You know what magazine editors love (aside from Chanel, of course)? Fresh flowers or a great gift basket. No time to shop for the best items? Don’t know how to put one together? There’s an app for that. Read on for 5 finds that will make the season of giving easier.
It’s raining, it’s pouring… I didn’t realize until a couple weeks ago when the first rain of the season hit San Francisco just how much I love rainstorms. With cold air and longer nights, it’s the perfect weather for curling up with a good book. This season’s picks are a little deeper, a bit more emotional but, like my fall picks, will probably strike a chord. Brew your hot beverage of choice (I go with hot cocoa or apple cider), switch on your holiday lights, snuggle with your most-loved blanket, and get ready to revel in some reading.
Since I left for college many moons ago, I have grown to appreciate the holiday season more deeply. It’s the time of year when all of my childhood friends and family are gathered in one place. You wind down from another year and remember what’s really important. The chaos of life matters a little less. Spending time doing nothing with people you love means even more. When “holiday break” in my hometown went from a month in college to a week and a half in the work world (and I know even that is a luxury!), I learned how to savor Christmas in less time. One of my favorite parts of moving back officially is that I get to see a full-size Christmas tree when I come home every day. I started to make a conscious effort years ago not to look forward to anything too early. I felt that it made time move too quickly, and I for one want to extend every happy memory for as long as possible. With that, here are my twelve ways to spread holiday cheer in small ways and celebrate your holiday last throughout the month.
Photo Credit: The Miss Information
I’m not one for shopping in crowds, so online shopping changed my life. I still tend to avoid Black Friday, but this year I thought if I wasn’t looking for things for myself I could get a head start on holiday shopping. ‘Tis the season!
I used to mark my year in reasons to fly home, and one of the biggest trips was naturally for Thanksgiving. LAX is reportedly the busiest airport in the US during Thanksgiving week, and from the endless delays, cancelations, and hours spent at a terminal during that week for the past decade I can say proudly that it’s true.. and I survived. Last year in the cab ride to the airport, a thought casually crossed my mind: “This is the last year I’ll travel for Thanksgiving.” It came and went before I had a chance to challenge it, but a year later I smile at my personal premonition.
For the first time since 2005, I am staying put for Thanksgiving. I see my family every day, yet the festive air is contagious and the holiday spirit feels even more magical now that I’m in a city in which temperatures drop for the season (plus you have to admit San Francisco feels like a snow globe city, without the snow). 2014 has been quite a year. I don’t know many who didn’t go through some kind of major change—a decision to change jobs, move into a new apartment, relocate to a new city, go back to school, start a company—and we are all better for it.
This Thanksgiving, take a pause before you begin your meal or before you change into your Thanksgiving pants, and give thanks to those around you (literally and figuratively). Here are what our single girls are grateful for this year.