Things of Beauty #64
Gift guides, viral pistachio chocolates, and quiet Christmas wishes
I always feel grateful for the academic schedule, with the natural breaks that occur at the end of the semester, particularly this winter one, where everything closes for a period of time. I try really hard not to take for granted that this is a unique benefit of my chosen profession and this year I'm particularly ready for the space. I need the time to shift off the pace of the last few months and do some reflecting about what is ahead.
My wish for everyone is that you find a moment of exactly what you need in this season: whether it's quietness or a noisy joyful cacophony. And whether it's for a whole day or ten minutes—may we fill our cups.
Small bits of joy, I've squirreled away lately:
🐿 This article from
about the gift guides that pop up around the holidays as well as the links and recommendations posts that show up all year (like, ahem . . . this one) and what the appeal is. Hint: it has to do with a trusted source helping you sort through all the gazillions of things available to us at the mere click of a "pay now" button.🐿 Case in point: I recently bought this (as a gift for myself) on the recommendation of
. If you struggle with dry skin, I've only used this for a few days, but so far this seems like it's going to be a winner (and it smells really nice)! Here's Laura’s full gift guide.🐿 Last week I was back in the virtual Life Design Studio for Educators and mentioned my love of squirrels as a fun fact about myself. This resulted in others sharing outstanding university squirrel Instagram content with me (like this and this) as well as this delightful article about the legendary white squirrel at the University of Texas at Austin.
🐿 Do you know about the Dubai chocolate bar with pistachio thing? It's apparently gone viral on TikTok, but I only learned about it recently when a friend gifted me some homemade ones. They are SO good! I love the flavor of the pistachio cream and the texture of the bits of kataifi pastry (which I also just learned about!). Anyway, if you're on TikTok you probably know about this and have seen a million videos about how to make it, but here's a video on good ole' YouTube in case you, like me, are without the Tok.
🐿 This is probably my favorite Christmas song. I like the simplicity of the wish—a merry little Christmas. It's also fun because it's such a holiday staple and there are so many versions of it out there with each artist putting their own spin on it. There's a particular quietness to Adam Duritz's take on it, that really resonates with me:
Have you bought anything from a gift list this season or do you have a go-to person's list you love? Made any fun treats (viral or otherwise)? What's your favorite holiday song? Oh, and does anyone have a great sourdough cinnamon roll recipe!?
Be well, find tiny joy-
Mary Chris
That song is a keeper! Thank you and Merry Christmas Mary Chris!!