And just like that, we’re deep in the holiday season. Everyone keeps saying it, but it’s true: With the smallest ever gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the season seems especially rushed this year. Fortunately, I started my shopping early and I’m just about done. Now it’s just a lot of donating/hemorrhaging of our bank account to all the support people in our family’s life: classroom teachers, cluster teachers, cafeteria staff, crossing guards, Hebrew school teachers, mail carriers, hair stylists, house cleaner, babysitters, and on and on. All of those people certainly deserve a holiday bonus, but, man, it gets expensive. I remember as a kid wondering why grown-ups always stressed about the holidays, acting like it was such a financial burden, and now I get it.
Anyhoo, I think we’re going to pick up a Christmas tree this weekend, and Drew and I are going out tomorrow night to a little holiday gathering. There’s a birthday party, play dates, and a basketball class for the kids so it should be a full and happy weekend for all of us. I hope your weekend is also a good one, however you spend it. And in the meantime, here are a few things from around the web that may interest you:
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is how we might begin to re-imagine the stages of life (including how we subsidize them and what we gain from them as a society) as life expectancy continues to increase. This was an interesting take and echoed so many of the thoughts I’ve had about the topic: “We need a major redesign of life.”
These Illustrations Show What Love Is Really Like Behind Closed Doors
Tiny Love Stories: ‘We Were So Fit, So Young, So Beautiful’
P.S. These are super fun this time of year if you’re looking for a cheap thrill people of all ages can enjoy.
Thank you to those who submitted links for me to include. If you see something around the web you think DW readers would appreciate, please send me a link to [email protected] and, if it’s a fit, I’ll include it in Friday’s round-up. Thanks!
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ktfran December 6, 2019, 12:48 pm
Our final itinerary for my 40th birthday Kenya/Tanzania safari came today. It finally feels real!!! T-minus 6 weeks. Not that I’m counting or anything.
Kate December 8, 2019, 9:07 am
I want to plug Haverdash again. I’m not affiliated with it or anything, I just really really like it. It’s “clothing as a service,” similar to RTR Unlimited, but it’s only $59 a month and it’s brands like Cupcakes & Cashmere, ModCloth, BB Dakota, etc. I’ve been doing it for 2 months, and I get 3 pieces of clothing a week, that they pick for me from pieces I’ve already chosen and put in a virtual closet. This week I got a black French Connection minidress that was perfect for wearing out to dinner with friends, Lucky Brand jeans, and a beautiful blouse I can wear to work. My husband kept complimenting the dress. I get compliments on the items I wear to work, and the jeans are great too. You can also choose to buy the items, and they’ll be from like 5% to 50% off retail. But if you don’t want to buy, you just send them back in a pre-labeled mailer bag and they send you three more. They clean the stuff so it always arrives fresh. I actually have not bought any clothes anywhere since I started using this. Just some PJs and a bathing suit for vacation. I always feel like I have something new in my closet so I don’t feel an itch to shop.
Today we’re buying toys for local kids and dropping them off at our local restaurant that collects them. And dealing with our puppy’s social calendar. People keep texting that they want to come over and meet him, or babysit, so we have to schedule. Yesterday he went to a charity event he was invited to, to benefit a no-kill shelter in Chicago. He made friends with a small 2-y/o dog and they played. He also goes to Kindergarten on Tuesday nights, which is mostly play. A mini Aussie has a crush on him.
TheLadyE December 8, 2019, 11:12 pm
I should try Haverdash! Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve been looking at Modcloth clothes for weeks but I can’t justify spending that money right now.
I hear you on the puppy’s social calendar. My girls have to get a last round of shots but everyone wants to come meet them. We spent the weekend at my boyfriend’s and they love him more than they love me, for sure. I’m not mad about it. <3