Here is the AP Lifestyles digest for the week of Nov. 23.

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NEW THIS DIGEST

US Virus Outbreak-Schools: So many teachers and school staff are quarantining due to contact tracing that many schools around the U.S. are being forced to switch to distance learning, even in cases where they feel the health risks of in-person learning are manageable. UPCOMING Thursday.

Virus Outbreak-Holiday Trends: Toy makers are targeting bored grown-ups with latte-smelling Play-Doh and Legos that turn into hangable Warhols. And with more people adopting pets during the pandemic, stores are going all out to get you to buy outfits, beds and other gifts for your furry friend. These are some of the trends you’ll see during a holiday shopping season like no other. By Joseph Pisani and Anne D’Innocenzio. UPCOMING Thursday.

Macy’s-Thanksgiving-Parade: At last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the big fear was high wind. This year it’s a deadly pandemic. But the show will go one thanks to an overhaul and creative thinking. By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. UPCOMING Wednesday: 800 words, photos.

US Virus Outbreak-Tourist-Free Hawaii: For months, Hawaii locals had Waikiki’s famous beaches and other tourist hot spots to themselves as a mandatory two-week quarantine on travelers curbed tourism during the coronavirus pandemic. But now officials are allowing visitors to produce a negative COVID-19 test to avoid the quarantine. Locals have long felt ambivalent about living in an island paradise that relies on visitor spending. UPCOMING Wednesday, photos.

Virus-Outbreak-Livestream-Shopping: Merchants have turned themselves into amateur home shopping network hosts, broadcasting live to thousands of people on Amazon, Facebook or their store’s apps. They put on outfits, spin for the camera and try to get you to buy. SENT Wednesday, photos.

US Virus Outbreak-Colleges: After making it through a semester of in-person learning, some U.S. residential colleges that touted their success at containing the virus are having to rethink their strategies as they look ahead to students returning the from holiday break with the outbreak raging nationwide. UPCOMING Friday.

Virus Outbreak-Letters to Santa: Outside Bordeaux, a team of workers who call themselves “The Elves” are busy responding to kids from around the world who have written to Santa. This year, many of the youngsters’ letters are filled with anxieties, making the letters a window into the thinking of young kids in the pandemic. UPCOMING Friday.

Film-Dear Santa: A new documentary takes a close up look at the USPS’s Operation Santa program, which takes the hundreds of thousands of “Dear Santa” letters that come to the post office every year and allows individuals to fulfill a child’s wish for anything from toys to basic necessities. By Film Writer Lindsey Bahr. UPCOMING Friday: 750 words, photos.

Books-Jerry Seinfeld-Is This Anything: The high-end sports cars, the luxury automobiles,. Those aren’t Jerry Seinfeld’s most valuable possessions. Seinfeld says those would be the brown accordion folders filled with the papers that he scribbled jokes on over the past 45 years. Now they are in his new book, “Is This Anything?" By John Rogers. UPCOMING Wednesday, 720 words. AP Photos.

HOLIDAYS

Racial Injustice-Teaching Thanksgiving: More U.S. schools are rethinking traditional Thanksgiving lessons that focus on the English settlers but teach little about Native Americans. SENT Monday, photos.

Virus-Outbreak-Holiday-Restrictions: Governors and mayors are ratcheting up mask mandates and imposing restrictions on small indoor gatherings that have been blamed for accelerating the spread of the coronavirus. But such measures are largely unenforceable, and officials are banking on voluntary compliance. Stories throughout the week, photos.

Unsafe Toys: Toy safety group releases annual list of top 10 ‘worst’ toys. SENT Monday, photos.

NerdWallet-Millennial-Money-Black-Friday-Guide: Conquer Black Friday from your couch. SENT Tuesday, photos.

DOWN TIME

Virus Outbreak-Music Lessons: These aren’t the music lessons of your childhood. For many people, online lessons and Zoom jam sessions are offering purpose and connection during the pandemic. Experts say there’s a long tradition of turning to music during bleak times. By Tracee M. Herbaugh. SENT Monday, 800 words, photos.

