5 Quick Things #391 🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

loving good things, Jolabokaflod, mincemeat pie, and The Unweek

Hi there,

Can you believe that this Sunday starts the fourth week of Advent? This season has truly flown by for me. Perhaps it’s because I was sick this week and thus missed my last day of teaching for the year, but I’m hoping it’ll be this weekend that it starts feeling like the season for me. I’m not complaining, mind you; I’m just surprised. I’ve been relishing in my morning Advent reading with just the lights on the tree and one candle lit in the dark, and I’m grateful my kids are at definitive sleeping-in age. Speaking of which: Tate is officially home! It’s been delightful to have her here, and I’ll savor every second of it until her wedding (five months left and counting!).

Over the next few days we’ll do some baking, watch a few movies, and hopefully enjoy lots of family neighborhood walks. I’ve done all my gift-wrapping, thankfully, but tonight Kyle and I are going on our annual stocking stuffer-shopping date night. We’re headed to Oregon on Christmas Day itself, so the five of us are having our family Christmastime beforehand... it’ll be a busy but delightful week! Bring it on.

Stockbridge Main Street, by Norman Rockwell #

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5 Quick Things ☕️

1. New episode of A Drink With a Friend! For the final episode of the season, I’m chatting with Abigail Favale, a fellow author and all-around great gal. She shares with me her childhood book—one I’ve never heard of but sounds like one I would have loved in my formative years—and one she’s read as an adult that’s been on my TBR list for absolute ever. (I know, I know; it’s a sign I should finally read it already.)

2. My middle child, the one whose birthday is four days post-Christmas Day, calls the week between December 25 and January 1 “the Unweek,” and I love it so much we’ve unofficially adopted it into our family’s vocabulary. The Unweek™ is the best week of the year, when time has no meaning. No one expects much of you (even if you return to work), it’s perfectly acceptable to graze on whatever’s in the fridge at odd hours, and the day’s agenda often involves leisurely walks and multiple movies and a puzzle. It’s when I often finish a novel from beginning to end, and tend to add copious amounts of peppermint to my daily coffee with no shame in my game. I absolutely love The Unweek™.

3. Speaking of reading, y’all gave me some great ideas to pass on to Kyle for my Jolabokaflod book wish list this year. …If you’ve ever wanted to add this tradition, customarily done in Iceland on Christmas Eve, take note that it can absolutely be enjoyed any day near the end of Advent. From those I know who’ve adopted this tradition in recent years, most seem to do it sometime between the 20th-23rd. Just a thought!

4. While I’m sad that the Klavan menfolk are winding down their back-and-forth letter format on THE NEW JERUSALEM, I also completely understand their need for change (been there before). As they sunset their letters, though, they’ve been ending them beautifully—I appreciated Spencer Klavan’s thoughts here: “Of course loving good things makes evil things appear worse, as sharper light makes shadows stand out clearer. But the secret is it doesn’t work in the other direction: you can’t know beauty better by hating ugliness more. You have to start from love. Or else you may fathom all mysteries and speak in angels’ tongues, yet still be nothing.”

5. And finally—sorry, but can’t stop, won’t stop… Here’s that new WWII mincemeat pie history and recipe you never asked for. (And here’s his full Christmas playlist—you’ll thank me later.)

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Currently Reading, Watching, Listening 📻

The Bells of Dublin, by the Chieftains

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Quotable 💬

“The Lord Jesus wished to become man for our sake. …He who guides the stars is nourished at the breast, but He fills the angels; He speaks in the bosom of the Father, but He is silent in the womb of His Mother.”

- St. Augustine

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What’s the worst holiday song? 🎶

Ah, it’s time for this annual somewhat controversial question... I’m happy to have been vindicated this week by Fr. Mike, who apparently agrees with me (though my top three worst songs are in reverse order of his). Simply Having is absolutely the worst song and it’s not even close—it’s out of tune, the lyrics are banal, and even the great Paul McCartney himself admitted later that he phoned it in. It’s truly abysmal.

• Santa Baby: 21.3%

• Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer: 20.4%

• Christmas Shoes: 18.6%

• Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime: 10.1%

• Baby It’s Cold Outside: 8.1%

• Last Christmas: 8.3%

• Happy Xmas (War is Over): 7.1%

• I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus: 6%

Find the next poll here.

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Quick Links 🔗

• 📐Create your own Rule of Life

• 🎧 Listen to A Drink With a Friend

• 📖 Read my books

• 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Join the next pilgrimage: Scotland!

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Question(s) For You to Ponder… 🤔

What expectation can you let go of for this Christmas?

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Sometime this next week I’ll share with you a new short Christmas story written by yours truly, but then I’m taking next Friday off from these weekly 5QTs in order to savor the winter wonderland up in Oregon. I’ll be back with your next one in early 2026—still during Christmastide, of course! Don’t forget to celebrate for a full twelve days.

Have a great rest of your Advent season and a Merry (early) Christmas,

- Tsh

p.s. - Oh look, it’s our family.