Hello November!!
It was a brisk, wintry start to the weekend, so I wasn’t sure if we would even get any Trick-or-Treaters, but we ended up with an all-time high of 43, smashing our earlier record of 25. Maybe it was the decorations!
We do have some candy left over, which some of us are happier about than others.
Speaking of sugar, all occasions must be marked by sugar cookies, it is a law, while you’re living under my roof, you will obey my rules!
The first of November is, as you know, the beginning of Tiny Secret Festive Season! Today I’ll wear my Christmas bracelet, which will be with me until the New Year, and I will swap out the hand soaps for festive-themed ones. Tonight will be the night for red-plaid festive pajamas, my nightly foot cream will be swapped out for the Vanilla Candy Cane scent, I’ll start using my Christmas bookmarks, and my grocery lists will all be written on gingerbread-themed notepads. In a couple of weeks, I’ll start using the Christmas tea towels and Buddy the Elf mugs, and by then it will be soon time to decorate totally, so that by the end of the month we will be fully into the festive swing of things.
And on that note, I am ALMOST done my Christmas shopping, you guys! I know! Even for me, it’s early. Last week I carved out an afternoon just for going to the mall. I remembered what shopping felt like last year, and what it felt like was not fun. I recalled just trying to get every gift necessary in my one trip to the mall, and ending up completely exhausted and sour. You know what, I don’t want to live my life like that anymore. I don’t want to think of shopping for gifts for my loved ones, for my favourite holiday, as a huge dreaded chore. BE THE CHANGE, I thought, and so I changed my attitude about it.
One thing about me is that Gift Giving is not really my predominant Love Language (it’s Acts of Service). I have a tendency to get stressed and nervous when buying gifts – what if they don’t like it, what if it’s the wrong thing – and I think that is not the right way to think about Christmas gifts. Gifts are GIFTS. I don’t really remember being super-specific with wish lists when I was a kid. I remember being excited and happy opening gifts, and even when they weren’t things I would have specifically chosen, I would be delighted. I am still that way now. So why, I wondered, was I becoming stressed about getting the exact right thing for the exact right person? It’s a GIFT.
So that was the mindset I was trying to cultivate, and anyone with teen boys or other people who are difficult to buy for, people who have everything and want for nothing, will know what I mean.
The second part of my mindset was that I don’t need to get every single thing in one fell swoop. Last year, I kind of did; everything was new in terms of masks and customer limits in the store and sanitization stations everywhere. We still have our indoor mask mandate here, and almost no one walks around with a mask under their noses anymore. There are still limits to customers and hand sanitizers when one enters a store, but it feels pretty normal and much less dystopian now.
Old habits die hard, and I was tempted to buy the first thing I saw and to speed walk through the mall, but I told myself to slow down. It’s October 26, I said to myself, You can come back next week. Or later! I really tried to just enjoy the shopping experience, and as they say, fake it until you make it. And it worked! I really enjoyed myself. I browsed through a few stores, making mental notes about some items I thought would suit some of my giftees, I spent a LOT of time in Indigo choosing a paper agenda for 2022 for MYSELF, while looking at their displays of silly and delightful little things suitable for stockings, and, after lapping the mall once, I went back to the stores and bought the items that had initially caught my eye. I had a few ideas for my husband but at that point I was pretty laden down with bags. I think I’ll go back tomorrow and buy them, and maybe spend another enjoyable afternoon browsing around.
Pandemic Reading
Seven Days In June. This was an interesting mix of light, fun, sexy romance, and a commentary on the devastating personal toll of social issues. The plot follows two writers who had a (kind of) romantic week together fifteen years prior, and who have been writing the character of the other person into their books ever since. Sounds lovely and light, but that romantic week included massive drug use, self-mutilation, and eventual overdose. So…not as light as one might think.
What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat. I listen to and enjoy Aubrey Gordon’s podcast Maintenance Phase, which is about the toxicity of the “wellness” industry. The theme of this book is that anti-fat bias is the last “socially acceptable” mode of discrimination; it details the kind of discrimination faced, interspersed with truly horrifying stories about the way people treat other people. It also discusses the value we as a society place on certain body types, and how we assign morality to bodies and foods. It is something I had been thinking about for a while: a few summers ago, a friend was sharing with me her struggle to lose weight, and several times she used the words “good” and “bad” to describe herself and the food that she ate. I haven’t been bad at all! It bothered me then and it bothers me now, and I am still having a hard time articulating why. Anyway, this book is well-written, well-researched, informative and thought-provoking.
Happy November to you all! Have a great week! Is anyone else starting to gear up for the holiday season, or is it just me? xo
We had more trick-or-treaters than ever, too. We almost ran out of candy and that never happens. I guess there was a lot of pent up demand from last year.
I wondered if that was it as well! Good to see the kiddies out and at it!
I don’t really get into the festive swing until 1 December. My hubby is a tad obsessed with the Charlie Brown Christmas Soundtrack, so we’ve had to lay down the law that he can’t play it until after Halloween so I fully expect to hear it tonight!!
I JUST played Christmastime Is Here on the piano, so I guess I’m one with your husband!
I can totally embrace your sugar cookie rule. Such a great way to celebrate. Those decorations – very impressive especially with the lights. We ran out of candy. I’m embarrassed to admit that. I didn’t count how many kids we had, but I bought 4 bags of candy. I dislike having extra and that seems to be the case every year. I had a couple of kids come after we ran out – even though we’d turned out the lights, as in ‘we’re done here.’ The weather was chilly but very typical for fall. Not like it was crazy warm and encouraging tons of extra visitors. I promise to be more prepared next year.
