Friday Favorites: December 5

Last night, my family decorated our Christmas tree. Nearly every ornament we have tells a story: this one is one my husband made when he was a kid, this one my son made two years ago in preschool, this one is from our visit to Halifax, this one is from my friend Alexis' annual holiday tea party last year, and so on. It's like unwrapping a memory with each one we take out of the box, and it is an event every year.

We have two beautiful, ornate ornaments that Grace, an elderly friend of my in-laws', gave to us as a wedding gift; they are very special - they came straight from her tree and she passed them on to us as a gift of love. Grace is 95 now, and I'm honored to have a piece of her home in ours. I hope that someday, our ornaments can be passed on in a similar fashion.

Speaking of gifts, it's less than three weeks until Christmas, and I am still trying to figure out what to get for a few more people. In the meantime, Uncommon Goods (a vendor I LOVE) asked me if I'd like to review a couple of items of my choice. I chose the DIY lip balm set for one of my nieces, and the construction plate/ utensil set for the son of a friend. It took me a ridiculously long time to choose these two items, because I love so many of their gifts. I'm planning to order this mother/daughter book for a friend of mine, as well - it's a great idea as a keepsake item.  Check them out here and here for more wonderful ideas.

Pssst - if you want to win this construction plate/ utensil set, all you have to do is comment on this post, and I'll give it away next Friday via Random.org for the drawing. 

If you're looking for a book for a child, this one - A Moon of My Own - is absolutely gorgeous. Written by two friends of mine and self published, it is a feast for the eyes and ears.

This week has been a juxtaposition of holiday cheer and frightening news clips. Many people I admire are writing beautiful and important things, including this post by Heather King. And Arnebya Herndon.

In case you missed it, I had my first post at the On Parenting blog at the Washington Post this week on color blindness. Thank you so much to all of the friends and friends of friends who shared it and supported the message. A few weeks ago, the Blogging Betties ran an interview podcast with me, and I stated that I wanted to be published at the Washington Post as one of my goals. My friend Kate reached out to me and offered to introduce me to the WaPo editor, and it all happened quickly. I feel very lucky.

In fact, the editor, Amy Joyce, wrote this beautiful piece that Kate told me about. (Tissue alert)

More reading/ viewing:

The Giving Tree. I loved this concept.

The beautiful, uplifting video about a young woman who escaped war-torn Sierra Leone to become a ballet dancer in New York City is worth watching more than once.

This post from Sherri Kuhn is one of those that will make you stop for a moment and cherish your little ones, or remember when your kids were little ones.

And finally, this post by Kirsten Piccini is beautifully crafted.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Love,

Kristin