jillsalahub

1. We finally got a Christmas tree. So far, it only has lights on it, but that’s my favorite part anyway. Also, we waited so long and bought one so late, we got it for $20 off.

2. I was on retreat last week. That’s why I didn’t post this list. It was a bit of a surprise. I hadn’t planned on going this year. I even emailed and told Susan I wasn’t going to make it. She asked if I’d like to come as a program assistant if enough people signed up, and I said yes, but hadn’t heard anything. Then I got an email on Monday asking if I still wanted to come, (the retreat started on Wednesday!) and I said yes. It’s Susan Piver’s Fearlessly Creative Writing and Meditation retreat she does every year at Shambhala Mountain Center. I’ve been the last three years at least and loved it, so I was happy to not actually miss it this time. And being a program assistant gave me a whole other perspective that was very interesting.

3. Apple pie. Eric uses a recipe that calls for apple cider and maple syryp as the sweeteners and it is delicious.

4. Eric. I commented on the white lights our neighbors wrapped around their tree, about how much l liked them, and the next day when I came home, there were white twinkle lights on two of our trees. As my friend Justine says, I married a good one.

5. My other two boys, Sam and Ringo. They got baths today, because even though Christmas is next week and this is Colorado, it’s sunny and 60 here today and it’s probably been about six months since they had their last bath.

Bonus joy: time off from work, the awareness that when I go back to work I will only have one semester left (!), texting with my brother, wrapping Christmas presents, sitting in the living room when it’s dark out with nothing but the lights on the tree, cookies baked and delivered by our neighbors, writing with Mikalina and Chloe’, “Christmas yoga” at Red Sage Vets, sleeping in, staying up late reading, good books (I just finished All the Names They Used for God, and it was SO good), an appointment for a massage tomorrow, computer glasses, puppies.

1. A Christmas Movie a Day, movie recommendations on Tumblr.

2. 5 Things I Wish Extroverts Understood About Me As An Introvert And INFJ.

3. hello december, a sweet little movie welcoming the season.

4. Weirdly, I want to try this recipe for mushroom tacos.

5. 55 Cult-Favorite Products On Amazon That Are Worthy Of Their 5-Star Ratings. Worth a look if you are struggling with gift ideas.

6. My boyfriend Roman helps his mom decorate for Christmas. (video) Seriously, I love him so much.

7. Why Is Losing A Pet Especially Hard For Introverts And Highly Sensitive People? In related news, Why We Need to Take Pet Loss Seriously.

8. Body acceptance leaders you should be following on social media, an older post from Melissa Toler that’s worth revisiting.

9. This artist replaces white men with Black women in classic works of art, and they are gorgeous. (video)

10. Most Plus-Size Women Can’t Afford Goop’s New Collection. Here’s Why.

11. Barack Obama Receives Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award At NYC Gala.

12. ‘Sesame Street’ characters are helping refugee kids cope with trauma thanks to a $100 million investment from the LEGO Foundation. (video)

13. This street was caked in a giant choco-pancake after 2,000 pounds of liquid chocolate overflowed from a factory. (video)

14. A district attorney dropped all charges against the mother whose baby was ripped from her arms by police. (video) In related news, They Grabbed Her Baby and Arrested Her. Now Jazmine Headley Is Speaking Out on The New York Times.

15. Federal Court Rules Cops Can’t Arrest You for Secretly Filming Them.

16. James Alex Fields Jr. Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murder Of Heather Heyer.

17. How to Support Cyntoia Brown. “Sentenced to life in prison at 16 for killing her would-be rapist, Brown is not eligible for parole until she is 67.” In related news, Black Lives Matter Asks Public to Help Demand Clemency for Cyntoia Brown.

18. These 28 Brilliant Books by Black Authors Are the Standouts in What Was a Stellar Year in Black Literature.

19. Lyft is offering $2.50 rides to grocery stores for people living in ‘food deserts’.

20 This week in People Behaving Badly People of color should be allowed to naturally be themselves without backlash – to be clear, the person making this video IS NOT behaving badly, but rather what happened to her was bad behavior (video), and Hoodlums Face Hate Crime Charges For Calling Black Woman A ‘N****r,’ Attacking Her Car At Walmart, and Conservative Christian group launches campaign against “Buddhist meditation” in public schools, and Woman Inj‌ur‌e‌s Subway Passengers During R‌aci‌st Ram‌pag‌e in NYC, and White Florida Students Made Racist Threats Against Their Black Teacher And Now They’re Facing Hate Crime Charges, and 7-Year-Old Migrant Girl Dies Of Dehydration And Shock In U.S. Border Patrol Custody, and The Other Half (in which the author tries to justify her romantic relationship with a white supremacist), and Cops Called On Tennessee Nurse While On The Job Inside A Patient’s Home, and Police just attacked a black woman holding her baby because she sat on the ground after getting tired of waiting in the long line at the social services office to get daycare vouchers (video), and Priest Pulled From Funerals After Repeatedly Citing Teenager’s Suicide in ‘Pastoral Disaster’ on The New York Times.