Souvenirs #6
Nutcracker everything, finding luck, influencer mess, and some memes I liked
Hello, happy Saturday! It’s eleven days to Christmas, eighteen to the new year, so here are three fun facts about the current state of my holiday season:
We very rarely go anywhere for the Thanksgiving or winter holiday, and this year is no exception. A wise man once told me he found family time so much more fun and stress-free when he saw family outside of the big pressure cooker holidays, and after years of practicing this, I have to say I agree. I love a low key holiday! We’ll see my mom after the new year, and already have a few other family trips planned for 2025.
Holiday shopping is decidedly not done and I can’t lie, I am stressing a little. I need to go to Chinatown for something specific, buy a glut of gift cards for teachers, and wrap a bunch more presents. Am I alone in limping into the end of this year? Normally I love all things holiday shopping and gift wrapping, but for whatever reason, this year it’s feeling daunting. Meanwhile, check out the super glamorous items on my wishlist: I asked for a splatter guard, and ordered myself these collapsible potting trays, which Violet is going to wrap and “give” to me. Like I said: we love a low key holiday.
On the writing front, I had an arbitrary goal to finish the next draft of my memoir by the end of this year and…I’m not sure it’s going to happen. In the past six weeks, I had a mental block about how to approach the last set of chapters, and just arrived at how it needs to be done while in the shower last night. (Aren’t shower epiphanies the best?) Anyway, I am going to carve out as much time as possible between now and Jan. 1 to hit my goal, but even if I don’t, am hoping for positive forward momentum as we head into the new year!
What’s new in your holiday world? Chaos? Merriment? Cold? All of the above? If you need to settle in with a cup of coffee and some links, at the very least, this week’s Souvenirs has you covered:
Reading:
1 / “An I.V.F. Mix-Up, a Shocking Discovery and an Unbearable Choice”
Still on my mind after a few weeks: this absolutely unbelievable, heart wrenching, and heartwarming story of two women who, through IVF, were mistakenly implanted with each other’s embryos and gave birth to their non-biological child, unknowingly raising them for a few months time until the error became obvious. They’d fallen in love with their babies. How would they possibly give them up? (Click away—these are non-paywalled gift links)
2 / “Madewell: How a Beloved Brand Lost Its Way”
What exactly is going on with Madewell? A take.
3 / “The Revolutionary Sound at the Heart of a Holiday Classic”
Meet the celesta, the unique instrument essential to the twinkling sounds at the start of The Nutcracker’s second act, i.e. the dance of the Sugarplum Fairy. Read this article for true holiday delight! (Also, this interview with the two boys dancing the role of the Nutcracker Prince for New York City Ballet was equally as charming, with beautiful photography!) (Click away—these are non-paywalled gift links)
4 / “Is A.I. Going To Destroy Lifestyle Blogs/Websites?”
Emily Henderson talks the future of AI and content creation, including how creators are working to direct the future of search (and its massive implications for their own websites).
5 / “Bad Influence”
Related: I have so much to say about this influencer “copycat” lawsuit, I don’t even know where to start. While I find the litigation kind of ridiculous, I think it points to bigger issues that have long been a part of this corner of the internet. People wasting energy screaming “copycat,” for one (here, I’ll post my annual link to Everything is a Remix, which was updated for a third time last year and is so worth the hour watch when you can swing it). And second, the flattening and homogenization of aesthetic, of content, of vibe. That’s what should really be on trial. (Verdict on how to combat it? Jury’s out.)
6 / New Substack Alert
REAL AMERICANS author Rachel Khong launched a Substack, called Short Story Short! Inspired by her goal of reading a short story and a poem everyday for a year in 2021, the newsletter will send a monthly list of stories to check out, her top rec among them, and a promise of lots of good reading suggestions in the comments. Check it out here.
7 / On looking for luck versus finding it
Meanwhile, I discovered Wit & Delight founder Kate Arends’ Substack recently, and am really enjoying her work there—I find myself nodding along with her weekly check-ins, especially given this particular phase of life and my own evolution the last few years! This week’s letter, on receiving luck (well, luck and ideas) as opposed to furiously searching for it felt so timely:
What I found was when I was seeking [four-leaf clovers], I found myself more blind to their presence.
So, I set a rule. I could look but not search—no stopping to bend down and poke. The clovers had to reveal themselves to me as I strode down the path, and it was my job to trust they were there.
