December is my favourite winter month because it’s when I’m at my most optimistic. The days are shorter and colder and it gets dark too quickly, but the holiday spirit is what keeps me going. There are decorations to admire and gatherings to enjoy and the snowfalls are still picturesque. There’s a renewed sense of optimism for the year ahead and things to look forward to like new planners, vision boards, books to read, and vacations to hopefully plan. The dread of a long winter ahead hasn’t quite settled in yet (although we did get a little taste of it where I live with some January-ish weather earlier this week). And so before the real January arrives to January really hard, I’m going to enjoy the best month of a long season and remind myself of all the other glimmers that winter has to offer.
I love my Moleskine planner and every year, I buy the exact same one: the 12-month hardcover daily diary. For a brief period of time, I was a Rifle Paper girlie but I kept missing the freedom and satisfaction of a full, fresh page for each day and eventually went back. Moleskine planners are generally very minimalist when it comes to cover design and the colour palette is also very limited. For 2026, however, there’s a pastel lilac option! A fun colour! I was so excited, I bought it immediately, just in case it sold out. I’m currently trying to decide whether I want to decorate it with stickers, use a label maker, or keep it as it. TBD.
We had a snowy weekend so I whipped out my slow cooker and made beef barbocoa for taco night. There’s something about using a slow cooker in the winter that I can’t help but love. It’s the season of roasts, soups and stews—comforting foods full of rich flavour. Besides the whole setting and forgetting aspect of it, I also love how it makes me feel so much more accomplished when I can get other things done without having to spend hours in the kitchen. Here are a few recipes I have bookmarked to try:
Crockpot chicken bowl from Pinch of Yum
Slow cooker potato, leek and kale gratin with too much cheese from Epicurious
Slow cooker BBQ pulled chicken from NYT cooking
Curried butternut squash soup from Little Spice Jar
This year, I got our Christmas tree up early! Having a little kid has definitely motivated me to make the holiday season as magical for him as it always was for me growing up. I took inspiration from Pinterest and made my own version of some of the Pins I’d saved with sparkly ribbons, velvet bows and pink ornaments. I love the warm glow of the tree and dressing it up with sentimental ornaments I’ve collected over the years. And when the tree is all lit up, the radio is playing in the background and I have a cup of tea, everything feels just right.
My work throws really good holiday parties and one of the activities they had this year was wreath making. I almost didn’t participate because I was afraid I’d be bad at it, but I wasn’t bad it and I even enjoyed making one! I went the minimalist route and decorated my wreath with an orange ribbon, some dried orange fruit and pine cones. The craft session was a nice little reminder that I shouldn’t be so scared to try more DIY projects. A visit to Michael’s might be in order soon.
I love the specificity of some words and how evocative they are. Like komorebi, for example, a Japanese word that means sunlight through the trees. Or petrichor, the way the earth smells after it rains. Recently, I learned a new-to-me word called apricity. Derived from the Latin word apricus, it’s used to describe the warmth of the sun on a chilly day. Is that not the most perfect word to describe the best feeling? I hope that all of us who live in a cold climate get to bask in the warmth of the sun as often as possible this winter.
I loved this House & Garden home tour of an art-filled 500-square-foot Victorian flat in London.
Julia Child’s garlic mashed potato recipe uses 30 cloves of garlic.
One of my favourite books by Katherine Center, The Bodyguard is being adapted by Netflix starring Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki and I already love the casting.
Heated Rivalry’s breakout leads discuss the show’s overnight success.
Excuse me?! Lauren Graham and Amy Sherman-Palladino are reuniting to write a behind-the-scenes book about the Gilmore Girls.
The world’s most beautiful libraries that you can visit.
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