Monday Miscellany: Greenland! Iceland! The dang Himalayas!
Notes from December 15 - 21
Christmas is three days away, and nine-year-old me would be bursting at the seams with excitement. Thirty-nine-year-old me isn’t quite so carefree, but with travel plans in place, presents mostly squared away, and cookie baking in my immediate future, I’m feeling pretty festive. Whatever is on the horizon for you this week, whether you celebrate this holiday or not, I wish you a peaceful and cozy solstice time. Pretend I’m sending you some of the peanut butter blossoms I’m about to make.1
Read this week
You can tell it’s a busy time of year because I only have one book to talk about today—granted, it’s a bit of a chonker at 422 pages, but still. My free moments these past few days have gone instead to knitting and shopping and gift wrapping and movies and I’m not sorry!
My book club met on Wednesday to discuss Hope by Andrew Ridker, a story that details a year in the life of the Greenspan family of Brookline, Massachusetts circa 2013-2014. These people are well off; dad is a doctor, mom is heavily involved with the family’s synagogue and various philanthropic efforts, kids are high achievers in school and destined for greatness. And then, suddenly, all of that starts to unravel.
The novel is split into chunks, one from the perspective of each family member, and I definitely enjoyed some more than others. The last one, from the son Gideon’s viewpoint, was probably my least favorite and I didn’t totally love how everything ended. But overall I liked the reading experience, which was zippy and engaging despite the book’s length, and had fun discussing it with my friends. Read this one if you enjoy domestic mess and emotional chaos written with humor and wrapped up on a redemptive note.
P.S. Here’s the story behind the absolutely perfect photo on the cover (thanks to Elisa for sharing):
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Watched this week
Our household’s recent acquisition of a blu-ray player has really reignited my interest in watching movies!
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) was one of the first beloved DVDs I replaced and it was a joy to revisit. The visuals in this movie are just insane—Greenland! Iceland! The dang Himalayas! An erupting volcano! That one scene where Ben Stiller longboards down a stretch of winding road through the mountains! Talk about wanderlust activation. The soundtrack is pretty epic too: “Lake Michigan” by Rogue Wave, Kristen Wiig covering “Space Oddity” by David Bowie, “Stay Alive” by José González! Among others!! If you somehow missed this one, do yourself a favor and rectify that as soon as you can.
I saw Last Christmas (2019) in theaters when it came out and it popped into my mind earlier this month as one I might want to rewatch this holiday season. It’s about Kate, an aspiring singer who spends her days in the year-round Christmas shop where she works as an elf, and her nights drinking in pubs and crashing on friends’ couches. Her life starts to turn around when she meets an optimistic, charming, and handsome guy named Tom, but there’s more going on with him than she realizes at first. Come for the corny and somewhat predictable themes, stay for Emma Thompson as Kate’s crotchety Croatian mother. The thirty seconds starting at the 1:00 mark in this clip are worth the price of admission on their own:
Finally, is any holiday season complete without Elf (2003)? I went home from a white elephant gift exchange with this movie many years ago and on first viewing was not a fan. But I tried it again the next Christmas and something clicked, and over time it has become a favorite of the genre. Will Ferrell assuming that the New Yorkers with their hands up hailing cabs are waving at him gets me every time.
Haiku round-up
Haiku is a poetic form that originated in Japan, containing seventeen syllables in a five-seven-five pattern. At the beginning of 2024, I started writing one every day, and while traditional examples include thematic reference to the seasons, mine tend to be a bit more all over the place. Here are this week’s efforts—enjoy!
Monday, December 15
The combination of chocolate and peppermint just goes down so smooth
Tuesday, December 16
A test of patience: methodically untangling a huge snarl of yarn
Wednesday, December 17
Look in from outside on a scene of warmth and cheer, our faces aglow
Thursday, December 18
It’s weeks overdue, this holiday housewarming ringing with laughter
Friday, December 19
Industrious bee back to the pollination for which she was made
Saturday, December 20
I’ll never regret throwing dollars at artists They keep me alive
Sunday, December 21
A brief glance outward is rewarded by color saturated, bright
Until next time
On Saturday I participated in my first pop-up art market since before the pandemic! The venue, an atrium several stories high, was full of natural light and decorated to the nines, and it was such a delight to spend a few hours surrounded by dozens of talented fellow local artists. Shopper attendance wasn’t quite as high as I remember from past years, but everyone was kind and encouraging and I left feeling inspired and buoyed for the year to come. It’s good to be back. Here’s to creativity and follow-through in 2026.
See you next Monday, and until then, I hope you get some books for Christmas!
♥︎ Emily
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