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The hidden costs of whole-column references in Excel: Learn 3 alternatives to optimize your workbook's performance
Whole-column references in Excel are silent performance killers, often forcing the program to manage a range of over a million rows. As a result, they can significantly slow your workbook's performance. So, stop using A:A references and, instead, create dynamic ranges.
Corsair Sabre v2 Pro gaming mouse review: How is it this light?
When it comes to ultralight gaming mice, aesthetics and feel are normally left in the dust in favor of cutting that extra half a gram. Somehow, with the Sabre v2 Pro, Corsair managed to create what is essentially a near-perfect ultralight gaming mouse that’s the lightest I’ve ever used—and it even has a full shell.
15+ eco-friendly gifts that someone would actually use
"Elite gift giver" is a title we all strive to achieve in life. But I'd argue that finding a unique eco-friendly gift is the final boss of thoughtful gifting — thoughtful because you clearly carefully considered what'd make them happy, and because you made a conscious effort to not fall into the wasteful overconsumption trap.
I mean, consumerism really puts a damper on holiday cheer, particularly as it applies to waste and ethics. Consider how much non-recyclable packaging will be used, how many old tech devices will be trashed to make room for new ones, or how many underpaid workers put in extra hours to get those Shein prices so sketchily low. Of course, there's always the question of whether your giftee will even use that gift you bought in a hasty scramble, or if they'll gift it to the trash can to keep the peace in their junk drawer.
SEE ALSO: The best 'buy it for life' products, backed by Mashable reporters and editorsOutside of voting, using your dollar to shop and gift sustainably is a tangible way to get involved at the individual level. I've gathered a list of the best unique sustainable gift ideas below, including several items that I personally use and tell loved ones about. This isn't your average list of fancy reusable grocery bags and succulent gift boxes: There are affordable stocking stuffers that simply act as a less-wasteful version of something people already use regularly, as well as more creative, premium eco-friendly gifts like comfiest comforter ever that happens to be made from recycled plastic bottles. There's a gift for every point (and budget) on the journey to create less waste.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery: Whats on the book club list?
Writer-director Rian Johnson hits the books to craft the locked room mystery of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and so does the Spring Book Club of the film's church. And if you're quick, you'll spy an entire whodunnit reading list onscreen to add to your TBR pile.
There's a scene crucial to debonair detective Benoit Blanc's (Daniel Craig) investigation into the "stuff of detective fiction" murder at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, in which accused priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) helps him rifle through the parish office for clues. They find one, a simple piece of paper.
SEE ALSO: Why 'The Hollow Man' novel is crucial to 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'On the page, the priest and the detective find a list of the church's book club titles, and the parishioners seem to be having quite the classic whodunnit mystery binge. Not only does the list include the key "syllabus of how to commit the perfect crime," John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man, but there's also enough Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe to make an impossible crime seem possible.
Here's everything on the Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude book club list — and there's some pretty major ties to the murder at the heart of Wake Up Dead Man (but no spoilers).
The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr Credit: Mashable / OrionAmerican author John Dickson Carr's 1935 mystery novel, The Hollow Man, featuring his recurring investigator protagonist Gideon Fell, has become synonymous with determining the elements of an impossible crime. In Chapter 17, the detective gives his famous "locked room lecture" directly to the reader, detailing "the general mechanics" of how a murder — like, say, that of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) — could be committed in seemingly impossible circumstances. In fact, Blanc himself uses this book to solve the case in Wake Up Dead Man, dubbing it "a syllabus of how to commit the perfect crime."
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers Credit: Mashable / Warber ClassicsPublished in 1923, the spectacularly named Whose Body? is the first of English crime novelist Dorothy L. Sayers' 14-book detective series. It introduces the iconic Lord Peter Wimsey, Sayers' aristocratic amateur detective. His first case? A London financier is murdered and left in a bathtub, naked but for a golden pince-nez. Hear that Wake Up Dead Man viewers? A bathtub.
The Murders In The Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe Credit: Mashable / Vintage ClassicsNetflix titles love a bit of Edgar Allan Poe, from Wednesday to The Fall of the House of Usher. In Wake Up Dead Man, there's a famous title from the American writer on the list, 1841 short story The Murders in the Rue Morgue. The tale features the first appearance of the character regarded as the first fictional detective, Poe's great C. Auguste Dupin, who had immeasurable impact on one Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his own detective, Sherlock Holmes. The investigator is faced with a locked-door mystery, a brutal and grisly double murder with the last killer you'd ever suspect.
Featured Video For You Rian Johnson on 'Wake Up Dead Man,' Josh O'Connor's neck tattoo, and AI slop The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie Credit: Mashable / HarperCollinsWho among you crime fiction fiends doesn't know Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's famous Belgian, moustachioed detective or Miss Marple, her famous elderly, English, amateur detective. The British writer has two titles on the Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude book club list, starring her leading investigators. Published in 1926, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is an absolute masterpiece of a twisty crime novel, with Poirot pulled away from his vegetable garden to solve the murder of a wealthy widower. There's blackmail, clandestine meetings, mysterious footprints, and yes, the crime scene is a locked room.
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie Credit: Mashable / HarperCollinsMiss Marple's first appearance was in Christie's 1930 novel The Murder at the Vicarage, a murder mystery set in the small English town parish of St Mary Mead — big Wake Up Dead Man vibes. In this whodunnit, the town's local magistrate and churchwarden is widely hated by everyone in the village — and then he turns up dead in his study. Everyone has a motive, and no one is safe from the watchful eye of Miss Marple.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is streaming on Netflix Dec. 12.
AI slop is killing the internet
It’s not just you (and Rian Johnson): Social media these days feels like a big trough of AI slop. It’s just…everywhere. Swipe through your FYP, your Reels, your timeline, and you’ll see slop on slop. Mashable associate editor Tim Marcin explains how we got here.
Kids arent learning to spell anymore
Jodi Carreon began worrying about her older child's spelling ability a few years ago, when the child was in second grade.
In Carreon’s southern California school district, students had returned to the classroom following pandemic restrictions. Each child had a laptop, a feature of distance learning Carreon thought would be phased out as schooling returned to normal.
But that didn't happen. Her child, she says, was expected to use Google Docs before they knew how to type, and could also access spell check. Though they were also practicing handwriting, her student wasn't coming home with spelling lists or tests, either. Carreon recalls wondering at the time how they were learning to spell.
SEE ALSO: What to know before you buy an AI toy"Over the next couple of years, I started to understand…they aren't explicitly teaching spelling in the way that I understood it to happen," said Carreon, a stay-at-home parent and co-lead of the advocacy group Distraction-Free Schools CA. (Mashable isn't sharing specific details about Carreon's children for privacy reasons.)
By the time her child reached the end of elementary school, Carreon decided they would benefit from spelling tutoring. She also knew that letting them rely on error-correcting technologies like autocorrect, spellcheck, and generative artificial intelligence would only mask the problem.
So she downloaded spelling lists from the internet and reviewed words with them every week. Carreon was improvising: "I'm not a teacher," she said. "I don't exactly know the proper way to do this. I would help them as best as I could, based on the rules I remembered."
Parents are on their own with spellingWhat Carreon didn't know then was that many teachers no longer understand how to effectively teach spelling, and don't receive high-quality curriculum to help them, according to literacy experts interviewed by Mashable.
This may surprise parents of a certain age, who attended elementary school in the 1980s and early 1990s and likely became proficient spellers thanks to formalized spelling instruction.
While the literacy crisis frequently makes headlines, parents are less aware of the decline in formal instruction, which contributes to difficulties with reading, comprehension, and writing. There is no annual national spelling assessment and states generally don't explicitly test spelling, so it's difficult to know the extent of the problem.
Complicating matters are tools and products like spellcheck, Google Docs, Grammarly, and ChatGPT, which parents themselves might favor and which can make spelling appear an obsolete skill. But literacy experts interviewed by Mashable say that while such tools can be helpful later in a child's schooling, students must learn the vital skill of spelling or risk falling behind academically. Spelling may seem like an optional skill these days, but literacy experts say it's foundational for being able to read, write, and comprehend well.
Absent a nationwide movement to standardize spelling instruction, parents are in a position they dread: On their own.
Spelling struggles? What to do next.None of the literacy experts Mashable interviewed blamed teachers for the lack of spelling instruction in schools. Instead, they pointed to a decades-long shift away from science-based literacy in favor of a since-debunked philosophy known as “whole language,” which posited, among other things, that students didn't need formal spelling instruction. Instead, the thinking went, they'd learn to spell through reading.
The abandonment of formal spelling instruction, beginning in the late 1980s, meant that educators stopped learning how to formally teach the subject. Nor are they routinely provided comprehensive lesson material that includes spelling, said Dr. Brennan Chandler, professor at Georgia State University who researches literacy and dyslexia.
"I really try to approach these conversations from a place of curiosity." - Jodi Carreon, parent education advocateEven though "whole language" and the widespread curriculum that supported it has been thoroughly rejected by scientific research in recent years, spelling instruction has not recovered. Although most states have passed science-based literacy standards, spelling continues to be an afterthought, Chandler said.
Carreon had to cobble together at-home spelling resources for her child. She also initially approached her child's teacher and school administration about the role of technology in the classroom, using access to spellcheck in early grades as one example of concern.
"I really try to approach these conversations from a place of curiosity," Carreon said, noting that she's never taught in a classroom. She recommends parents ask their child's teacher or school about the spelling curriculum, as well as the value placed on spelling as a skill.
Spelling resources to considerChandler acknowledged that there isn't an obvious or well-vetted solution for parents facing this problem. Khan Academy, a go-to tutoring platform for many parents, doesn't offer a spelling curriculum, for example. Additionally, students need more than just memorization drills; instead they must develop an understanding of the English language.
Chandler recommends parents familiarize themselves with the rules that govern English spelling, which they themselves may have forgotten or never learned. He suggests the slim book Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common-Sense Approach to Reading, Spelling, and Literacy for this purpose.
Dr. J. Richard Gentry, an education researcher and co-author of Brain Words: How the Science of Reading Informs Teaching, says children need to systematically use the spelling words for the week, connecting them to broader skills, such as phonics, reading comprehension, writing, and building their vocabulary. His Spelling Connections series teaches the subject with this approach. Individual student guides retail for $30 each, but the publisher also offers school and homeschool packages.
Gentry recommends parents begin paying close attention to their child's spelling toward the end of first grade and continue monitoring it throughout elementary school.
Chandler acknowledges that little or non-existent spelling instruction puts children with an existing or emerging learning disability at a serious disadvantage. If most students in a class can't spell well either, it may prevent teachers and parents from accurately identifying challenges specific to dyslexia, for example.
That risk gets higher with the use of error-correcting tools and products like spellcheck and ChatGPT. Students with undiagnosed dyslexia can unwittingly lean on that technology to conceal their disability.
Deanna Fogarty, vice president and head of reading science at the literacy curriculum company Wilson Language Training, encourages parents to talk directly with their child's teacher about their spelling, particularly if they believe their child might have a learning disability.
Parents can ask the teacher about ways to support their child at home. Fogarty says the teacher will ideally offer more than a list of words to memorize, since that approach doesn't help students internalize the English language's coding system.
"If the support you're seeking doesn't [teach spelling] in a logically sequenced way, it's still going to be very random and probably not make the impact that parent would be looking for," Fogarty said.
