👋 Welcome to the last Smileworthy of the year. As we close out 2024, we wanted to do something different and round up the best good news from across 2024!

We’ve also got a social media mixologists festive and New Year cocktail recipes to try this party season 🍸

Let’s jump right in…

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The Year’s Most Uplifting Stories 📰

It hasn’t all been doom and gloom. Here we round up some of our favorite and most impactful stories from Happilynews.com in 2024.

Mixologist's Favorite Festive Cocktails 🍹

A social media mixologist has revealed her Top 10 favorite viral Christmas cocktails she recommends Happily subscribers enjoy at home over the festive and New Year period. 

Lauren Milovich, 35, from Los Angeles, California, has received millions of views across her social pages @thatsthespirits, with her Christmas-themed mixers regularly going viral. 

Lauren's interest in mixology started more than a decade ago, when she worked as a bartender crafting stunning cocktails for her customers. 

This year, Lauren shared her Top 10 list, which started with a White Christmas Margarita and included the likes of a Rudolph's Sour and Clark's Eggnog Espresso Martini, the latter a fun take on the drink (and glass) from the cult movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." 

Others on Lauren's list include a Christmas Cookie Martini, a Dirty Santa, Christmas Tree and Tonic, and a Grinch Spritz. 

Coming up with such themed ideas is all part of the fun, Lauren said, and she encourages anyone to try her cocktail creations at home. 

She told us: “I was a bartender a lifetime ago – I'm not a world-renowned mixologist by any means and if I can do it, I feel like everybody can do it 

"The best part about it is that it just brings people together, it's a fun excuse to gather around and sip on something delicious and pretty. And I love being able to do that for people!” 

1. GRINCH SPRITZ 

Lauren says: “I love basing themes on different iconic Christmas films, so the Grinch Spritz is one of my favorites. 

“I take a strawberry and cut it into a really pretty little heart and put it on the top. And it symbolizes the Grinch's heart, of course, and it's just beautiful and festive and fun.”

2. CANDY CANE MARTINI 

Lauren says: “Candy Cane just screams Christmas. We all know and love them and so I thought why not drink it? 

“The star of that is I made a homemade candy cane syrup – just sugar, water, and a couple of candy canes and it's just so easy and you can add it to all sorts of things, to cocktails, to mocktails, to coffee, over ice cream, however you syrup. 

“I crushed up candy canes and put them with some vanilla frosting and then garnished the little mini candy cane. Just so cute, a beautiful color and very festive.”

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Before You Go…A Serotonin Booster* 📺

Gift Prank Leads to Grandma Surprised With New Car

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

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