Hi, everyone—happy December!
I don’t know about you all, but I have felt overwhelmed these past few weeks. Among other factors, my husband threw his back out, so much so that he was unable to bend over (or, for that matter, walk) for more than a week. This left him only able to reach things that he could access without bending, which has made me realize just how much of everyday housework requires the ability to access the plane between your knees and the ground. For example: emptying the dishwasher. Using our microwave (which is in a lower cabinet). Loading or unloading the dryer. Putting things into the oven. And, especially important when one also has an 8-year-old and a dog, picking things up off the ground. (At one point, he accidentally dropped a piece of clothing and I found him standing there staring at it with a forlorn expression on his face.)
The Great December Back Throw-Out of 2023 only compounded the overwhelm I think that many of us feel this time of year, which for me at least has resulted in me not sending holiday cards for the second year in a row (if you didn’t receive one from us, that’s why!) and somehow concluding that the ideal Christmas gift for many of the people in my life is a window-mounted bird feeder.
It also explains why I’m a bit behind on letting you all know about an exciting development on the book front: The paperback version of The Power of Fun comes out on January 2nd! It’s got a new, more colorful cover, is cheaper than the hardcover and, if I may say so myself, might be an even better gift than a bird feeder.
If you haven’t read the book yet, I hope you’ll check it out—it’s the inspiration behind this newsletter, as well as my course on fun. It starts with an exploration of what fun actually is and why, far from being frivolous, it’s essential for our happiness and health. Then the second half is a step-by-step plan for how to have more fun.
And if you have read the book and liked it, can I ask you a favor? Would you hop over to the book’s Amazon page and leave a rating? (An actual review would be great, but a rating only takes like 5 seconds and is also really helpful in bumping the book up in search rankings and making others more likely to buy it.) I always feel awkward asking things like that, but as an author (and uh, as a person), I’d truly appreciate it.
Another last-minute gift idea:
Lastly, if you are the Christmas-celebrating type and are realizing that you’ve got exactly one week to finalize gifts, I highly recommend checking out The Power of Habit author
‘s gift guide from his Substack, (the direct link to the post I’m talking about is here). He points out that the best gifts are actually experiences, not just objects, and gives some practical, low-to-no-cost options that I, at least, would be delighted to receive. For example, a heart-felt letter to a loved one about why they’re important to you, or a time in which they helped you. Or an offer to tag along with you and keep you company while you do an annoying errand, like go to the DMV. Or prompts for a meaningful conversation that you then have together.His post clearly resonated with his readers—here’s a response from one of his readers that made me tear up when I read it:
My mom passed away recently. A day before hand, my father handed me a letter and said "do you remember this?" I didn't. It turns out that it was something I had written back when I was a senior in high school, 29 years ago. I had told them that I didn't know what to get them, so I wrote to them about everything I appreciated about them, my fears, and my hopes for the future. I thank my 17-year-old self for doing that. It meant so much to them that they hung onto it for nearly 30 years, with my mom re-reading it as she lay dying. It was probably the single most important physical thing I ever gave them and it cost me $0.
I thought that was beautiful.
And in all seriousness, the idea of gifting an experience was actually behind my one-person run on bird feeders. Our daughter has spent the past couple weeks leaving walnuts out, Mark Rober-style, for the squirrels in our backyard. She’s named the squirrels (one is named Lily and two are named Augustine, because she/we can’t tell them apart), she places “phone calls” to squirrels on a pretend phone she’s made out of cardboard (apparently they’re quite the conversationalists) and she and I spent a full 45 minutes yesterday morning sitting by the window waiting to see if any squirrels would take the bait and grab walnuts from the top of a bucket right outside the door. (They did.) I figured the bird feeder (which may well end up functioning as a squirrel feeder) might provide us with an even more intimate version of Squirrel TV to experience together.
Teaser: The January Funtervention!
Lastly, look for an email from me soon about a Funtervention I’m planning for January. We’re going to be exploring what fun looks like to us personally, and doing experiments for how to bring more playfulness, connection and flow into our daily lives. Paid subscribers will get extra perks like access to discussion threads and materials. It’ll be very non-stressful, and, as opposed to other New Year’s resolutions, which often involve self-restraint, it’ll actually be fun.
(This means that a paid subscription to this newsletter would also be a potentially great holiday gift—and I’m running a 20% off sale till January 1st!)
In the meantime, I hope that you’re enjoying December—and that you’re able to bend your knees enough to reach the ground.
To scrolling less and living more,
PS: I’ll take a cue from Charles Duhigg and ask you: what’s one of the best gifts you’ve ever given or received? Please share it in the comments!
Love the cover!