Surely by now you’ve seen the Christmas decor and debates popping up on Instagram. I give decorating before Thanksgiving a solid salute of “good for her, not for me,” but in many ways my attention has turned to the holidays. The way I see it, there are a few options to tee up a peaceful, joyful holiday season:
Be someone with few or no expectations around holiday festivities. Don’t have specific things you want to do, food you want to make, people you want to see, gifts you want to give, or experiences you want to have.
Be someone with very few demands on your time. That way, you have the space for last-minute errands, day-of adjustments, and pivoting on a dime without getting ruffled.
Plan ahead.
This might sound flippant; I really don’t mean it to. If you’re someone who’s happy to go with the flow, has a fairly empty schedule, and is just happy to experience whatever festivities fall into your lap, planning ahead is maybe not necessary. But — if you have a vision for how you’d like your holidays to unfold, if you have a job or other demands on your time, if you have kids relying on you to make holiday magic, if you have a budget to stick to… then, yes, planning ahead is necessary for a peaceful and joyful holiday.
With that out of the way, I’d first like to direct you to this post I wrote last year. It outlines six things I do every November to set myself up well for December, and I stand by them all (many are on my goals list for this month!). If you carve out time to do these things in the next few weeks, not only will you have set yourself up for a smooth and worshipful last month of the year, but you’ll be able to indulge in some of those holiday vibes we’re craving without going whole hog.
That being said – the point of this post is a little more commercial. I’m the last person to tell you you need to buy anything to have a magical holiday, but I also know you likely will buy a few things, and want to help equip you well. (And the weird fact is, many of these things will sell out by the end of the month – such is the way of the world). So, I’ve rounded up a few of our favorite Christmas accoutrements (as well as a few I have my eye on) early so you can plan your shopping accordingly. Or at the very least, indulge in a little window shopping :)
— This candle is my holiday ultimate. I’m not really a “candle person,” per se, but I will go through one of these in the month of December. I like to buy mine at a favorite local boutique, but they’re available online, too. As a runner up, I considered buying this scent I spotted while walking through Whole Foods the other day – the holder is so pretty! It’s also available online.
— Our ring-around is one of my most treasured Christmas decorations – it stays on our kitchen table throughout the month and our kids are as transfixed by it as I remember being when I was their age. Other decor I’ve been eying: this whimsical dish towel, this canvas or this one from Lindsay Letters (we will pull out our classic O Holy Night that we got as a wedding present!), and a fluffy garland for around our porch steps.
— I’ve long been enamored by Christmas villages, and love the more modern takes that have been popping up in recent years (though truly, I love the classic ones, too!). I even went so far as to order all five of these from Target, only to return them when they arrived larger than I expected and accepting that I don’t actually have a tabletop to display them on. If you have the space, these are cute, too! (And these are a little smaller – and a GREAT price!)
— Our tabletop real estate goes to our nativity scene. I collected the Willow Tree set over many years (love it!), but just added this little peg version for June to play with this year.
— We added this tree (above) to June’s room last year and it is MAGICAL! Totally worth it at the $25 price point. It’s sold out right now, but add yourself to the in-stock list if you’re interested – I’ll bet it might come back in the next few weeks. The same model also seems to be available here, though for twice as much! We added a pom pom garland and a multi-pack of pink and gold balls from Hobby Lobby to June’s – this mini blush faux fur tree skirt would be perfect, too. Planning to get another one for Shep’s room (for next year!) when they’re back in stock! If you can’t or don’t want to have a full-on tree, this little pom pom tabletop number is adorable.
— We go real for our big tree, and ever since our first year celebrating as a couple, I have been searching for a topper that strikes my fancy. I imagine I’d like an angel or a star – maybe something like this. (This natural wood star is also really pretty!) We also buy an ornament for each other and for the kids every year – eyeing one of these sea creatures for June (in honor of our Octonauts extravaganza) or this one in honor of her new wheels! Though we use several Ikea faux fur mini rugs around the base of our tree, it’s fun to see all the options for tree baskets after posting about them so long ago! :) This cream knit pom pom version is lovely, too.
— I LOVE the ceramic Rifle Nutcracker plates I snapped up last year and can’t wait to bring them out of the attic – just wish I had bought more! Anthro’s offerings this year include this sweet city design and a fun 12 Days of Christmas set by Inslee. So fun for after December breakfasts and after school snacks. Also love this plaid or city scene version of the cork placemats we use daily.
