My Possibly Unhinged, Maybe Accurate, But Deeply Necessary List The holidays: a magical time of joy, connection, warmthβ¦ and an absurd number of expectations no one signed up for. Some traditions are sweet.Some trigger warm memories you actually want to hold on to.But those other ones? Jail. They need: So, in the spirit of healing, humor, and all the chaos I feel is needed, hereβs your (my) completely necessary list of… Holiday Traditions That Should Absolutely, Positively End in a Lawsuit… beginning in 2025. 1. Unnecessarily leaving the comfort of my home to go into the βWinterβ First of all? Why? Second of all, whoβs asking? Third-of allβ¦ why?Absolutely not!…
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The 48-Hour Pre-Holiday Survival Challenge
Non-apologetic. Completely necessary. Do it once, then repeat as needed. Iβm learning that the best skill for navigating any holiday isnβt planting a fake veneer of cheer on your face. Itβs doing what you actually want and fully enjoying it in the moment, and again when you look back once it’s all over. So before the chaos hits, hereβs the 48-hour reset that I praying will keep me sane, hydrated, and unbothered like a champ. Feel free to steal all or some of mine, or create your own, and then protect your peace like itβs the fragile sliver of calm before the internet gifts you more political clownery with a generous helping…
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How to Survive December When You Absolutely Hate the Cold
Let me be clear from jump: I am not a cold-weather loving girly. I do not flourish in frost. I do not awaken joyfully to the dank darkness. And I have never, nor will I ever, romanticize a numb bum, fingers or toes.I miss the beach. I miss sand. I miss sun. And when Iβm on the Maryland side, that delicious summer heat hugs instead of attacks – 99-degree boob-sweat days aside, clearly. Every year, my brain has to formally come to terms with the fact that for the next three months, I will be waking up in darkness and also ending my days in darkness. At some point in the…
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Why the End of the Year Triggers Nasty Self-Doubt
Year after year, thereβs something about the colder months that really jack up the volume on everything inside me. Itβs not just the weather, though the dark mornings and darker evenings donβt help. Itβs the year winding down, the calendar screaming βfour weeks left!β, βshit, no, three weeks left!β or whatever it is. Then Suddenly, everything feels like itβs on an express countdown clock. And then my brain decides to choose chaos As my brain dodges the reflective positive laps, and everything I wanted, everything I promised, and every passion project I committed to finishing, loops louder. And all those “this year Iβllβ¦β” moments play on repeatβwhen I never asked it to. I just…
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Happy Thanksgiving 2025: Gratitude, Laughter, and Time with Loved Ones
A little hello from meβ¦ serving GOOD VIBES only β¨ Drop a π§‘ if youβre serving GOOD VIBES only today, and tell someone βIβm grateful for youβ, because it matters.
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Your Quick, Fun Escape From Thanksgiving Chaos: Bingo Time!
Happy Tuesday! Thanksgiving is creeping up… next week, in fact. And if youβre fortunate enough to be able to fully enjoy Thanksgiving, just know it doesnβt have to be filled with chaos and stressful-arse to-dos. Who says gratitude canβt come with a playful side of fun (and a pause or ten)? Not me! Remember! Take all the pauses you need, sneak in some laughs, and sprinkle a ton of gratitude into your week (and life), starting with this fun Bingo game. Letβs keep it light this holiday season so we all get to rest and recharge. And who knows, we might see how much we love it, and it might…
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Finding Gratitude in the Little Things This November
Anyone who knows me knows Christmas is absolute fave global holiday. I kind of enjoy the goofy, sweet-toothed ghouli-delicious-ness of Halloween, and by then itβs on to the countdown to Christmas. Thanksgiving is a nice couple of days off work to eat, ease up off the stress, and just enjoy too. But since I didnβt grow up celebrating Thanksgiving β Iβll admit, even after all these years stateside β itβs still not a major holiday for me. Not shade, not hate to all who do. None. And in 2025, with the way the world is acting (aka stank), Iβve decided to take the spirit of the word, at least, and…
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When Your Perception Can Let You Down
We all think we know what we see. But do we really? Consider the last time you misjudged someone, or they misjudged you. Maybe because of your bubbly, loud, and silly personality, they assumed you were a βgo-along-to-get-alongβ person and not someone with deeper thoughts or stronger beliefs. Or perhaps you misread them, thinking you understood their intentions. These moments remind us that our perceptions are not always accurateβor that, with time and knowing more, theyβve adjusted. Itβs easy to get lulled into believing we have a clear view of the world around us. Our eyes are open, our ears alert. But perception isnβt just about what we see or…
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How to Redefine “Enough” in the Holiday Season
Lately, Iβve been hearing the collective exhale from people everywhereβfriends, strangers online, across the globe, all saying some version of: βYou know what? I donβt need anything this year.β βIβm so over all this unnecessary spending, going broke, and for what?β The mass consensus: Letβs cancel all the holidays! Woah Nelly! Hold up! Slow down! Christmas is LITERRALLY my FAVE holiday. It was the time in my childhood that my mum (RIPβ€οΈ) was the least nuts, and in fact, full of cheer – brimming over if you will! Me and my sister could damn near do no wrong, and cancelling?… That ‘aint happening! Nope! #IWillFightYou. OK fine. Calm down, cause…
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How to Find Help and Hope During Tough Times
Sadly, while this is not a new situation, people all over the world continue to fall into tougher and tougher situations. Everything from famine, wars, and poverty on many levels just keeps coming. Living in the DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia), the most recent hit that has many people walking yet another razor thin line, is because of the masses of federal workers on furlough, families dealing with layoffs, and folks trying to stretch one paycheck (or no paycheck) too far with the rising cost of everything. If thatβs you, or someone you know, youβre not alone. Youβre not invisible, and there are places to turn Hardworking federal workers,…