Hello friends,
I hope everyone had a restful Thanksgiving. We spent some lovely time together as a family, which is becoming more rare these days. We made it to our favorite local bookstore on Saturday. We watched a couple of Christmas movies. There were naps, name swaps for gifts, and our annual trip to Denny’s.
The Part Where There’s an Essay: Where I’d Buy You a Present
Are you sick of gift guides yet? Here’s my version: where I’d buy you or your nerdy teenagers a present (‘cause that’s what we’ve got here). For more ideas for younger kids, check out this post from a few years ago: Thoughtful Gifts for Thoughtful Kids.
Redbubble has something for everyone who has enjoyed at least one book, movie, or TV show once in their life. Seriously, if you can think of a pop culture artifact, chances are this place has a sticker, t-shirt, notebook, or cell phone case for it. This is a favorite of mine for stocker stuffers.
Well-Told is providing our teacher gifts this year, and I’ve bought for my husband from them, as well. David enjoys drinking his grown-up drinks out of his A Tale of Two Cities glass.
Growley Leather are friends of mine, and their stuff is just beautiful. If you’re looking for leather, start here. (They are happy to take special orders!)
Out of Print has little pins, bookmarks, socks, and clothing for all the best books, plus some that are just book-enthused in general. My daughter uses her Anne of Green Gables tote bag to carry her piano books.
Calamity Ware makes me chuckle every time; this china looks like the blue and white classic pattern that my grandmother had…but look a bit closer. You might be fending off a dinosaur or experiencing an alien invasion. I bought a few of these mugs for a couple who got married (mostly on Zoom) in early April 2020. “Things Could Be Worse.”
Hatch Show Print and Oxford Pennant make unique and fun wall art. I haven’t actually purchased anything at either of these places yet, but I’m always looking.
Lastly, in my opinion, for a hostess gift you can’t go wrong with an LL Bean bag or some Bennington Pottery.
Happy shopping!
For the Anglophiles
The Northern Lights over Stonehenge, November 21, 2023.
Reads & Listens of the Week
I loved this article about the intersection of Christian learning and emotions. “Education aims at right thinking about the world and right emotional responses to the world.”
Marking the sixtieth anniversary of JFK’s death,
had two stunning letters from Mrs. Kennedy: one to newly sworn-in-President LBJ, and one to Nikita Khrushchev. “Whereas major figures understand the need for self-control and restraint, minor ones are sometimes moved rather by fear and pride.”If you’re feeling behind or overwhelmed with how to approach Advent (especially those with children):
wanted to remind you that Advent is Not a Cottage Industry. “The big energy #parentinggoals can grip my heart in fear about ‘what if?’ — what if we don’t do this and my kids don’t know Jesus? What if I lose it and even if they know Jesus they don’t want to follow him? — Likewise, my apathy can also fail in the ditch on the other side of the road when I fail to do the simple tasks that knit a fabric of belief, care, and love.”If you like bookish podcasts, you might enjoy Overdue. Search the archives; they’ve been at it for a while!
It may be because I am silly, but I rather think that, relatively to the rest of the year, I enjoy Christmas more than I did when I was a child. My faith demands that such be the case. The more mature I become the more I need to embrace the joys of the incarnation. The more mature I become, the more I need to be but a child.
– G. K. Chesterton