— This will be the first year we’re home for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning and need to hang our stockings by the chimney with care! Accordingly, I’ve been on the hunt for stocking holders. These stars (or these ones – would need to see the finish in person) are pretty, but I might go for something simpler (or for a little less). If we didn’t have heirloom knit stockings (made by my grandmother and sister!), I’d probably choose something like this cream knit for the stocking itself! For a head start on your stocking stuffers, try this list for grown-ups and this one for kiddos. Will add more in the gift guides!
— Pajamas! These often go quick – many sizes are already sold out. My best-case scenario would be a pair of these from Lake for myself. Look, I know they’re $$$, but I have one long-long pair and I have worn them almost every single night this year… embarrassing, but true? Alas, they are currently sold out in my size – added myself to the list to see if they restock. While I LOVE the idea of matching with June, I don’t think I can stomach the price tag for something she’ll grow out of in a year. Other lovely options: this plaid set for mama, this very sweet Nutcracker set or pink candy canes for little girls, this polar bear Fair Isle number in pretty colors, and these cute forest friends. And my little fire-truck loving man would LOVE these!
Whether you’re pulling boxes out of the attic, cutting branches in the woods, or building your Christmas collection from scratch this season, I hope this post was an enjoyable little foray into the Christmas spirit! :) My encouragement: shop now for whatever you decide on, then set it aside for a few weeks.
What, decor or accoutrement-wise, are you shopping for this holiday season? I’d love to know!
P.S. Though I have never seen more exhortations to vote in my entire life, I would be remiss not to include my personal endorsement for exercising your civic duty today, if you’re a US citizen and if you haven’t already.Voting is a privilege and an honor and I am so grateful to be able to do it!
With just two months left in the year, my mind is very much on how I can wrap up my 2020 goals well. For some of them, that might look like neatly checking a box to mark “complete!” (for example, my Advent calendar project); for others, it might look more like noticing how far I’ve come and considering how I might like to continue the work into 2021. Here are the little-by-little steps I have planned for this month!
A portrait of Halloween 2020: the happiest Aurora, the cutest doggie, our COVID candy distribution chalk art, and my favorite trick-or-treaters. I was so impressed with all of the creativity (candy zip lines, air cannons, chutes!) and care that went into making Halloween such a fun night in our neighborhood!
On my calendar this month: — Making chocolate chip shortbread cookies. For some reason I have been craving these, even though I’ve never made them in my life!! Does anyone have a good recipe to share? — Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping – I’m working on my list! Will be eyeing my favorite bra and these scalloped nesting baskets, among other things, for discounts. — Normally voting would be on my list, but this year (for the first time ever!), I voted early, in-person!
What I’m loving right now: — If you’re looking for a movie that will please a group over the holidays (even parents, sans cringe), may I suggest Knives Out? John and I thought it was clever and delightful, and the richly-ornamented house that serves as the backdrop to the action seems just right for colder weather. (Bonus: it’s included with Prime!) — I am a little embarrassed to admit this, since I’ve known Nancy for quite some time and therefore had less than six degrees of separation from Jess Ray for an equal amount of time, but I’ve only dived into her music this fall. It’s so good. Current favorite is the Mission House album, especially “Never See the End.” — Shep is a skinny dude, and many pants feel absurdly baggy on him. He’s worn this tan pair for two cold seasons in a row now (including in last year’s family photos!). I highly recommend (and you can’t beat the price!).
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What I read in October: — Lilac Girls | I don’t believe I’ve ever read fiction told from the perspective of a Nazi, which made this novel set in World War II an interesting addition to the genre. If you enjoy stories from this era (The Nightingale, anyone?) you’ll eat up this weaving together of three distinct, yet entwined, narratives. — My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry | Highly recommended by a dear friend, this novel felt jangly, chaotic, and a little too self-aware at first, but I ended up loving it (though I did find the idea of classmates writing such horrible notes to a fellow 7-year-old – and no grown-up stepping in – hard to stomach). The way it weaves together and unveils the house residents and Miamas kingdoms is magic!
A little update on my 2020 reading list: it’s trucking along! So far, I’ve read 13 of the 24 books on the list. It doesn’t seem like I’ll get to all of them before the end of the year, but I hope to finish 7-8 more before December 31st! Next up: God and Moneyand Save Me the Plums(doesn’t it seem just right for the month of Thanksgiving?).
