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It seems like every Christmas there’s a hot new toy that’s on every child’s wish list. Whether it’s Tickle Me Elmo or this year’s sleek Hoverboard, kids will always send letters to Santa asking for the must-have item. But what was it like 50 years ago? 100? 2,000? Were kids in the year 15 A.D. asking for the same brand of slingshot? Obviously, people weren’t celebrating Christmas that long ago, but they were celebrating it in 1943, the year that a young boy named David wrote a heartfelt letter to Father Christmas. This letter was recently discovered in a chimney by construction workers who were about to tear it down. Preserved in perfect condition for 72 years, the letter asks for gifts far more modest than the ones kids ask for today. This fascinating letter, and the man who wrote it, take us back to a time when Christmases were simpler. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/old-letter-to-santa-chimney-david/

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Historically, several generations of a family often lived under one roof. This was as much to do with financial constraints as anything, but even in the upper classes, it wasn’t uncommon. Children and the elderly were both seen as equal responsibilities for the middle-aged adults in the household. As time went on, at least in America, more independence was sought by young adults, perhaps by the increase in college attendance and that taste of living on one’s own. These days time seems more precious and spare than money, and so very often elder care is outsourced to retirement homes and other facilities. Still, one thing we’ve lost in a big way is the interaction between our seniors and the very young, like those featured in this video from Irish YouTube channel Facts. Better known for their humorous series of “Irish People Try Things” cultural experiments, this conversation between a precocious 7 year old, and a witty 64 year old is surprisingly beautiful and reaches quite deep in its brief running time. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/child-and-old-man-have-conversation/

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There’s American Idol, The Voice, The X Factor … the list could go on. The point is, reality shows showcasing talented performers who want to make it big are a dime a dozen. Most people that audition on the shows are sent home with bruised egos, and even some who make it to further rounds are easily forgotten. Then, there are contestants like Jaycob Curlee. The teenager’s gorgeous voice, positive attitude, and alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming life story made him an easy stand-out. The judges thought so, too – during his appearance on the ninth season of America’s Got Talent, he made it all the way to the second round of the semifinals! While this video elaborates on Jaycob’s inspiring background, it leaves out what’s happened in his life since his initial appearance on the show. “It’s been crazy,” he explains. “Crazy in a good way. With social media blowing up the way it did, I have tons of fans.”  And many of those fans have been drawn to Jaycob in part because of his background, causing them to write to him about their own lives. “One thing that really struck me is that a lot of them have gone through similar situations, if not worse situations that I have,” he explains. Despite his busy schedule, Jaycob says he makes sure to personally get in touch with everyone who shares their story with him. “I make sure I write everyone back. It’s really uplifting to know that I’ve helped people through those times. Like this one girl, she tried to commit suicide six times, and when she saw my audition, she said it turned around for her. That’s what I really want to do. I want to inspire people to try to be more than what the past has them labeled as.” H/T: America Talent Read more: http://www.wimp.com/jaycob-curlee-americas-got-talent/

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Get your tissue box ready before watching this one the whole way through. It’s a sad story but with an incredible sense of hopefulness and wonder. And it’s alway great to see a community chipping in to support the family of a fallen comrade. A trait you might associate with say, military or police officers also apparently extends to the world of rodeo, and what those cowboy athletes did for Jace Kellogg and his little brother. Jace desperately wants to follow in his father’s bullriding footsteps, and what the Fox5 Surprise Squad in Las Vegas did for this family meant so much to these two kids, not even the news anchors could keep their composure by the end. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/jace-kellogg-bullriding-father-surprise-jb-mauney/

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Postal workers are known for their reliability, but in the town of Clay, New York, it was the mailmen (and women) who could rely upon someone else – that whenever they drove by the Watkins’ residence, 17-year-old Matthew Watkins would be there to greet them. Affectionately nicknamed “Matthew the Mailman,” the teenager has always had a great affinity for the postal service and has long had a routine of waiting for the mail truck and greeting his local postal worker. Unfortunately, Matthew was diagnosed with leukemia. His illness prevented him from completing his daily ritual of waiting outside for the mail. His absence was not unnoticed. After days turned to weeks and weeks turned to eight long months, the Watkins’ postwoman asked around to see if he was okay, and that’s when they found out what was going on. Without any hesitation, the post office knew they had to do something for this young man. When Matthew came back home recently, they gave him a surprise he won’t soon forget: his very own parade of 20 postal vehicles, right at his door. Matthew, who loves the U.S.P.S. so much that he even wore a mailman‘s uniform during his hospital stay, was absolutely thrilled by this touching gesture. He even received several gifts and a sash! Clearly these postal workers are delivering a whole lot more than just letters. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/boy-with-leukemia-gets-personal-postal-truck-parade/