Sometimes, I’d catch a glimpse and ask, Did I see it? With that question, I knew to keep walking. I’d stop only with certainty. If I did catch a glimpse and miss it, so be it. I am not here to collect as much evidence of their rarity but to delight in the ones that snag me like a taut string: undeniable in their presence.
When we’re open to luck, we’re open to the opportunity of something miraculous, something we can’t quite wrap logically around. Small or big, luck feels miraculous because we’ve submitted control without losing hope. We’re in a dance with everything that is connected to us.
Shopping:
1 / Custom matchboxes. I bought a set of 20 from this Etsy shop almost four years ago, only just running out this fall. It’s a totally frivolous purchase that is a micro-joy in our house. I like them gold-foiled on black boxes, with our initials.
2 / Joe asked for a garlic press for Christmas; I got him this instead and honestly, can’t wait to use it myself.
3 / Have bought an insane assortment of creams for a not-so-fun bout of wintertime eczema that cropped up. If you’re in this same boat (which, as it happens, is a very red, very itchy boat), Gladskin and Aveeno’s nighttime balm have been my saviors.
4 / I mentioned this a while ago, but it bears repeating: in the fall I shopped this jigsaw puzzle board and let me tell you: it is just the greatest thing. You can work on a 1000 piece puzzle for a few hours, then zip up the entire thing and store it away with ease, your work saved. There are four sorting trays that snap and unsnap, for easy lay-flat storage. I bought it for my daughter’s puzzles, but honestly, the whole family has gotten crazy good use from it. Highly recommended if you or your family is into puzzles!
Listening, Watching:
1 / This Instagram compilation of the guest hype line at the Jennifer Hudson Show is the best. Can you imagine entering anywhere and this was waiting for you? Click for smiles. (H/T to @louisa.wells)
2 / This tour of Love Shack Fancy founder Rebecca Hessel Cohen’s townhome is…wow. In New York City no less.
3 / Christmas carols, obviously. I like this Christmas Cocktail Jazz playlist, as well as this Christmas Peaceful Piano one. Also, New York City Ballet’s recording of The Nutcracker is great background music at work!
4 / How the Royal Ballet makes it snow. (Can you tell I went down a Nutcracker rabbit hole?)
5 / Behind the scenes on a White Chicks inspired end zone dance. (H/T to @)
The Writers Block
For writers and other creatives—a few links related to the act of making things and putting them out in the world.
1 / On writing in spite of yourself. “I now understand that sometimes we have talents in precisely the areas that are most challenging to us. If you feel like you do your art in spite of yourself, you ain’t alone, welcome to the club. Don’t be discouraged. Remember always: a book or a story or a poem performs its magic – can change a life – whether it was written by someone who struggled or by someone who didn’t.”
2 / Three years to make a book, and it doesn’t sell. Now what?
3 / On looking back and realizing the creative/work things that once worried you no longer do.
Mom Things
1 / A little known essay from famed GOODNIGHT MOON author Margaret Wise Brown has picture book authors Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen talking about how “children are particularly sensitive and capable readers of literary fiction.” You know what? I couldn’t agree more. “Picture books are one of the few places where adults and kids can meet as equals. And where sometimes kids, unbound by convention and alive to the possibilities of language and art, can show adults how to read.”
2 / “Every time we break away from how we were raised, is it an act of bravery? Are we always healing aching wounds when we don’t follow tradition? Or are we simply becoming our own people, exercising a bit of hard-won agency?” A thought-provoking essay from Kathryn Jezer-Morton.
3 / My child enjoys playing Go Fish and Uno with the best of them. If your kid’s hands are too small to hold cards, may I recommend these card holder things? They are a game night game changer. There are honestly a bunch of versions of things like this, from small to large, plastic to wood, but the version we bought made it so much easier for her to manage her hands (of cards, that is).
Recent States of Mind
AKA memes I texted friends:
I’m writing here more regularly and feeling like I’m in a groove and most importantly, having fun! If you’re enjoying Well So Yeah too, tapping the heart button helps this newsletter grow. Or, if you’ve been lurking, quick, here’s your chance:
Weekly Housekeeping
📷 Collage images: Markus Spiske, British Library, Aditya Lonkar, Wiki Sinaloa
📌 This post contains affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase through one of those links, I may make a (very) small commission.
🌊 Last week on WSY: oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, plus some new holiday traditions