Revisiting my October goals: Design our family Christmas newsletter and order Christmas cards (newsletter is underway!) Edit Sheptember, Volume 2 Complete four more Advent ornaments (completed the holly, the crown, and the ice skate!) Ride 50 miles (36!) Wallpaper the upstairs bathroom Switch out lighting in the upstairs bathroom(we chose these lights – can’t wait to show you an update!) Finalize family mission statement Finish garage reboot, including hanging our bikes
November goals: — Begin my 2021 PowerSheets prep — Complete the Advent calendar backer (!!). My thought is that if I have this completed by the end of the month, then we might actually be able to use it this year – I can finish up the last few ornaments before we get to those dates in December! :) — Order and complete our 2010-2014 family album. Does anyone know of an option that includes a customizable fabric cover that’s at least 8×8, without layflat pages? Artifact Uprising’s is 7×7… — Hang mirrors in the bathroom — Order our Christmas cards — Make decisions about all gifts for all the people — Clear the decks for holiday decor (I’m looking specifically at you, laundry room and master bedroom hot spots!) — Make our holiday plans — Hang our bikes in the garage
I have an ambitious slate of posts planned for November, including a Highlands recap, a camping recap, gift guides, an investing 101 series, and, tomorrow, a holiday prep post. I know gift guides can be contentious – some people love them, some skip right over – but I enjoy putting them together (and reading the guides of others!) and providing some realistic and delightful ideas you may not have come across yet. Any requests for me to include this year? I’ll take them as specific or as broad as you’d like!
I wasn’t planning to write a stand-alone post about June’s big-kid bike, but I had a deluge of questions after sharing a little clip of her riding it (the “whoop”!). It seems inquiring minds want to know, so let’s dive in!
How we prepared for her big kid bike:
We gave June a balance bike for her third birthday. While we’ve generally been happy with it, I think we will choose a different model for Shep, as the seat continually comes loose and twists.
She was a bit short for the bike when it first arrived, and sometimes resisted riding it after the initial rush of excitement wore off. We didn’t push it on her (she often preferred to ride her scooter), but we continually suggested it, and she took us up on it more and more until she was riding comfortably by the summer (age 3.5).
By the time this summer rolled around, she had more than got the hang of the balance bike – in fact, she was flying down hills so fast (without brakes!) that it no longer felt safe. While we considered waiting for Christmas or her birthday to graduate her to a new bike, we didn’t really want to wait until the thick of winter – so we went for it early.
How we chose a big-kid bike:
For these two Enneagram 5s, a big purchase meant diving into some good old internet research. We were guided at the start by a parent friend who had previously worked in a bike shop – he recommended a model with hand brakes instead of coasting brakes. Especially for kids who first ride on balance bikes, coasting brakes (where you pedal backwards to stop) can throw them off kilter since they’re used to a back-and-forth motion propelling them forward.
Priority bikes are not inexpensive, but so far we are REALLY happy with our choice. Here are a few of the things we love about it:
— It seems to be VERY good quality. At this price point, we expect to pass it down to siblings and/or cousins, and so we want it to last. For the price, it’s one of the lighter bikes on the market, it’s easily adjustable, and its chain is grease free. It was also easy for John to assemble. (The price is also less than many of the comparable bikes we considered.) — I love the classic design. It leans neither feminine nor masculine to me (whereas some of the other bikes we looked at seemed much more gendered either in design or color options); this is important, since we already know the next recipient is a boy :) We chose the red color, and it is so fun and vibrant in person! — It has hand brakes. — It has a kickstand – surprisingly hard to find! June has not quite mastered engaging it on her own yet, but we parents are glad to have at least one bike that stands up on its own in the garage (our bikes do not have kickstands, and neither does the balance bike). — 16″ bikes are generally recommended for kids age 4-7, and the experts recommend getting an accurately-sized bike instead of trying to cheat up so you have to replace it less often. The measurements of the 16″ matched up for June; we figure she should get about two years of riding in before passing it on to Shep at age 4 and graduating to a 20″ bike.
How we transitioned from a balance bike to a big-kid bike:
Many of you asked how the transition was from the balance bike to the 16″ bike. While I don’t have any other experience to compare it to, I would say it was pretty seamless. We did not use training wheels (that is the promise of the balance bike!), though you can buy an add-on pack through Priority.
