With the holidays literally just around the corner, it can be a challenge to find the perfect gift for the minimalist in your life. After all, minimalists value simplicity and prioritize experiences over material possessions. So, what do you get for the person who seems to have everything they need and nothing they don’t?

First, consider the minimalist’s interests and passions. Is your friend a fitness enthusiast, a bookworm, or a foodie? A gift that aligns with their interests will be more meaningful and appreciated than a generic item that takes up space. For example, a new workout book or class pass for the fitness enthusiast, a limited edition book for the bookworm, or a gourmet food item for the foodie.

Another option is to give the gift of an experience, such as a concert or theater tickets, a culinary class, or a trip. These types of gifts provide lasting memories and require no physical space.

If you do want to give a physical gift, consider something that is high-quality and will last for a long time. Minimalists appreciate durability and longevity in their possessions. A nice piece of kitchen equipment, a quality piece of clothing, or a well-made piece of furniture are all good options.

You could also give them a calendar filled with coffee dates, lunches, and things to look forward to with you and their other friends. Setting up events and gatherings is a heartfelt way to see them more regularly next year.

Be sure to consider the minimalist’s lifestyle and values. Is your friend trying to live a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly life? If so, you could give a gift that aligns with these values, such as a reusable water bottle or a compost bin.

The best gifts for the minimalist in your life are those that align with their interests, provide a memorable experience, are high-quality and long-lasting, and align with their lifestyle and values. It’s the thought that counts, so put some thought into your gift and it is sure to be appreciated.

As I was trying to come up with some catchy title for this post, I realized it had been six months since I first started doing morning pages. SIX MONTHS. Am I at that age now that time flies by remarkably fast? Don’t tell me if I am. I don’t want to know. Let’s step away from the cliffside of an existential crisis and get back to the task at hand. My experience with Morning Pages.

What the heck are morning pages?

Morning pages are from The Artist’s Way and I’m not going to lie to you, I read about the daily pages and was like, “Yep. I’ve read enough.” I haven’t finished the book and I really don’t even know what the ultimate long term goal of morning pages is, but I was all in. Six months ago I was in a place where I didn’t know just how badly I need to write every single day.

So the gist of morning pages is this. Write three pages, longhand, in the morning before you get into the nitty gritty of your day. They can be about anything, they can be about nothing. Just fill those three pages with whatever handwriting the gods have given you.

What I’m doing differently…

So for the first two months I was fanatical about writing these pages first thing. I would wake up an hour earlier than usual every single morning to get them done. Sometimes they would go quickly and other times I would struggle. Now, after six months and four filled notebooks, I’m not so rigid with myself. My goal is to still write three pages each day, but I’m much more flexible on the timeline. I’m giving myself a bit of grace, and I find the results of my writing to be much more fulfilling.

I find that I am not rushing to get them done before a meeting or getting ready for the day. I’m letting my mind have the time to wander and settle on different thoughts I may not have gotten to first thing in the morning. I’m also a very slow to wake type of person. I don’t think I’m fully all there until at least an hour or two after waking up and starting my day. Plus I tend to go on quite regular Starbucks runs and if I’m being a stickler for the rules, I wouldn’t be able to do that before I started writing if I followed the pure morning pages method.

Will I keep doing them?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is I find a huge sense of accomplishment after I finish the third page and close the notebook. I weirdly enjoy looking at the four completely full notebooks on my shelf knowing I scribbled my thoughts in them to their fill. I have days where I feel like I’m making huge breakthroughs and understanding my thoughts and emotions. I communicate said thoughts better with my partner. Since I write every day I don’t feel pressured to always have to write about the big stuff, but can romanticize the small stuff too.

Should you do them, too?

The short answer is yes. The long answer is I find it to be a cheaper form of therapy. One that I can do on my couch in my sleep shirt where I can really just spend time with myself. I’m not a religious person, but I feel like its akin to sitting down with a bible to spend time with God if that’s what you believe. It’s meditative, head-clearing, and a sense of accomplishment at the start of every day.

With the holidays keeping me completely swamped, I made only a few purchases in November and December. I’ve worked hard over the years to curb my shopping addiction and would consider myself a pretty minimalist purchaser. I’d love to know what you bought in November/December while the holidays were in full swing.

1. Knix Underwear

I originally bought this brand of underwear to wear during my periods, but now I prefer to wear period underwear all month long. They’re comfortable, I never have to worry about spotting, and have limited edition patterns come out fairly often. For my periods I’ll use a heavier option from Knix, but the light ones are perfect for every day. I wanted to cycle out the remaining random pairs of tired underwear, so I bought a few more to round out my collection.

2. Target Pants

A TikTok about capsule wardrobes lead me to purchase these patterned pants. She said getting different styles of pants helps to add more variety to a simple wardrobe. I only really have a couple of pairs of jeans which make a lot of my outfits look the same. So I wanted to mix things up. They’re super comfortable, easy to dress up and down, and are under $30.

3. Spreader Knives

For decades we’ve used basic butter knives to decorate our favorite cut-out cookies. They constantly fall out of the frosting bowls, make messes everywhere, and are generally hard to use. It dawned on me this year after three different cookie decorating sessions to pick up a set of these spreader knives instead. They stayed in the frosting bowls perfectly and made decorating the cookies so much easier. Just took me 25 years to figure it out.

4. WontonInAMillion Stickers

Now I had some of these Wonton in a Million stickers on my Christmas wishlist, but Alex pointed out to me how unlikely it would be that anyone get these for me. So I treated myself to a few sheets. This is my go-to shop for character stickers and I love supporting Cynthia, the owner, and the amazing company she’s built.

