Our Favorite Things of 2024

Before The Sound of Music became the classic it is today, producers of the film tried a unique marketing approach...

The movie had a massive budget for a musical at the time – around $8.2 million.

To generate anticipation for The Sound of Music, producers decided to turn one of the movie's central songs, "My Favorite Things," into a radio hit. The song was featured on Grammy-award-winning singer Jack Jones' Christmas album in 1964. The album rose to No. 15 on Billboard's holiday chart and cemented "My Favorite Things" as a Christmas song.

Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow would each go on to record their own versions of the tune.

The Sound of Music went on to become the highest-grossing film of the time after its 1965 release, making more than $286 million worldwide.

Today, my team and I are sharing our own "favorite things." You won't find any "doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles" on our list, but you might find some gifts for your loved ones (or a treat for yourself)...

(Editor's note: We don't receive any commission or other compensation for any of the products mentioned here.)

Doc's Picks

My favorite things this year aren't things you can buy, but they are things you should add to your regular health routine...

(I'll also share a book that helps with one of these practices. It's one of my favorite gifts to give family and friends.)

Over the past several months, I've spent a lot of time in hotels. And one of the things I enjoy is using as much hot water as I want – without worrying about using it all up. But I regularly finish my shower by turning the tap as cold as it will go. At first, I could only stand the cold for about 15 seconds. But after about two months of practicing this twice a week, I've gotten up to three minutes.

Cold water helps with inflammation, swelling, and pain. Cold showers also reduce our levels of a hormone called cortisol that directly contributes to our experience of stress.

In one study, researchers immersed participants in cold water (about 57 degrees Fahrenheit in this case) and found they experienced reduced levels of cortisol and a 350% increase in their metabolic rates (how fast our bodies expend energy or burn calories).

If you want to try out the benefits for yourself, do what I do... At the end of a hot shower, turn on the cold water for 20 to 40 seconds. It doesn't have to be all the way cold, but it should be quite cool...

I slowly rotate while I'm doing this so my forehead, then a shoulder, and then back, then the other shoulder, and so on all get the cold water.

A cold shower also helps me concentrate on another of my favorite things to do... mindful breathing. When cold water shocks your body, it's typical for folks to forget to breathe. So I'm forced to focus on my breathing.

Mindful breathing also has been shown to fight the progression of autoimmune diseases. And regular rhythmic deep-breathing exercises increase the body's number of white blood cells, which destroy tumors and cells infected with a virus.

If you want to learn about the power of breath and how it can improve your health, I highly recommend one of my favorite books – James Nestor's Breath. It explores the power of the breath... How the mind and the body connect to oxygen and carbon dioxide is critical to our immune system and overall health.

I'm such a big fan that I was thrilled about meeting James and introducing him at our annual Stansberry conference this year. And now, I'm a draft editor for his next book.

I've also started talking about Breath at work. And after one such chat, one of my colleagues told me the book had changed the way he breathes... and his whole life.

So if you want a book that will better your life, read Breath.

Our Senior Editor, Laura Bente

My favorite thing right now is one of the best books I've read this year... a must-read for any history or war buffs on your shopping list.

In A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II, Sonia Purnell tells the true story of Baltimore-native Virginia Hall. Serving in France from August 1941 to November 1942, Hall overcame incredible odds: a prosthetic leg, discrimination due to her gender and disability, lack of experience, and sabotage from her fellow Special Operations Executive agents.

Despite it all, Hall became known as "the most dangerous of all Allied spies." She organized a complex network of spies, safehouses, and resistance fighters to smuggle people in and out of France and share intelligence reports on German officers. This is a gripping tale that will have you on the edge of your seat and ends much too quickly.

Our Managing Editor, Brady Holt

I take a lot of pictures. My Google Photos account is bursting with images of my family, my cats, and places I've visited. I have two ways I like sharing these with my loved ones...

One is a digital picture frame, meaning a screen that displays a rotating array of photos. This isn't new technology. But what I love about the newest digital frames is that anyone can add photos...

If you own the frame, you can choose photos you'd like it to display. But the rest of your family can also send pictures from their own phones, from anywhere in the world. That's perfect if the recipients don't want the hassle of figuring out the frame themselves... or just love a surprise when new photos join their rotation. I like this one on Amazon.

