Look What Aiden Found Today — Episode #18 [Christmas Special]
Favorite stories I read plus community-nominated pieces tailored for avid readers of ILLUMINATION Publications on Medium

Season’s greetings, cherished writers and readers! So, here I am on Christmas Day, not exactly dashing through the snow (mind you no snow in Australia), but putting together this list for our daily rendezvous. Some might call it work or a task, but for me, it’s more like holiday hobbying. I can’t help it — I enjoy this jolly interaction very much.
Today, I created a great collection for you by combining my personal reading list and nominated stories by ILLUMINATION editors and ILLUMINATION-Curators.
Since most editors are off enjoying the holiday, I took it upon myself to merge two lists into one delightful read for you below. It’s a tad longer than my typical posts, but hey, who wants to split the fun into two, right? Dive in, explore the treasure trove of insights here, and don’t forget to spread the word
Talking of Christmas, Dr Yildiz posted an important article curating an exceptional story written by Seda Anbarcı. You may check this post to understand the importance of Seda’s article.
A Special Welcome to Christmas Boys and Girls
I’m not the lone workaholic around here. Our Chief Editor donned the administrator hat and dedicated hours to welcome new writers, crafting a special onboarding pack to ignite that creative spark. The post is a goldmine, so I’d recommend even seasoned writers to give it a look. There is something for everyone in this treasure trove.
Did you know that kids don’t want new games for Christmas anymore? They want something else, and I revealed it in this juicy story.
Today was a blast!
One of my all-time favorite games, Geometry Dash, caused quite a stir, revving up excitement among thousands of gamers with its unexpected updates. It was so fun that even my grandparents got in on the action! You can’t miss out on this juicy story.
Quick Updates for Highlights of Our Pubs
ILLUMINATION-Curators introduced some recently boosted stories. I believe you will find some great stories in that collection.
By upgrading his main profile, Dr Yildiz inspired our readers to become Medium Friends. I hope many readers join this inspiring journey.
Boost Education
I’ve launched a new series to help writers hit the literary stratosphere. Dr. Yildiz got the grand opening gig because I’ve got the scoop on his stellar stories. Now that I’m peeking behind the scenes as an editor and boost nominator, I’m trying to put as many writers in the spotlight as possible. Your thoughts on the story would be cosmic — let’s team up and make these tales shine like stars! I will do it for every boosted writer as soon as I get a chance.
Here is Episode 2 introducing boosted stories of Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
You can learn more about Matt’s background from this interview.
Recently, I added several new writers. I look forward to seeing their stories in these collections soon. You can meet them from the attached post. I also added their profiles at the end of this post so you can follow them easily if you want to. I will add more writers later today. There are many applicants.
Announcement of New Writers for ILLUMINATION #28
Announcement of New Writers for ILLUMINATION #27
For new readers and writers, I have also joined the ranks as a Friend of Medium (FoM). From now on, stories I read from other writers will earn them four times the previous ones. Details are in the attached story.
Dr Yildiz also wrote about it to invite our readers to become Medium Friends and support our writers. The more FoMs the merrier.
But scammers spammed his beautiful story and tried to deceive our readers. Here’s his sad and important story: every writer and reader needs to understand and act cautiously. They act too realistically!
They did the same thing to me. For those who missed the excitement, two days ago, I was happy the scary scam account that emulated my profile and tried to deceive my readers was removed. Those who missed the drama can read it from this link.
How to Identify Them? These fraudulent accounts typically lack followers and haven’t authored any stories themselves. They are non-members with no star or heart icons in their profile names.
If you are into gaming, I also wrote about winners of 2023 for popular games. I will introduce some of those games in my forthcoming stories for game lovers.
Talking of gaming, if you plan to craft stories about these remarkable games, consider submitting them to my publication, ILLUMINATION-Gaming. I’m here to elevate your narratives, ensuring they stand out and increasing their chances of a boost. I wrote about my goals and how I can help our writers in a story titled ILLUMINATION Gaming Is Part of the Boost Program Now.
To inform new writers, our special publication, ILLUMINATION-Curated, now is a boost nominating pub You may learn about How ILLUMINATION Publications Support the BOOST Program.
