Good morning. Tomorrow is the first work Monday of the year, so we implore you to enjoy the last day of the strange, temporal holiday limbo. And maybe polish off any egg nog still in the fridge before it goes bad.
—Quinn Henderson
CONVERSATION STARTERS
🛳️ Welcome to the age of “retail-tainment.” You may have missed it, but last summer Louis Vuitton opened a store in Shanghai shaped like a giant cruise ship. This space is just one part of a broader plan of ostentatious storefronts meant to lure in shoppers by providing high-end experiences. We wonder if “retail-tainment” will catch on at less pricey shops.
🥶 The human body can survive some frosty temperatures. As you shiver and shake during the outdoor portions of your daily commute, take some inspiration knowing that our bodies are resilient… and that human beings have survived much worse. Take the Polish toddler who survived hours in the cold despite his body temperature dropping to just 12°C.
🧠 Smartwatches are so last year; braingear is in. A wave of new wearables companies are offering headsets that tap into your brain. Like Elemind’s headband that uses EEG tech to read your brain waves for data about sleep, or Flow’s device that emits a low-intensity electrical current to treat depression. Admittedly, they’re a bit clunkier than an Oura ring.
🎬 Did Matt Damon make up his Avatar story? In 2023, the Oscar winner made a viral claim that he turned down the starring role in Avatar despite being offered a 10% cut of its gross — a disastrous financial decision considering it’s the biggest box office hit ever. Now, director James Cameron said that, while they did chat, Damon “was never offered the part.”
📚 Get hyped for 2026’s new books. Penguin Random House dropped the lists of its most anticipated fiction and non-fiction titles for this year. We love supporting independent presses, but there’s some exciting stuff the world’s biggest publisher is putting out. Like new books by master journalist Patrick Radden Keefe and GOAT’d humourist George Saunders.
HOUSING
What’s up for the housing market in 2026?
Source: EB Adventure Photography / Shutterstock.
Canadian housing this year might be a little bit of a buyer’s market and a little bit of a seller’s market.
Driving the news: Ownership costs for Canadian homes eased for the seventh straight quarter in Q3 of 2025, per RBC Economics. However, this could be the final gasp of the affordability rebound as the Bank of Canada is expected to pause its interest rate cuts.
The past two years of cuts were a main driver in lowering home ownership costs by making mortgages cheaper, even as prices slid in many markets.
That said, prices might now be low enough to make 2026 a comeback year for home sales. RBC found an uptick in real estate transactions in November that could be a sign of things to come. Meanwhile, Re/Max’s 2026 Canadian housing outlook predicted a 3.4% jump in home sales as the market reaps the rewards of pent-up demand.
Why it matters: This year could ultimately be a litmus test for the broader housing market. If the current conditions don’t spark a sales rebound, it’s unclear what else could happen that would.
What’s next: Developments to look out for that could have big impacts on affordability include the construction starts of Build Canada Homes’ six initial flagship projects and the housing ministry approving changes to the (hated by developers) foreign homebuyer ban.—QH
IN THE LAB
Source: Rimma Bondarenko / Shutterstock.
Can a brick of cheddar ward off dementia? Well, according to a long-running brain health study by researchers at Lund University in Sweden, participants who ate 50 grams or more of high-fat cheese each day had a 13% lower risk of dementia compared with those who ate less than 15 grams. This link was not found in low-fat cheese or in milk and butter. It should also be noted that the findings show an association, not causation.
Why it matters: If conclusive evidence is found, we’ll be able to defend eating an entire cheese platter when we’re at a function by saying we’re doing it for brain health purposes.
DROP THE PIN
🌎 Hint: This sprawling African metropolis — the most populous in West Africa — offers ample opportunities for sports, commerce, and culture. Spend the day partaking in watersports or visiting its many museums and galleries. In the evening, head to Victoria Island for nightlife and music. The city is the birthplace of the Afrobeat genre, after all.
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