December Favorite Things

What I’m Loving This Month

As I created this list of my favorite things, I noticed a theme. All of the things are simple, yet bring me so much joy. This is exactly the life I want to create and live with my family, one of meaning and simplicity. Creating memories out of paper (without glitter!) is more appealing to me than rushing from one holiday activity to the next with a tired toddler, and I love that I’ve found a rhythm that works for us.

My wish for you is that your holidays are meaningful and bring you joy, too - even if you do decide to use all the glitter.

My Favorite Things This Holiday Season

One Line a Day Journal

One line a day journal. At the start of the pandemic, I got myself this journal. It’s a five year journal, where each page has five spots to write your entry for that day of the year. As you make your entries, you’ll eventually start seeing the ones from the same day in previous years. It’s a simple but beautiful way to look back on where we’ve been, and this quote sums it up nicely:

Prayers of gratitude for wet kisses and small hands, reciting the alphabet and hearing stories come to life, walks around town and phone calls with family and friends. Prayers of being fed and feeding others, fresh baked bread and home made meals shared, laughter and meltdowns around the table.
Each day a gift.
When I read through the days turning into years, I see one word more often than others: good.
After all the long nights feeding the baby, the meltdowns over what clothes the toddler would wear, the endless pile of dishes, the worry about a family member’s recent diagnosis, the food to be cooked, the distractions, the constant busyness, and the coordinating of schedules, the days are good. - Kimberly Knowle-Zeller

Paper Bag Snowflakes

Full-on winter break is almost here, so I’m planning some crafts that don’t involve glitter. (It turns out that my mom was right, and glitter should only be an outdoor activity.)

These snowflakes are beautiful, festive, and you can recycle them at the end of the season rather than store them, which is a big bonus for me. Older kids can help with scissors, the little ones can help with gluing, and everyone will love the reveal when you open the snowflake to see what you’ve made.

(Craft and image from Burnt Pancakes)

A Snowman Craft

This craft is a bit more time consuming, but again uses supplies you already have on hand and can be recycled after the holidays. Older kids (elementary age) could do this on their own or with guidance, but for the littles, you can do all the prep and just help them to glue the parts on.

This NEW Planner.

The past four years, I’ve used the same Day Designer planner. I’ve loved it this whole time, but when I saw the Golden Coil planner, I was super jealous that I didn’t have one. But now I do! Their tagline is “Beautiful, customized planners for your life”, and it’s true. You can choose your color (mine is paprika), and fully customize every bit of it, from the calendar style, add-ins like budget sheets, monthly goals, to-do lists, and other fun things. To say I’m pleased is an understatement, and I can’t wait for the first day of 2022 so I can start using it.

Kids’ Underwear that doesn’t Suck

The patterns are nice without being too childish (totally okay if your kids love Frozen undies!), and they are so soft. The best part though, is the waistbands. The fabric is folded over the elastic so it doesn’t snag. It’s a small thing, but it makes me happy. These are the girls, and these are the boys. The cutest!