Still, Fogarty said parents can seize the opportunities they get. If they're provided with just a list of words, Fogarty suggests looking for commonalities, such as a shared prefix or suffix. That presents an opportunity for the child to better grasp the rules that define English spelling.
Fogarty also recommends the website TextProject, a nonprofit literacy organization that offers a list of the 4,000 most common word families. She said parents tutoring their child could use the list to identify high-frequency words with commonalities.
Carreon wishes parents in her position could easily find spelling resources and support. In addition to at-home studying with her child, she's paid for tutors and taken advantage of writing courses for them.
"We're in a position to be able to do this," she said. "But not all families are, and that's my real concern."
NASAs Hubble saw fledgling planets colliding around a nearby star
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has spotted fresh clues around a nearby star that strengthen the case that an object previously seen there was not a planet but an enormous space crash.
A team of astronomers observed a new, faint point of light near the inner edge of a broad ring of dust circling Fomalhaut in 2023. The object closely resembles an earlier detection in the mid-2000s, which gradually faded.
Both objects appear at locations where scientists would expect debris from high-speed collisions between large planetesimals, the early rocky building blocks of exoplanets. Capturing such a rare event is "amazing," said Paul Kalas, the principal investigator from UC Berkeley.
Together the two detections provide direct evidence that large cosmic collisions are still happening in mature planetary systems. By observing these impacts almost in real time, scientists can estimate how often these kinds of crashes happen, how much material they release, and how debris disks — and the planets that may emerge from them — continue to evolve long after a star forms.
"This is certainly the first time I’ve ever seen a point of light appear out of nowhere in an exoplanetary system," Kalas said in a statement. "It’s absent in all of our previous Hubble images, which means that we just witnessed a violent collision between two massive objects and a huge debris cloud unlike anything in our own solar system today."
SEE ALSO: Scientists discover a lemon-shaped planet with something they've never seen beforeFomalhaut lies about 25 light-years away in the constellation Piscis Austrinus, aka the Southern Fish, and is one of the brightest stars in the night sky. It is surrounded by several belts of dust and debris, material left over from the planet-building process, similar to our solar system’s Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune.
In 2004, Hubble saw a compact source inside this belt, dubbed Fomalhaut b. At the time, scientists debated whether it was a planet surrounded by dust or something else entirely. By 2008, some believed it could be the first exoplanet discovery made with a visible light telescope.
But over the ensuing years, the object’s behavior raised doubts. The mysterious source dimmed instead of brightened, appeared to stretch outward, and eventually vanished. Those changes better matched what scientists would expect from a cloud of debris created when two large bodies smash and then slowly disperse.
When astronomers had another look at the system nearly 20 years later, they did not see the original object at all. Instead, they found a new source nearby along the same dust ring, suggesting that a second major collision had occurred in roughly the same region. The study results appear in the journal Science.
"What we learned," Kalas said, "is that a large dust cloud can masquerade as a planet for many years."
What's strange is that the team is seeing the two debris clouds in close proximity. If these collisions were haphazard, experts would think they'd appear in totally random places. The researchers also can't yet explain why these two crashes happened within such a short span of time. Previous theories would suggest a collision of this magnitude should only happen once in 100,000 years or so.
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"If you had a movie of the last 3,000 years, and it was sped up so that every year was a fraction of a second, imagine how many flashes you'd see over that time," Kalas said. "Fomalhaut’s planetary system would be sparkling with these collisions."
Astronomers propose that a second dust cloud around the nearby star Fomalhaut formed after two massive objects, seen in the first panel, approach and crash into each other. Credit: NASA / ESA / STScI / Ralf Crawford illustrationThe dust clouds shine by reflecting starlight, making them visible to telescopes like Hubble. But that same starlight also pushes on the tiny dust grains, causing the clouds to spread outward and fade. This process explains why the first cloud disappeared and why the second may also fade.
Based on the brightness of the debris, researchers estimate that the colliding objects were likely 37 miles wide — larger than most asteroids involved in known crashes in our own solar system. Such impacts release enormous amounts of dust, briefly lighting up otherwise invisible events.
For astronomers, this discovery offers a rare chance to witness the kinds of destructive events that once shaped — and may still shape — planetary systems across the galaxy, said coauthor Mark Wyatt, who is based at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. The team looks forward to what additional insight the James Webb Space Telescope, which observes in invisible infrared light, can reveal about the size and makeup of the dust.
"The system is a natural laboratory to probe how planetesimals behave when undergoing collisions," said Wyatt in a statement, "which in turn tells us about what they are made of and how they formed."
Why your kid cant rely on tech tools to spell
If you know where to look online, you'll find concerned whispers about the ability of America's schoolchildren to spell.
One teacher-creator on TikTok who goes by the handle @oopsdaaliya recently posted about her first-grade students' alarming spelling test results. On a 10-item quiz of high-frequency words (think the, with, has), most of her students struggled. Sometimes they wrote only a single letter or left the blank space completely empty. The video has been viewed 1.3 million times.
"This is my reality," she said in the video. "I really don't know what to do."
SEE ALSO: What to know before you buy an AI toyElsewhere, in a subreddit for teachers, a parent recently shared a post entitled, "5th grade kids can't spell, why?". The question elicited dozens of passionate responses from current and retired educators. The spelling crisis in their classrooms, many of them argued, could be traced back to a theory known as “whole language,” which rejected science-based literacy, including spelling instruction, in favor of since-discredited reading and comprehension strategies.
"[N]ow we have a generation of struggling students," wrote one commenter.
While the anecdotes are troubling, data is hard to find. There is no annual national spelling assessment, and states generally don't explicitly test spelling, so it's difficult to know the extent of the problem.
Still, top literacy experts interviewed by Mashable agree the whole language approach marked the beginning of depriving countless students of formal spelling instruction for decades. Other educational policies that overlooked the crucial role spelling plays in reading and writing also didn't help. Even though many schools have pivoted back to science-based literacy approaches, specifically phonics, spelling often remains an afterthought.
These experts also have a warning for parents and educators who dismiss spelling as an obsolete skill, given the widespread availability of error-correcting digital technologies and products like spellcheck, autocorrect, Google Docs, Grammarly, and ChatGPT. Relying on these tools without becoming a proficient speller can put students at a lifelong disadvantage, they say.
That's because learning to spell correctly from the beginning gives students the "underlying linguistic knowledge" they need to read, write, and communicate effectively, says Dr. Brennan Chandler, a professor at Georgia State University who researches literacy and dyslexia.
"Spelling really has quietly eroded," Chandler adds, "even as evidence mounted that spelling is really a driver of reading development and not this optional add-on."
"Everybody really wants this"Parents coming to terms with the role spelling plays in the literacy crisis shouldn't blame themselves or teachers, Chandler says.
He tutors students with dyslexia and conducts research in classrooms. He hears from both parents and teachers that they desperately want students to learn to spell correctly.
"This is where I get frustrated, see, because everybody really wants this, but we're still neglecting it," says Chandler, who's developing a teaching curriculum for spelling. (Chandler also serves on the advisory board for the literacy education company Amplify.)
Parents feel ill-equipped to tutor spelling at home for obvious reasons, like time and patience. There are also relatively few trustworthy home learning products available, compared to those for subjects like math and English.
Plus, students and their parents may resist the hard work required to spell proficiently, given the availability of error-correction technology. But those tools, Chandler says, "mask student difficulties and further normalize a decline of explicit spelling instruction."
Meanwhile, because literacy curricula abandoned formal spelling instruction for nearly three decades, teachers stopped learning how to teach the subject. Nor are they routinely provided the resources they need for explicit spelling instruction.
Educators may do their best with word lists and weekly quizzes, but instruction is often haphazard if they don't have access to a formal spelling curriculum, says Dr. J. Richard Gentry, an education researcher and co-author of Brain Words: How the Science of Reading Informs Teaching.
In the classroom, Gentry recommends 20 minutes of daily classroom spelling instruction. To be effective, the material should cover specific spelling rules, phonics patterns, and foundational vocabulary appropriate for each grade level.
"This kind of instruction using a curriculum leads to long-term mastery as opposed to simply memorizing words in short-term memory for a test or reliance on digital devices without teacher guidance," says Gentry.
When to worry about your child's spellingParents should begin paying close attention to their child's spelling in kindergarten. Toward the end of first grade, students are typically expected to develop more sophisticated spelling knowledge. At that point, students may not be able to spell more complex words correctly, but they should be able to use logical syllable patterns accurately (think e-g-u-l for eagle).
If they struggle with letter recognition and phonic sounds during kindergarten, it's important to begin shoring up that foundational knowledge as soon as possible.
Consistently poor spelling can indicate that a child has dyslexia or another related learning challenge. If that's masked by technology or limited instruction and testing in school, it may take years to discover the root cause.
Gentry says parents should continue monitoring their child's spelling proficiency — and the school's curriculum for the subject matter — throughout elementary school.
What kids learn when they learn to spellDeanna Fogarty, vice president and head of reading science at the literacy curriculum company Wilson Language Training, says parents shouldn't assume spelling isn't being taught if their child isn't becoming proficient in the skill.
Instead, educators may be focusing on memorization without teaching the rules of spelling. Or spelling may be part of a student's English Language Arts curriculum, but not delivered using science-based principles.
Additionally, in the English language, there are over 1,100 ways to spell 44 sounds, Fogarty says. That's why memorization tactics alone fail students.
They need to know, for instance, that c represents /s/ when placed before e, i, and y, and that c represents /k/ before the vowels a, o, and u, among other instances. Knowing these rules helps students understand spelling in a way that memorization doesn't. (For a crash course in these conventions, Chandler recommends the slim book Uncovering the Logic of English: A Common-Sense Approach to Reading, Spelling, and Literacy.)
Fogarty, who previously tutored dyslexic children, says students often express relief when they realize that standardized rules govern the English language. They often labor under the impression that English spelling is too difficult and unpredictable to master.
Chandler says that as kids feel more competent in spelling, their motivation to improve grows. As they become proficient, Chandler says they can use tools like autocorrect and ChatGPT to strategically check or finesse their work. But relying on them from the beginning may prevent students from developing critical reading and writing skills.
He notes that the ability to write fluently and with ease, which requires accurate spelling, may very well influence their life's direction.
'When you teach students to write, we're not just preparing them to pass an exam or perhaps an essay," Chander says. "We're teaching them to reason, argue, to clarify their thoughts, to communicate their ideas, to advocate for themselves."
How to watch James Madison vs. Oregon online for free
The James Madison Dukes made college football history when they rolled over Troy in the Sun Belt Championship Game and — with other results going their way — received an automatic for the college football playoffs over Power Four programs from the ACC. It's not only the first time that James Madison have made the CFP but the first time the Sun Belt Conference has been represented at this level. James Madison are this season's great underdog story.
But the Duke will certainly have their work cut out if they want to keep making history. As No. 12 seed they're in good form, but Oregon are the No. 5 seed with an overall record this season of 11-1. The Ducks are also on a six-game winning streak.
Following Tulane vs. Ole Miss, this is the final game in the CFP first round. Expect main event-level drama.
If you want to watch James Madison vs. Oregon for free from anywhere in the world, here's all the information you need.
When is James Madison vs. Oregon?James Madison vs. Oregon takes place at 7.30 p.m. ET on Dec. 20. This game takes place at Autzen Stadium.
James Madison vs. Oregon is broadcast on TNT and TruTV.
