The Mondays: November 18, 2024

Last week, my e-mail inbox was filled to the gills with Gift Guides. I feel like I went to sleep in May and woke up in the Holiday Season. And, I don’t know about you, but I am not ready for another round of Christmas Magic aka. the uncompensated labor of women making the holidays special.

As a Mom who works outside the home, I am trying to balance creating a lovely Christmas for Sloane with maintaining my sanity. This is manifesting in a few decorations for our living room, a small toddler-friendly tree for her room, an Advent calendar purchased by her Grandma, Christmas crackers, and some kind of enormous outdoor display (probably this huge bow). I intend to bake one batch of my Mom’s sugar cookies with her, and keep the holidays simple.

Kyle is responsible for Christmas lights and holiday cards, so if they don’t go out, my Aunts will know who to express their displeasure to. And that’s it. The key to holiday traditions is consistency, and these are simple enough that I can keep them going even as I try to close out the 2024 billing cycle. Yay, counting time in tenths!

Regardless, while we’re on the subject of self care, I want to share the things that brought me joy recently. Real, actual joy.

Sometimes it’s eery how social media marketing can pinpoint your desires. A D.C. company that uses Montana chickpeas to make its hummus? And they deliver via FedEx? Sold.

I ordered a box of Little Sesame hoping it would spice up an otherwise boring week, and did it ever. First off, the hummus is delicious. We ordered the preserved lemon, caramelized onion and jammy tomato and all were phenomenal. I loved that they were smooth and creamy, not grainy like most store-bought hummus.

Also, we ordered 10 of their fresh made pitas to go with it, and we devoured them in three days. They were soft and pillowy and the perfect complement to any meal. Also, watching a 26-pound toddler gobble one up like she had never seen food before was the most entertaining thing I’ve seen in weeks.

This is not a sponsored post. I am not being compensated in any way for this mention. I just spotted this product on Instagram, ordered it and am now enjoying a new career as a hummus evangelist.

I loved Little Sesame so much, I put it on subscribe and save. This hummus and tampons are now the only products so essential to my life that I need to make sure they arrive monthly.

Can a makeup brush bring you joy? It can when your under eye circles are as unrepentant as mine.

Ami Cole sent me a PR kit a few weeks ago, and this tapered concealer brush was in it. Shaped like a finger tip, with soft, stiff bristles, this is the most amazing concealer brush that I have ever used. It reaches into the smallest crevices and is perfect for creamy products. I love it so much that I am taking it to a Favorite Things party in a few weeks.

Don’t want to order from the Ami Cole site? It’s also available on Amazon.

I found artists Lindsey Cherek because a Continuing Legal Education class on trademark and copyright law. Cherek had her popular designs stolen by Temu and reproduced on cell phone cases selling for less than $5. A common issue faced by independent artists who don’t often have the resources to fight back.

In solidarity with small, independent businesses against predatory foreign retail behemoths, I decided to make a purchase. This Breadwinner print was the perfect thing. The print can be purchased directly from Cherek or on Society 6 if you want it framed. Society 6 also does 25% off first time purchases if you sign up for their email list.

Yes, I bought these New Balance 327s months ago, but they still bring me joy. Nothing else in my wardrobe garners more questions and compliments than these shoes. They’re comfortable, lightweight, cool in a slightly fashion forward way and can be worn with anything. I also own the tan/rust colorway, and I wear both pairs an almost absurd amount.

I love a podcast with a new, interesting story. Stiffed tells the tale of Viva, an erotic women’s magazine founded by the creator of Penthouse, Bob Guccione. I don’t know what I expected going in, but a story about a publication selling smut and feminism in the 1970s, where the nearly all women staff were paid a living wage and subversively told the stories other magazines wouldn’t touch, was not it.

This podcast not only gave me an enjoyable listen for my weekend work hours, it also gave me a list of feminist authors, magainze articles, and books to look up later. Hosted by Jennifer Rommolini, this would be a great podcast to listen to on your next long drive.

As you know, my friend Alex is the founder of the cheeky gift company, Chez Gagne. This time of year, I always stock up on a handful of items to have around for last minute holiday gifting needs. Given the current political climate, I purchased several “Everything is Fine” and “Remaining F**ks” matches to use as stocking stuffers. I also grabbed some Wildly Overcommitted note pads for myself. And since Alex has been trying to convince me that this hand creme is amazing for months now, I bought it just to quiet the text thread, and I can attest it’s good lotion.

So if you need some fun things around to toss in a gift basket or a stocking, give Chez Gagne a try.

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