I’ve bundled up all my lists into one tidy little story. It is a treasure trove of fantastic reads waiting for you. Please consider sharing the love on your socials and dive into these gems! You won’t regret it.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz introduced a writing duo known as Pernoste & Dahl. You will love this introduction as he reveals the mystery behind these interesting writers who writes inspiring and engaing content on Medium.
ILLUMINATION editors introduced a great writer, Somil Gupta. I hope you check his profile and explore his delicious stories.
We added more new writers and announced them in a bulletin. It took us a lot of time as adding writers from the registration portal to Medium is a manual task and time-consuming. So, let’s give a warm welcome to new writers.
Our team of volunteers is diligently working through the influx of stories, aiming to review and publish each piece while welcoming new writers into our fold. It’s a labor of love that demands time and effort. Please remember that we support 25K+ writers, as mentioned in our Monthly Updates.
If you missed this recent interview featuring Luay Rahil, here is a link for you. His stories can nicely surprise you.
For those who missed my Vocal saga, here is the link. I hope new writers don’t make the same mistake I made for 18 months.
ILLUMINATION-Curators compiled boosted stories in December, so you might find some fascinating stories from this collection. I also chose to publish this collection on ILLUMINATION-Curated as our readers enjoy curated collections. Here is their treasure trove: Collection of Boosted Stories from ILLUMINATION-Curated
ILLUMINATION-Curators wrote about that exceptional story. I hope you will get a chance to read it and pay attention to your privacy.
Our chief editor Dr Mehmet Yildiz, upgraded our publication accounts ILLUMINATION and ILLUMINATION-Curators, as well as his tech account Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Tech), making them Friends of Medium. Reading from these accounts will allow writers to earn four times more. While curating stories, we read many stories from these accounts, so it will be great for writers. Details are in his story by Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Tech)
Our senior editor Mike Broadly, DHSc joined the curation team and created new collections from his favorite stories that you may adore. He has amazing taste as an avid reader and has already created seven collections in such a short time. I loved his new collection earlier today.
Mike’s Favorite Stories on ILLUMINATION Publications — #13 Mike Broadly, DHSc
Please find his collections with the associated lists and share them on your socials so we can bring more readers to Medium.
Here are links to Mike’s collections: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12
Our supportive editor, famous nutritionist, Elin Melaas, created her second collection earlier. Elin also created the Invisible Series.
And our lovely editor Surekha Chandrasekhar also created a collection of her delicious pub ILLUMINATION’s Nutrtion which is also our virtual kitchen.
ILLUMINATION editors introduced some great writers. You may check out their profiles and explore their fabulous stories.
Meet Seda Anbarcı, Meet Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi, Meet Jozsef Kovacs, Meet Davor Katusic. Meet Thomas Allen Moon, Meet Sneha Nagre, Meet Zondra Dos Anjos, Meet Ani Vals Meet Ammara Hassan. Meet Sridhar Pai Tonse — Leadgen Coach- Tech Startups Chosen Stories from Omni Essence, Editorial Profile of InYah
Our editors enjoy stories and nominate them for these curated collections. You may check editor profiles in this collection.
I love reading writer biographies and curating them. If you write any bio story please let me know so I can add them to my collection.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz reviewed an interesting book of Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi. If you are a book author, you may contact Dr Yildiz as he really does great reviews. He even wrote the foreword of my gaming book. Here is his great review today.
As mentioned a few weeks ago, I created a Discord server for our writers to collaborate and share their story links, so you are all welcome to join. We already have great fun there. It is not as big as our Slack, but it will be one day, as Discord is a lot of fun.
Daily List for Sharing — Volume 18
I volunteered to create a list of this collection. So you can easily share this collection on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit, or Quora.
Let’s all engage in this list and at least tweet it so that more readers can find these stories. It is the purpose of these curated lists. We appreciate your wonderful support for these writers who pour their hearts and souls into these stories to delight you. Here are the nominated stories from avid readers today.
