The Weekender: ‘Mad Men’ lessons, menopause symptoms and the most popular gifts
Plus, the craziest, scuzziest and best performances of the year.
The Weekender
December 13, 2025

Welcome back to The Weekender, where you’ll find a batch of the week’s top stories about culture and the way we live today.

If you’ve been reading this newsletter regularly, you know I am a sucker for A.O. Scott’s “Close Reads” of poetry. For the last installment of the year, the team behind the series chose “Early December in Croton-on-Hudson,” a short, timely poem by Louise Glück. Come for the criticism, but stay for the effects — those little words shiver!

Also in this edition, we’ve got more Best of 2025 rankings, including Wesley Morris’s hyper-specific awards for the best performances of the year and the annual Most Stylish roundup — 67 “people” made the list this time. I’ll let you figure out why. See you next weekend(er).

— Farah

A man in a dark suit sits smoking at a bar, looking pensive.

Michael Yarish/AMC

FOLLIES IN 4K

Embarrassing errors aside, streaming TV could learn a lot from “Mad Men,” our critic writes. →

A room with a wood-burning stove and black leather lounge chair has large windows with a view of a river and the woods beyond.

Andrew Pogue

LIVING SMALL

His weekend cabin turned into a permanent downsize. →

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John Taggart for The New York Times

GEN Z AT HEART

Meet Judi Jupiter, a 76-year-old social media star, who is chronicling a new generation. →

Some figurines made of Blockaroo Magnetic Foam Building Blocks, a Nakiri chef's knife, and a black and white gingham Baggu Small Cloud Carry-On collaged on front of a blue and yellow background.

Source photos by NYT Wirecutter, Baggu, Blockaroo

POPULAR PRESENTS

We’ve rounded up 100 top-tier gems that will please even the trickiest of gift recipients. →

An illustration of a woman standing in a garden of strange plants. 3 circular panels surround her showing images of a drop of sweat, measuring tape and heart rate monitor lines.

Bianca Bagnarelli

HEAD TO TOE

Here’s what menopause actually does to the body. →

A portrait shot from the ground up shows a man in a long gray coat looking down at the camera. Behind him is a red brick building and above him is an overhang lined with lights.

Ariel Fisher for The New York Times

IN FOCUS

Ryan Coogler, the “Sinners” director, talks success, staying humble and what’s coming next. →

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Isabella Cotier

THIS POEM IS KIND OF INTO YOU

It starts out cold and stays that way for most of its 11 lines. And then it bursts into flame. →

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Clark Hodgin for The New York Times

THE HUNT

A former dancer wanted a two-bedroom for under $600,000. Guess where he and his partner landed. →

An illustration of a traveler in a suit with a red jacket, a blue tie and blue pants running through a spiral-shaped contrail left by a jet flying ahead of him. He is carrying a roller bag, and his hat has flown off his head behind him.

Charlie Padgett

BEFORE YOU GO

Don’t get tripped up by these little-known and sometimes nonsensical rules lurking in an airline’s fine print. →

THE BEST OF 2025

Our rankings of the year’s cultural offerings continue.

A collage of 12 photos, starting from the first row (left to right): Bad Bunny; Aunt Gladys in “Weapons” played by Amy Madigan; Becca Bloom; and a bedazzled Labubu figurine. In the second row, from left to right: Malin Akerman as Margo and Brittany Snow as Sophie in “The Hunting Wives”; Shohei Ohtani; Shah Rukh Khan; and Doechii. In the third row from left to right: Pope Leo XIV in a Chicago White Sox hat; Sabrina Carpenter; Michael B. Jordan in “Sinners”; and Cole Escola.

STYLE + “ISH”

These are the 67 people who shaped notions of style and self-expression this year. →

On a talk-show set, a man at a desk is turned to the side and another man in a suit is sitting in a chair and smiling.

LOLOL

Need a laugh? Choose from the best comedy of 2025. →

CRAZIEST! SCUZZIEST!

Wesley Morris hands out hyper-specific awards for must-see performances. →

Hands using a fork to take a scoop of an orange pie covered in a browned meringue topping.

ROOM FOR MORE?

Here are the 14 best desserts our food critics ate this year. →

Each year, The New York Times Communities Fund supports nonprofits. This year, the fund is working with seven organizations that focus on helping people through education, from preschool to vocational training. Donate to the fund here.

Thanks for reading. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here, and be sure to check out more lifestyle stories from The Times.

This edition of The Weekender was edited by Farah Miller and Patrick Hays.

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