How to watch college football in 2025/26Fans can live stream college football on a wide range of recommended services, some of which include free trials so you can follow the action without actually spending anything.
ESPN Unlimited (no free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: ESPN ESPN Unlimited $29.99 per month for 1 year Shop NowChannels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX
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Fox One provides access to live broadcasts on Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and Big Ten Network. It costs $19.99 per month, but you can save $40 by opting for the annual plan at $199.99. You can also start with a seven-day free trial, so you've got the chance to watch select games without spending anything.
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FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and provides the opportunity to watch on 10 screens at once, if that's your thing. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
Fubo takes sports seriously, and that's something we appreciate. With the Pro subscription, you get access to most college football broadcasts. But hardcore fans may want to consider upgrading to the Elite plan, which unlocks access to ESPNU, SEC Network, Pac-12 Network, and ACC Network. Either way, we suggest you test the waters for seven days before you make any sort of commitment.
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Hulu + Live TV is not exactly cheap, but it does offer good bang for your buck. You need to cough up $76.99 per month (after a three-day trial), but you get access to over 95 live TV channels, plus Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ (all with ads). The included access to ESPN+ provides bonus access to even more college football games on top of live TV networks like ABC, FOX, ESPN, The CW, ACC Network, and more. Now that's value.
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Sling is a comprehensive sporting service that offers a whole host of benefits, but you do need to be careful when selecting a plan. The Orange and Blue packages give you access to FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and more in local markets, but for access to ACC Network, SEC Network, Big Ten Network, and more, you'll need the Sports Extra package. We recommend checking your local market to ensure you get access to the channels you actually need.
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YouTube TV provides access to over 100 live channels. Newsflash: that's a lot. This huge list includes most of the channels you actually need to watch live college football, including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and ESPN, plus networks like FS1 and SEC Network. YouTube TV also offers that all-important free trial so you can watch select games without spending anything.
How to watch James Madison vs. Oregon from anywhere in the worldIf you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to unblock your favorite streaming service. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S., meaning you can unblock live streams of college football from anywhere in the world.
Live stream James Madison vs. Oregon from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S.
Sign in to your favorite streaming service
Watch James Madison vs. Oregon from anywhere in the world
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:
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A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get DealHow to watch Tulane vs. Ole Miss online for free
Today's college football action sees a huge triple header in the first round of the playoffs, beginning with Miami FL vs. Texas A&M and rounding off later tonight with James Madison vs. Oregon. Sandwiched between them is another must-watch game as Tulane visit Ole Miss.
On paper this looks like a sure thing for the Ole Miss Rebels. They're ranked at No. 6 and trounced the Tulane Green Wave, the No. 20 seed, earlier this season. That said anything can happen in the playoffs and Tulane have had a strong season — they've been solid since that loss to Ole Miss — with just one more loss than the Rebels overall. Ole Miss are also going into the playoffs with a new coach.
Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!If you want to watch Tulane vs. Ole Miss for free from anywhere in the world, here's all the information you need.
When is Tulane vs. Ole Miss?Tulane vs. Ole Miss takes place at 3.30 p.m. ET on Dec. 20. This game takes place at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Tulane vs. Ole Miss is broadcast on TNT and TruTV.
How to watch college football in 2025/26Fans can live stream college football on a wide range of recommended services, some of which include free trials so you can follow the action without actually spending anything.
ESPN Unlimited (no free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: ESPN ESPN Unlimited $29.99 per month for 1 year Shop NowChannels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX
ESPN Unlimited provides access to everything that ESPN has to offer. For college football, you get live access to games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network, SECN+, ACC Network, and ABC. The Unlimited plan will set you back $29.99 per month, but for the first year, new subscribers can secure a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for the same price.
Fox One (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Fox One Fox One 7-day free trial, then $199.99 per year Shop NowChannels: Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network
Fox One provides access to live broadcasts on Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and Big Ten Network. It costs $19.99 per month, but you can save $40 by opting for the annual plan at $199.99. You can also start with a seven-day free trial, so you've got the chance to watch select games without spending anything.
FuboTV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV 7-day free trial, then $54.99/month for 1 month Shop NowChannels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, and The CW
FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and provides the opportunity to watch on 10 screens at once, if that's your thing. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
Fubo takes sports seriously, and that's something we appreciate. With the Pro subscription, you get access to most college football broadcasts. But hardcore fans may want to consider upgrading to the Elite plan, which unlocks access to ESPNU, SEC Network, Pac-12 Network, and ACC Network. Either way, we suggest you test the waters for seven days before you make any sort of commitment.
Hulu + Live TV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu + Live TV 3-day free trial, then $76.99/month Shop NowChannels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, ESPN U, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, and The CW
Hulu + Live TV is not exactly cheap, but it does offer good bang for your buck. You need to cough up $76.99 per month (after a three-day trial), but you get access to over 95 live TV channels, plus Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ (all with ads). The included access to ESPN+ provides bonus access to even more college football games on top of live TV networks like ABC, FOX, ESPN, The CW, ACC Network, and more. Now that's value.
Sling (no free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Season Pass $329 for 5 months Shop NowChannels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPNews, ESPN U, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network
Sling is a comprehensive sporting service that offers a whole host of benefits, but you do need to be careful when selecting a plan. The Orange and Blue packages give you access to FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and more in local markets, but for access to ACC Network, SEC Network, Big Ten Network, and more, you'll need the Sports Extra package. We recommend checking your local market to ensure you get access to the channels you actually need.
YouTube TV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: YouTube TV YouTube TV 7-day free trial, then $49.99/month for your first 3 months Shop NowChannels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NBCSN, SEC Network, and The CW
YouTube TV provides access to over 100 live channels. Newsflash: that's a lot. This huge list includes most of the channels you actually need to watch live college football, including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and ESPN, plus networks like FS1 and SEC Network. YouTube TV also offers that all-important free trial so you can watch select games without spending anything.
How to watch Tulane vs. Ole Miss from anywhere in the worldIf you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to unblock your favorite streaming service. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S., meaning you can unblock live streams of college football from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Tulane vs. Ole Miss from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S.
Sign in to your favorite streaming service
Watch Tulane vs. Ole Miss from anywhere in the world
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the U.S.
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get DealHow to watch Miami FL vs. Texas A&M online for free
It's the most wonderful time of the year for college football. No, not Christmas but playoffs season. The CBF first round kicked off last night with Oklahoma vs. Alabama and continues tonight with a stacked triple header. First up is Miami Hurricanes at Texas A&M Aggies, ranked as the No. 10 and No. 7 seeds.
This will likely be the most exciting and most closely fought game of the day. There's barely anything separating these programs. Both teams have had strong seasons, with Miami FL at 10-2 and Texas A&M at 11-1. Not to mention the fact this marks the CFP debut of both programs. So expect an excitement-cranking atmosphere at Kyle Field, which will almost certainly give the Aggies a boost.
If you want to watch Miami Fl vs. Texas A&M for free from anywhere in the world, here's all the information you need.
When is Miami FL vs. Texas A&M?Miami FL vs. Texas A&M takes place at 12 p.m. ET on Dec. 20. This game takes place at Kyle Field.
Miami FL vs. Texas A&M is broadcast on ABC and ESPN.
How to watch college football in 2025/26Fans can live stream college football on a wide range of recommended services, some of which include free trials so you can follow the action without actually spending anything.
ESPN Unlimited (no free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: ESPN ESPN Unlimited $29.99 per month for 1 year Shop NowChannels: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+, ESPN3, SECN+, and ACCNX
ESPN Unlimited provides access to everything that ESPN has to offer. For college football, you get live access to games on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN+, SEC Network, SECN+, ACC Network, and ABC. The Unlimited plan will set you back $29.99 per month, but for the first year, new subscribers can secure a bundle with Disney+ and Hulu for the same price.
Fox One (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Fox One Fox One 7-day free trial, then $199.99 per year Shop NowChannels: Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network
Fox One provides access to live broadcasts on Fox, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, and Big Ten Network. It costs $19.99 per month, but you can save $40 by opting for the annual plan at $199.99. You can also start with a seven-day free trial, so you've got the chance to watch select games without spending anything.
FuboTV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV 7-day free trial, then $54.99/month for 1 month Shop NowChannels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, and The CW
FuboTV offers you more than 250 channels of live TV and provides the opportunity to watch on 10 screens at once, if that's your thing. You can try FuboTV with a seven-day free trial period.
Fubo takes sports seriously, and that's something we appreciate. With the Pro subscription, you get access to most college football broadcasts. But hardcore fans may want to consider upgrading to the Elite plan, which unlocks access to ESPNU, SEC Network, Pac-12 Network, and ACC Network. Either way, we suggest you test the waters for seven days before you make any sort of commitment.
Hulu + Live TV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Hulu Hulu + Live TV 3-day free trial, then $76.99/month Shop NowChannels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, ESPN U, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, and The CW
Hulu + Live TV is not exactly cheap, but it does offer good bang for your buck. You need to cough up $76.99 per month (after a three-day trial), but you get access to over 95 live TV channels, plus Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ (all with ads). The included access to ESPN+ provides bonus access to even more college football games on top of live TV networks like ABC, FOX, ESPN, The CW, ACC Network, and more. Now that's value.
Sling (no free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Season Pass $329 for 5 months Shop NowChannels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPNews, ESPN U, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network
Sling is a comprehensive sporting service that offers a whole host of benefits, but you do need to be careful when selecting a plan. The Orange and Blue packages give you access to FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and more in local markets, but for access to ACC Network, SEC Network, Big Ten Network, and more, you'll need the Sports Extra package. We recommend checking your local market to ensure you get access to the channels you actually need.
YouTube TV (free trial) Opens in a new window Credit: YouTube TV YouTube TV 7-day free trial, then $49.99/month for your first 3 months Shop NowChannels: ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NBCSN, SEC Network, and The CW
YouTube TV provides access to over 100 live channels. Newsflash: that's a lot. This huge list includes most of the channels you actually need to watch live college football, including NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and ESPN, plus networks like FS1 and SEC Network. YouTube TV also offers that all-important free trial so you can watch select games without spending anything.
How to watch Miami FL vs. Texas A&M from anywhere in the worldIf you're abroad for this fixture, you might need to use a VPN to unblock your favorite streaming service. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the U.S., meaning you can unblock live streams of college football from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Miami FL vs. Texas A&M from anywhere in the world by following these simple steps:
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
Open up the app and connect to a server in the U.S.
Sign in to your favorite streaming service
Watch Miami FL vs. Texas A&M from anywhere in the world
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:
Servers in 105 countries including the U.S.
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
Up to eight simultaneous connections
30-day money-back guarantee
A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (with money-back guarantee).
Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get DealSmarter wallets choose this — Windows 11 Pro just $10
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Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!Think of it as the difference between driving a reliable car and suddenly upgrading to one with a smarter dashboard, smoother handling, and built-in security features. For professionals, creators, and power users, this upgrade also unlocks features like Hyper-V, Windows Sandbox, BitLocker encryption, and seamless Azure AD integration — tools that make a real difference when you’re working across projects or managing sensitive data.
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Some of us make it a habit of losing important things. If one of your goals for the new year is to stop losing your wallet, keys, or anything else you swear you “just had a second ago,” this tiny upgrade might be the smoothest fix ever.
The MagTag Ultra Slim Tracker Card, currently just $23.99 (reg. $59.99), slides right into your wallet or travel gear and pairs instantly with the Apple Find My app — giving you real-time location tracking wherever you are.
Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!At just 1.5mm thick (aka the size of a credit card), MagTag hides effortlessly inside everything from a passport pouch to a backpack front pocket.
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Best theater of 2025, and how you can see these shows
Welcome to Mashable's first annual Best Theater Experiences of the Year list.
While our entertainment team's main focus has long been on films and television, we've many theater lovers in our ranks. And this year, with all the incredible shows we've seen on stage, it seemed downright wrong not to expand our Best of 2025 lists to include our favorites.
Now, there's a slight caveat here in that we decided to do this list after some critically heralded shows had already closed, and we were therefore unable to see them. (Apologies to Tony Award winner Purpose and the much-buzzed-about West End production of Evita!) Then, there are some shows that have gotten the internet giddy, like Sunset Blvd. with its outdoor antics and Tony wins, or Waiting for Godot for its most-excellent casting of Bill & Ted's Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in the lead roles. But when it came down to what we liked best, these revivals just didn't make the cut.
So, what did? This list includes productions that are new, ongoing, and closed. Beyond that, we sorted our list by Off Broadway and Broadway, noting how you can see them (if you still can). In the mix, we've got inventive reinterpretations of classic shows, musicals inspired by movies, jaw-dropping new shows, the Broadway sensation that keeps us coming back, and the Broadway bomb that we thought deserved better.
So, take a look for what tickets you ought to book. And look for Mashable to take on more theater coverage in 2026.
Best of Off Broadway 2025The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee The ensemble cast of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." Credit: Joan MarcusOff Broadway, new revival
Learning new words has never been more fun than in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. William Finn, Rachel Sheinkin, and Rebecca Feldman's beloved musical throws audiences into a middle school spelling showdown — sometimes literally, as four audience members get to join the spellers onstage. The high-stakes bee is no ordinary competition, though. It's also an invitation into the young spellers' inner lives, as they deal with high pressure, puberty, and family drama.
Danny Mefford's Off Broadway revival of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a non-stop delight, brimming with relentless energy and a stacked cast. It's undeniably fun to watch a group of adults play middle schoolers, but thanks to the actors' commitment, your awareness of the age discrepancy quickly disappears, replaced by sheer investment in these kids' success. Look no further than when my whole audience gasped whenever someone got a word wrong. Like us, you'll get sucked in in no time, and leave with a whole host of musical bangers stuck in your head. G-O S-E-E I-T! — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
Starring: Philippe Arroyo, Autumn Best, Leana Rae Concepcion, Justin Cooley, Lilli Cooper, Jason Kravits, Matt Manuel, Kevin McHale, Jasmine Amy Rogers, Brandon L. Armstrong, Jahbril Cook, Emily N. Rudolph, and Cecilia Snow
How to watch: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is now running until Apr. 12, 2026.
Critic's Pick: Beau the MusicalOff Broadway, new
An Off-Broadway musical so successful it bounced from one venue to another and kept on rockin', Beau the Musical unfurls the queer coming-of-age story of Ace Baker (Matt Rodin), a pop-country musician who found his love of music and himself by growing closer to his estranged grandfather, Beau (Dead Outlaw's Jeb Brown).
Staged in a theater space/dive bar, Beau the Musical feels like wandering into a concert with the power of flashbacks. Eight actor/musicians play both Baker's band, and then also an array of characters, like his hard-as-nails mom, his best friend, and the vicious bully on whom he had a confusing crush. Songs in this show run from rollicking to heartbreaking and back again. 100 minutes with no intermission, it's a moving and joyous celebration of love, family, and music. And it's best enjoyed with a beer (or hard cider) in hand, so you too can feel like you're on the porch with Beau and Ace, taking in the night air and the guitar playing. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor
Starring: Matt Rodin, Amelia Cormack, Luke Darnell, Seth Eliser, Andrea Goss, Ryan Halsaver, Tyler Donovan McCall, Miyuki Miyagi, Max Sangerman, Derek Stoltenberg, Lauren Jeanne Thomas, Rose Van Dyne, and Jeb Brown
How to watch: Beau the Musical is now playing at The Distillery at St. Luke's Theatre through Jan. 4, 2026.
Gwyneth Goes SkiingOff-Broadway, new
On a snowy day at the Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah, a normal optometrist accidentally skied into a very famous actor and wellness guru. The world would be changed forever.
Based on the real Gwyneth Paltrow trial and created by the dynamic duo behind independent theater group Awkward Productions, Joseph Martin and Linus Karp, Gwyneth Goes Skiing has been a traveling staple since 2023, with runs in London, Edinburgh Fringe, and Park City, Utah (the site of the now-infamous trial). This year it took over NYC, too, with two separate Off-Broadway turns that brought audience members themselves to the stage. That's right, the majority of the cast is solicited from the seats, like interactive dinner theater, who are given their lines through a video monitor and audio cues. There are flying wigs, a sock puppet, props manned by what feels like a single overworked crew member. At one point, an audience member stood up on top of his seat to deliver his line, and we threw wool snowballs at the stage. I made my Off-Broadway debut, too, as a totally-over-it resort shopkeeper. Congratulations to my fellow co-stars, Darren Criss (voice only) and Trixie Mattel (video cameo as Blythe Danner).
The show's fiercest critics consider it to be weighed down by the kind of brain rot internet humor that's becoming more and more passé — the pre-show was just a slideshow of Paltrow's filmography and Glee references. But I think this is exactly how you make near-cosmic levels of self-referential humor and internet memes work: with a couple bucks and nary a care in the world. — Chase DiBenedetto, Social Good Reporter
Starring: Joseph Martin, Linus Karp, Darren Criss, Catherine Cohen, Trixie Mattel, the audience
How to Watch: Gwyneth Goes Skiing closed off Broadway, but is doing limited-run shows in Aspen, Colorado, and Los Angeles, California, in January.
Heathers: The MusicalOff Broadway, new revival
Before there was Mean Girls, there was Heathers. This is true of both the teen comedies, and the stage musicals they inspired. This 2025 revival brings plenty of snark, energy, and camp.
When I saw it, Lorna Courtney starred as Veronica, the moody cool girl whose best friends and worst enemies are the Heathers, a trio of vicious and popular girls. Recreating classic scenes from the 1988 movie with songs that share its bite, Heathers: The Musical is an outrageous night at the theater. Sure, not all the big movie moments can be translated to the stage. But the book and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy are smart about where they stay true and where they expand. Like, there's a lot of catchy songs on this soundtrack. But for someone who grew up quoting Heathers' darkest lines with friends, the rousing number "My Dead Gay Son" had me rolling. — K.P.
Starring: Lorna Courtney, Casey Likes, McKenzie Kurtz, Kiara Michelle Lee, Elizabeth Teeter, Kerry Butler, Erin L. Morton, Xavier McKinnon, Cade Ostermeyer, Ben Davis, and Cameron Loyal
Messy White Gays Derek Chadwick and Drew Droege in "Messy White Gays." Credit: Marc J. FranklinOff Broadway, new
Imagine Alfred Hitchcock's Rope minus the queer subtext, and just scads and scads of queer text. American comedian Drew Droege, whom millennials might remember as Chloë Sevigny for a series of scorching web videos, satirizes gay culture and white privilege with Hitch's familiar framework.
Lights up on two young men strangling a third to death. This is their throuple-mate, whom they have both grown to loathe. But how will they hide his body — especially when a gaggle of their party pals are due for Sunday brunch any minute!? This deeply absurd premise is set in a high-rise apartment with a view of Central Park, but the humor is determinedly and deliciously lowbrow. The kooky cast of characters gleefully skew archetypes of queer men, from the femme theater boy to the himbo gym rat, the OnlyFans model, and the twink with more money than sense. Then, there's Droege, who makes a grand entrance as a nosey neighbor who proceeds to read everyone on stage like he's Dorothy from The Golden Girls. Simply put, Messy White Gays is outlandish, hilarious, and unapologetically for gay people by gay people. — K.P.
Starring: Drew Droege, Derek Chadwick, James Cusati-Moyer, Aaron Jackson, and Pete Zias
How to watch: Messy White Gays is ongoing until Jan. 11.
Critic's Pick: A Streetcar Named DesireOff Broadway, new revival
Is this a safe space to admit I never liked A Streetcar Named Desire? My introduction to the Tennessee Williams classic, which debuted on Broadway in 1947, was the 1951 film adaptation staring Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski. And I just couldn't understand this Stanley, who was such a crude brute yet drew Stella toward him by screaming like a wounded animal. Well, this revival — which was borne on the West End with two sold-out runs — made me understand Stanley and Streetcar as I never had before.
Paul Mescal brought his Sad Boy energy to Kowalski, transforming the character I only knew through Brando. Mescal infused the character with a rage that not only hurts those around him, but immolates himself. Opposite Patsy Ferran as Blanche, he was snarling beast and bully. But before the two have their most climactic conflict, Mescal showing off Stanley's silk pajamas hit different. He was showing a soft side to Blanche, thinking she'd understand it — understand him. But when she rejects him (because of everything before), he turns violent and violating. He despises Blanche for the softness she has, because his own has been so long denied. And in that, the tragedy of Streetcar hit me like — well, a streetcar. Before, I felt sympathy for these women, but Stanley felt such a caricature of toxic masculinity I couldn't make sense of how they fit. Now, here, where all are equally ferocious and punished for vulnerability, I was in awe and tears. I was literally on the floor. Okay, so that last part was because the BAM run sold out tickets so fast that added literal floor seats (a cushion literally on the floor before the stage). But you know what, I've paid more for way worse seats this year. (Sorry, Vanya.) — K.P.
Starring: Paul Mescal, Patsy Ferran, and Anjana Vasan
How to watch: A Streetcar Named Desire ran Feb.-April 2025, but is now closed.
Tartuffe Bianca Del Rio in New York Theatre Workshop's 'Tartuffe.' Credit: Valerie TerranovaOff Broadway, new
In a wild bit of symmetry, theater director Sarah Benson helmed the first production I saw in 2025, and the last! In January, I was delighted to see one of the final performances of Teeth, a chaotic and hilarious musical adaptation of the horror film that imagined what might happen if a teen girl had the infamous vagina dentata (aka, teeth in vagina)! And this month, I closed out a week of much theater-seeing with the newly debuted revival Tartuffe! And lucky me, because Benson knows how to make a comedy truly outrageous.
Originally written by Molière in 1664, Tartuffe centers on the titular charlatan (Matthew Broderick) who claims to be Christian, while driving a wealthy French family to bickering, division, and shenanigans. But this Off-Broadway revival isn't the farce I studied in college. Writer Lucas Hnath leans into bawdiness and frank crassness, allowing his characters to read each other to filth and curse throughout — while rhyming! A perfect introduction to this take is RuPaul's Drag Race winner Bianca Del Rio, who opens the show by strutting in, adorned in fierce 17th-century fashion and spitting barbs at all in her view. From there, it's a no-bullshit housekeeper who will drag every affluent fool in this house. And the jibes are as hilarious as the physical comedy. Another show with no intermission, Tartuffe is a terrifically entertaining night at the theater, and star-studded to boot. —K.P.
Starring: Matthew Broderick, David Cross, Bianca Del Rio, Amber Gray, Ryan J. Haddad, Emily Davis, Ikechukwu Ufomadu, Lisa Kron, and Francis Jue
How to watch: Tartuffe is running through Jan. 24, 2026.
