Need some conversation starters to steer away from politics or Aunt Millie’s surgery during your family gatherings? Here are eight compelling and funny stories from Good News Network to engage any audience.
14 Yrs After Receiving a Shoebox Gift, Filipino Girl Marries Idaho Boy Who Sent it
When a young Filipino girl received a gift-filled shoebox for Christmas in 2000, she couldn’t have imagined that she would one day meet the 7-year-old boy from Idaho who packed the inspirational box 7000 miles away—and, she certainly never dreamed she would marry that American 14 years later.
We learned about their remarkable story following their wedding last year, when Joana and her new husband Tyrel Wolfe requested that all their guests fill up their own shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. They personally delivered those boxes to the charity that was the catalyst of their love story. (READ more of their story, here)
Cute Russian 5-yr-olds Escape From Kindergarten To Buy A Sports Car
A pair of 5-year-olds in Russia made a mad dash for freedom after digging under their kindergarten fence from a sandbox with toy spades. Finally, after a week of planning, the youngsters took a mile-long stroll through the town to the nearest luxury car showroom where the boys politely informed the salesperson that they were looking to purchase a Jaguar and tactfully started their haggling with, “We don’t have any money.” (THIS hilarious story is great to read out loud)
Sick of Banks, One Man Opened His Own: The Wild Success of “Bank On Dave”
A small businessman was so frustrated when his upstanding customers could not get loans from the big banks than he decided to start his own. David Fishwick, a short, balding powder-keg of a man, decided to call it “Bank of Dave.” When it finally opened, it was an instant success, with hundreds of people in Burnley, England lining up down the block to give him $1.8 million worth of business on the first day. But it took a lot of scrappy fighting with bank regulators to get there. . . Learn more about the man who cusses like a sailor, and ends up helping the entire community. (READ the story or Watch a video clip)
Using the Force: Yoda Levitates Cake at International Baking Show–How Does She Do It? (VIDEO)
Every cook has a secret recipe, but this one takes the cake.
The baker, Christine Jenson is not giving away the secret to how this Star Wars cake appears to levitate. She insists that it’s “The Force”–and you may seriously believe her after watching it yourself. Check out this video and see if you can figure it out.
Dapper Young Boy Gets Bionic Arm From ‘Tony Stark’ Himself (Robert Downey Jr.)
Once upon a time, a little boy with just one arm needed a champion. Sometimes, the heroic knight in shining armor turns out to be the man beneath the red Iron Man suit. “Tony Stark” himself showed up, not under the celebrity spotlights but in a quiet room to, well, give the boy a hand. (Watch what happens in this video and you will love RDJ even more.)
66 Hollywood Dance Scenes Timed Perfectly to Uptown Funk Hit
Fred and Ginger, meet Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. This video mashup of classic Hollywood dance moves cut to the “Uptown Funk” groove shows dancers from the 30s and 40s have all of today’s best moves.
Hilarious Cat-astrophe Ruins Christmas, Until Neighbors Save it
This amazing animated video shows how a cat can create a real world disaster, but the mischief wrought at Christmas can remind us what the season is all about.
Lewd Joke Doll Proves 98-Year-old Grandma With Dementia is Still a Charmer
Even though this great-grandmother had Alzheimer’s at age 98, she can still make fantastic memories with her family – like the laughter that came from a pair of lewd “flasher” dolls she crafted for her granddaughters 40 years before. This video shows her laughing just as hard when reintroduced to the dolls at 98, as when she first gave them to the teenage girls in the 1970s. What memories will your family hold on to?
BONUS Round:
Give Your Family a Thanksgiving Quiz With These 13 Trivia Questions About Turkey Day
From the Macy’s Parade to the traditional Thanksgiving meal, you may think you know all there is to know about the American holiday. Test your family’s knowledge with these 13 bits of trivia about Thanksgiving.
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(Photo credits: (top) Didriks; (tots on playground) Goombay