All in Products & Gift Ideas
We interrupt this holiday season for a GIVEAWAY. Using “pause” in this moment in time seemed over-used so I am interrupting the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. But why now? We’re working hard and we still need to decorate the house, buy gifts, wrap gifts, send out holiday cards, make grocery lists, bake, etc. why would I do a give away now? Because someone may need a free gift - that’s why!
If your current budget for gifts is zero dollars and the holiday season is making you panic, please chant this mantra with me - “Thoughtfulness is still possible.” People ask me, “What do I get someone who already has it all?” It’s tough to “top off” or surprise them with something they can’t already buy themselves. However, the number one thing that a person cannot buy is sweat equity. I mean, sure, they can pay people to do the labor, but they can’t buy the labor of LOVE and THOUGHTFULNESS that goes into a gift that is especially meant for them. So with COVID wiping out the economy for most, pretend the people on your holiday gift list are Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Oprah and Kylie Jenner. They all can afford anything and everything. What would you give to them if you were to going to spend the holidays together?
For so many years, I have kept the tradition of listening to Christmas music non-stop starting the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas night. In recent years, I have added another “Day After Thanksgiving” tradition. I pull out all of our Nutcracker items to mark the beginning of the celebration (more like fear) of my daughter’s upcoming dance schedule. Prior to COVID, the weeks leading up to Christmas were ONLY about Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy at the State Theater. The mugs, sweatshirts, decorations and the coveted fuzzy sock/slippers which have Nutcrackers printed all over them come out of hibernation to help me get in the mood. I’m giving credit to the socks for keeping me grounded during the whirlwind of a season.
Our Thanksgiving Day dinner menu this year is: turkey (Martha Stewart’s brine recipe), mash potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole (Trader Joe’s recipe), gravy, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie and apple pie (with ice cream). It’s basic, yet fancy enough for us because we only eat these foods in this combination once a year. Each of these menu items have a unique scent and anyone who enjoys eating these foods would welcome their scents like a warm hug.
In full disclosure I was trying to decide between writing about National Fast Food Day and World Kindness Day. Believe it or not, after the 2020 election, I have been super weary about the concept of kindness. Half of America is so filled with hate that it would seem almost too ironic to write about kindness. Besides, fast food is such a great topic. The choice was hard.
During the Stay-at-Home order for Covid I thought that I would have all this extra time to read. I envisioned myself as one of those people who would curl up on the couch and read a book during my “down time.” Seven months later, I still do not have down time. When George Floyd died and all of America wanted justice, I knew this was a big issue but I didn’t know what to do to help. I knew one thing, throwing another book onto the pile on my nightstand in hopes to read it someday wasn’t going to work. Some of the books on my nightstand have been there for 2 years! In this case, I needed to learn about racism asap otherwise I wouldn’t understand the civil unrest that was happening all around me. I immediately loaded my Audible library with two books: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo and How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi.
I love the meme that is going around social media these days that says: “Anyone else feel like Halloween is unnecessary this year? I’ve been wearing a mask and eating candy for 7 months now, I don’t think I need a day dedicated to it anymore...” We all know what Halloween is about. Candy, candy, candy, right? Maybe costumes and parties too. But did you know that on October 31st our nation also celebrates National Knock Knock Joke Day? Isn’t that so cute? I mean, it’s appropriate. Knocking + Halloween. Although unfortunately, knocking on doors will be rare, if at all, this year. Boo!
In a Gwyneth Paltrow interview I learned that she laughs every time she says the word “balls”. Just like her, I giggle whenever I say the word “nuts.” There, I said it and yes, I giggled. Although they are not the same thing - to anyone with adolescent humor - they are basically the same thing. All jokes aside, National Nut Day is coming up on October 22nd and well, it’s another opportunity to be thoughtful. This national food day has been celebrated since 2016 and according to Nationaldaycalendar.com, the day was founded by Liberations Foods (Choose Liberation). It’s inspiring to learn that this company advocates fair trade nuts and they promote healthy living.
Last Fall, I was crushed when the Thoughtful Pinch app didn’t take off the way I had imagined. Fortunately, I believe that things happen for a reason so I didn’t dwell on the set back for long. I threw a pity party for a few weeks but I eventually embraced the “failure”. I took a breather. I collected data. I grew; which is always a good thing.
I’m pretty sure every bride can attest that they put a lot of thought into their wedding day. Some brides hire a wedding planner because there is too much to think about when planning one of the biggest events in a person’s life. I notice that whenever they mention weddings in the Bible, it sounds like even back then, many people contributed to the preparations of a wedding. It makes me wonder - if we are celebrating the union of two people, why is it the couple’s responsibility to cater to and pamper the needs of their guests? Isn’t making a commitment to spend the rest of their lives with one person enough responsibility?
At the beginning of the school year last year, I gave a copy of the National Day Calendar to Food Services at my children’s school. My hope was to influence them into considering some of the national food days for the school lunch menus. I plan on giving Food Services a calendar again this year. The reason I believe that this thoughtful pinch is worth giving away is because food connects people. Even the pickiest eaters will find connections. Celebrating some national food days at school would be fun because kids of all ages talk about food. They share their opinions, describe textures and comment about food scents. On National Broccoli Day, believe me, there will be some connections within the lunch lines!
In full transparency, if I had my choice of dark, milk or white chocolate, white would be my very last choice. However, since I don’t have a choice, I eat white chocolate all the time! In fact, as I type away, I’m eating white chocolate peanut M&Ms right now. Yum!
