For many, today is the last day of the “Christmas holiday” and the final workweek of the year begins tomorrow. It’s always a strange week, since New Year’s is just around the corner. All the more reason, I say, to look for those “December delights,” so we’re going to continue with that until the very end of the month.
We are done with our Reverse Advent Calendar and I hope you enjoyed putting that together and (especially) dropping it off. With that in mind, I’m going to suggest a few charities that could use your assistance here at the end of the year.
2020 has wreaked havoc on many people’s employment and job security. Food banks are experiencing astronomical demand and I’m sure you can find a worthy group in your own town without much effort. If you’re looking beyond the town limits, let me suggest Action Against Hunger – USA. This charity is top rated by Charity Watch and Charity Navigator, two organizations that dig into the financials of charitable organizations to report on how much is spent on the actual cause versus fluff. I suggest using them to check out your chosen charities, by the way. At the time of this writing, they have a “double match” initiative going, meaning that every dollar you donate to fight hunger and food insecurity in the USA is equally matched.
For today’s “Diva drill” I looked around the house. I had some overripe bananas in the kitchen and I didn’t want to bake banana bread so instead I dug through The Bath Gourmet (I mentioned that book back on Day 19) and treated myself to a banana bath and facial. A little messy, but soooo worth it!
From the bookshelf today, let me recommend Ruth Reichl’s Save Me the Plums, which I’m reading as a precursor to another memoir of hers that my book club is exploring in January. I love the way she writes and she has a chocolate praline cake recipe in this one that I really want to try!
For the “holiday” part of the day, this is the day I usually start doing a post-mortem of the season – what worked, what didn’t, and what I ought to take care of now when everything’s on sale. As an example, for years, I stored everything in cardboard boxes. One year I finally upgraded to plastic totes which are SO MUCH easier! And honestly – everything’s at least half off right now, so if you look around and see that you need wrapping paper, storage totes, curling ribbons, lights, etc. – this is the time! You don’t need to go out and get anything today, just make a first draft of your list. That’s all.
See? Easy.
Come back tomorrow!
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