Chosen Stories from ILLUMINATION Writers Today
As we mentioned before, “these stories are a combination of what I enjoyed and those which nominated by volunteering editors (also writers and readers) on this platform, so the stories in this collection reflect their collective tastes. As a publication, ILLUMINATION keeps a neutral position for all published stories, and it is impossible to feature over one million published stories. But we will do our best to amplify as many great stories as possible almost daily from now on based on the availability of our volunteers.”
Here are our wonderful and nominated stories today! I believe you will find something that will satisfy your reading needs.
Queer Organisms: Nature’s Lesson for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality Dr Mehmet Yildiz
What to Do If One of Your Parents is Unfaithful? Antonio Segovia, MD.
Who is Britni Pepper? Britni Pepper
A Christmas Tale: The Legend of the Rooster’s Mass Rui Alves
10 Tips to Help You Look 10 Years Younger Daniel Hopper
About Me Talking with Tan
A Rogue Tornado has Dumped America in the Land of Oz Rebecca Romanelli
Here’s Why Cravings Are More Psychological Than Physiological Elaine Hilides
How to Stay Healthy During The Holidays Bassey BY
Brightening Election Ghosts of Past, Present and Future Into Oblivion John Worthington
Meet Gary Orphey — Songwriter, Poet, Writer, Texan, and Creative Rascal. Joanie Adams — Sightseer; Conjurer Of Words
The Dangers of A Good Story Peter Ling
The Power of Child Sponsorship Mike Broadly, DHSc
Dr. Russ Harris’ Eight-Week Online Course, “The Happiness Trap,” Explains What, Why And How To… Robin Christine Honigsberg
Santa Stole Christmas. Carol Townend
Beyond Fairness: Why Cultivating the Virtue of Justice Is Essential for a Harmonious Society Ellen Clardy, PhD
Peace from within… Buddhi Ruparathna
Do You Really Think Your Thoughts Are Your Own? Dmitry Potylitsyn
Can AI Ever Truly Write Like Us? Maria Marmo
The Hard Line. Time to Wake Up! Teresa D Hawkes, Ph.D.
Regulation of Movement in Life Ani Vals
Why DoWe Keep Pounding the Keys … Jay Squires
Nonfiction Writers: Repeat Your Main Idea Four Times Ugur Akinci
Frugality Has Become a Transferable Skill A Nkeonye Judith Izuka-Aguocha
Out of 269 Stories, These Are My Favourite 3 Aleksandra M. Killy
End Of Year Reflections Met With Love, Respect and Self-Compassion Amanda Jayne O'Hare
Sunset and Future Horizons Dr John Frederick Rose
Stop Thinking It Won’t Work Out. Angelica Mendez
Love doesnt live here, It went awhile ago. Arie Castle
Ten Lessons Heartbreak Taught Me, but I’ve Outgrown Ava
Top 5 Fiction Books Of 2023 Avanthi Nadesan
Plethora Peruke Bear Kosik
Success Is 99% What Mainstream Media Won’t Show You Benny Lim
Unveiling the Symphony of a Better Year Bernard
History of Christmas Eve and the Battle of the Bulge Bill Petro
Find Yourself Getting In a Huff When Waiting in Line? You’re Not Alone. Blues & Blues Rock
3 Little Things That Bring Me Big Joy Bluesapphire
28 Unconventional Life Lessons I Wish I Knew When I Was 18 Brendan Charles
How the ‘Let Them’ Theory Will Restore Your Peace and Give You Ultimate Clarity Bria Esnard
Why I Smashed My Christmas Tree Britt E.
