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Note from the Editor
Happy Friday <<First Name>>!
This time last week, I was at my parents’ house in Connecticut, contemplating turkey leftovers and developing a small set of hives at the thought of Black Friday shopping. (I bought a few items online. I’m human.)
As the script goes, I was nursing the emotional hangover of Thanksgiving, a day of high highs (gratitude!), low lows (stress!), and naps (Tryptophan!), but that’s showbiz* baby. I was mostly just grateful to spend it with loved ones.
Fast forward 24 hours and visions of the mall on Black Friday danced across the local news in front of me. I dove into my Notes app, and ceremoniously shifted gears toward December holidays with a note header that read “HOLIDAY GIFT LIST.”
It was go-time. I jotted down a few gift ideas, simultaneously happy to begin celebrating those I love with tokens they’d love, and sad that we had to chase a day of gratitude with a day of THINGS.
I got halfway through my list before opening a new note and scrawling “HOLIDAY TRADITIONS” across the top.
I jotted down a few favorites, from gifting my mom an annual ornament to the day-long process of making pasteles (a beloved Puerto Rican holiday dish) with my grandmother. This is what it’s all about, right?
For years, I’ve been campaigning for a minimalist holiday, asking — nay, begging — my family to reduce our wrapping rituals, simplify meal prep, and downsize decorations. But as I jotted down item after item in my note, I realized it wasn’t minimalism I was craving. (I learned a long time ago that shaming people for their celebrations is NOT the way to go about this.)
What I really wanted was a slowed-down version of our festivities: handwritten recipe cards, printed (!!) photo memories, and card-making like we used to. As the aha moment hit, it wasn’t lost on me that I was hurriedly thumb-typing this all out on my phone — the literal object that makes hyper-efficiency seem not only possible, but necessary. (Again, I'm human.) What I realized through this exercise, though, was that my real holiday wish was a simple one:
Can we please not optimize just this one day?
Until next week,
Tyler Calder
Editorial & Content Lead at GNI
* Thanksgiving at my house
P.S. If you're a parent of little ones, you're the real hero. ❤️ If optimizing your holiday makes life a little easier this time of year, I see you, I appreciate you, and I encourage you to do what's best for you this time of year. After all, isn't that what taking care is all about? 🤗
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in the journal this week
what our team is writing about
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🛌 How (and Why!) I'm Unoptimizing My Holidays This Year
This year we're spending less time making our holiday efficient and more time making it enjoyable. Here's how.
🎁 We Fully Endorse *This* Holiday Gift...
"I gave my sister a Book of the Month subscription last year because we live on opposite coasts, and I loved the idea of having something new to connect over each month. It's like a literary friendship bracelet." - Olivia #BOTMPARTNER
🧖♀️ Keep It or Gift It? Our Team's Top Skincare & Beauty Picks of the Season
It's hard to gift skincare, but some items are forever. Here are the skincare and beauty items our team is adding to our carts this year.
📚Interview with Chanel Miller, Author of Know My Name
If you read Know My Name this year, you know just how crucial of a read it is. We were lucky enough to sit down with its author, Chanel Miller, who's done being "Emily Doe" and is only just beginning to tell her full story.
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this week's picks
what our team is loving this week
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Listening to so many great things lately: 🎧 Finding Fred (a podcast of life lessons learned from Mr. Rogers himself), Gee Thanks, Just Bought It (hosted by Caroline Moss and about great buys — episode 1 features Alison Roman), this Game Night playlist on Spotify, and this Alicia Keys cover of Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish (seriously, it's *that* good).
- Giving this Origins body wrap to all the new moms 🤱 or anyone in need of a little body TLC. "My mom raised us on these and I can't recommend them enough. The peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender scent is almost as wonderful as the warm-hug feel when you put it in the microwave for a bit." - Olivia. Looking for more gift ideas? Our holiday shop is here for you. ✨
- Gifting our friends and fam Book of the Month subscriptions 📚 for three, six, or twelve months, so we can read together in the coming months. Here are all the reasons we love giving this recurring gift (starting with the fact that GNI readers can get a free month in the process!). #SPONSORSTHING
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Cooking this Roman Egg Drop Soup which is so simple and soothing. 🥘 "This is just one of those recipes you'll want to keep in your bag of tricks all winter." - Katrina
- Wearing our favorite color of the season: glitter. ✨ Our GNI HQ office is abuzz lately with shimmery eye makeup. Why? Because it's just plain fun. "Olivia and I have been embracing a bold eye lately, trying the glitter gelee from Glossier and the Rituel de Fille celestial sphere eye soot for a shimmery iridescent lewk." - Tyler, GNI Team
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Considering a self-imposed end-of-year retreat (even if it's in our own home). After reading this post, we're feeling inspired to squirrel ourselves away for a day this winter for solitude, reflection, and goal-setting. Anyone else?
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Printing this self-care workbook our friend (and fellow newsletter-er) Katie Hawkins-Gaar made to help us better understand ourselves. Tip: Set aside some time on your cal to reflect (there are prompts!) on everything from what makes you happy to practicing more self-compassion.
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sponsor spotlight: Bird + Stone
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In case you're looking for a gift that looks good and does good...
Bird + Stone might be a great place to look. They're a female-founded jewelry company where each purchase donates 10% to causes you care about, whether that means supporting poverty alleviation, highlighting the importance of women in politics (hey, we heard there's an election coming up?!), or bringing added awareness to environmental protection efforts.
Our team's picks: this classic The Future is Female set, and this Climate Cuff with a simple but powerful infographic on the global average temperature rise since 1980 that'll remind you each day to pack your reusable utensils for lunch instead of opting for plastic. (They've got a handy "shop by cause" section on the site too!)
GNI readers can use the code "GNI20" for 20% off through the end of the year. Shop now and find the perfect do-good gift.
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smart reads of the week
from the GNI Team
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book we're gifting this week
In partnership with Book of the Month
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
Quick Take
“I'm putting this book by Kristin Hannah on my #tbr list after receiving SO MANY comments on it this past week on my Instagrm Stories. Carly (@carly) had shared it with us as a rec, and it sounds like everyone in the world has read and loved it (along with Hannah's other book, The Nightingale).” - Alisha
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Sharing GNI comes with some perks:
You currently have <<Referral Count>> referrals.
10 referrals: GNI Stickers
20 referrals: GNI Tote
50 referrals: GNI Keychain
Remember, a referral is a friend who subscribes using your link. 👯♀️
Pro-tip: Make sure you add your mailing address here so we can get your swag to you!
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