For an older-school approach, I love ordering photo books. I choose the best of my digital photos and assemble them into a printed book. I like the service Mixbook, which has a variety of book formats, templates, and tools. You can handcraft your own creation... or just tell the site to fill your photos into an existing template in a single click. In addition to books, Mixbook also offers custom calendars, cards, and prints.

Just don't pay full price... Mixbook often runs big discounts, and you can see the latest offers here.

Our Senior Analyst, Jeff Havenstein

With Christmas coming up, my favorite thing this year is not a physical item, but an idea.

With two young kids, my house is flooded with new toys from grandparents and other relatives once Christmas is over. The kids love to be inundated with new things to play with. But there's only so much space in the house. Plus, as many of you know, kids have funny preferences. They love one toy one day, only to never play with it again starting the next day.

So our main gift this year was a fun experience rather than another pile of toys. We took our kids on the Polar Express train ride here in Baltimore. They met Santa, watched a live performance of the Hot Chocolate song and dance, and received a silver sleigh bell and a couple other small gifts.

It was an unforgettable experience. The best part – our house isn't jam-packed with more toys (at least not yet).

I will share one physical item I can't go without... a Hatch sound machine. I like to have a bit of rain noise in the background when I sleep. With the Hatch, you can use your phone to control volume, which sound you're listening to, and even lighting.

Our Health-and-Wellness Researcher, Ellen Chung

I'm a big fan of keeping warm and cozy in the winter. So I suggest treating yourself to a pair (or few) of merino-wool socks.

Merino wool is terrific for wicking away moisture. Unlike cotton, merino can still keep you warm even when it's wet. Like cotton, merino is breathable – you can wear merino socks in the summer. And as a bonus, the material naturally resists odors.

The breathability, wicking, and thermoregulation make them the perfect socks for bedtime. (After all, warming your feet helps widen the blood vessels there for better circulation of blood and warmth away from your core. Lowering your core temperature faster helps you fall asleep faster, too.)

My favorite brand of merino-wool socks is called Fits.

These U.S.-made socks come in all sorts of lengths and cushioning. But my favorites would have to be the Medium Hikers and the Light Hikers. They have around 65% to 70% merino wool (the higher the wool content, the better), a well-crafted heel pocket, and loads of cushioning. I also like the thicker Heavy Expedition socks when lounging around home or wearing boots, but they're too bulky for my everyday shoes.

I keep mine looking new by washing them inside out in cold water with Woolite detergent. I suggest getting the Woolite bottle with the pink cap to avoid enzymes that would break down the proteins of wool fibers. And I air-dry them using a rather adorable octopus-shaped clothes hanger with multiple arms, each bearing clothing clips. I got mine from Ikea years ago, but you can find similar space-saving drying-rack hangers on Amazon like this one.

Our Associate Editor, Sara French

Now that the cold weather is officially here and we're all spending more time indoors, it's nice to make your home feel as cozy as possible – especially when hosting guests for the holidays. One simple way to do this is with a wax-melt warmer.

If you're unfamiliar, wax-melt warmers are an alternative to candles that heat scented wax with electricity rather than an open flame.

I used to be a major candle connoisseur, but I officially made the switch to wax melts this year for a few reasons...

Because wax melts don't use an open flame, that means far less fire risk, no danger of soot blackening your walls over time, no four-hour time limits on usage, and no harmful air pollutants to irritate your lungs (and potentially cause respiratory problems).

On top of all that, wax melts are cheaper, take up much less space, and can't get broken in transit. (Any candle lover out there knows how heartbreaking it is to order one online and have it arrive with the glass shattered.)

I've bought this wax-melt warmer for two friends' birthdays this year, and both loved the gift and have used the heck out of it. That one is a bit flashy, though... so if you prefer a more pared-down version that won't require light-bulb replacement, this one has been just as reliable and effective for me.

The melts themselves are available at Yankee Candle, on Amazon, or – my favorite place to buy them – on Etsy.

Finally, note that wax melts come in two main varieties: soy or paraffin. I always opt for soy wax, since it only takes about four to six weeks to biodegrade. Paraffin wax can take up to 500 years.

What are your favorite things this year? Share them with us at feedback@healthandwealthbulletin.com.

Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,

Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
December 12, 2024