issue #84 - the last one of 2020

December 26, 2020

Christmas has come and gone. And #giftgate, in the end, wasn’t such a big deal. Rho had more fun making sweets, reading books, and coloring with me than he did with his gifts, which is a lesson learned for me.

Less stuff, more quality time together.

We’ve spent a lot of time together this year, but most of it wasn’t the unplugged, focused, in-the-moment time that we need. It was distracted, multi-tasking, not doing anything particularly well kind of time that was necessary during some of the time, and was just habit the other times.

I refuse to beat myself up about it, because 2020 was hard enough. Instead, I’m going to spend the next week giving my loved ones my full attention, stitching my pile of needlepoint projects, watching Bridgerton and finishing The Queen’s Gambit, and getting dressed up at home on the 30th to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.

And I hope to bring more of this focus into 2021. Even when I’m lazing in bed, scrolling Instagram and Twitter because that’s what I WANT to do.

I hope you find some rest next week, and may we usher in a better and brighter 2021.

What we read this week

Kate

  • Dread Nation by Justina Ireland - Apocalyptic YA novel featuring Civil War soldier-zombies. Need I say more?

Qudsiya

  • The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio - I just finished The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, and I highly recommend it if you're looking for an account of the experience of undocumented people in the voice and on the terms of an undocumented person. It's also a beautiful piece of writing--honest and sharp in its depictions of those who make up the nearly 11 million people who live in the shadows of this country.

Hitha

  • A Princess For Christmas by Jenny Holiday - when your last name is Holiday, the bar is extremely high for a Christmas-themed romance. But Jenny surpasses it and then some, and A Princess For Christmas (no relation to the Hallmark movie) is a self-aware, smart, steamy book that’s best enjoyed with some hot chocolate and cookies and curled up under your coziest blanket.

The Top 3

The Catch Up

Monday (curated by Kate)

Tuesday (curated by Qudsiya)

Wednesday

Things we love this week

Kate

Qudsiya

  • Another random find in the clickhole, I watch this video at least once a week and it brings me so much joy. The best part is that Pavarotti and James Brown seem to be genuinely enjoying each other. It's a musical feast.

Hitha

  • I’ve been a Harney & Sons tea fan for some time, but I’ve only recently discovered a few things - it’s a New York-based family business (hence the sons, duh), it has a diverse leadership team and employees, and they are deeply committed to sustainability. Their Holiday Tea is what I’m sipping right now, but their chocolate mint and hot cinnamon spice also came highly recommended, and Vanilla Comoro is one of my all-time favorites. Bonus - the tins are beautiful and you’ll want to keep them to store art supplies, sewing kits, cookies, or anything.

  • Fantasy fudge is my favorite Christmas treat, and has been since I was a kid and my cousin Jessica would bring/send it to us (no matter where in the world we were). While my and Rho’s attempt wasn’t as good as Jessica’s, it’s pretty damn tasty and the familiarity was incredibly soothing.

  • If you’re looking for an unbiased, short news source that goes beyond #5SmartReads, you need to download Volv. Their summaries are easy to read and to-the-point, written clearly and intelligently, and they share some news stories that I would’ve never come across myself (like farting oceans). They’re also one of the few media companies run by women, and you can tell in the stories they choose to summarize and share.

  • This indoor jungle gym is the best thing we bought for our kids. Both of them love climbing on it, they take turns on the slide, and it helps wear them out without going outside. If you have space for it and the patience to assemble it (we enlisted professional help, full disclosure), it’s worth every penny and the weeks-long shipping time from Europe.

  • If your skin is taking a winter beating, this mask from Naturally Serious is one I’ve been using a few times a week and it has been a gamechanger. Pair it with Naturopathica’s manuka honey cleansing balm (expensive, but it lasts for a while and feels like dessert on your face). Your face will thank you.

Take care of yourself, and please share #5SmartReads if you’re enjoying them!

(we’ll be launching an ambassador program next year, and the top referrers will get first access to merch (including my 5 Things notepad), exclusive Icebreaker events, and other things I’m still plotting).

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