Your Monthly Dose of Joy: Discover Good Things for Home, Reading, and Entertainment

A monthly list of good things to do, buy, read, watch, and more to enrich your life and home.

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Hello, December! As we step into the final month of the year, there’s a collective sense of anticipation – not just for the holiday season, but also for a fresh start. It feels like many of us are ready to embrace the magic of the holidays and then heartily bid farewell to the challenges of 2020. This year has certainly reshaped our perspectives, making us appreciate the simpler joys and the comfort of home even more.

While this December might look a little different, with pandemic restrictions encouraging quieter celebrations, I’m choosing to focus on the silver lining. Each year, my goal is to simplify the holiday season, prioritizing what truly matters and minimizing stress. My Holiday Planner is usually my go-to for achieving this, but this year, it feels like the world is helping us simplify! The external circumstances have, in a way, forced us to slow down and re-evaluate our traditions.

This newfound simplicity means I’m looking forward to embracing cozy winter evenings, adorned with twinkling lights, indulging in homemade peppermint mochas, and sharing these moments with our immediate family. Technology will bridge the distance to our extended families through festive Zoom “parties,” reminding us that connection can transcend physical space. What an extraordinary year it has been, full of unexpected turns and opportunities for reflection!

On that note, it’s time to share some truly good things that have brought a sparkle to my month. The highlight I’m most eager to discuss is a delightful, spontaneous purchase made during an online Christmas shopping spree (a-hem!). It’s a cottage-style electric teapot that has absolutely stolen my heart. It’s these small, unexpected treasures that often bring the most consistent joy.

Good Things for Your Home & Heart

Effortless Christmas Decor Planning for a Cozy Cottage Style

If you’ve been a long-time reader of An Oregon Cottage, you’ll know that my approach to holiday decor is deeply rooted in sustainability and timeless style: I love reusing cherished holiday decorations year after year. This practice not only saves money but also creates a sense of tradition and familiarity in our home. You can always explore a wealth of my past holiday decor and DIY ideas here for more inspiration on creating a beautiful and lasting festive atmosphere.

While I believe in the power of timeless pieces, I also enjoy adding a few inexpensive or handmade items each year to keep our holiday aesthetic feeling fresh and updated. This simple strategy prevents our decor from feeling stagnant, allowing for subtle shifts in theme or color palette without a complete overhaul. Over time, some items may naturally cycle out, but the core principle remains: find new and creative ways to utilize what we already have, blending it seamlessly with thoughtful new additions.

For Christmas 2020, I’ve decided to embrace a beautiful continuity, maintaining the elegant color scheme of dark green, classic black and white buffalo plaid, sophisticated silver, and warm gold that I’ve loved for the past few years. To infuse a fresh, farmhouse-rustic charm, I’m incorporating natural-toned napkins and kitchen towels adorned with festive holiday text. These small touches add a cozy, lived-in feel. Additionally, I’m adding a few more buffalo check items and some faux lambs ear – I absolutely adore the almost frosty, soft texture of lambs ear; it brings a beautiful, wintry touch to any holiday display.

Here’s a closer look at the lovely new additions I sourced this year, primarily from Hobby Lobby, to enhance our Christmas 2020 decor:

• Cheer Beige Cloth Napkins (these beautiful napkins are unfortunately no longer available, but look for similar neutral-toned options with subtle holiday motifs to achieve a similar rustic charm).
• Lambs Ear Wreath: This wreath adds incredible texture and a soft, muted green to any space, perfect for a cozy farmhouse Christmas.
• Buffalo Check Kitchen Towel: A staple for farmhouse style, this towel brings a touch of classic holiday pattern to the kitchen.
• Joy Kitchen Towel: Simple text with a powerful holiday message, perfect for adding a subtle festive touch.
• White & Black Buffalo Check Apron (this specific apron quickly sold out, but here’s a similar one available on Amazon that captures the same charming, rustic vibe, ideal for holiday baking sessions!).

Be sure to stay tuned! I’ll be sharing a simple mini-tour of our decorated home once our beautiful live Christmas tree is up and sparkling. It’s always a highlight of the season!

