The December Issue
The monthly dispatch on romanticizing your life, including my favorite seasonal recipes, new books releasing this month, playlists for the perfect vibe, and more.
Dear Friend,
Hello and happy December! Every year there’s a handful of viral tweets and posts about how Christmas just doesn’t feel magical anymore, and things aren’t as good as we remember them to be from childhood.
I think, truthfully, the overwhelming reason for this is, well, nostalgia and rose-tinted glasses. Of course things aren’t going to feel as magical as they did twenty years ago when you had no job, no bills, no responsibilities, and no phone pumping non-stop bad news directly into your central nervous system.
But I can empathize. After all, I was posting similar sentiments when I was in my early twenties, convinced as everyone else is that I was the very first person to ever think these thoughts and put them down in words.
Still, in the last five or so years, I’ve really come to be something of a grinch about Christmas and the holiday season writ large. It’s loud, it’s chaotic, it’s overbooked and overstimulating, it’s all commercial, everyone only cares about the presents, it’s all about who is posting the best tree on Instagram…
It got to the point where I found myself sneering at the first seasonal decor display I saw this year, like some kind of cold-hearted big-city woman in the first act of a Hallmark movie (another thing I’ve been determined, unfairly, to despise for years now).
I decided this year that something needed to change. And since I was no longer a child, I realized that it fell to me to make my own damn holiday magic. I’m determined to try to take the season slowly, enjoy it, savor it, remind myself of the parts of it that I love, and rid myself of the parts of it that I don’t. If you’re feeling the same way, I’ve compiled a list of things I’m intending to do to get myself into the holiday spirit this year.
Regardless of where you land on the Grinch to Cindy Lou Who spectrum, I hope you have a magical, beautiful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate, and that you get the chance to spend time with loved ones and eat a lot of deliciously unhealthy food. ❤️
To Do List
Go caroling. Especially at places like hospitals or nursing homes. It really does bring so much joy. (But maybe plan ahead and double check that the institutions are cool with it first).
Decorate with tinsel. Lots of tinsel. Nothing makes me happier than sparkly tinsel reflecting the warm, glowy lights of the Christmas tree.
Bake & decorate sugar cookies. I would follow Sally from Sally’s Baking Addiction into the depths of hell, so I know her ultimate sugar cookie recipe is gonna be perfect. Make tons of fun colored frosting and go crazy with all the different sprinkles. Indulge your inner child.
Make a festive craft. Because overconsumption is lame. Some craft ideas I have saved for this December include paper chains, orange pomanders, paper doily snowflakes, and this patchwork quilted bow if I’m feeling really ambitious.
Send holiday cards. Nothing beats real, physical snail mail, especially around the holidays. My favorite cards come from Rifle Paper Co., Red Cap Cards, Compendium, or Idlewild.
Have a holiday movie marathon. My favorites are It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Home Alone (1990), Eloise at Christmastime (2003), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), Little Women (2019), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992), Love, Actually (2003), The Santa Clause (1994), While You Were Sleeping (1995), and The Holdovers (2023).
Volunteer at a soup kitchen or toy drive. It really does warm the heart to feel like you’re giving back, even in a small way.
Bookshelf
Reading updates, new releases, and more news from the stacks.
Ten Before the End
Somehow it is the final month of the year, something that takes me by surprise literally every December. So I thought I’d hop on the bandwagon and share my Ten Before the End picks – aka, ten books I hope to read before the end of the year. I’m focusing on the physical TBR pile that is growing upsettingly large because it’s going to bury me alive if I don’t start whittling it down…
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown
Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews
Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff
Set Piece by Lana Schwartz
December New Releases
December 2nd
Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards
Homeseeking by Karissa Chen
The Definitions by Matt Greene
Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen
Television by Lauren Rothery
A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Cheating Death by Maxie Dara
My Fair Frauds by Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne
December 9th
Seeing Other People by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Cape Fever by Nadia Davids
December 30th
In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams
The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
Menu
I can no longer ignore the fact that it’s officially winter, as I sit and watch the eight+ inches of snow accumulating on my lawn. So naturally, I’m craving hearty bowls of stews, soups, and casseroles, plus lots of spiced sweetness – nutmeg, gingerbread, peppermint, and everything festive.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks & Sweets
Drinks
Playlists
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I read Calm Christmas by Beth Kempton last year and it changed my view on the season so much! I was with you where I just felt more and more jaded and tired of it being all about cramming as much as possible into a few weeks and gifts. But that book helped me lean into the things I enjoy about the season and I’m bringing that into this season this year too!
I really think tinsel is highly underrated. It’s the glitter of Christmas.