"Personally, I dread the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve every single year. As an active person (borderline workaholic), having absolutely no tasks for an entire week is vaguely terrifying. I’m trying my best to stave off post-holiday blues while surrounded by my entire family in close quarters. And, to top it all off, at this point I’m sick of watching Christmas movies and have no idea what to watch. What’s a media-obsessed eldest daughter to do?
Thankfully, looking back at the past year—and ahead to 2025—in TV, movies, and podcasts gives me some helpful clues as to what to watch when time virtually disappears in between Christmas and New Year’s. 2024 was chock-full of amazing movies, books, TV shows, and podcasts, so chances are, you have plenty of catching up to do. On the other hand, if you’ve been looking for the perfect time to re-watch, re-listen, and re-read, this is it. With this in mind, I’ve rounded up a comprehensive list of media to consume while you try to hide from your family while you’re all cooped up in your childhood home. Here’s what to watch, read, and listen to in between Christmas and New Year’s.
What to watch
The new movie: Babygirl
I think I speak for everyone when I say that this movie looks truly fucking insane. 2024 has been the year of the age gap romance movie (honorable shoutouts to The Idea of You, A Family Affair, and Lonely Planet), so why not top it all off with a Nicole Kidman flick that releases on Christmas Eve? In this romantic psychological thriller (?) Kidman plays a high-powered CEO who is having an affair with her much younger employee (Harris Dickinson). As the two push and pull for power in their relationship, the stakes of their secret rendezvous get higher and much more dangerous. This is perhaps not a watch-with-the-family movie, but it’s bound to be all the internet is talking about for at least a week.
The nostalgic movie: The Princess Diaries
Of course, there are a million nostalgic movies to watch between Christmas and New Year’s, but here’s my reasoning behind crowning The Princess Diaries as the ultimate rewatch: In 2025, Anne Hathaway is going to COOK. Not only will The Princess Diaries 3 kick off production in the new year, but there was also confirmation of The Devil Wears Prada sequel back in July, and Hathaway recently confirmed that she will play the titular character in the upcoming adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Verity. To prepare yourself for the upcoming tidal wave of truly fantastic Anne Hathaway content coming our way, rewatch Mia Thermopolis learn that she’s the Princess of Genovia in this 2001 classic.
The new TV show: Rivals
If you have Bridgerton withdrawals this week (guilty), I promise that Rivals will fill the void. This show may have dropped on Hulu in October, but it didn’t go viral until late November. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to binge-watch (you busy girl!), allow me to give you a brief synopsis. When Tony Baddingham becomes the managing director of Corinium, a TV company, through marriage, he wants to do everything possible to ensure he’s successful. So, he hires Declan O’Hara as his star and the ambitious American producer Cameron Cook. O’Hara and Cook end up hating each other, causing a storm of controversy that intensifies with Rupert Campbell Black’s meddling in the program. You may come for the British accents, but you’ll stay for the smoldering sex scenes.
The nostalgic TV show: The O.C.
Since Nobody Wants This was undeniably one of the biggest shows of the year, it’s about time to take a walk down Adam Brody memory lane. In the 2024 rom-com television series, Brody starred alongside Kristin Bell as the “hot rabbi” who changes her view on love. But we stay forgetting that before he was the hot rabbi, Brody was the awkward and adorable Seth Cohen, harboring a longtime crush on Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) in The O.C. Given the way the internet has become inexplicably enthralled with Brody and several other men who look literally exactly like him this year, The O.C. will give you your nostalgic heartthrob fix.
What to read
The new book: The God of the Woods
In August 1975, 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar goes missing at the summer camp that her family owns. And this isn’t the first Van Laar sibling who’s disappeared in the woods, either.
This book was everywhere in 2024. It dominated my Instagram and TikTok feeds. It was at the top of both our editors’ favorite books of the year and the Goodreads Choice Award Winners list. I literally saw a girl on the bus read this the entire nausea-inducing ride and then proceed to stand up and walk off the bus while still reading. If you haven’t read The God of the Woods yet, this is your chance. In August 1975, 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar goes missing at the summer camp that her family owns. And this isn’t the first Van Laar sibling who’s disappeared in the woods, either.
