My big plans to think about planning for the holidaze
Plus: How to get published in The Midst
Happy Midst Monday!
I tend to think about holiday stuff as early as October. In my head, I’ve got grand plans to get ahead of gift shopping, deal hunting, decorating, meal planning, and holiday carding. I have visions of celebrating all the things (Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s) in style. I think, “This is the year I’ll finally put lights in my yard.” I daydream that, by starting early, I’ll free up my end-of-year vacation time to do whatever I feel like in the moment.
But then life happens: Working my double day, performance reviews, bills, kids, groceries, cleaning, traffic jams, doctor appointments, night sweats.
In actuality, I cram my holiday to-dos at the last minute in December. I end up sending half my holiday cards just in time for Christmas and the other half I’ll scratch out the “Merry Everything” message and replace with “Hope your 2024 is rad!” The tree lights in my front yard? Maybe next year.
But you know what? I do what I can, and that’s good enough for me.
Whether you’re ahead of the curve, just looking for ideas, like to look at pictures, or a last-minute executor, here’s the start of our gift picks for your fave peeps + yourself. Our plan is to share more gift guides in the coming weeks (unless too much life happens).
— Amy Cuevas Schroeder, founder of The Midst
Brooklinen wool and weighted blankets
This Year I Will…: A 52-Week Guided Journal to Achieve Your Goals
By Lauria Locsmondy
There’s no prescribed way to express gratitude on paper or device. But if you’re looking for health benefits, UC Berkeley's Greater Good in Action provides clear instructions as a way to see results via journaling:
Journal for 15 minutes per day, at least three times per week for at least two weeks
Write or type 5 things for which you’re grateful
Be specific and go into detail
Try to focus on people, not things
Include how you avoided negative experiences
Try to see your list as “gifts” and try to record unexpected surprises
Write regularly and with variety
UC Berkeley’s research concluded that people who wrote in a gratitude journal weekly for the suggested timeframe experienced more gratitude, positive moods, and optimism about the future, as well as better sleep (compared to those who journaled about hassles or their daily lives).
Want to write for The Midst?
Help us reinvent this thing called midlife.
Got a great story idea? Talk to us. We’re big into “empathetic service journalism” — our term for stories in which writers share their personal experience about an intriguing topic in addition to facts and expert sources to back it up.
Let’s talk on social!
Instagram • LinkedIn • Facebook • Twitter/X • Pinterest
Here’s what Midsters are talking about …
Re: Saying “yes” to Botox: Why most Gen X women don’t raise a brow
“I'm at ‘not yet’ on Botox. I really don't feel I want or need it at all at 44. I'm sure some people might disagree, but I can't live my life making decisions about my body based on other's opinions. My sister is a dermatologist, she does her own injections and fillers. You do you. Sunscreen, is a must though.” —
Re: This LinkedIn thread about going through menopause early
“Everything period, uterine or ovarian is taboo, woo hooo. Don't get me started on ... working during pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, childcare and excessive bleeding and emergency surgery - THE forbidden XX FACTOR called SEX. LOL IN REALITY IS NO JOKE. So, yes, teach girls about their physiology - NEED TO KNOW - we are not small men.” — Rosemary Hood
We may receive commissions from some of the product links. All products and services are reviewed independently by our writers.
The Midst is an independent publication on a mission to empower women in midlife. Thanks for reading The Midst Weekly, our free newsletter!