Twelfth NightOff Broadway, new revival
There's magic in publicly funded art. There's love in a group of New Yorkers gathered together in one place, finally off their feet, to watch that magic be made, just a few months before the city would rally together in one of the greatest political campaigns of the 21st century. It's why this year's free Shakespeare in the Park production of Twelfth Night — the first in Central Park's newly renovated Delacorte Theater — was perhaps the best to ever do it.
It's one of Shakespeare's classic comedies: a pair of separated twins, a woman pretending to be a man (while falling in love with another man), pranks and miscommunication, a satisfying ending. But this version is a little more queer, a bit more musical, and even funnier than the original, soundtracked by the sultry songs and guitar strums of Moses Sumney in a standout performance as Feste. I think I speak for everyone (even you, Tina Fey, who sat behind me) when I say Lupita Nyong'o's gender-swapping performance, complete with small mustache and expertly tailored Brooks Brothers suit to match her real-life sibling and co-star Junior Nyong'o, stirred something carnal.
By the end, we were enrapt. The city was uproarious. The cast strutted onto stage in glimmering festooned garments and danced with the crowd for their bows. Stage lights reflected off of sequins and up into the New York City sky to fill the space where stars were missed. A being floating above could have looked down and spotted those celestial beings right there, not up in the night but sat around the Delacorte — a group of performers, of audience members, of artists, of hard workers. All equals, all there to enjoy a little Shakespeare funded by each other, built for each other, in love with each other. — C.D.
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Sandra Oh, Peter Dinklage, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Moses Sumney, Khris Davis, Junior Nyong'o, b, John Ellison Conlee, and Kapil Talwalkar
How to Watch: Twelfth Night ran the summer of 2025, and has since closed, but a recorded performance is available on PBS.
VanyaOff Broadway, new
One of the hardest tickets to get this year was Vanya. A bold reinvention of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, this production — from writer Simon Stephens, director Sam Yates, and designer Rosanna Vize — reimagined the 1897 drama about a family farm, ripe with heartache, into a one-man show. And what one man could pull it off? It was Andrew Scott, who has awed audiences with Sherlock, Fleabag, and Ripley. First, he wowed the West End with a sold-out run. Then, he came across the pond to Off Broadway, where critics cheered and audiences clamored for tickets.
Scott was outstanding, playing a cavalcade of roles. With a tilt of his head, or the picking up of a prop, or the softening of his tone, he gracefully transformed from an elegant woman to a fumbling doctor, or wizened professor, or sheepish girl. A simple stage with one set and simple props, he made use of all of it. However, the seats on the mezzanine at the Lucille Lortel Theatre are far from ideal for such a staging. Any time Scott went toward the very front of the stage, or got on his knees even midway downstage, the whole of the mezzanine's audience would shift to find him again, causing a wave of movement as we all blocked each other's view. This frustration aside, the show itself was fascinating. The arguably gimmicky approach essentially erases the idea that we people are all that different, or perhaps shows how we all contain multitudes. For Scott fans, it was a showcase of his range and vulnerability. And you can stream it now. — K.P.
Starring: Andrew Scott
How to watch: Vanya ran from March 10 to May 11 off Broadway. Though now, closed, a recorded performance of Vanya can be streamed through the National Theater.
Best of Broadway 2025Death Becomes HerBroadway, ongoing
Death Becomes Her is one of my all-time favorite movies. The comedy-noir is about two feuding besties whose battle over a mediocre man leads them to take a youth potion that gives them back their looks, but at a twisted cost. And for Broadway, it now has comical songs added to the macabre slapstick.
I've seen the show twice, once with Megan Hilty and once with her understudy, Kaleigh Cronin. And both times, it's a terrifically funny and rousing time — which is good news, as Hilty exits the production in January. Props to writer of the book, Marco Pennette, with lyrics by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey, for keeping true to Martin Donovan and David Koepp's sublimely silly and surly script, while finding new extremes to push Mad (Hilty) and Hel (Jennifer Simard). Props to the divas who brought them to fresh life, and cheers to the clever stunts and effects team who turns falling down the stairs into an epic comic climax. No wonder TikTok's been going wild for its soundbites. —K.P.
Starring: Megan Hilty, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard, and Michelle Williams
How to watch: Death Becomes Her is now on Broadway, with a North American Tour coming in 2026.
Critic's Pick: John Proctor Is the VillainBroadway, new revival
Arthur Miller's The Crucible gets reframed in Kimberly Belflower's revelatory John Proctor Is the Villain. The play takes place in a small Georgia town in 2018, when a spate of sexual harassment allegations force a classroom of high school students to reconsider who the true villain of The Crucible is. Is it Abigail Williams, who spearheads the Salem witch hunt? Or could it be John Proctor, the supposedly "good man" who began a relationship with the much younger Abigail?
The reconsideration of an American classic turns John Proctor Is the Villain into a thoughtful, thorny exploration of feminism and the #MeToo movement. Each of the show's young characters approach the issue in a different way, from the rage-filled Shelby (Sadie Sink, later replaced by Chiara Aurelia, whom I saw in the role) to the conflicted Beth (Fina Strazza). The result is an exquisitely layered ensemble, all brought to life by an incredibly talented cast. As if that weren't enough, the show's final five minutes are the most cathartic theatrical experience I've ever had: a raw exorcism of a dance scene set to Lorde's "Green Light." You'll never hear the song the same way again. — B.E.
Starring: Sadie Sink, Chiara Aurelia, Nihar Duvvuri, Gabriel Ebert, Molly Griggs, Maggie Kuntz, Hagan Oliveras, Morgan Scott, Fina Strazza, Amalia Yoo, Noah Pacht, Fiona Robberson, Shian Tomlinson, Garrett Young, and Victoria Vourkoutiotis
How to watch: John Proctor Is the Villain ran on Broadway from April 11 to Sept. 7. It is now closed.
Critic's Pick: Just In TimeBroadway, new
Tony Award winner Jonathan Groff is in the role he was born as Bobby Darin. Look, I didn't know anything about the American singer before seeing the jukebox musical Just In Time. But part of the brilliance of the book by Warren Leight and Isaac Oliver is that it's written with fourth-wall breaks that allow the show to be not just about Darin, but also about Groff.
The Circle in the Square Theatre, which Groff calls correctly "the basement of Wicked," is lit to look like a dazzling night club. Curtains, stages, and central tables where audience members can be a part of the action, are all draped in gorgeous blue lighting. Groff explodes onto stage with his beaming band and his sirens, an incredibly talented trio of dancers/singers. And he introduces himself, shares his enthusiasm and then dives into the story of Bobby Darin, with support from an ensemble that is audaciously talented.
When I went, Sarah Hyland and Sadie Dickerson played the loves of Darin's life, Connie Francis and Sandra Dee, respectively. And they were remarkable, shifting from bubbly romance to aching loss. (Hyland in particular had the audience sobbing with a teary "Who's Sorry Now.") Meanwhile, Valeria Yamin as Darin's mother is a bawdy broad I fell for hard. But even the smaller players like Joe Barbara, who plays Bobby's gruff brother-in-law, manager, and cigarette-chomping camera operator, are captivating. But of course, Groff is the headliner. And he's as good as you'd expect, even better.
He explodes on stage, singing and dancing (and yes, spitting) like the living Broadway legend he is. It is a very "wet" performance, and those aforementioned lights mean you can see just how much Groff is giving with every projection. But while fans might lovingly joke about the wetness (as Groff does in an opening speech), it's that radiant passion for performing that makes him a marvel. He shines, bright and dazzling, in every moment of Just In Time. And the staging, which runs from one stage to another, up the stairs of the audience and back again, makes the whole theater feel a part of the show. I can say with confidence that I've never seen anything like this. Is it like seeing Darin at the Copa? I couldn't say. But I can say this show, nominated for six Tonys, including Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical, Just In Time is absolutely outstanding. Get tickets if you can. — K.P.
Starring: Jonathan Groff, Sarah Hyland, Sadie Dickerson, Valeria Yamin, Claire Camp, Julia Grondin, Michele Pawk, Emily Bergl, Caesar Samayoa, and Lance Roberts
How to watch: Just In Time is now playing on Broadway through March 2026.
Critic's Pick: LiberationBroadway, new
What in the world happened between the activism of '70s-era feminism and today, when the government is revoking hard-won wins like the right to an abortion? That's the daunting question playwright Bess Wohl wrestles with in her staggering play Liberation, which alternates between the '70s and present. In the past, aspiring reporter Lizzie (Susannah Flood) starts a women's group in a high school gym. Decades later, her daughter (also played by Flood) reconnects with the remaining group members to better understand not just the movement, but her mother as well.
Liberation's folding of time makes for a powerful reminder of how many of the same issues women faced 50 years ago still echo today, as well as a moving mother-daughter story. (See it with your mom for the Liberation 4D experience.) Elsewhere, the group meeting scenes provide powerful moments of catharsis, as Lizzie's group — all women from different walks of life — commiserate over sexism they face at work and at home. However, Liberation also acknowledges the flaws of second-wave feminism, including its failure to make space for Black women. Here, Wohl reckons with her own role as a white playwright. Who gets to tell whose story, and how? The play doesn't reach any tidy answers on this, or on its central questions about feminism. But given such a sprawling topic, who could? Instead, it's Liberation's own acknowledgement of its limits that turns it into such an astounding work. — B.E.
Starring: Betsy Aidem, Audrey Corsa, Kayla Davion, Susannah Flood, Kristolyn Lloyd, Irene Sofia Lucio, Charlie Thurston, Adina Verson, Britt Faulkner, Leeanne Hutchison, Matt E. Russell, and Kedren Spencer
How to watch: Liberation runs on Broadway until Feb. 1.
OedipusBroadway, new
Though Sophocles' Oedipus Rex dates back to about 428 BC, you don't need to be a classics enthusiast to know this story is about a real motherfucker. The Greek tragedy centers on the eponymous man, who is undone by discovering he's killed his father and bedded his mother.
Mark Strong stars as the eponymous politician, who's run his election campaign on a policy of truth — always. On election night, he gathers with his family at the campaign HQ, looking to celebrate. The future is bright. He seems certain to win the election, and once he does, he will do as he's promised, revealing his birth certificate to the public, and finding the real killer of the long-dead ruler Elis [Laius?]. But the visit from a blind soothsayer (Samuel Brewer) sours things with a disturbing prediction.
Writer/director Robert Icke updates Oedipus with a modern setting and a firm awareness that his audience knows what's coming. So, there's a lot of ironic lines about Oedipus and his wife/mother that the characters on stage do not realize are jokes, but we do. But this same certainty from the audience ramps up tension as Oedipus doggedly pursues the truth. Onstage, a literal timer counts down as the play rolls on, but counting down to what? You know. It might be gimmicky, especially as scene transitions happen with the clock audibly ticking away the seconds. But when the big reveal hits, and the timer hits zero — I felt it hit hard in my gut.
Admittedly, the staging of the show — set entirely in a minimalistic office — is a bit boring, seeming too much like an workplace TV show than a Broadway spectacle. But Lesley Manville turned me around on the show, which has no intermission to interrupt its tension. As Jocasta, mother and lover of Oedipus, she goes from breezy to tormented as dark truths are unearthed. She delivers monologues that radiate with rage and pain, and still rattle in my head days later. When she declares, "Cowardice is sometimes the cost of survival," I felt my heart crumble for her. And I could see by the counter, we still had a ways to go before the terrible, tragic end. A nail-biter, indeed. — K.P.
