Hello merry elves! I must confess true merriment is in short supply this year, but my family is grabbing what joy we can by watching lots and lots and lots of holiday films. We started in on our box of mince tarts basically on December 1 and I think I've paired each tart with a tiny inch (or two) of sherry. I've pronounced it "my wee tipple" and WHILST chatting with some friends online, we all agreed that my metamorphosis into an elderly British lady is nearing completion.
A tree fell on me by accident at the Christmas tree market where we get our tree. I'm ok. Then we (me) decorated the tree which took while because someone (me) has An Obsession about ornament placement and then I had the world's most painful mammogram the next day (happy for a good test result to make up for ALL THAT PAIN), and then after that I had several days of Extreme Tiredness. A photography friend of mine recently had a very short getaway to a solo occupant cottage rental nearby, and I thought nothing could be more magical! Do you think solo vacations will be very popular once we're allowed to move around freely? Lol.
Online items of interest I've collected for you:
Old world cozy reading space ideas.
Christmas in the Cotswolds. YOU WILL LOVE. Thank you Jenny!
Just ordered some of these magical sounding candles as holiday gifts.
Did you know that Victoria magazine has a blog???
Mental survival skills for winter.
Still obsessing over 'The Queen's Gambit'?? How to get good at chess.
A dear friend sent this hilarious essay about Anne of Green Gables my way. I laughed until I cried. Many colorful words, warning! It is also 100% ACCURATE.
Jenny Rosenstrach's (of Dinner A Love Story) 2020 gift guide.
I'm a big fan of these mystery books to read during winter. I've asked for this one in particular.
Cool Book of the Week: On Instagram earlier in the fall, I wrote about how I discovered the charming books of Jenny Colgan, specifically her boarding school for grownups books. I was so delighted by 'Class: Welcome to the Little School By the Sea', as well as the other two books in the series so far. Anyway I also noticed that she has some other books about a woman who moves to a remote Scottish island that is halfway between Scotland and Norway and opens a hotel? Works at a hotel? Not sure what's going on as I haven't read these YET, but I'm going to pick these up as a holiday gift for myself. My family is always so pleased when I buy my own presents ha ha ha. 'Christmas at the Island Hotel' is the sequel to 'Christmas on the Island'. I enjoy Jenny's breezy and fun writing style, and the way her books won't stress you out. I was happily engaged by the 'Class' books and I like Colgan's attention to everyday details that really help immerse you in her British locales. Oh actually I believe the series starts with 'The Endless Beach', I think I'll get that one on Kindle.
Have a lovely week and weekend! And for those who celebrate Hanukkah, happy 1st day! I'll be back next week to show and tell my personal book wish list, as well as some details about the Winter Hygge Box I'm putting together in January.