The video you saw on Instagram was taken on her fourth outing. For the first try, we walked to a big parking lot in our neighborhood with plenty of space and fewer curious eyes :) The first day looked like a lot of John holding the bike while she peddled – and also a few tears, because the tread on the pedals scratched her leg a few times (we wore leggings for subsequent outings, which helped!).
On the second outing, she attempted starting from a standstill, and by the third, she could start from a stop independently. A month in, she is still learning to apply the brake to slow down (as opposed to a full stop), to rest her legs while going down a hill instead of continuing to pedal, and to get enough speed to go uphill (we haven’t introduced coming out of the saddle yet). She is loving it and chooses her bike over her scooter on almost every outing now! We are loving it, too, though we’ve had to begrudgingly lace up our running shoes to keep up with her – ha!
What’s next:
As she gains proficiency, speed, and stamina, next on the horizon is trying out a greenway ride with John and I on our bikes, Shep in the trailer, and June on her bike (!). Since she’s so far had plenty of intermittent rest waiting for Shep or her parents to catch up to her, I’m curious to see how far we’ll be able to go with everyone on wheels before she gets tired… once we find a nice quiet stretch of greenway, we’ll try a little experiment!
One final note: if you’re considering a bike as a Christmas gift, I’d pull the trigger sooner rather than later – bikes seem to be an in-demand pandemic item, with inventory going in and out of stock.
Whew – that’s a lot of info about a little bike! Happy to answer any more questions you might have about the big-kid bike, the balance bike, or our experience with either!
Today is the fifth anniversary of Articles Club! Five years ago this month, Stephanie and I posted an invitation on our respective blogs: would anyone be interested in reading articles together and discussing them once a month? It would be like a book club, but with articles! That first night, we sat around my living room with snacks and drinks in hand, 10 or so strangers who just happened to have a little blog in common. I didn’t know anyone in the circle except for Stephanie… which is a pretty crazy situation for an introvert to find herself in.
Five years later, the faces around the circle are beloved friends. Some of them are the very same, and some we have been so lucky to welcome in for a season or for good since then.
Articles Club this year, like most things this year, has looked a little different. We canceled our March gathering as the lockdown descended, then met via Zoom for several months. In August and September, we were overjoyed to gather again – outside, at Dix Park, with the most gorgeous sunset view of the city skyline and individual dinners on our laps. For our meeting this month, we’ll walk around the side of Stephanie’s home and spread out on her back deck, and we’ll toast to five years with cupcakes.
Though we have read a few sets of articles this year, many of our gatherings have simply been social – a chance to check in on each other and share the hard and the good of the past month. After all, the world has given us much to discuss even without assigned reading, and it has been a special gift to sift through all that 2020 has thrown at us with a group of people who care deeply about each other, who believe there is gray in the world, and who are capable of approaching differing opinions with good will and thoughtfulness – and even a little humor when needed.
Earlier this year, I came to the realization that these people are my friends. That might sound like a strange thing to realize, after five years – of course these are my friends! – but they haven’t come with all the trappings I typically associate with friendship: we don’t tend to gather much outside of our monthly meeting. I haven’t met many of their significant others or children. I don’t have all of their numbers in my phone.
And yet – I have sat around a table for hours in conversation with them. I have tried, and adopted, their favorite recipes. I have learned about their childhoods and their work lives, their meet cutes and political opinions and financial situations and beauty routines and Enneagram types, their thoughts on parenting and generosity and home design. We have laughed and cried and laughed until we cried. We have brought each other meals for new babies and exchanged books and beauty products. Our gatherings are always one of my favorite evenings every month.
So yes, these are my friends. Stephanie, Kelly, Ginna, Pressley, Chelsey, Stacy, Adelyn, Bethany, Libby, Julia, Mackenzie, Robyn, and everyone else who has joined us over the years – thank you! What a gift you have been to me.
While I don’t have my usual list of reads from the past year to share with you today – I do have this: my encouragement to step outside of your comfort zone and reach out a hand in friendship. Even if it seems scary, even if it seems risky, even if it seems complicated or likely to fail – a hand extended in love is always worth it. It might sound cliche, but it’s true.
Friends, I’d love to hear about a time when you took a risk on a new friendship, if you’d like to share! Almost all of my adult friendships have required a risk on my part, so I love hearing about other’s happy endings :)
