Happy New Year, my wonderful AO community! Before I spend the next month or so accidentally writing “2025” on all my important documents, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate this special time of new beginnings.

-Holyn Thigpen, AO Community Editor

Lemon Pigs: Your Newest New Year’s Tradition?

These odd little good-luck charms have come in and out of vogue for over a century now. In the late 1800s, magazines and newspapers instructed home crafters on how to make them. (As you can imagine, it’s pretty simple: toothpicks for legs, curly foil tail, and a coin slit for a mouth.) Later on, in the mid-20th century, children’s entertainment books taught youngsters about these special swine, and they even emerged as a quirky piece of holiday decor for party hosts.

HIGH ON THE HOG →

Hidden and Unusual Places on Amelia Island

Fall in Love With Amelia Island at These Hidden and Unusual Places

Take an adventure through Amelia Island’s natural beauty and old-school charm at these 6 spots off the beaten path. Whether you stop by the family-owned bookstore beloved by locals or try a cocktail at one of the most legendary bars around, a visit to Amelia Island means a lifetime of memories. Who knows? You may just want to stick around!

EXPERIENCE ISLAND LIFE →

It’s 2026!

Do Americans sing “Auld Lang Syne” because of a frat party? — Chorus on the quad
In this seaside Italian town, the new year means battling “witches of the sea” — Smoke (and ghouls) on the water
Ghana’s Fancy Dress Festival rings in the new year with stilts, masks, tutus, and more — Celebrate in style

Place of the Day

YLÖJÄRVI, FINLAND

Tree Mountain

While this pointed hill looks like an oddly symmetrical natural forest, it’s actually the world’s first virgin forest created by humans. In the 1990s, Hungarian-American artist Agnes Denes enlisted 11,000 people from across the globe to plant 11,000 trees in a special pattern, designed to evoke ancient earthworks as well as the mathematical precision found in many paintings. The Finnish government has pledged to protect and maintain the forest for 400 years in hopes of relieving the world’s ecological stress.

TREE LOVE →