🤗 A whole lotta wholesome

✈️ Listen to your flight attendants. Looking for evidence of miracles on this Monday morning? Take a peek at this photo.

All 379 people aboard that fireball survived and escaped unharmed.

A Japan Airlines flight landing at Tokyo’s Haneda airport collided with a small Coast Guard plane upon landing, erupting into an inferno as it came to a halt. The blaze engulfed the entire plane, eventually filling the cabin with smoke. Nightmare fuel.

But thanks to the discipline of the crew in executing evacuation procedures, as well as the orderly cooperation and exit of the passengers, the plane was emptied within 20 minutes of the incident. With the PA system damaged, the crew was forced to issue instructions through megaphones, but their calm authority remained intact nonetheless. Passengers heeded directives to leave personal belongings behind.

Think of how hard it is to ensure orderly deplaning when it’s not even an emergency…when you have people in row 27 standing up, massive wheel bags in the aisle, before you even reach the gate.

Sometimes, miracles don’t happen in the moment itself, though. Sometimes, they’re decades in the making.

Notably, a Japan Airlines flight produced the worst single-plane disaster in aviation history when a 1985 crash resulted in 520 deaths. But the airline took responsibility in the aftermath, putting into place some of the industry’s strictest safety procedures, protocols, and training to become one of the safest airlines in the sky. Perhaps that commitment paid off dearly last week.

Advancements in technology may deserve a nod of appreciation as well. There have been suggestions that the aircraft’s modern, carbon-fiber fuselage may have slowed the spread of flames long enough for evacuation. On a different day, on a different plane, with a different crew or a different airline, the result could have been far different. Instead, 379 live to tell the tale.

Miracle.

👴👵 Surprise sleepovers. If someone does something wholesome, but they do it primarily for TikTok clout, does that make it less wholesome?

Probably, yes.

You know who probably doesn’t care about the why behind a wholesome act? The grandparents nationwide who have been surprised by their adult grandchildren arriving to their doorstep for an impromptu sleepover.

@hah_tor

we had the best time 🥲 #fyp #sleepover #christmas #grandparents #cousins

On a social media platform filled with unimpressive dancing, fitness and wellness tips from unqualified talking heads, and people pointing to captions floating above them, this is one trend well worth the viral views. The surprise family reunions - held mostly around the holidays - have quickly gained momentum, much to the delight of grandparents all over. Finally, a trend we can all celebrate.

The grandkids may have created TikToks that do some serious numbies, but far more importantly, they created a warm memory to be cherished for the rest of their grandparents’ days.

🎁 Precious gifts. There are many gifts exchanged over the holidays, but the most meaningful are rarely the most expensive or fanciest. The true tearjerkers have wonderful backstories and are born from incredible thoughtfulness. Perhaps no gift has a better backstory than the one Barbara Rieco received from her grandson.

Rieco wrote a children’s book way back in 1972 and struggled for more than 40 years to get it published, sadly to no avail. So this Christmas, her grandson took matters into his own hands, self-publishing the book. Her reaction? Profound disbelief and instant tears.

@moosbehavin

grandma wrote this book in 1972 and never finished it so we published it for her!

Internet virality is powerful. Rieco’s book is already a #1 best seller on Amazon, with 431 reviews and a perfect 5.0 score. For Christmas, she received a book, yes, but she also received the gift of a decades-long dream come true.

Alright, dry your eyes and keep reading, because the feel-goods don’t stop there.

Abigail Oviedo, a grateful daughter, turned the tables on her parents by giving them the presents they always wanted but could never have as kids. Their reactions as they unwrapped their Easy Bake Oven and Coca Cola Semi-Truck? Profound disbelief and instant tears, with a hint of youthful exuberance.

@abby69oviedo

giving them what they thought they could never have🥺 my mom’s smile is so beautiful🎄 #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen #christmas #parents #g... See more

The nostalgia of a childhood Christmas gift hits different. Just ask Neil and Laura from The Santa Clause. Neil was a changed man once he finally got that Oscar Meyer Weenie Whistle, and Scott giving Laura Mystery Date more or less won him back custody of his child.

For Abigail, seeing that twinkle of childlike joy in the eyes of her parents must have been the best gift of all.

💌 100 birthday wishes. Joseph Galiardi frequently visited schools in the Newtown, PA area to talk about his service in the US Navy. Sadly, those days are over, and the aging WWII veteran no longer receives handmade cards from the wonderful children he met along the way. But seven-year-old Layla Louth Peck wanted to change that for her “best friend’s” 100th birthday.

With a police escort in tow, Layla rode aboard a Newtown fire truck to Gagliardi’s residence carrying 100 handmade birthday cards from her and her classmates. A centennial birthday is a pretty amazing thing, and Layla just made sure Galiardi will have 100 keepsakes to remember it by. Decades pass and trends come and go, but handmade cards remain timeless in their ability to thoughtfully connect generations.

