-Asian Representation

RELIGION: Virus Outbreak-Hanukkah

ONE GOOD THING: Virus Outbreak-One Good Thing-Bracelet Fundraiser

PERSONAL FINANCE: NerdWallet-Millennial-Money-Lessons-25-Years, Virus Outbreak-Paying Off Credit Cards, NerdWallet-Liz Weston-Lessons from Pandemic, Virus-Outbreak-Holiday-Shipping

TRAVEL: Virus-Outbreak-Snowbirds, Virus-Outbreak-Commuting

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