The nostalgic book: The Hunger Games
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, where one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
If there’s one sure way to prepare yourself for a new culture frenzy in 2025, it’s by re-reading The Hunger Games. First of all, Suzanne Collins is dropping the latest novel in the fictional universe, Sunrise on the Reaping, on March 18 next year. If you love Haymitch Abernathy as much as I do (and why wouldn’t you?), then this is one that you’ll definitely want to add to your TBR, because it’s going to provide tons of helpful lore. However, while you wait to devour the latest installment, you might as well revisit Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and the rest of Panem.
The short book: I Hope This Finds You Well
When Jolene’s secret messages are exposed, she’s subjected to sensitivity training. Then, an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs. Jolene realizes layoffs are imminent—and suddenly finds herself obsessed with her coworkers’ lives.
If you exist on certain corners of the internet, then you know that 2024 was, somewhat unexpectedly, the year of the corporate baddie. “Corpcore” and “Office Siren” dominated fashion trends, and TikTok accounts parodying corporate life, like Corporate Natalie, went mega-viral. If you’ve found yourself enthralled with office culture this year and want to end the year with a quick read, look no further than I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue, which was published in May. Jolene is an admin for Supershops, Inc., who vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text color to white so no one can see. When her secret messages are exposed, she’s subjected to sensitivity training. Then, an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs. Jolene realizes layoffs are imminent—and suddenly finds herself obsessed with her coworkers’ lives.
What to listen to
The audiobook: Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
Here, for the first time, Ina Garten presents an intimate, entertaining, and inspiring account of her remarkable journey. Ina’s gift is to make everything look easy, yet all her accomplishments have been the result of hard work, audacious choices, and exquisite attention to detail.
America’s original influencers finally got their flowers in 2024. Between the Martha documentary and Ina Garten’s new memoir, pretty much everyone I know aspires to run a domestic media empire these days. I’m not an audiobook girl, but I have to tell you: Be Ready When the Luck Happens is not like other audiobooks. Listening to Ina Garten narrate the story of her journey to becoming Barefoot Contessa is one of the most soothing things I’ve ever listened to. Plus, after you’ve done so much hard work cooking for the holidays, why not listen to an entire audiobook about someone else cooking?
The informative podcast: Binchtopia
If Binchtopia has a million fans, I am one of them. If Binchtopia has one fan, it’s me, and if Bincthopia has zero fans, I am dead. This year marked the rise of the informative yet chatty podcast (Shameless, anyone?), and Binchtopia is at the top of the heap. Each week, hosts Julia Hava and Eliza McLamb (yes, the same one that’s on your sad girl fall playlist) dive into a different pop culture phenomenon with real research. Ladies, wouldn’t you rather get your culture commentary from podcasters citing articles they found on JSTOR? Me too.
The motivating podcast: The Everygirl Podcast
Shameless plug! If the week between Christmas and New Year’s, to you, means setting your goals for the next year, consider The Everygirl Podcast your one-stop shop. In addition to some very fun and chatty intros, we also have episodes full of tips on everything from personal finance to wellness to manifestation to sex to dating. If you can think of a goal or resolution, we probably have an episode in our roster that will help you achieve it. Personally, I go on a lot of long walks during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and I think this is the perfect listen for said long walks, if I do say so myself.
The funny podcast: Giggly Squad
What The God of the Woods was to books this year, Giggly Squad was to podcasts. Hosts Hannah and Paige were going viral on TikTok. They were hosting a live show. They were getting shouted out randomly in our Instagram comments on posts that were, respectfully, completely unrelated. You simply couldn’t escape Giggly Squad. Our whole team is obsessed with this podcast, and I can’t recommend it enough for a good chuckle. This is the podcast you should tune into this winter break if you have a little case of winter blues or post-holiday sadness because there’s no way you won’t laugh out loud.
Emma Ginsberg, Associate Editor
Emma is a writer, editor, and podcast producer who has been creating at The Everygirl since 2021. She writes for all sections on the site, edits the Entertainment and Community sections, and helps produce The Everygirl Podcast. With a degree in American Studies, Emma is especially passionate about evaluating the impact pop culture and internet culture have on the day-to-day lives of real women.