All about food, fashion and travel: Here’s a weekly roundup of our top features

This week we gear up for the upcoming holiday and festive season.

With Christmas only a week away, kickstart your preparations for delicacies and treat your guests to lush sweetness. Mumbai chefs share traditional ways to bring out the rich flavours of plum cake for a holistic festive vibe. With the U.S. celebrating National Cupcake Day on December 15, bakers whip up new recipes for seasoned gastronomes.

In tune with the awaited travel break, we have curated easy tips to make your travel more mindful and wellness-oriented. Along with meaningful traveling, level up your styling game with expert fashion ideas to incorporate Magenta, the Pantone colour of the year for 2023, in your wardrobe.

Following up on Mumbai pollution, health experts share handy precautions that vulnerable groups can opt for till the smog lurks. In the latest chapter of Shelf Life, we talk to a bookseller from Andheri who recounts his memories of surviving 26/11 attacks and the violent history of Lokhandwala.

Here is the complete list:

Mindful Travel: 6 ways to make your holiday more fulfilling

As travel returns to pre-Covid levels, people are seeking experiences which are more immersive, and being mindful of their journeys

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Tradition and treats: Mumbai kickstarts Christmas festivities with cake-mixing

With Christmas right around the corner, Mumbai's Catholic community have already started their preparations by putting up the Christmas tree and making the delicious sweets. Among other traditions, they have also started cake-mixing

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Mumbai air pollution: Masks should be made mandatory, say doctors

If the air quality reflects ‘poor' on the index, it is advised to avoid outings. Schools should shut classroom windows and switch to homeschooling on days when pollution levels are high

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Cupcake Day: Here are easy recipes to make during the holiday season

On National Cupcake Day, satisfy your sweet cravings by whipping up these simple yet delicious cupcake recipes

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Here's how men can wear Pantone Colour of the Year 2023: Viva Magenta

The shade Magenta was interpreted by the AI tool Midjourney into stellar visuals which portray its rebellious spirit. Pantone described the AI interpretation as "an endless new ecosystem to be explored, called the ‘Magentaverse'".

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From Lokhandwala shootouts to 26/11 Colaba attack, this Mumbai bookseller has seen it all

On the eve of 26/11, I was coming back from Shiv Sagar when I spotted around 18 customers next to my store. The clock struck 9:30 pm when I asked my help boy: Was there a cricket match today? Why the chaos?

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