Starring: Mark Strong, Lesley Manville, Anne Reid, John Carroll Lynch, Teagle F. Bougere, Samuel Brewer, Ani Mesa-Perez, Bhasker Patel, Olivia Reis, Jordan Scowen, and James Wilbraham
How to watch: Oedipus is now playing through Feb. 8.
Critic's Pick: Oh, Mary!Broadway, ongoing
Famously, Cole Escola wrote a juicy role for themselves by creating a historical comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln that cares far more about "bratty curls" and bad attitudes than actual history. And thank the theater gods. From its 2024 to 2025, Oh, Mary! went from buzzy Off-Broadway hit to a Tony Award–winning Broadway smash.
Originating the role, Escola scored the Tony for playing Mary Todd Lincoln as a booze-swilling, cabaret-obsessed maniac. But as new leads stepped into those character shoes, Oh, Mary! proved it could survive without Escola's distinctive star power. Betty Gilpin, Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon, and Jane Krakowski all followed. Between the Mashable staff, we've seen every incarnation of the show so far. And with its outrageous humor, twisted turns, and crackling comedic timing, it's a reliably sensational night at the theater. (For everyone but Abe).
30 Rock's Jane Krakowski is currently in the role on the Great White Way. Playing it like Jenna Maroney, she's absolutely hilarious in her commitment to every bit, while Cheyenne Jackson is stealthily hysterical as Mary's unexpected friend. Jinkx Monsoon, who took the role this summer, will return in January for another stint, followed by John Cameron Mitchell. And across the pond, Oh, Mary! has opened with Mason Alexander Park tossing the bratty curls. So choose your fighter, and have some fucked-up fun. — K.P.
Starring: Cole Escola, Betty Gilpin, Tituss Burgess, Jinkx Monsoon, Jane Krakowski, and Mason Alexander Park
How to watch: Oh, Mary! is now playing on Broadway through July 2026 and on the West End.
The Queen of VersaillesBroadway, new
See it while you can! Wicked's composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz and first Galinda Kristin Chenoweth reunited for this wild musical based on a critically heralded 2012 documentary. But critics met this musical adaptation with brutal reviews.
And yet, I liked it! This musical interpretation reimagines the life of Jackie Siegel, a trophy wife who dreamed of building the castle of Versailles in Florida, into a darkly comic — and definitely campy — parable. As I wrote in my review, "Jackie becomes a tragic figure, like King Lear or Anna Nicole Smith." And her obsession with more, more, more will cost her dearly.
Plus, "Like she did as Glinda with 'Popular,' Chenoweth is a force of unrepentant whimsy as she trots and glides around the stage in furiously sequined mini-dresses and heels." She's a legend of Broadway for a reason, and she reminds us all why with Queen of Versailles. — K.P.
Starring: Kristin Chenoweth, F. Murray Abraham, Tatum Grace Hopkins, and Nina White
How to watch: Queen of Versailles is now on Broadway until Dec. 21.
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)Broadway, new
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is exactly what it sounds like, and so much more. This charming two-person show sees Robin (Christiani Pitts), a jaded Brooklynite, cross paths with Dougal (Sam Tutty), an Englishman in New York City for the very first time. They're headed to the same wedding, but first, they've got to usher the cake from Brooklyn to Manhattan. It's not long before their errand morphs into a chance at deeper connection.
Robin and Dougal's ensuing journey is an adorable New York odyssey that'll leave you fizzing. While its songs never quite reach the highs of opening number "New York," Two Strangers runs on Pitts' and Tutty's charming performances. She's an eternal bundle of cool, he's an excitable Golden Retriever, and together, they both have a lot of baggage to unpack — a fact made literal by the set made up of giant pieces of luggage. Original and inventively staged, Two Strangers is an endearing treat. — B.E.
Starring: Christiani Pitts, Sam Tutty, Phoenix Best, and Vincent Michael
How to watch: Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is now playing on Broadway through July 6.
25 of the best Christmas horror movies to haunt your holiday in 2025
Tis the season for holiday horror!
Whether you're baking cookies or fantasizing about setting the tree on fire, holiday horror films are perfect for any Christmas mood. They're that ideal blend of thematic cheer and commercial cynicism that screams, "I'm having a good time, but only because it could be worse!" that you probably feel most holiday seasons — but especially during this one.
From mutant gingerbread men and rosy-cheeked killers to stories of betrayal and twisted tragedies, the creepy Christmas catalog is vast. We've combed through and selected 25 of the best to get your horrifying holiday started.
Not sure if a title is for you? Check the scare level! Based on our Best Scary Movie guide, we've ranked all of the films below on a scale from: family-friendly, Halloweenie (more spooky than scary), scary, and very scary. There's also labels for funny and WTF, which are pretty self-explanatory. But when we say WTF, we mean hold onto your Santa hat, because things are going to get wild!
25. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Credit: Moviestore / ShutterstockOK, I know The Nightmare Before Christmas doesn't belong on here — but it also doesn't not belong on here. Tim Burton's animated Halloween-meets-Christmas classic is only a horror film if you choose to deeply meditate on some of Oogie Boogie's grosser behaviors (and honestly, who is doing that?) Still, it's got enough of that wintery spookiness to make it a worthy title for anyone looking to scratch that Christmas-time horror itch. Plus, ya just gotta love Zero. Who's a good ghost dog?! — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter
Scare level: Family-Friendly
How to watch: The Nightmare Before Christmas is now streaming on Disney+.
24. Inside (2007)This is basically the Die Hard of this list, more set during Christmas than it is a horror movie about Christmas. Inside is a gore-soaked jewel in the crown of the French Extremity craze of the 2000s, a time when "torture porn" horror was all the rage.
But director Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo's freaky film works because of its très important holiday vibes, which emphasize our main character's state of loneliness. On Christmas Eve, pregnant widow Sarah (Alysson Paradis) is in a deep depression mourning her husband, who was killed in a car accident just a couple of months previously.
That's when a stranger — known simply as The Woman (Béatrice Dalle) — comes knocking on her door. And like the Grinch before her, The Woman has come to take, not give. Specifically, she wants to take the baby right out of Sarah's belly to be her own. What follows is a bloody battle royale between the two women that will test even the heartiest of gorehounds. — Jason Adams, Entertainment Reporter
Scare level: WTF, Very Scary
How to watch: Inside is now streaming on Tubi.
23. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) Credit: Filmcamp / Kobal / ShutterstockAlright, this hidden gem — which I cannot believe I only found out about in 2020 — is so good it almost makes me want to learn Finnish. (Yes, it has subtitles and some of it is in English, but I want the whole essence!) Directed by Jalmari Helander, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale tells the story of a father and son, played by real father and son Jorma and Onni Tommulia, who discover the horrific origins of Santa Claus amid an archaeological dig. Better off not spoiled, just watch this one now. — A.F.
Scare level: Scary
How to watch: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is now streaming on Tubi, The Roku Channel, AMC+, and Shudder, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
22. Black Christmas (1974)Ah, one of the longest-lasting franchises in the holiday horror subgenre. Director Bob Clark's 1974 slasher Black Christmas has been remade twice; once in 2006 and again in 2019. Both revisits were pretty good, but it's tough to outdo a film as timelessly terrifying as the original. Following a group of sorority sisters hunted by a sadistic killer, Black Christmas delivers a staggeringly believable portrayal of murder at the holiday season you won't soon forget. — A.F.
Scare level: Scary
How to watch: Black Christmas is now streaming on Shudder.
21. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)Silent Night, Deadly Night gained much of its fame by pissing off Green Bay Packers fans with a poorly timed TV advertisement. (OK, it's more complicated than that; but honestly, not by much. People in the '80s needed to chill.) Since then, the killer Santa slasher has gained a cult following for its bizarre portrait of a dude deeply warped by a childhood misunderstanding of naughty and nice. There's Christmas light stranglings, tons of ax throwing, and a surprising amount of nudity. — A.F.
Scare level: Scary
How to watch: Silent Night, Deadly Night is now streaming on Shudder.
20. Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) Credit: DMcCallum Orion / Vertigo / Kobal / ShutterstockZombieland meets Broadway-level Christmas carols in this bonkers holiday apocalypse musical. Starring Ella Hunt as the titular Anna, Anna and the Apocalypse tells the story of a high school senior in Scotland struggling to face the end of her childhood when a zombie outbreak hits her small town. With great songs and some extremely fun undead choreography, Anna and the Apocalypse isn't all that scary — but it is screamingly festive. — A.F.
Scare level: Funny, Halloweenie
How to watch: Anna and the Apocalypse is now streaming on Shudder, and is also available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.
19. The Lodge (2019)OK, The Lodge is the bleakest title on this list, bar none. If you're looking for a fun holiday horror flick, this is not it. I repeat: this is NOT it. Now, that said, this psychological nightmare is a great choice if you're looking for an unnerving horror experience that combines The Shining with occultism. Intrigued? Starring Riley Keough as an unwelcome girlfriend on Christmas vacation with her boyfriend's kids, played by Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh, The Lodge foregoes traditional scares for slow-burn tension and shocking implications. — A.F.
Scare level: WTF
How to watch: The Lodge is streaming on Tubi, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV and Prime Video.
18. Jack Frost (1997)No, this is not the 1998 holiday film starring Michael Keaton as a snowman — that Jack Frost is far better. This Jack Frost, directed by Michael Cooney and released in 1997, instead serves as a stand-in for all those holiday horror movies that are great to have on in the background... but not all that fun to actually sit down and watch. Killer snowmen could definitely make for a super fun horror movie, but that's just not what happens here — what with Jack Frost's ridiculously awkward pacing and barely coherent plot structure. Still, it is a great visual to enjoy while you wrap presents or bake cookies. If you need more recs along those lines, try The Gingerdead Man and Santa Jaws. — A.F.
Scare level: WTF, Funny
How to watch: Jack Frost is streaming on Prime Video, Tubi, and The Roku Channel, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.
17. Black Christmas (2019) Credit: Universal Pictures / Kobal / ShutterstockIf you want a more modern spin on slashers, this remake will satisfy, as it's ripe with violence with a sharp political edge. Writer/director Sophia Takal and co-writer April Wolfe take the framework of the original and weave in a tale of toxic masculinity and the horrors of rape culture. When a mysterious cyber stalker takes his sinister schtick to home invasion, the sisters of Mu Kappa Epsilon must band together to survive the holiday. With a PG-13 rating, this one's less gory than the original, but still presents plenty of scares. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor
Scare level: Funny, Scary
How to watch: Black Christmas is streaming on Hulu, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
16. Sint (2011)This pitch-black horror comedy (aka Saint) from Dutch director Dick Maas dives into the mythic origin of one Mr. Claus. Known Europe-side as the Sinterklaas, he's a terrifying hooded figure on horseback who carries a birch stick to beat bad children who he tosses in his sack to carry them away from their families forever.
Sint ratchets all of that up 10 notches, claiming that when the festive night of celebration overlaps with a full moon, Saint Niklas rides in on his white steed and just starts murdering everybody in sight. Stopping him falls to a teenager on the lam (Egbert Jan Weeber) and the cop (Bert Luppes) who was the only survivor the last time Nicklas went on one of his murder sprees. Way over the top to the point of being downright silly, Sint is a mean-spirited holiday hoot. Cutting a bloody swath through town, wielding a golden staff and crown, the diabolical Saint alone makes this one worth a spin. — J.A.