🤮 A very presidential puke. Think you’re having a bad day?

At least you didn’t throw up in the lap of a foreign head of state.

That’s exactly what George H.W. Bush did on this day in 1992, tossing his cookies right on Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa. A once strong diplomatic relationship was not put to such tests again until Hugh Grant foolishly humiliated President Billy Bob Thornton in front of the media in Love Actually. If I know President Billy Bob like I think I do, it would’ve been a tough term for the Prime Minister; hope you enjoyed your triumphant speech, chap!

Anyways, back to Bush. The incident was caused by gastroenteritis, and both countries took it in stride mostly as an opportunity for high comedy. The president was slated to make a speech at the dinner, but his swift exit left his wife Barbara to pinch hit. She’s a real one for that, and she took the opportunity to roast the US Ambassador to Japan for losing to the Japanese Emperor in tennis.

If you’re ever worried about a meeting, just think: what’s the worst that could happen? You could ralph all over a person of immense importance and become a global punchline. Would that be so bad?!

⛈️ A strapping lad. The fascinating thing about our Great Samaritans is they not only jump right into the fray to help, but they also often know just what to do, even if it’s not necessarily that obvious.

An unnamed Good Samaritan in Coventry, Rhode Island saved a woman’s life with his quick thinking in December. A severe rainstorm caused hazardous driving conditions, felling branches and sending them into the road. One branch broke through the windshield of a 34-year-old woman’s car, impaling her upper thigh. Honestly pretty terrifying to think about the next time you’re driving in less than stellar weather.

Fortunately for this woman, a man happened upon her car before emergency crews, placing a ratchet strap above the wound and successfully stopping her heavy bleeding. The Coventry Fire Chief noted that his actions saved the woman’s life. It’s lucky for this woman that the man was there, knowledgeable, and equipped with the right strap to save the day.

But the more you read stories like these, the more you start to realize that “luck” is actually created by the existence of some pretty remarkable human beings.

🎂 Let them eat 55 hours worth of cake. Let’s hope Mitchelle Handley’s family has a big appetite. The Texas woman just spent 55 hours straight baking treats, obliterating the prior world record which stood just north of 47 hours. The achievement has to be the biggest feat involving a baked good since Bruce took down that chocolate cake in Matilda.

She must have binged The Great British Baking Show before attempting this, right? I absolutely insist we get Mitchelle Handley in the tent next season. Think she’s worried about a showstopper or a technical challenge? No chance. She baked for 55 hours straight. She’s getting that handshake from Paul Hollywood.

🎯 Bullseyes beyond his years. Here in the States, darts is mostly just a bar sport - a hazardous recreational pastime - but across the pond, it’s serious business. On a recent visit to London, I was struck by the omnipresence of darts on pub TVs. People watch this? At best, this would air on ESPN 8: The Ocho back home.

But last week, a story emerged in the sport so spectacular that it’s worth anyone’s attention. At the age of only 16, Luke Littler of Warrington, UK reached the finals at the World Darts Championship, becoming the youngest person to even win a match at the tournament in the process. His Cinderella run to the title match captured the admiration and fascination of a nation. 3.71 million people watched the final on Sky Sports, the highest peak audience for a non-football event.

While he ultimately fell in the final, he has 8 years to become the youngest to win it - the current record was notched by a 24-year-old. The UK will be watching his career with great interest from here on; that includes David Beckham, who reached out with words of congratulations.

Suffice it to say: this was the biggest week of Luke Littler’s young life.

🤗 From Weah downtown. American Timothy Weah scored his first goal for Italian giant Juventus this week. The effort was no tap-in, as Weah unleashed a cannon from outside the box. The goal was spectacular, yes, but we’re here for the wholesome celebration, because it turns out Weah wasn’t even the person most excited by his achievement.

No, that title goes to his Juventus and US teammate, Weston McKennie. In the highlight above, at about 25 seconds, you can see a coated individual burst into the fray to embrace Weah. That would be McKennie, who rushed from the Juventus bench onto the pitch to celebrate, wrapping Weah in a bear hug before gleefully bounding back to the sideline.

Think he was happy? Find yourself a teammate like Weston. And don’t forget to celebrate for your Weah.

🐝 An inspired celebration. Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie’s celebration was wholesome. But when it comes to wholesome, nothing compares to the inspiration for Neil Maupay’s ✌️☝️ celebration.

The Brentford striker visited the club’s team for players with Down’s Syndrome. While he was there, he promised two of their players that he’d strike the celebration as a nod to both of them. Sure enough, on Friday he scored a goal, ran to the corner, put up the two and the one on each hand and sealed it with a wave and a smile toward his new friends.

Afterwards, he hopped into the stands to greet one of them - who was beaming ear to ear - with a hug. You can tell it made his day, and you know what? It made our day too. The power at the collision of sport and community is an amazing thing.