Ins, Outs, What Have You's Vol. 3 — Wait...Where Was I?

Dec 2

Dec 2 Ins, Outs, What Have You's Vol. 3

Happy Catholic New Year!

Happy official (who are we kidding) start of the holiday season!

Happy plain old start of December!

However you’re ringing in the start of the twelfth month of the year, I’m guessing the word busy accurately describes the next few weeks for most of us.

1. Last week I wrote about the trap young moms fall into when they approach Advent like any other secular holiday or season. Long story short, don’t treat Advent as an excuse to “do all the things.” If we pump the breaks on Pinterest a bit this Advent season, we’d all be better off.

2. Speaking of Advent, I really liked Michael Brendan Dougherty’s take on why even the liturgically minded among us feel a pull towards an early Christmas these last few years:

“The commercialism of Christmas seems almost like a relief from the toxic stew of politics and social media.”

3. I’m overdue for a proper library and reading haul, but in the meantime, I read Malcolm Gladwell’s latest “Talking to Strangers” last week. I liked it, but maybe not as much as his previous books. And, I am rereading “Murder on the Orient Express” right now (winter is the perfect season for a good mystery). If you let enough years past between reading a mystery and rereading, you won’t likely forget the ending. But, the buildup and character development will seem almost new.

4. Do you know that you can send Christmas cards without a photo? Shocker right? Those of us in the over 30 set remember a time when the term “holiday photo card” meant a polaroid your aunt snuck in the card before she mailed it.

In all seriousness, don’t be put off sending a thoughtful card to an old friend or family member just because you didn’t find time to schedule in the perfect family photoshoot. I’ve used Minted the past few years and their selection this year is gorgeous.

I mean, come on now…