Scare level: Scary
How to watch: Sint is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
15. Better Watch Out (2016) Credit: Storm Vision / Moviestore / ShutterstockBetter Watch Out may have some awkward pacing and confusing character development. But thanks to its one truly spectacular Home Alone reference, it makes this list. Dying to see what I mean? In this surprising home invasion story, Levi Miller stars as a preteen with a crush on his teenage babysitter, played by Olivia DeJonge. The two enjoy a relatively normal (albeit awkward) Christmas night in together, until a strange voice calls the house. — A.F.
Scare level: WTF
How to watch: Better Watch Out is now streaming on Prime Video, Peacock, Tubi, and The Roku Channel, and and is available to rent or purchase on Apple TV.
14. Christmas Evil (1980)When it comes to the rampaging Santa hall of holiday infamy, the slasher Christmas Evil (aka You Better Watch Out, aka Terror in Toyland) always gets overshadowed by the 1984's Silent Night, Deadly Night. Which is a shame because Christmas Evil makes that festive cult classic seem like child's play. A favorite of no less than John Waters, this thing is one eggnog off the deep end.
In an opening flashback we meet a little boy named Harry (Gus Salud) who spies on Mommy doing more, a lot more, than just kissing with Santa Claus. Cut to years later and adult Harry (Brandon Maggart) gets his holly-jollies off by gluing a beard to his face and keeping a list of whether the local kids are "naughty" or "nice." Harry's deranged reindeer games all have a tinge of sexual perversion to them that makes Christmas Evil really get under your skin, but it's all so deeply bizarre that you'll laugh as much as you squirm. — J.A.
Scare level: WTF
How to watch: Christmas Evil is now streaming on Prime Video.
13. Holidays (2016)Vertical Entertainment's shabby Holidays isn't strictly a Christmas joint — but it does crescendo with a bizarre Black Mirror-meets-Dexter Christmas short good enough to earn a spot on this list. Comprising eight short horror films based on eight holidays (Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's Eve, in that order), Holidays reimagines the greeting card aisle through its grimy, offbeat lens. It's uneven and often unsatisfying. Still, it gets at the very spirit of holiday horror with excess camp and great effects. — A.F.
Scare level: Halloweenie
How to watch: Holidays is now streaming on AMC+ and Shudder, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video.
12. Silent Night (2021) Credit: RLJE Films / Moviestore / ShutterstockAn affluent family of beautiful, well-dressed Brits (led by Keira Knightley and Matthew Goode) annually gather at their mansion to celebrate the holiday. This year, however, is a little bit different, as news arises of a "toxic gas cloud slowly enveloping the earth and killing everyone and everything in its path" happening outside their manor walls. This turns the yuletide festivities into a big, fancy end-of-days party — instead of peppermint canes or even coal, everybody's getting a cyanide pill in their stockings this year!
Pitch-black but mordantly funny, writer/director Camille Griffin delivers an apocalyptic family drama a la Melancholia, just with glittery ornaments and old feuds taking the place of descending planetoids and Kirsten Dunst tasting ash. It's like The Ref, but with poisonous tornados obliterating grandma. — J.A.
Scare level: WTF, funny
How to watch: Silent Night is streaming on AMC+, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
11. Into the Dark: Pooka! (2018)The first Christmas installment in Hulu's Into the Dark anthology, Pooka! tells the surprisingly sad story of Wilson, played by Nyasha Hatendi. A down-on-his-luck actor tasked with promoting a new toy for the Christmas season, Wilson begins the film the victim of a campy premise. Soon, however, the story morphs into a far more complex portrayal of selfishness and guilt.
If you love Pooka!, then definitely check out its sequel, Pooka Lives! The second one doesn't touch on any Christmas themes at all, but think of it like Pooka!'s Evil Dead 2. It takes everything that Pooka! did seriously, and turns it up to a hilarious extreme. — A.F.
Scare level: Halloweenie
How to watch: Pooka! is now streaming on Hulu.
10. Into the Dark: A Nasty Piece of Work (2019)Fans of Ready or Not can enjoy another brutal game night in the house of a conceited rich dude with Into the Dark's A Nasty Piece of Work. In this Belko Experiment-meets-National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation mash-up, Kyle Howard stars as Ted, a corporate underling vying for his holiday bonus at a terrifying work dinner party. Julian Sands and Molly Hagan undeniably steal the show as Ted's evil boss and his equally evil wife, but the whole cast nails it in this ensemble horror-comedy. — A.F.
Scare level: Halloweenie
How to watch: A Nasty Piece of Work is now streaming on Hulu.
9. Krampus (2015) Credit: Universal / Legendary / Kobal / ShutterstockWow, where to begin with Krampus? From Adam Scott and Toni Collette as a sniping couple to the best demonic toys since Child's Play, Krampus delivers a nativity of cinematic terror through an eerie, apocalyptic tone vaguely akin to The Mist. It takes a long time for the chaos of Krampus to kick off, and the deeply unlikable family at its center does not make that waiting easy. But once the demon of European folklore does appear, this hellish sleigh ride is frightfully fantastic. — A.F.
Scare level: Funny, Scary
How to watch: Krampus is now streaming on AMC+, Peacock, and Shudder, and is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV.
8. Deadly Games (aka Dial Code Santa Claus)(1990)Imagine Home Alone, but with a homicidal mall Santa going after Kevin McCallister in his booby-trapped home, and you'll have some sense of what writer/director René Manzor created with Deadly Games. This no-holds-bar French film was made before Home Alone hit theaters, but didn't get much attention internationally until it hit the U.S. festival circuit in 2018. Trust us, you won't want to overlook this holiday horror treasure any longer. Far from the family-friendly romp that was Home Alone, this thriller (which has several titles) focuses on a clever kid who is understandably terrified as a vengeful stranger dressed as Santa invades his home, threatening the boy, his dog, and his half-blind grandfather. What follows is a ghoulish good time that will have you laughing, cheering, screaming, and even crying. — K.P.
Scare level: Funny, Very Scary
How to watch: Deadly Games is now streaming on Shudder.
7. Tales From the Crypt (1972) Credit: Amicus / Kobal / ShutterstockGet those visions of the cackling skeleton Crypt Keeper out of your head. This British film from Hammer director and David Lynch cinematographer Freddie Francis has nothing to do with that legendary HBO series from the ‘90s (nor the updated version on Shudder). The only thing they have in common is that this is an anthology format consisting of five unrelated stories, each shared in a wraparound tale that's told by a character that is indeed called The Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson wearing a hooded robe).
Admittedly, only one of the stories is a Christmas story! But "And All Through the House" is so much fun it alone justifies the film’s inclusion on this list. Legend Joan Collins stars as a wicked glamourpuss who murders her husband on Christmas Eve. But before she can get away with it, a deranged Santa Claus shows up at her door to attempt his own brand of ho-ho-homicide. There are only so many perfect pleasures in life, but seeing Joan Collins battle a murderous Santa is so obviously one of them. — J.A.
Scare level: Scary
How to watch: Tales From the Crypt is now streaming on Tubi.
6. Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)Killer Santa, but a robot? That's the goofy fun premise of Christmas Bloody Christmas, which fully embraces sheer absurdity from its start. A news broadcast tells us everything we need to know right upfront — a bunch of robotic Santas have been recalled because a glitch in their systems has reverted them to their original programming, which came from the Department of Defense. OK? Sure. Naturally. Why wouldn't it? And if that nonsense makes you giggle, this movie's got your number. It's basically Terminator in tinsel focusing on a young woman (Riley Dandy) who is stalked by a robo-Claus that kills everybody in its way. That is, until the two showdown in a sparking neon-lit extravaganza! — J.A.
Scare level: Funny
How to watch: Christmas Bloody Christmas is now streaming on Shudder.
5. It's a Wonderful Knife (2023) Credit: RLJE Films and ShudderIf you couldn't tell from the wordplay in the title, this wintry gem is a slasher riff on Frank Capra's holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life. This time around, the world-weary protagonist is a high-schooler named Winnie (Jane Widdop), who wishes on a star that she'd never been born… unfortunately forgetting that she was the Final Girl a year earlier who'd stopped a murderer called The Angel from killing a bunch of people.
When Winnie's Christmas wish comes true, she finds herself transported to an alternate timeline — one in which she'd never stopped the killer. So it becomes her duty to once again stop The Angel in his or her tracks, before they can slash the entire town to ribbons and bows. All this while she feels adrift in a weird reality where nobody she knows and loves recognizes her. It's no surprise that Winnie finds herself bonding with a girl named Bernie (Jess McLeod) that she barely noticed in her old timeline. This opens up a whole other can of worms, though, as feelings start to develop between the two that complicate which timeline Winnie feels the most tied to.
Written by Michael Kennedy (the screenwriter behind the 2020 body-swapping slasher Freaky) this high-concept (and queer as hell) Christmas horror proves home is where the heart is. And then stabs a really big fucking knife through it. Again and again and again and again. — J.A.
Scare level: WTF
How to watch: It's a Wonderful Knife is now streaming on Hulu.
4. Violent Night (2022)Dead Snow director Tommy Wirkola flips the script on the killer Claus concept by presenting a Santa who kills for good! Starring Stranger Things' David Harbour as the man in red, Violent Night sees the jolly gift-giver minding his own damn business one Christmas Eve, delivering toys as he does every damn year. When what should appear … but a hostage situation. It's up to this hard-headed Santa to kick ass and save the (holi)day, one defenestration at a time.
Co-starring John Leguizamo as "Mr. Scrooge," the leader of the festively nicknamed nogoodniks, and Beverly D'Angelo (ye icon of Christmas Vacation) as a rich matron, Violent Night has nothing in its sights but delivering scenes of Jolly Saint Nick committing extremely gratuitous spectacles of action-hero violence. As such, it's 10 trays full of cookies and a hundred glasses of milk — comfort food for the seasonally dubious. — J.A.
Scare level: Funny
How to watch: Violent Night is now streaming on Peacock, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
3. The Sacrifice Game (2023) Credit: ShudderNothing says deck the halls quite like Satanic rituals, and director Jenn Wexler's The Sacrifice Game has boughs of horror and blazing yule logs a'plenty. Nestling in among the students of the all-girls boarding school the Blackvale Academy, a couple of girls with nowhere to go for the holiday — and nothing in common but these momentarily difficult circumstances — hunker down for a depressing week together. (Yes, it's very The Holdovers.)
The girls soon find out they'll have to bond fast though, because a bad moon's a'rising outdoors where a roving band of Manson Family-esque serial killers are lurking about. Turns out one of them (Olivia Scott Welch) is a Blackvale alum, wielding plenty of inside knowledge about the grand old home. When the gang find themselves in need of a hideout — and a virgin for a demon-summoning spell — it's back to school they go, hoping to turn their dark magicks into darker reality. The Sacrifice Game, a twisty one indeed, keeps undoing our assumptions about who's good and who's bad behind this school's gates. Nobody's quite who they seem on the skin of it, and their school-girl secrets make for a quick spin straight into holiday hellfire. — J.A.
Scare level: Scary
How to watch: The Sacrifice Game is now streaming on Shudder.
2. There's Something in the Barn (2023)This offering out of Norway lays like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with a killer elf. (Side note: Why the heck didn't one of the National Lampoon Vacation movies have a killer elf in it???) There's Something in the Barn stars Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead's Martin Starr as the optimistic family man Bill, who's relocated his wife (Amrita Acharia) and two kids from the U.S. to his ancestral family farm in the snowy mountains of Norway. And the rest of the family isn't thrilled about it.
