👋 Welcome back to Smileworthy! Remember the raccoon who broke into a liquor store and passed out by the toilet? Well, his bad day just raised $250K for an animal shelter. We’ve also got a stepdad surprises his stepson with an emotional adoption surprise, awesome grandmas dispensing wisdom in NYC, and a gorilla who can really move.

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Feel good stories from Happilynews.com guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

For four seasons, 12-year-old Buck Davis wore a name on his football jersey that wasn't technically his. Not yet, anyway.

The name? McMillion – belonging to his stepdad, Devan, who'd been in Buck's life since February 2018. Back then, Buck was just a little kid, and Devan stepped into the role like he'd always been there. "Kissing boo boos better and chasing monsters out from under the bed," as Buck's mom, Jerry, puts it.

But it was football that really sealed their bond.

Devan works as a heavy machinery mechanic, servicing equipment all over West Texas. Long hours. Lots of road time. Sometimes he'd drive three hours each way just to make Buck's practice. Every time, without fail, he showed up.

So when Buck's youth football league surprised the team with jerseys featuring their names on the back during his second season, something unexpected happened. Buck looked at his jersey – printed with "Davis," his mom's surname from a previous marriage – and started to cry.

He didn't feel like a Davis. He felt like a McMillion.

From that moment on, Buck wore Devan's last name on his jersey anyway. A quiet declaration of who his dad really was, even if the paperwork hadn't caught up.

Behind the scenes, Devan and Jerry were working on that. Texas adoption processes are notoriously complicated, and the couple tried twice to navigate it themselves before finally hiring an attorney this past summer. Then, in October, the news came through: Buck's biological father had signed away his rights. The final steps could move forward.

Now they just needed to tell Buck.

Devan chose the perfect moment: November 8, Buck's final youth football game, at Trinity Christian Athletic Complex in Lubbock. Six years of tackles, touchdowns, and sideline high-fives – all leading to this.

As Buck walked along the sideline after the game, Devan approached him, already wiping tears from his own eyes.

"You know that last name on the back…" Devan started.

Buck nodded.

"It's going to be official."

The 12-year-old's face crumpled into happy tears. The two wrapped each other in a tight embrace right there on the field—stepdad and stepson, about to become something more.

Jerry captured the whole thing on video – which you can watch below – somehow managing to keep recording. "It took everything in me to keep recording and not just bawl my eyes out," she said. "It was the most perfect moment, and a very long time coming."

It’s not all doom and gloom out there. Here’s some positive news items from publications around the world.

📍Virginia, USA
That Viral ‘Drunk Raccoon’ Is Now Funding an Animal Shelter
A couple of weeks ago, we brought you the viral drunk raccoon – the masked bandit found passed out next to a toilet after ransacking a liquor store. Well, that little critter's bad day (he was fine in the end) has turned into something truly positive: a "Trashed Panda" merch line that's raised over $252,000 for the local animal shelter. (Read more 👉 Good Good Good).

📍Virginia, USA
High Schoolers Are Fixing Cars – Then Giving Them to Single Moms
The students, who are all in an automotive tech program at Louisa County High School, repair donated vehicles in their spare time all to help those in need. Through a partnership with nonprofit Giving Words, they've provided more than 60 cars to families and repaired over 260 vehicles. (Read more 👉 SunnySkyz)

📍New York, USA
Grandmas Are Setting Up ‘Advice Stands’ Across NYC
Need life advice? There's a purple lemonade stand for that. Around 15 volunteer grandmas now staff rotating pop-ups across New York, offering wisdom to strangers—and the movement is spreading to Texas, Denver, Berlin, Paris, and beyond. (Read more 👉 People)

📍Colorado, USA
North America’s Largest Wildlife Overpass Just Opened
After nine years of planning, Colorado has completed a wildlife crossing spanning an acre over Interstate 25 – now North America's largest. It gives elk, deer, mountain lions, and bears a safe route across a highway with 100,000 daily vehicles, and is expected to reduce wildlife-vehicle crashes by 90%. (Read more 👉 Axios)

📍Virginia, USA
Three First Graders Saved Their Teacher’s Life
When teacher Madison Swift started choking, three students – ages 6 and 7 – jumped into action. One hit the emergency button, one ran for help, and one gave back blows until the food dislodged. "They 100% saved my life," Swift said. (Read more 👉 SunnySkyz)

📍New York, USA
Influencer Takes Shelter Dogs on Subway Adventures to Help Get Them Adopted
Bryan Reisberg takes shelter dogs on backpack adventures through NYC and documents it all on social media to raise awareness and get them rehomed. His first six videos hit 75 million views, and 10 of the 11 dogs he's featured have been adopted already. (Read more 👉 CBS News)

📍Sundarbans, India
Their Husbands Were Killed by Tigers. Now These Women Are Restoring The Big Cat’s Habitat
In rural India, women whose husbands were killed by tigers have long been ostracized and blamed for their loss. But now, they're leading a conservation effort to help save the very animals – planting over 100,000 mangrove saplings to restore coastline, protect villages from cyclones, and reduce future human-tiger conflict. (Read more 👉 CNN)

A unique, sometimes quirky, but always eye-catching photo feature each week.

Move over, Dancing with the Stars – there's a new sensation, and he's covered in fur.

This young mountain gorilla was crowned the star of the 2025 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, captured mid-groove in a Rwandan forest clearing by UK photographer Mark Meth-Cohn. The shot, titled "High Five," shows the youngster from the Amahoro family absolutely owning the dance floor while the adults foraged nearby.

"One young male was especially keen to show off his acrobatic flair: pirouetting, tumbling, and high kicking," Meth-Cohn said. "Watching his performance was pure joy."

Check out the other category winners here.

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Want a quick mood boost this holiday season? Do something for someone else. Researchers say volunteering triggers what's known as the "helper's high" – a dopamine hit from doing good. But the benefits run deeper than brain chemistry. "By helping other people and believing that small acts can change the world, you can bring coherence to your own life," says developmental psychologist Jenae Nelson. Translation: giving back isn't just good for others – it's good for you. (source: AP)

— Nelson Mandela

Shhh, don’t tell the kids, but scientists calculated that for Santa to deliver presents to every home in the world, he would have to travel at a speed of 4,921,200 miles per hour!

1773: Boston Tea Party incident – Sons of Liberty protesters throw tea shipments into Boston Harbor to protest the British-imposed Tea Act and escalating taxation without representation in the British Parliament

1840: Napoleon Bonaparte receives a French state funeral in Paris 19 years after his death

1903: The first sustained, powered, and controlled flight of a an aircraft occurs by Orville Wright pilots at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; the flight lasts 12 seconds and covers 120 feet

1989: The Simpsons created by Matt Groening, premieres on Fox TV

1991: Soviet Union formally dissolves as 11 of 12 republics sign treaty forming the Commonwealth of Independent States

2009: James Cameron's "Avatar" starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver, released in the US, becomes highest-grossing film of all time

What letter comes next in this sequence:

A O E A O T F ?

Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

*Studies show that watching heartwarming videos can boost your mood. So sit back and start your weekend positively - doctors orders!

🧠 Brain Teaser Answer

L.

The last letter from hoteL, which is H in the phonetic alphabet, alphA, bravO, charliE, etc.