Hey there,

Ever have those mornings when you wake up and your body is fairly certain it should sleep for at least two more hours? That’s me this morning. Instead, I’m sipping on my second cup of coffee and willing my brain to catch up with the clock. Time zone-wise, I’m pretty sure it’s still somewhere over the Pacific near Hawaii…

I’ve got two stacks of high school essays to read and grade (one on Frankenstein, one on Pride & Prejudice), which means it’s near the end of our school’s session — hallelujah! Another week of cultivating young minds, and then I’m strapping on my apron and baking All The Holiday Things while watching All The Movies. So very here for it.

5 Quick Things ☕️

1. 👉 New episode of A Drink With a Friend! 👈 It’s hard to remember the simple beauty around us, so in this episode, we continue practicing the habit of noticing the gift of everyday beauty. Our choices aren’t purely holiday-specific, but there is a bent toward that which we enjoy this time of year.

2. When I’m confused about the idea of the Immaculate Conception, it helps to have a fellow former evangelical do some explaining. Mark Galli, former editor-in-chief of Christianity Today and Catholic convert, unpacks the reasons to scratch our heads — as well as reasonably trust the Church.

3. This is beautifully relatable: “I now have to go one or two sizes up in my jeans, because the old ones can’t contain me and who I’ve become as a mother. This tree trunk has grown a couple extra rings.”

4. I really want to try these.

5. And finally, this is fantastic: “Very little in real life is actually solved by buying a failing candy cane factory. If you want to get into manufacturing, it would be better to purchase a factory with goods that can be sold year-round — like paper clips.”

Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📚

• A Christmas Carol audiobook, read by Hugh Grant

Quotable 💬

“If you don’t get everything you want, think of the things you don’t get that you don’t want.”

— Oscar Wilde #

Two Reminders 🎁

In case you’ve forgotten (ha!):

1. I wrote a book for Advent. It’s never too late to start.

2. I’ve curated a holiday gift guide with ideas that make fantastic gifts and support good businesses and makers. Finish your shopping in plenty of time!

For Commonplace Subscribers 🏘

Note our Pride & Prejudice live chat — it’s next week!

Also, ICYMI, I wrote a thing about the weird trend of calling everything on the internet “memberships” and “communities”:

“Somehow by following someone on Instagram, unbeknownst to you you’ve become ‘part of their community.’ Internet creators become so desperate for people to follow them that they feel the need to brand themselves as community leaders: a veritable digital PTA president or scout leader or sorority president. And because they’re aware of the competition, they want people to stick around and feel part of something, so they call their followers members. Part of a community.

(You know, a cozy little comment section on a photo in an app owned by a billionaire.)

I know I sound snarky, and I guess I am. Yet I don’t hold these people (many who I consider friends) ill will. I’m annoyed at the system, the platforms, the tech giants, not these otherwise well-meaning creators. And I’m annoyed at the culture we’ve created that tempts and pressures creative people with the false idea that they need to lead something online in order to matter.”

Read the rest or become a subscriber

Elsewhere 📍

Tsh Oxenreider ☕️ @tsh

You know you live in a small town when the police officer that borrowed and then broke your 11 yo son's stilts (when he tried them out during the Xmas parade that goes by your house) then swings by on Monday morning with a hardware store gift card so your son can rebuild them.

8:42 PM ∙ Dec 6, 2021

Question For You to Ponder… 🤔

Is there a 2021 goal of yours you could potentially accomplish in the next few weeks? (You never know, crazier things have happened.)

Have a good weekend!

xo, Tsh

p.s. Who did this, indeed.