But little did cheerful Bill realize that there would be a territorial barn elf (Kiran Shah) living on the property. Before you know it, a clash between American culture and barn elf tradition erupts — for one, barn elves can't stand loud music or bright lights, which really messes with Bill's loud, bright holiday-decorating plans. There's Something in the Barn is really more of a comedy than it is horror for most of its runtime, but its last act lets fully loose as the blood turns the snow red in the two sides' war for merry dominance. — J.A.
Scare level: Funny
How to watch: There's Something in the Barn is now streaming on Hulu, Starz, AMC+, and Shudder, and is available for rent or purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
1. Gremlins (1984) Credit: Warner Bros / Kobal / ShutterstockWhat horror fan doesn't want a mogwai for Christmas? In Joe Dante's horror comedy classic, Zach Galligan stars as Billy Peltzer — a young bank teller gifted a dangerous creature for the holidays. Iconic for its adorable main "monster" and spectacular vignettes (I will never get over the gremlins drinking at a bar), Gremlins is a sci-fi tour through classic Christmas nostalgia that never disappoints. Well, except for Phoebe Cates' whole "Dad got stuck in a chimney" monologue. That bit is always kind of a bummer. — A.F.
Scare level: Funny, Scary
How to watch: Gremlins is now streaming on Max.
UPDATE: Dec. 12, 2025, 5:00 p.m. EST This article was originally published on Dec. 15, 2020. It has been updated to included the latest streaming options.
Why The Hollow Man novel is crucial to Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
The central locked room mystery of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery sees writer-director Rian Johnson drawing on a long literary history. The film takes many cues from the likes of authors including Agatha Christie and Edgar Allan Poe, but one particular novel is crucial to the core puzzle: John Dickson Carr's The Hollow Man.
The American author's 1935 mystery novel, which features his recurring investigator protagonist Gideon Fell, functions as a key text in Benoit Blanc's (Daniel Craig) investigation into the murder at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. But what exactly is this important book?
SEE ALSO: 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery': What's on the book club list? What is The Hollow Man in Wake Up Dead Man?Early on in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, new Chimney Rock resident and priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) is reckoning with the impossible crime that is the murder of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). Stabbed in the back in a small room with only one way in or out, in front of an entire congregation? It's "the stuff of detective fiction," as Blanc declares, the famous detective now on the case.
In his clue-gathering, Blanc mentions Carr's novel The Hollow Man and the methods of Gideon Fell, Carr's fictional detective. And according to a list Father Jud finds in the church office, The Hollow Man just so happened to be the Spring Book Club title for Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude — it seems the killer was inspired by the novel.
Featured Video For You Rian Johnson on 'Wake Up Dead Man,' Josh O'Connor's neck tattoo, and AI slop The Hollow Man gives "a syllabus of how to commit the perfect crime." Credit: Orion / MashableIn The Hollow Man, a murderer shoots a professor and vanishes from a locked room, then kills another victim in a public street with witnesses and without leaving footprints in the snow. However, there's one very famous chapter, 17, which has become synonymous with defining the elements of an impossible crime. Here, Carr has Fell giving this famous "locked room lecture" to the reader, describing "the general mechanics" of how a murder (like Wicks') could be committed in impossible circumstances.
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Blanc describes The Hollow Man in Wake Up Dead Man as "a syllabus of how to commit the perfect crime," as Fell maps out a number of scenarios, including the following:
1. It is not murder, but a series of coincidences ending in an accident which looks like murder.
2. It is murder, but the victim is impelled to kill himself or crash into an accidental death.
3. It is murder, by a mechanical device already planted in the room, and hidden undetectably in some innocent-looking piece of furniture.
Carr would deploy the locked room framework in many novels, like The Problem of the Wire Cage (a murder on a tennis court) and The Crooked Hinge and Castle Skull (murders which at first appear supernatural).
Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue (both also on Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude's book club list), Gaston Leroux's The Mystery of the Yellow Room, Soji Shimada's The Tokyo Zodiac Murders, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and The Adventure of the Speckled Band and The Adventure of the Crooked Man — all locked room mysteries, impossible crimes that it would take a real Jonathan Creek to solve.
Or, a Benoit Blanc.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will open in select cinemas on Nov. 26, then debut on Netflix on Dec. 12.
The 11 best Windows laptops of 2025
At present, I think the best Windows laptop for most people is the 13.8-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 powered by the Snapdragon X Elite chip. It's a stylish workhorse with enough power to handle demanding workloads and has a premium build as well as an amazing all-day battery life (outdone by just two other models). Even the M4 MacBooks can't keep up. Beyond that, I have other picks for users with different budgets, use cases, and design preferences.
I chose my picks based on hands-on testing conducted by myself and other Mashable staff and contributors. We've reviewed dozens of PCs on the basis of performance, build quality, battery life, and value over the years, and the ones I'm recommending are the cream of recent-gen crops. Most of them scored high enough to secure a Mashable Choice Award, the highest honor we give to the gadgets we review.
Why now is a good time to buy a new Windows laptopAI data centers have gobbled up DDR5 RAM and SSDs in recent months, leading to a shortage of such components for consumer devices — laptops included. Experts predict that PCs will get pricier over the coming months or ship with lesser specs, as Mashable's Alex Perry reported. Remember the dark days when mid-range laptops started with just 8GB of RAM? That's looking like a possibility again. (Yeah, it's bad out there.)
This is all to say that I recommend buying a new Windows laptop sooner rather than later, and to consider a storage or memory upgrade if you can afford it. You'll add some extra future-proofing while avoiding imminent price hikes amid the persistent AI boom.
On a more positive note, now is the time of year when I typically see many current-gen laptops go on sale at deep discounts. They're about to be refreshed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a huge tech industry trade show that happens in early January, so retailers price them to move. Act snappy and you could score a great laptop at a great price before the RAM and SSD shortage (probably) makes everything a worse value.
What's newAs of December 2025, I've added a couple new picks based on our latest round of testing. The Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 14 (Gen 10) is our new favorite Windows laptop for students, and the HP OmniBook 5 14 is our new battery life champ. Both are new categories for this guide.
I've also removed the Acer Swift X 14 (2024) as our top pick for photo and video editing, as it's getting difficult to find in stock. The newer Acer Swift 14 AI isn't a good replacement because it lacks a powerful dedicated GPU, has an ARM-based processor that might pose software compatibility issues, and doesn't have a microSD card slot or HDMI port. I'm currently on the hunt for a new winner in that category.
What didn't make the cut?We've tested other very good-but-not-great Windows laptops so far this year. They might meet some users' needs or have a couple of standout features, but our top picks outclass them in their respective categories.
The Acer Predator Helios 16 is a powerhouse with a stellar thermal design and a matte display, but its obnoxious, gamer-y look is a turnoff.
The Alienware 16 Area-51 (RTX 5080) is another lightning-fast gaming laptop. It has fun, customizable RGB lighting, tons of ports, and an excellent keyboard, but it's hot, loud, and clunky.
The Dell XPS 13 (9530) has a fantastic tandem OLED display and a slick edge-to-edge design — it's such a striking laptop, and a very portable one, too. Unfortunately, its keyboard is cramped, its touchpad is glitchy, and it's scant on ports.
The Dell 14 Plus 2-in-1 (AMD) is an impressive performer for the price, but it has poor speakers, a crude webcam, and a cheap feel to it.
The Dell 16 Plus 2-in-1 is configurable with a gorgeous mini-LED touchscreen, but it has a mediocre battery life and a creaky build.
The Dell 14 Premium is a powerful, well-made laptop with an oh-so-sexy design, but it's heavy for a 14-inch laptop, its battery life isn't great, and it has a frustrating capacitive touch function row.
Similarly, Dell 16 Premium (RTX 5070) is beastly and drop-dead beautiful, but it's too heavy, too expensive, and needs to ditch that capacitive function row. Plus, we got better graphics performance from cheaper last-gen gaming laptops.
The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 is a handsome convertible with a velvety touchpad, a springy keyboard, and a rich 3K OLED touchscreen, but it underperforms for the price and has some strange port placements on its corners.
The HP OmniBook X Flip 14 is another pretty 2-in-1. Its thin, travel-friendly design features a vivid 2.8K OLED touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate and an aluminum chassis that doesn't cling to fingerprints, and it comes with a stylus. However, its battery life disappoints, and its lattice-style keyboard takes a while to get used to. It's a runner-up to the Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 14 as a good pick for students.
The HP Omnibook X Flip 16 is an oversized hybrid laptop with a vibrant 3K OLED touchscreen, a strong hinge, and an above-average battery life. But it's weighed down by an awkward zero-lattice keyboard, middling performance for the price, and a heavy build. If you really want a 16-inch hybrid laptop, I'd go with this one before the two others on this list.
The Lenovo IdeaPad 5i 2-in-1 16 (Gen 10) has a solid battery life, but most of the other convertibles we've tried offer better build quality, performance, and future-proofing.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i 16 OLED (Gen 10, RTX 5080) is the fastest Windows laptop we've ever tested. Its 240Hz OLED display, RGB keyboard, and port selection are all wonderful, but it's really expensive and overkill for the average PC gamer.
The MSI Prestige 13 AI+ Evo is extremely lightweight and compact, and it has a nice (albeit overly glossy) 2.8K OLED display. But it otherwise felt and looked cheap, and isn't an impressive performer compared to cheaper models. It doesn't take much to get its fan to turn on, and you can feel it whir through the keys.
Synology's BeeStation is still the easiest Google Photos replacement
Cloud storage services like Google Photos and Dropbox force you to overpay for storage. And can you really trust these corporations to respect your privacy? For those who want to escape from cloud storage, Synology's BeeStation is the easiest, most user-friendly solution.
Hurdle hints and answers for December 20, 2025
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.
SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hintA charge.
SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answerDEBIT
Hurdle Word 2 hintA singing voice.
SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 20, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 AnswerTENOR
Hurdle Word 3 hintA link.
SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 20 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 20, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answerJOINT
Hurdle Word 4 hintAwesome!
SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 20 Hurdle Word 4 answerGOODY
Final Hurdle hintA household appliance.
SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answerDRYER
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Moon phase today: What the moon will look like on December 20
Tonight, the Moon is still very thin, marking the start of the waxing crescent phase in the U.S. However, in some parts of the world (depending on the time zone) the New Moon is officially occurring tonight.
What is today’s moon phase?As of Saturday, Dec. 20, the moon phase is Waxing Crescent (if you're in the U.S). There is little to be seen tonight, with NASA's Daily Moon Observation stating 0% of the moon will be lit up. So, of course, there's little to no chance of spotting any features on the Moon's surface tonight.
When is the next full moon?The next full moon will be on Jan. 3. The last full moon was on Dec. 4.
What are moon phases?According to NASA, the Moon takes around 29.5 days to complete one full cycle. This is known as the lunar cycle. Throughout this time, it passes through a series of phases as it orbits Earth. Although the same side of the Moon always faces us, the amount of sunlight reflecting off its surface changes, which is why it can appear fully illuminated, partly lit, or completely invisible at different points in the cycle. This process is divided into eight main lunar phases:
New Moon - The moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).
Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter - Half of the moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-moon.
Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon - The whole face of the moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous - The moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
