Hello, friends! I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings. We were in Virginia with John’s family and the week left me feeling full and happy. We decorated sugar cookies, we played cards and Do You Love Your Neighbor, we went on a hike, we went into DC and had tea, and our Thursday table was full of all the usual favorites plus buttered noodles, a Thomas family tradition.

Perhaps my favorite part, though was the walks. Every morning, any adult siblings who were available snuck away for a brisk walk, 30 minutes to an hour. Not only did it feel great to move my body throughout a week that is more often known for lounging and eating, but the power of walking and talking was on full display. We filled each other in on jobs and home projects, kids and parents, travel and health and plans for next year. I am grateful for the siblings I married into, and relished the opportunity to catch up with some of my favorite people in this way. I hope you were able to find moments of connection this week, too.

And oh yes, I did a little shopping along the way :) Some of my favorite purchases included this blue floral dress for me (50% off!), an embroidered C.S. Lewis banner for our loft/playroom (30% off!), curtain rods and rings for our dining area, and two of these quilted pullovers so my Mom and I can match (15% off!). And several items from my gift guides: gifts for Em, favorite gifts for loved ones, and what we’re actually getting our kids!

To wrap up this year’s gift guides, I thought I’d share a few of the items I’ve squirreled away for my family’s stockings. Linking is a bit difficult, since I prefer to pick up items throughout the year as I visit small shops and boutiques, but I’ve noted the same or similar items where possible. I hope it’s helpful! (And if you want to finish your shopping in one go, don’t forget about my friends’ ingenious one-stop stocking shop, Persnickety Gifts!)

Annie:

— A new water bottle and a handful of stickers from our summer travels to jumpstart decorating it
— Color-changing flame packets for s’mores nights (I’ll split these up between the kids!)
— A kitty pencil pouch for all her treasures
— An adorable little deer stuffie
— Fairy house supplies from our local garden store
— A sheet of Bluey stickers
— A Liberty fabric knotted headband
— A few Schleich animals
— Hair elastics
— The most fun bandaids
— Some sort of candy

Shep:

— A handful of Yoto cards stored up from our subscription
— A roll of Scotch tape, since he’s forever borrowing mine
— A mini paper airplane set
— Cherry sour balls from Michigan favorite Cherry Republic
— The most adorable little lantern. (All of the kids are going to go nuts for this and I probably should have bought three…)
— Tattly dino tattoos
— 50 silly scavenger hunts
— A camo tank and camo jeep
— A new paint-by-sticker book, his favorite
— Glow in the dark stickers
— A few new Hot Wheels (I think I’ll see if there are any on our neighborhood Buy Nothing group!)

June:

— A handful of Yoto cards stored up from our subscription
— A roll of Scotch tape, since she’s also forever borrowing mine
— Colorful post-it notes
— Ooly puffy pens
— A country guessing game
— Lindor truffles, her favorite
— A sport headband
— The cutest doggie pencil pouch
— Harry Potter chocolates and page clips
— A tiny snow globe from Bryson City
— A purple daisy hairclip
— Snowflake marshmallows
— And a can of whipped cream :)

And of course, everyone is getting a new round of coupons!

John:

— Mini sneaker cleaning sponges
— A pocket umbrella
— The tiniest frisbee
— A tiny white noise machine for travel
— Cherry Republic salsa
— A trio of Spicewalla spices
— Salt & Twine salami
— Fancy hand sanitizer
— Puffin socks
— His favorite plastic-free deodorant
— Trader Joe’s shishito chips

Em:

— A tortoise watch strap
— New oven mitts
— The cult scalp scrub shampoo
— Gen Z socks that I can maybe pull off?!
— A Teleties flat clip
— A scallop spoon rest
— A small Welly pack for my purse
— The Merry Christmas Illume candle
— A travel bottle of my favorite hairspray
— Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups
— And always, a chocolate orange

And if I didn’t already have them, a variety of Little Notes.

I’ll be back with December goals soon!

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