Birthing a Curated Story as the Doula Marcus aka Gregory Maidman
The Quality of Your Relationships is Key to Your Success in Life — Do This to 10x Them! Cafe Spiritualista
Dishonest Eats: Exploring the Global Challenge of Food Fraud Cameron Waters
Eve’s Embrace Chinmay Kumar Choudhury
How To Become A Master Problem Solver David Tighe
How To Deal With A Difficult Selfish Family Member at Christmas Dean Gee
Give Yourself Love First Donnie Van Meer
Understanding the Flip Side of Chrismas to Enjoy This Special Day for Those Who Celebrate It Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Bucolic Village Life Dr. Seema Patel (PhD)
Kids Don’t Want New Games for Christmas Anymore Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
Do you have a good friend? Emily Chan - Life and love sharing
How To Have More Meaningful And Clear Conversations Emogene Lukoye
Tithing vs. Giving What You Feel Led to Give Evan Crosby
Love And The Symbolism Of The Heart Floyd Mori
The Late Night Writer George “Ace” Acevedo
Why do we love the people who reject us? Happy life is good
Harry’s Favorite Posts Harry Hogg
Balancing Acts — Industry and the Pursuit of Environmental Sustainability Harvey Ross
Once More Remembered Holly Rose Thomas
7 Lessons from a Decade of Employment Idzard
What the Experts Say on Finding the Love of Your Life Ipshita Bose
Unveiling Scams: Empowering Women Through Conversations | by Ipshita Guha Ipshita Guha
Nurturing The Mind izzibella Beau
Rethinking Luxury: Handcraftsmanship Over Factory Production James Christopher
Breath Jess Ruby
Perfect Moments: Finding Beauty Now John Britton
Christmas IsTraveling Time For Many John Whye
7 Ways To Survive Hell Week Karen Humphries
3 Tools to 10X Your Productivity Keir Wotherspoon
Outrage as a Tool for Mass Communication Kingsley Asuamah
The Turn Of A Millenium For Japanese Toshiba Lanu Pitan🥰
My Breakfast Omelet Larry Nowicki
Getting Rejected Isn’t a Catastrophe, Ask Her Out for God’s Sake Lawson Wallace
Make Headlines like Tim Denning (who has 300k Subscribers) Leonid Hass 👨🎨
Ask Lewis: What Is Spiritual Materialism Lewiscoaches
A Big Problem Is The Sum of Many Little Problems Maya Sayvanova
IELTS Crash Course Oğuz Acar
Maximise Your Holiday Happiness. And Health. Oli Murdoch
The Best Advice You’ve Heard Is Wrong… Probably Paul Dermody
7 Tips To Actually Read More in 2024 Pebble
When Autistic Burnout Won’t Go Away Phoenix R.
Real Hemingway’s Writing Routine Tested by Working Novelists Priscilla Writing
Maximizing Life’s Value: A Journey Through 4,160 Weeks Rajeev Mudumba
Indiehackers need better GTM- this is how Renee Shaw
Words are not perfect. Risa Hamada
If You Want To Know Where Your Heart Is — See Where Your Mind Goes When It Wanders: S.a.n.a.h
Additional Emotions Sakari Lacross
Fine Dining: Socially Constructed Morality Sam Pitzer
Health benefits of Carrot Orange Juice Sania Haroon
Owning My Mental Health Story and Helping Others Do the Same Sara Irshad
Big Little Things Serden
My Friend Bullied Me, But She Also Did This Shay Als
Famous Quotes About Semen Retention/ NoFap Shiraz
The Color of Rain Shoaib Shahid
Two Roads Diverged In Yellow Wood And I (also) Took The One Less Travelled. Shruti Mishra
How I Cured Severe Back Pain Forever Simply Sophia
My Gift To You Is Time! Sophia Tell- Stories 🤓📢🤓
My Super-Secret Weapon Stevenharrison
4 Mistakes in 2023 That Pinched Me with Taunting Results Sumanpreet Kaur
Generative AI is Here to Stay Surekha Chandrasekhar
Why Forgiveness Doesn’t Happen On Its Own Tarek Rakhiess
What Does Success on Medium Mean to Me Teisha LeShea
Caring is kindness — loneliness is not a guest. The LARO ✨✨
Everything works out for the best! tim8888
Here is Much I Earned for 100 Views on Medium Vishnu Vijayan
What Plato’s Lysis Can Teach Us About Friendship in the 21st Century Vlad Gogish
23 New Year’s Eve Traditions You Should Know Before 2023 End (Resource Included) Wahyuni Sapri
Is Your Writer’s Block a Hidden Path to Mindful Creativity? Wesley van Peer
What Does Your Birthday Month Tell About You? Wordsmith Diaries
Chapter 11: Fire Sale on False Wood Beams, Pt. 3 writingelk
Decoding Authenticity: The Art of Recognizing True Connections Zion
When Sincerity Poses a Threat Zunaira Fatima
The Chestnut Boy David Pahor
Andrew Huberman’s Daily Routine Isn’t a Miracle Pill for Productivity Suzanne E.
