Q. Happy 2026! All hopes for a healthy, peaceful, prosperous, joy-filled New Year 🙏🏼. As we consider celebratory bouquets for friends, family, or ourselves: which flowers might be considered auspicious for this new beginning? . A. When it comes to assigning meaning to flowers, the Victorians get the bay wreath.

Q. Merry Christmas! Have you sung any carols yet this Christmas? Which are your favourites? . A. To mark Christmas Day, Classic FM has tallied the results of their cross-UK ‘Favourite Carol’ poll. The winner? ‘O Holy Night’, which was composed by French composer Adolphe Adam in 1847. Classic FM

Q. How did the white dove come to symbolize peace? . A. The peaceful white dove is rooted in the Bible. As we see in the Book of Genesis: the earth has been battered by a deadly flood. Sensing that the waters may be pulling back, Noah releases a dove

Q. It’s rainy, grey and into-the-bones damp. The foliage is thriving, but what are we humans to do? What’s your favourite thing to do on a rainy day? . A. Eureka asked more than 41,000 participants what their go-to activities were for a ‘dreary, rainy weekend day.’ Survey said… Favourite

Q. When Mum brought in sun-dried laundry off the backyard line, we couldn’t wait to dive onto the basket and breathe in that glorious scent. Weird? Relatable? Which scents trigger warm memories for you? . A. A 2020 Samsung poll unearthed the favourite scents of  2,000 UK adults. Which of

Q. Where is your ideal setting for a first date? How much external distraction do you favour – a full-on show vs. some built-in distractions just in case conversation runs dry? Are you looking for a setting with high romantic cues, or a neutral setting that could fit all manner

Q. We remember and offer our deepest respect to those who serve. As we watch Remembrance Day services, we see red poppies on uniforms, on jackets, on wreaths. How did the poppy come to represent those who have fallen in service of their country?   A. We turn to Veterans

Q. Trick or Treat 🎃 Halloween is well on its way. Which characters are you likely to see wandering the streets, or bag-out at your door? . A. Here, first, is Google Trends’ look at most searched costumes by year: • 2015: Evie from Descandants • 2016: Harambe • 2017: Uma

Q. Human loud is plenty loud.  The Guinness World Book of Records names Jill Drake – a classroom assistant – as possessor of the loudest scream at 129 decibels. But, which animals are the loudest overall? . A. The International Fund for Animal Welfare – a global non-profit – has

Q. The crisp of the season is in the air. And here in Vancouver, the crisp comes with a hearty splash of rain. What do you like best about Fall? How do your likes stack up against the list below? . A. One Poll asked 2,000 adults for the things