I do not get in the mood for Christmas for a while yet- usually not until closer to Thanksgiving. I’m so jealous of your shopping initiative. I don’t have a single idea for my crew, let alone other people I shop for. Ed is thinking of traveling abroad next semester, so I can get him some items that will work well for traveling. Otherwise, stumped.
It’s always my fear we’ll run out of candy and I don’t think we have ever come close! You must have had a lot of trick-or-treaters!
We felt stingy at one point and decided to give out more than one piece per visitor – thinking we’d have leftovers as per usual. Strategic error.
You have snow!! We live in northern Illinois, so there is no snow yet, but it was cold. We sat outside with our neighbors and had a bonfire while handing out treats. It’s a fun tradition we all have since our children are older (college and middle school).
I love how you’re baking sugar cookies and talking about Christmas! I’m not quite there yet, but I will live vicariously through you. I’m very glad to have discovered your blog. I can already tell you will help me with my seasonal sadness in January. 🙂
Oooh, that sounds nice and cozy. Yes, we have snow – perhaps it will melt this week but perhaps not…it’s supposed to be marginally warmer so we’ll see!!
No trick or treat for us, but at least the weather has turned autumnal today. Sorry [?] about your snow, btw. I’m not big on Christmas and we buy gifts for no one. Literally. Family and friends have all agreed that we don’t need anything more so we do not exchange gifts. We used to, but now we all agree to send that money to a charity. It takes all the stress out of Christmas shopping.
Ally, autumn has come and gone for us up here! I would say that I wished it lasted longer but I am committing to Embracing The Season so I WILL NOT UTTER THOSE WORDS. Falalalalalalala, snow is just fine…
I love the money to charity plan! What a good idea.
Oh, happy find! I’ve come over by way of Posie Gets Cozy, and I am so glad I have!
Well done on the holiday shopping. Last year was hard. I agree “dystopian” describes it well.
I love what you’ve described about switching over to holiday mode, now that it’s November. I love this time of year, and I think I will take a cue from you, and just bring in happy signals, starting sooner than later!
Hi Natalie, so happy you’re here! Welcome! I will be talking a LOT about the holidays in the weeks to come, so be warned 🙂 It’s all about embracing the season and finding joy!
Your tiny secret festive season is lovely and always seems just a tad too early for me, but waiting until December first is too late because then it never really happens December first, so I’m going to work on splitting the difference this year. I’m almost done my Christmas shopping too, partly because we’re scaling down and partly because I started a few months ago. Presents are kind of my love language, and I love noticing things about people that will help me give the perfect gift.
I know it’s your love language because I have received some of the most sweet and thoughtful things from you, my friend! xo
Oh, I am jealous of your jump on the Christmas shopping. I started (online) looking and then work got insane and I haven’t thought of it since (bangs head on table). I need more hours in the day.
Yikes, you are SO busy these days Gigi! I wish things would slow down for you.
Wow, you have snow! I’m in Iowa, and we’ve had frost, but no snow ((yet)). Last year, though, we’d already had two substantial snowfalls in October. I loved your thoughts on buying gifts. Our youngest daughter just turned 22 yesterday (Nov. 1). Her two older siblings always want cash or gift cards, so I asked her about getting a gift card for her birthday. She paused, then said that she much prefers an actual gift because it reminds her of the person who gave it to her 😉
Aww, I love that! I am the same way. Every time I use my scissors, I think of the person who gave them to me for our wedding!
Congratulations ON all the trick-or-treaters AND getting so much shopping done.
I really wish I had your mindset on the shopping part, and I will try, but I’m usually a stress buyer. Which is a shame.
I love your tiny festive season!!
I’m pretty pleased with myself! Thanks!
Wait wait wait. Canadian Smarties are different than American Smarties??? I had to google this. Your smarties are…. M&Ms?? I feel like my whole world view is now in turmoil. So what do you call actual Smarties? Do you also have M&Ms?? AHHHH.
Yes! We also have M&Ms, they do taste differently and are differently sized than Smarties, but very similar. So what you call Smarties we call Rockets. It’s like a whole new world up here!
Oh, so you are one of the people who get right to the holiday season after Halloween. Gotcha! 🙂 While I love the holiday season (it’s my favorite time of the year), the Christmas stuff will stay in boxes until after Thanksgiving. (I do tend to keep up the tree a bit longer than other people though!).
I am glad you got a head-start at Christmas shopping. I always love shopping for little gifts (although it’s also not my first love language).
Our Thanksgiving is in early October, so technically I DO wait until after Thanksgiving!
Nicole, we are soul mates. Promptly on November 1st I started to get excited about Christmas. i love Thanksgiving too and I don’t want to skip over it- but our tree goes up immediately afterwards, and I’m already making little changes (kind of like your Secret Festive Season.) I haven’t started my shopping yet but I will next week! So exciting!
I love it! Soulmates! So glad you’re here – welcome!
omg, Tiny Secret Festive Season is such a great idea! I’m holding off on decorating for Christmas until Thanksgiving week here in the US, but I love the idea of switching over things little by little. What a great idea!
I have both of those books on my TBR list so I’m excited for your great reviews!