The December Edit
ho ho holy cow this month was busy
If you’re a new reader, the Monthly Edit is a brain dump of everything I consumed (or consumed me) during the month. This newsletter is filled with recommendations that I hope will add value to your life.
This month was filled with holiday movies. That Christmas was my favorite new movie of 2024. We also watched Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Elf, The Grinch (2018), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Jim Carrey), Red One, Our Little Secret, The Holiday, The Polar Express, The Nutcracker (1993), The Santa Clause, and Carry-On.
I read A LOT of holiday books this season. I’d recommend Kiss Me at Christmas by Jenny Bayliss, Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot, The Christmas You Found Me by Sara Morganthaler, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, Snowed In by Catherine Walsh, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, and The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter.
Despite having a giant milk crate filled with Christmas books, I don’t think we picked up a single book we owned. Instead, we focused on our December library book borrows, which I shared earlier in the month.
A Massive Stack of Winter-Themed Picture Books
Well, here we are in the final push before the holiday season. I thought I’d start this newsletter with a friendly reminder to let go of some of the pressure we inevitably put on ourselves each December. You don’t have to pull together a seasonal bookshelf to post on IG to be a good mom to your kids. Sometimes being a good mom looks like borrowing a mas…
I gifted my daughter a huge stack of mostly thrifted books for Christmas this year, including a few Taylor Swift books, Lego creation books, and art books. She’s showing a lot of interest in drawing and I wanted to give her books that encourage that creativity to flourish in the new year.
It brought me a lot of joy this month to hear both my 3-year-old and 6-year-old singing Christmas carols around the house. My oldest loves Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You and Wham!’s Last Christmas so it’s a good thing streaming services release their annual wrap before December.
We also listened to the Apple Music Celtic Christmas playlist a lot in the car and at the dinner table this month. I needed soothing sounds, especially church bells, to calm my spirit during the busiest time of year.
I was grateful to stumble upon Matthew Perpetua’s recommendations a few weeks ago. All of his Christmas playlists hit the spot. I made sure to favorite these to come back to next year!
Who knew that baking cookies could be a sneaky way to build math skills like measuring, conversion, and fractions?
Looking at Christmas lights / Cookies with Santa / Christmas caroling at a senior living facility / Aurora show at the planetarium / birthday parties / Santa Run on the firetruck / Christmas pageants / Christmas parties galore / Solstice Dinner / making hot cocoa toppers/ dress-up days at school / documenting Elwyn, our Elf on the Shelf / writing letters to Santa / wrapping presents / building Lego sets / playing board games / seeing Kacey Musgraves in concert with Lord Huron and Nickel Creek
It isn't easy to take kids shopping during the month of December without them asking for tons of new toys. I found a few things that made it helpful to manage their expectations. Before going into a store, I’d let my kids know that while looking at toys is okay, this trip isn't about purchasing them for ourselves. I’ve hopped on the trend of creating a digital wish list and allowing my kids to take a picture with the toy they like while at the store so we can reference it later or send it to family and friends for inspiration. I also encouraged them to get involved in the gift-giving process by challenging them to think about what others might like. It’s an easy trick that can shift their mindset from receiving to giving.
We were surprised to hear that my daughter’s teacher resigned and she’ll be placed in another classroom when she returns from winter break in January. Transitions can be tricky for her but I’m hopeful it will be a positive experience since she is familiar with her new teacher. A bit of back to school shopping will probably help smooth things over as well! I always looked forward to new school supplies.
Caitlyn’s thoughts on the quiet rebellion of a little life resonated with me and many Substack readers.
I enjoyed Brittany’s Stackmas series. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at her holiday shopping date was my favorite post.
The Eras Tour may be over but 2024 remains the year of Taylor. I loved this Taylor Swift Poetry Quiz.
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Hope you’re having a great month!
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Sounds like it was such a beautiful way to cap off 2024 for you all, which makes me really happy. 🥲 I hope the school transition goes well. 🙏 And thank you for the surprise shout out, it’s helpful to hear what you enjoyed most!! 💞