5. Kavu Backpack 

Now technically this Kavu backpack was a gift from Alex’s parents, but I picked it out and wanted to share it with you guys. His parents gave us free reign to pick whatever we wanted while we were visiting them in Virginia and I quickly scooped this little cutie up. It’s so handy, surprisingly large, and makes me feel like I could go on a ten mile hike or something.

6. Sign Language Book

Alex and I signed up for a Sign Language class in the new year and this Sign Language Book is the required reading. We’ve talked about wanting to do a class like this for ages and one day I just searched for one near by and signed us up. It’s crazy how easy it sometimes is to do the things you always talk about doing.

7. Sponge Holder 

I’ve had one of those suction sponge holders on my kitchen sink for ages and it always came off. I finally got fed up with it and bought this sponge holder that adheres to the side of the sink. Simple, stays put, and doesn’t take up too much sink space. Problem solved.

8. The Artist’s Way Book

Ironically enough I started the practice of morning pages before ever getting my hands on this book. I first rented it from the library, but it’s the type of book that I need to digest over a longer period of time. I usually never buy books, but this one felt like a good exception to make. I plan on talking about my experience more in a later blog post, so stay tuned.

I weirdly love doing posts like these. I collect links and images as I purchase things throughout the month and it really helps to make me stop and think about what I’m buying. So thanks for holding me accountable!

I wanted to read 12 books in 2021. I made a list of to-do items (i.e. a list of goals but named differently to trick myself into thinking of them NOT as goals) with it smack dab at the top of this list. I may have outdone myself with this one. There are just a few days left to the year and I’ve read over 60 books. Welp. I lean towards new fiction, historical fiction, and romance. These are the best books I read in 2021 and ones you HAVE TO READ. I wrote the descriptions shortly after I finished each book to keep everything fresh, so no months old thoughts here. If you end up reading one (or all of them!) definitely let me know what you thought!

From Blood and Ash Series by Jennifer Armentrout

This is a series that will live in my head rent free for years. I took BookTok’s recommendation on this one without really knowing what the series was even about. The first book took a bit to pick up, but once the rising action hit its peak, it’s been a roller coaster ride ever since. You have to read these. I won’t even bother telling you what they’re about. You just have to trust me on this one.

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

I thought for sure this series would make it to the tip-top of this list without a single contender fighting for number one. That is until I read Blood and Ash. Now it’s a toss up on any given day which series I love more. They both are in the fantasy realm, but all of my non-fantasy friends LOVE them. Another book series I didn’t read anything about before diving in. It may just be my favorite form of reading these days. No back cover reading for me. Just diving straight in.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book follows the life of Evelyn Hugo and her seven husbands. A famous old-time movie star, Evelyn Hugo made quite the stir. With so many twists, turns, and a look at bisexuality that I’ve never experienced in a novel before, this novel will be one I recommend for years to come. Definitely if I cannot convince them to read Blood and Ash or A Court of Thorns and Roses…

One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

This book completely took me by surprise and I had absolutely no idea how much I was going to love it. It follows a plus-size fashion blogger named Bea as she gets starred as basically The Bachelorette. I’ve always found “reality” tv to be a bit silly, but this book somehow managed to get me incredibly invested.

You get to see behind the curtain, what it must be like to actually star in something like The Bachelorette, with a lot of twists and turns thrown in. There’s discussion of body shaming as well as asexuality (something I’ve never seen talked about in a novel before). It’s a 10/10 for me.

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Graves

A beautiful story about love, growth, and change. A fantastic twist to the girl meets boy story mixed with an honest portrayal of autism. It kept me constantly invested in the characters, their backstory, and how everything is going to pan out for them. Plus there’s a twist that completely threw me for a loop and had me reading faster than ever to find out what happened next. 

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle 

This one has been on my reading list for ages and I even checked it out once before and never got around to reading it. Man was I sleeping on this one. It’s a fantastic, clever, thought provoking story with a great twist. I saw my younger self a lot in this novel and found myself turning pages quickly to see what happened next. Definitely one you need to add to your list if you haven’t read it yet.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

This book was a Christmas gift and it came into my life at just the right time. I’ve tried self-help books time and time again without much avail, but this one didn’t seem condescending or obvious. The entire book had fresh, new ideas without beating them over your head constantly. It’s inspiring, honest, and realistic. Definitely a book I’ll reach for once a year for many years to come.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

After a life of seemingly wrong choices and missed opportunities, our protagonist finds herself in the Midnight Library. A place full of books that hold the infinite possibilities of choices not taken. This is such a creative story of hope, second chances, and appreciation. I loved how it tackled such interesting concepts while doing it in a unique way.

It made me want to see what my Midnight Library is like…but trust that I’m not in a hurry to get there anytime soon!

I read this in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down.

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Now I tend to roll my eyes at cartoon covered books while secretly devouring them. This one is definitely one of my absolute favorites of the year. It takes place in Michigan (where I live) and is just a charming as ever love story between two writers. It doesn’t get too heavy, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and should be on your must read list.

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Firmly in the sunshine/grumpy friends to lovers trope, Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is a light-hearted story about two friends who are trying to set each other up with other people on dates. Hazel is a goofball with no filter, Josh is too serious for his own good. Add a bit of spice and some great dialog and you’ll finish this book in no time.

Now I just need to decide on a reading goal for 2022. I’m thinking maybe 52 for each week of the year? What is your reading goal going to be? This is your friendly reminder to check out your library to rent any of these awesome books rather than spending that hard earned money.