5 good things: A life-saving gift, a holiday wonderland and the Color of the Year

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Right about now, you’re likely seeing clumps of poinsettias cropping up like flame-red jewels on porches, doorways and holiday displays around town. The poinsettia, also known as the Mexican flame flower or painted leaf, is indigenous to Mexico and Central America, which is probably why it doesn’t like the cold. Yes, if there’s a cold snap, these lovely symbols of wintertime will politely shrivel up as if waiting for a draft to pass. Ask me how I know! Luckily, despite consistent rumors, they are not seriously dangerous for pets or kids (as long as you don’t go making a poinsettia salad), so bring those babies inside and brighten up a room!

Here are all the good things that happened this week.

1: The best gift of all

When Linda Thomas found out she needed a kidney transplant, her identical twin Karen Rodman didn’t hesitate. “There wasn’t a conversation,” Thomas told CNN. “She raised her hand right away and she said, ‘she got one right here.’ That was the only conversation.” Thomas was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2022 and went through the medical wringer to get better. The cancer went into remission, but her kidneys took a beating. After several medical tests, the sisters found they were a match across all markers and were more than 99% identical — a shockingly rare occurrence, even among twins. Because of the match, Thomas was not required to take anti-rejection drugs before the procedure. The twins, who have been as close as “one coat of paint” since birth, underwent a successful surgery in October. “We are so looking forward to 2025,” Rodman said. “We got a lot of things to do and life to live.”

2: Comfort color

Ooh, I just wanna eat it! Pantone has named Mocha Mousse, an “evocative soft brown,” as its color of the year for 2025. The color reveal continues a tradition that has now run for more than a quarter of a century. In a statement published Thursday, the global color specialist said Mocha Mousse was “a mellow brown infused with a sensorial and comforting warmth.” It added: “A warming rich brown hue, PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse nurtures with its suggestion of the delectable quality of cacao, chocolate and coffee, appealing to our desire for comfort.” Yeah, I see it. The mood is brown. But like, a nice brown. Not the worst brown around. A brown you can work with.

3: Kicking the carbon footprint

About 23 billion pairs of shoes are produced globally every year, which means an annual carbon footprint of about 700 million tons of carbon dioxide. That’s a serious environmental concern, and a Dutch recycling company called FastFeetGrinded is trying to stomp it out. Recycling shoes isn’t easy because there are so many different components and materials, but the founders of FastFeetGrinded found a way. Shoes are sorted and the different components that make up a shoe — like rubber, foam and plastic — are separated by machines using heat and friction. Those materials are then shredded into small pieces before being separated by type and then refined into recycled materials ready for reuse. The foam, rubber and textile granules are then sold to manufacturers to be made back into items such as shoe parts, yoga mats, or flooring for playgrounds and outdoor sports centers. Currently, the company processes about 3,000 shoes an hour, and up to a million per year.

4: Christmas stars

Celebrities like Demi Lovato, Kendrick Lamar and Kelly Rowland were on hand this week to make the holidays special for some kids in Los Angeles. Baby2Baby, a nonprofit that is known for its star-studded efforts for children living in poverty, recently organized a wonderland of toys, sports equipment, clothes, and necessities for LA-area families in need. Musician Kelly Rowland, a mom of two boys and a former member of Destiny’s Child, has been working with Baby2Baby for 10 years and explained what’s so special about the organization. “Baby2Baby will put you to work and that’s the best part,” said Rowland, who began collaborating with the nonprofit when she was pregnant with her first son. “You can’t talk about it; you have to be about it.”

5: In honor of a legend

The USS Beloit was commissioned last week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and African American trailblazer Ret. Maj. Gen. Marcia Anderson was in attendance as the ship’s chosen sponsor. Anderson is nationally recognized for being the first Black woman to achieve the rank of major general in the United States Army Reserve. The 2011 promotion made her the highest-ranked African American woman in the US Army at the time. The ship, named after the city of Beloit, Wisconsin, is the 15th Freedom-variant littoral combat ship commissioned in the United States Navy, according to a US Navy press release. It was named in recognition of Beloit’s contributions to the Navy. And here’s the really good part: Beloit is Anderson’s hometown.

Listen in

This week on the “5 Good Things” podcast, a treasured architectural gem reopens to the public. Bike Buses put a fresh spin on the commute to school for kids and parents across the US. An 11-year-old leads the charge for cleaner air in Connecticut classrooms. Click here to listen!

Heroes among us

It’s time! We’ve been highlighting the journeys of five 2024 CNN Heroes for the past few weeks, and now the Peabody and Emmy® Award-winning CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute returns on Sunday, December 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. It will be hosted by CNN Anchors Anderson Cooper and Laura Coates and will feature plenty of guest stars, including Michael J. Fox who will be honored with the second annual CNN Heroes Legacy Award, given for a lifetime of service to others. Catch it on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español and CNN Max on Sunday, December 8. The show will stream on CNN Max and for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps beginning Monday, December 9.

You gotta see this

Speaking of Mexico and its natural wonders, take a journey to the Sierra Gorda mountain range where a once-degraded ecosystem has made a remarkable turnaround. (Click here to view)

May your days be filled with good things

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