A New Year's Menu

Some simple ways to step into a new year, plus a brand new exclusive to Substack poem

How are you doing during these in-between days, Friends? I’m currently writing this from the couch, where I’ve spent a generous number of hours the last few days gobbling up both my weight in gingerbread (via the best recipe) and an absolutely mind blowing new-to-me used book, The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey (from the best bookstore) while the Christmas tree - growing pricklier by the day but loyal nonetheless - twinkles nearby.

This holiday season has been a mix of sweet and sad, busy and blissfully spacious; in other words, it’s been a very human holiday. Our days as human beings are often a marbling together of both the tough and the truly lovely, so why shouldn’t holidays follow suit? While we aren’t usually taught to tease this tension out from the Hallmarkification of the holidays that is pushed on us from September onward, I have found great relief in acknowledging that holidays are ALL THE FEELINGS. In fact, it’s been truly delightful to discover how making room for it all, including the sadness and the sorrow, actually ends up yielding more room for the wonder, the magic, and the thrum of peace that undergirds it all.

As we approach December 31st, I’m someone who loves reflecting on the past year (journaling, photographs, and quiet time), but I tend to wait until after the New Year to do so, specifically until after Twelfth Night (January 6th, otherwise known as Epiphany or Women’s Christmas) to do that. For me, reminiscing about the past can be quite all consuming if it becomes another to-do list item to complete before New Year’s Day, and I prefer to stay as present as possible during these sacred days. There’s such pressure to have everything from the past year all neatly packaged up and put away before the calendar rolls over to January 1st, and giving myself permission to spread out and savor the sifting through twelve months of joys, heartaches, growth, and dreams still to come makes me feel less rushed, and more rested.

The aforementioned gingerbread, alongside Amy’s Christmas Day Muffins from The Little Women Cookbook by Wini Moranville

I am excited to share some Glimmers that come out of these reflections in this space in early January, but for now, I thought it could be fun to share a handful of ways that I have either spent New Year’s Eves and Days in the past that have felt both festive and simple. For me, the Eve of any holiday often feels more glittery and sacred than the Day itself, so I tend to seek a little extra special something for an Eve. Whatever your preferences are, I hope this menu inspires you to reflect on how you are feeling at the present and what you feel that you have the interest in and energy for, and then choose something small but sacred that supports you as we all lean towards 2025.

Below this tasting menu of sorts, I’m sharing a new poem that I am smack in the midst of bringing onto the page. At this time of year, poetry still burns brightly for me, but verses tend to trickle in like a slow but steady snowfall, as opposed to an all at once tempest. It’s as if I can snatch whispers of phrases that feel sturdy, and tuck them into the pockets of my mind and heart, with the hope that if and when the rest of the poem arrives, it can be mended together like a quilt with the bits and bobs I’m currently collecting. Midwinter writing seems to be, for me, a softer process than warm weather poetry, and rather than get frustrated, I find myself in awe that the seasons go as far to affect the way I think and hear and write.

Lastly, a reminder that today is the last day to sign up for a monthly or annual subscription and get 40% off. I’m so grateful to those of you who have joined the community this month!

Without further ado, on to the New Year’s tasting menu (no loosening of belts required) and poem.

1. Go for a walk. Walking is one of my favorite ways to spend a morning (or afternoon (alas, except for a brief sunset walk, I’m not much of a night owl stroller anymore!). I love packing a thermos of hot tea or chocolate and bundling up at this time of year to head out into the fresh air to get my body moving and mind soothed. Sometimes I’ll use this time to catch up on a favorite podcast while other times I prefer to use a walk as a moving meditation, really tuning into the sound of my surroundings. I often find delight in listening to a favorite film soundtrack as I walk along and pretending that I am part of the story (this one is a go-to for me).

   If you want to celebrate the New Year with a walk, here’s some additional ideas for you:

   1. Choose a tried and true route. There are so much to be said for the comfort of the familiar. Go as slow as you want and notice what landmarks, plants, and decor have stayed the same and if you like, take time to see what has changed, even subtly. Perhaps you will choose to photograph some of your favorite sights along the way or scribble out a description of something you see that you want to stick with you.

   2. Take yourself to a new-to-you location. Yesterday, I walked a near daily route of mine, but about fifteen minutes in, instead of turning left like I always do, I decided to keep going straight. It felt so bold! Regardless of the fact that I was walking in Boston, the detour led me down a side street that ended up being quiet and out of the way, and the whole thing ended up feeling like an adventure. At each fork in the road: left? Or right? What was around the bend? Who lives in the sweet little red cottage with the wreath on the door? Was someone writing the next great American novel in the turreted window on the hill? My imagination got a robust work out while my mind got to rest, and all was possible less than two miles from home.

   3. Take a virtual stroll. If it’s truly too cold to walk outside or if you have been visited by one of this year’s seasonal sicknesses, consider snuggling up with aforementioned hot beverage of your choice and taking a virtual walking tour of a faraway place. I enjoyed this stroll along a Scottish beach immensely (and the creator, Relaxed Roamer, has an absolute treasure trove of walking videos from all over the world - no commentary or added music for the win!) and I have recently added this one to my list - Bodmin Moor is a now dream destination of mine!

   

   

   Some delightful sights from my new-to-me Friday walk