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December 6, 2025

Welcome back to The Weekender, where you’ll find a batch of the week’s top stories about culture and the way we live today.

This week, Spotify told me I am 40, based on the music I listen to. It was exciting to be deemed younger than I am when others were not so lucky. But did that make me a millennial? I am a proud member of Generation X, and as an article in T Magazine pointed out, we might just be the greatest generation. I do not want my membership revoked. You’ll find that story below along with our annual year-end lists of the best books, movies, TV shows and music of 2025.

Also, for the first time, our Styles desk named the top 50 clothing stores in America. “The majority of them are owned by individuals whose personal approaches to product selection have resulted in shopping experiences that feel distinct in this algorithm-driven era of sameness,” the editor of the project, Anthony Rotunno, told me. Indeed, it might be fun to find out what machines say we’ll like (or how old they think we are), but nothing beats a personal recommendation. Hope you find something to love this weekend(er).

— Farah

The New York Times THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE Here are the 50 best clothing stores in America. →

Stella Kalinina for The New York Times HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS To thank their parents, they bought them a house. →

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth. SWEET TREATS These seven cookies will be the life of every party. →

Neal Slavin SLACKER'S SEND-UP Is Gen X actually the greatest generation? →

Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter HOME ILLUMINATION We found 10 table lamps that will brighten up a room, even when they’re turned off. →

Stephen Hiltner/The New York Times TROUBLED WATERS Why is the “City of Baths” running out of bathhouses? →

Theodore Tae/The New York Times 20-MINUTE WORKOUT Practicing these pushing and pulling exercises can make daily movements feel more comfortable. →

Reem Photography VOWS On his healing journey, he wrote 300 letters to his future wife. →

THE BEST OF 2025 How many have you read, watched and listened to?

Photo illustration by Sebastian Mast THE TOP FICTION AND NONFICTION The staff of The New York Times Book Review chose the year’s 10 best books. Get the list. →

Eli Adé/Warner Bros. OUR FAVORITE MOVIES What matters to moviegoers isn’t the industry’s bottom line, but the art. Here are the films our critics loved this year. →

Warrick Page/HBO Max TV WORTH WATCHING Many of 2025’s best shows seemed to be in conversation with one another, our critic writes. How many have you seen? →

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images THE BEST NEW ALBUMS The rising K-pop star Effie and the Brooklyn indie-rock band Geese topped our critics’ lists this year. Get their playlists. →

Each year, The New York Times Communities Fund supports nonprofits. This year, the fund is working with seven organizations that focus on helping people through education, from preschool to vocational training. Donate to the fund here.

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This edition of The Weekender was edited by Farah Miller and Patrick Hays.

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