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Hummingbirds are such elusive creatures. Just when one comes close enough for us to get a good look and hear the faint whirring of its wings, poof! It darts away, at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. If your house isn’t surrounded by fresh flowers, the best way to watch hummingbirds is to hang a feeder of nectar from a porch or window. It might take them a few days to find it, but when they do, they’ll return again and again, sometimes even bringing along their friends and family. No amount of bird feeders, however, can support hummingbirds in subfreezing weather. While hummingbirds have been documented living as far north as Alaska, most retreat to warmer climates in the winter. Some migrate all the way to South America, while others stay in the southern United States. A small group has even taken up residence at the Outer Banks in North Carolina, one of the East Coast’s favorite vacation destinations! Must be nice, right? Every once in a while, though, a cold front comes through that hummingbirds (and humans) weren’t exactly expecting. That’s what happened in Sedona, Arizona, in February 2011. YouTuber “blueskeye” knew that hummingbirds wintered at his home, and had been feeding them for years, so when a hard frost caused their nectar to freeze, he knew something had to be done right away. After all, hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of any warm-blooded animal. His solution was a heating pad, but no one could have predicted the hummingbird’s reactions. How the two birds he came to call “Rocky” and “Adrian” survived the cold and made a human friend along the way is something that has to be seen.  Read more: http://www.wimp.com/man-saves-hummingbirds-food-heating-pad-rocky-adrian/

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Street performers are one of the joys of urban exploration. You’ve seen them before, the silver robot man, maybe the odd juggler. Our personal favorite performer is the levitating man, a gentleman who seemingly floats in the air by just resting his cane on his hand. We’re about to spoil the secret of the levitating man for you because secrets are fun to break, but before you watch this video promise you’ll still throw the guy a dollar if you see him on the street. Wonder and tips are how street performers make their living.  Read more: http://www.wimp.com/incredible-levitating-street-trick/

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Among the many varieties of bird that are able to mimic human speech, parrots are the most famous. While many consider a parrot to be a very exotic and odd pet, they are actually quite friendly once they develop a relationship with you. Parrots are very slow to warming up to people, but once they do, they can be incredibly cuddly and friendly towards them. In fact, parrots can even become quite territorial, not only of their homes, but also of the humans they develop relationships with. Parrots can be somewhat finicky pets, in that they hate being confined to cages and love to walk and fly around. They can also sometimes become aggressive and ill-temepered as they mature, prone to screaming and biting. As a result, parrots tend to be one of the most commonly surrendered pets. Although owning a parrot certainly has its challenges, it also leads to plenty of fun times. This little one, for instance, seems to be having a great time running across the floor of its home. What comes out of its mouth is absolutely hysterical.  Read more: http://www.wimp.com/bird-laughs/

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Unless you live in a log cabin or a fallout shelter, your home probably uses drywall. Otherwise known as “gypsum board,” drywall is made from pressing gypsum plaster in between two sheets of paper and is later used as walls and ceilings inside of homes. Drywall has been in production since the 1800s, with the first plant opening up in Rochester, Kent in the year 1888. Drywall seems purely practical. It’s used to make walls that go into houses … end of story, right? Well, what if we told you that one man was taking drywall to a whole new level by transforming it into stunning works of art. Bernie Mitchell has defined himself as a master of drywall art in the 20 years he has been practicing the craft. Mitchell loves using drywall to bring boring walls to life with beautiful scenes of animals in nature. Birds, fish or wolves – you name it and Bernie can make it happen. We’re not sure if Bernie was the first person to start doing drywall art, but he’s certainly the most famous. We can say for certain that he isn’t the first to master this method of sculpture. Known as “relief,” this form of sculpture involves carving images into a fixed background made of the same material. Unlike other sculptors who work with large chunks of marble, relief sculptors use walls and ceilings as their canvas, making them the perfect decoration for any room. Do you see yourself being the next “master of drywall?” If so, check out this video following Bernie through one of his most impressive pieces yet. You can check out his website for more tutorials and examples of his gorgeous work. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/drywall-art-sculpture-bernie-mitchell/

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What is your biggest regret? That might not be a question we like to ask ourselves, but everyone tends to have an answer no matter how long they’ve lived. Our regrets can be small, like wishing you’d ordered mashed potatoes instead of green beans at a restaurant, or huge, like never going on that dream vacation you always promised yourself you would take. Regret can be tricky, though, since our choices in life aren’t always as clear as we’d like them to be. We’re often faced with decisions between two or more things that sound great. It seems like no matter what we choose, we’ll always regret not choosing the other paths. Or, we won’t make a decision at all and end up regretting our inaction just the same. Sylvia Plath beautifully illustrates this struggle in her famous fig tree metaphor from “The Bell Jar.” It goes as follows:  “I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked.” Her metaphor extends beyond those two sentences, going on to describe how her life could become anything she wanted, from a mother to a brilliant professor. Eventually, she ends up picking nothing and watches the figs, or choices, wither before her eyes. Plath’s message points to the one thing that most people’s regrets have in common. This video points to that same truth as well. When people were asked to write their biggest regrets on a chalkboard in NYC, those conducting the experiment found that every response featured the same heartbreaking word. Even though we can’t change our past and the regret that comes with it, we can still change our future and build a life with no regrets. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/people-write-biggest-regret-nyc-blackboard/

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