Huge news, girlies 🎁✨ We have a special holiday giveaway happening over on our Instagram.

Earlier this year, Carol shared her skincare secrets after more than 13 years in plastics & aesthetics. Many of you told us you used that article as your jumping-off point for building (or rethinking) your skincare routines. We loved hearing that, and wanted to do something a little special for the holidays.

We are so excited to announce we’re giving away Obagi Elastiderm Face Serum ($215) and Obagi Elastiderm Eye Serum ($125) two of Carol’s favorite and most used products.

This is just the beginning. We’ll be doing more giveaways of little treats featuring tried-and-loved recommendations from the shows, so stay tuned!

Good luck, girlies 💫

A few weeks ago we asked a tough question for the poll. We wanted to know “how many girlies have you been absolutely sure would be your BFF for life… only to eventually drift apart?”

Over half (53%) of you said 1-2, with another 42% saying 3-5. The thing that stood out to us? Not a single girlie said 0. Which means we all know the feeling and can empathize with why it’s such a painful part of girlhood. Even if we don’t fully understand it.

This week, we’re checking in on holiday homecomings. Whether you’re heading home or hosting family yourself, there’s always that one question that makes you clench your jaw, smile politely, and immediately text the group chat.

👩🏼‍💻You’re not the only one that wants to prove you’re over your ex on social. This week, supermodel Gisele married her jiu-jitsu instructor and Tom Brady posted some thirst traps.

🍎 Gwyneth Paltrow had a proud parent moment when daughter Apple Martin rocked the red carpet and wore a chic black Calvin Klein dress from her mom’s closet.

🎭 Bowen Yang has officially bid farewell to Saturday Night Live after seven seasons. His final episode at Studio 8H aired during the Christmas show with host Ariana Grande. The send-off included tears and Cher.

💰You’ve heard about the Tinder Swindler but what about the Streamer Scammer? This director scammed Netflix out of $11 million and spent it on lavish gifts for himself instead of making the movie he was supposed to. Whoopsie.

📱Amy Schumer continues to use Instagram like manual Snapchat. She wiped her feed, then confirmed her split from husband of eight years, Chris Fischer, in a post that was… also promptly deleted.

🎬 Rob Reiner, the actor and filmmaker behind classics like When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, and A Few Good Men, and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were tragically found dead in their Los Angeles home. Their son Nick has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with their deaths.

⚽️ Blocked like Beckham? Victoria and David’s son Brooklyn has blocked his parents and sibling on Instagram amid an allegedly ongoing feud that some speculate started at Brooklyn’s wedding to Nicola when Marc Anthony announced “the most beautiful woman in the room”… Victoria.

💔 This is going to ruin the tour. Sources say Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel might be experiencing a quiet shift behind the scenes.

Skylar: To cart or not to cart. That is the question. 🛒

I can’t explain why my decision to grab a shopping cart has less to do with what I’m actually buying and more to do with the vibes upon entrance. I’ll commit to a full cart for one single grocery store staple, then walk into Target planning a full essentials haul and decide I’m suddenly brave, mysterious, and above assistance.

One thing has remained consistent: HomeGoods is a cart-free experience. I am simply not built to navigate those narrow aisles while blocking my fellow shoppers from smelling candles because I’ve turned myself into a mobile roadblock.

The problem with my chic, minimalist shopping philosophy is that by the time I reach the checkout line, my arms are… full. I’m holding everything at an unnatural angle, unable to scroll my phone because I have exactly two fingers available. The rest are clawed around a hand soap and some organizational item I’m convinced will change my life.

And every HomeGoods line is longer than the last. You might think 2pm on a Wednesday would be smooth sailing. You would be wrong. Instead, I find myself stuck in stop-and-go traffic behind someone who will need to lean around me to inspect the impulse snacks no one has ever been seen eating.

This week was especially brutal thanks to the holiday rush. By the time I made it to the register, my arms were burning. It felt like a full upper-body workout that would earn me the respect of any gym bro.

Good news: there was protein powder in the impulse section. So I’ve decided this is my new workout routine. I’m toning my arms and stimulating the economy, so no one can tell me anything.

Carol: Throughout the holiday season, we’ve been sharing ways to give back, and many of you showed up. Several girlies donated money, sent toys, or shared the Mountain Strong Toy Drive with friends and family, and I wanted to say thank you!

Yesterday, Mountain Strong distributed the toys at Santa’s Workshop (shout-out Birdfoot!) in Burnsville, North Carolina. The turnout was incredible. Many parents let us know that they weren’t sure how they were going to make Christmas happen this year without this drive. By the end of the day, we had given out well over 2,500 toys to local kids and families.

There is truly nothing like the sound of pure joy, the shrieks, the gasps, the disbelief, from kids who walk into a room, meet Santa, and then head to his “workshop” filled wall-to-wall with toys where they get to pick out their toy.

Skylar sent several Barbies home with me and they were some of the first toys plucked from the wall. It was so fun to watch the looks of awe, shock, and the feeling of witnessing something bigger than yourself. It’s the exact same look and feeling I’ve had while watching the Taylor Swift: The End of an Era documentary.

Every year during this time I have the joy and delight of remembering to watch Patti LaBelle ask for her background singers. If you haven’t seen the clip of the chaotic Christmas Tree Lighting in 1996, please enjoy. Patti is an icon and master class in making the best of the situation.

🐟 If your algorithm didn’t serve you this little Caviar Queen, I sent several friends the clip of the seven year old going on 35, who really knew what she wanted and (thanks viral marketing!) got it.

Came to a live show this year? If you haven’t told us yet, we would love your feedback on your experience. We want to make 2026 even more for the girlies, so let us know what you thought here.

Nominate A Girlie You Should Know.

😂 Super niche shout out to the girlie this week that posted on her social that nothing kills the vibe when you’re meeting someone like finding out they like a comedian you loathe. Reply back to this email and let us know what is something someone says that’s an immediate friend red flag?

And lastly, if you have not yet, make sure you text your group chat, send them this email, or forward them the Substack so they can join the chat.