9 Money Rules for Men & Women Over 20 (Bookmark This) Tim Denning
The Truth About Lawsuits & Lawyers Stephen Dalton
The Little Things Amy Christie
The More I Live Brooklyn Muse (editor)
Threads is now in Europe: How I think it will evolve in the future ilias B.
FOM — So Much for Inclusivity Momentum
Cries of Dying Children Eiman Fatima
Study Finds Many People Feel Their Job is Pointless B.R. Shenoy
Liquid Biopsy Set to Revolutionize Cancer Screening Worldwide The Daily Updater
Haunting specter of a vengeful spirit Hammad Ahmad
How fast do we need to move? Flow-Writer🌻
Why Embracing Your Weirdness Makes You A Sexier Person Alice González
We Have A Fork on the Road as a Nation Veritas Civis
An Existential Humanist View of War and Hope Øivind H. Solheim
3 Tips to Manage Stress in Your Life Michele Thill
The Biggest Tech in Shielded in Stealth Frank Ontario | empathy, logic, love.
Unlocking the Secrets of Resilience and Health in Seniors Tom Kane
What The UK’s Youngest Billionaire Can Teach You About Life David Tighe
Threads of the Sky Light and Paper
My Game of the Year 2023 is one you haven’t played but should… MURRRAAAAY
Thank you for reading these beautiful stories.
Now, let’s welcome the new writers who joined us recently. Please explore their stories and they resonate with you you may connect with them. This is a great opportunity for writers and readers to meet.
Organic Ukrainist (Kashadoo), Kratika Chetwani, Sunanda, Sunanda, Nov Tech, Christabelle Pabalan, J.O. Phine, Chet Chung, Even Writes, Robbie J, Chris by thebootcode.io, Urvashi J, This Writer, ArtisKev N., Sonali Yadav, Sunanda, Hallel K., Jade Se Tho, Fadi Amani, albert nahas, Mrudali Birla, Nour’s, Nedelcu Alina, Insights by Cristiano Luchini, Wayne Basinger, Miguel Matos, Moloko Creative Agency, *Gently puts my mental health in rice*, Suvan Goel, Sally, J.O. Phine, Susan Fourtané, Dr. Manol Roussev, Derya Gungor, Ph.D., Gary Buzzard, Jade Se Tho, John Clark | The Trek, Bear Kosik, Cheyenne Martinez, Alexandra A. Smith, BSc, Oraorn Srichiangwang, Sheila Rose, Hirad Nourbakhsh, Dipti Rai, Jaydon He (@zen1th.fit), Renny J., John R. Miles, Darin Westly, Graeme Fowler, Joseph Reyes, Jess West, Elzawrites, younghock2, David Brimacombe, David Hayns, Ziqi W., Joseph Dalton, Pranshu “Maverick” Dwivedi, Zhenda Chia, Julian Hale, Background Noise Comics, Ali Griego, Through Opened Eye, Ritika Murarka, Elena Vellani, Nazli Can, — MOON PIE 🥧🌙, Mayuri Kapoor, Mood Palette, Abdulrazaq, Lilly Health, Wellness, and Fitness, Manthan, Aysia Marcum, wenbenjii, Soumyashree Thapa, Teaching with tech, Kareem Sauvan, Bruno Ewayu, Ruwithma Peiris, Asmae Leghmid, carlos da costa,
You may also check previously joined writers in the last two weeks from the attached onboarding packs. You never know who to meet.
Here is our onboarding pack covering everything you need to know.
New writers, when you need help please don’t hesitate to contact me on Slack workspace or Discord server. I introduce these services below.
I also enjoy introducing writers on YouTube. So if you are interested you may contact me on Slack or Discord.