HEALTH

Virus Outbreak-The Self-Care Surge: The pandemic is encouraging a new approach to self-care, one that isn’t about buying a signature outfit, wearing a trendy shade of lipstick or getting the perfect haircut. It has put the purpose and meaning of life front and center, restacking priorities and needs. It is no longer hypothetical to worry about longevity or flirt with fears of mortality. SENT Tuesday: 1,100 words and photos. By Anne D’Innocenzio and Sophie Rosenbaum.

Virus Outbreak-Trouble Hearing: Hearing specialists across the U.S. are seeing an uptick in visits from people who only realized they had a hearing problem when lip reading and watching facial expressions were no longer possible now that people are wearing masks because of the coronavirus pandemic. By Jamie Stengle. SENT Tuesday, 540 words, photos.

Virus-Outbreak-Viral-Questions-Dining-Tents: Are dining tents a safe way to eat out during the pandemic? SENT Tuesday.

FOOD

MED-Virus-Outbreak-Thanksgiving-Rookies: Food experts say Americans nervous about making their first Thanksgiving meals can follow a few basic tips to avoid disaster. By Candice Choi. SENT Sunday, photos.

McCormick-Cholula: Americans turn up heat and Cholula sells for $800 million. SENT Tuesday, photos.

TRAVEL

Virus Outbreak-Holiday Travel: Turkey may still be on the menu this Thanksgiving. But for millions of Americans, travel is not. Rising U.S. coronavirus cases, a new round of state lockdowns and public health guidance discouraging trips are dampening enthusiasm for what is usually the biggest travel period of the year. Stories throughout the week.

Aspen in the Pandemic: Precautions help Aspen remain a destination during pandemic. By John Marshall. SENT Wednesday. 760 words, photos.

Virus-Outbreak-NYC-Gift-Shops: In souvenir shops from Times Square to the World Trade Center, shelves full of T-shirts and trinkets still love New York, as the slogan goes. But the proprietors wonder when their customers will, again. SENT Monday, photos.

SCHOOL

Virus Outbreak-Rural Schools: The village of Cuba, New Mexico, with a far-flung population of 800 people on the doorstep of Navajo Nation, has kept the buses running as a way to bring school to students. On their routes, the buses carry school assignments, meals, and social counselors who check in with students who are struggling with online bullying, abuse, thoughts of suicide and other challenges. SENT Monday.

GARDENING

Cold-Weather Vegetables: No need to throw in the towel yet, vegetable gardeners. Hardy veggies like lettuce, endive, and arugula can be harvested well into autumn even in northern gardens with some protection. By Lee Reich. SENT Tuesday, 640 words, photo.

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AND COMING NEXT WEEK:

Homes-Holidays-Cottagecore: Along with bread-baking and closet re-organizing, another nesting trend on the home front is “cottagecore” style. The aesthetic is that of a traditional, simple yet charming cottage lifestyle. Cottagecore is meeting the holidays with plenty of farmhouse-inspired decorations, homestyle seasonal recipes, warm winter décor and knitting. By Kim Cook. UPCOMING Tuesday, 600 words, photos.

Food-Pizza Book: Thom and James Elliot are brothers and pizza makers from England who have written a book celebrating the worldwide phenomenon of roundish dough cooked with toppings. By AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy. UPCOMING Tuesday, 740 words, photos.

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In case you missed it:

HOLIDAYS: Searching for Joy; Food-Smaller Thanksgiving; Food-Andrew Zimmern-Downsized Thanksgiving; Virus Outbreak-Mall Santas; Tracking Santa.

HEALTH: Virus Outbreak-Viral Questions-Immunity.

FOOD: Chinese Restaurant Centennial.

PETS: Books-Biden Dogs.

FASHION: Q&A-Proenza Schouler.

CARS: Behind the Wheel-Favorite First Car.

GARDENING: Virus Outbreak-One Good Thing–Tulip Friends.

PANDEMIC LIFE: Virus Outbreak-Jury Trials; Virus Outbreak-Hunting Surge.

PERSONAL FINANCE: NerdWallet-Liz-Weston-Help-Workers-Save.

The AP