For even more festive inspiration and to help you craft your perfect holiday look, explore these popular Christmas decor ideas:

• Simple Farmhouse Cottage Christmas Decorating Ideas: Discover how to blend rustic farmhouse charm with cozy cottage elements for a truly inviting holiday home.
• Farmhouse Cottage DIY Christmas Ornaments: Get creative with handmade ornaments that add personal touches and warmth to your tree.
• Cottage Christmas Decor Ideas: A comprehensive guide to infusing your home with a relaxed, charming, and utterly delightful cottage-style Christmas.

Sweeten Your Season: Essential Holiday Baking Planning

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the holiday season for me is the tradition of baking our favorite goodies, especially those destined to be shared with loved ones. I understand that holiday baking isn’t for everyone, but if you, like me, look forward to whipping up certain treats each year, I highly recommend checking out the dedicated “Holiday Baking” page within my free Holiday Planner.

This invaluable page is designed to simplify your baking preparations, making it a joy rather than a chore. It provides an organized space to list all the delicious items you plan to bake, where to find their recipes, and, critically, a section for compiling your grocery shopping list. Here’s a helpful tip for maximizing this feature: I typically use the grocery list area to note only those ingredients I don’t routinely keep stocked. Basics like flour, various sugars, and chocolate are always on hand in my pantry. So, I focus on listing specialized items like peppermint candy, unique extracts, white chocolate, or specific nuts – this approach ensures I don’t forget those crucial, less common ingredients while streamlining my shopping trip.

You can glimpse my baking list for this year in the image above – it’s a delightful mix of tried-and-true favorites and exciting new experiments. My lineup includes:

• Easy Homemade Honey Caramel Corn with Moose Munch Variation: This is a crowd-pleaser, perfect for gifting or sharing during movie nights. Its sweet, crunchy, and utterly addictive!
• Quadruple Chocolate Decadent Brownie Recipe: For the serious chocolate lover, these brownies are rich, fudgy, and a truly indulgent treat.
• Classic Cream Cheese Mints with Dark Chocolate: These delicate, melt-in-your-mouth mints are a nostalgic favorite, elevated with a touch of dark chocolate for extra sophistication.

Beyond these cherished classics, I’m also diving into some new culinary adventures this year! Brian’s absolute favorite, classic coconut macaroons, are always on the menu. But I’m particularly excited about testing two brand-new recipes: a maple-nut brittle that promises a delightful crunch and sweetness, and a pecan turtle shortbread that combines buttery shortbread with the rich flavors of pecans and caramel. Rest assured, if these new recipes meet my high standards and are truly worthy, I will absolutely share them with you all!

What delectable treats are you planning to bake this holiday season? I’d love to hear about your traditions and new culinary experiments in the comments below!

Discovering the Charm of a Pretty Electric Kettle: Form Meets Function

For the longest time, I held a misconception that beautiful electric teapots, especially those that were also reasonably priced, simply didn’t exist. About a year and a half ago, we settled for a standard, functional model, which you can read about in an earlier Good Things List. It did the job, but it lacked that certain aesthetic appeal that I crave in my kitchen appliances.

So, imagine my absolute delight when, while browsing online (as one does during Christmas shopping!), I stumbled upon this absolutely gorgeous ceramic electric kettle with a stunning black transferware-type design. It was love at first sight! Seriously, isn’t it just the cutest thing? Its charming design immediately struck me as something that would perfectly complement a farmhouse kitchen with classic beadboard walls, adding a touch of vintage elegance to a practical appliance. It truly combines the best of both worlds: modern convenience with timeless style.

And yes, I absolutely did make the purchase! It’s incredibly rare for me to replace an appliance that is still perfectly functional. However, this particular kettle was almost half price, and I’ve genuinely never encountered a design quite like it before. When I do see uniquely designed kettles, they are typically blue, which, while lovely, doesn’t quite fit my personal color scheme or existing kitchen decor. This black and white design felt custom-made for my space.

This electric kettle has truly become a “good thing” that brings a smile to my face every single time I see it – which, considering how often I make tea, is multiple times a day! Beyond my personal joy, there’s another positive outcome: our daughter now inherits our perfectly good stainless steel and glass electric teapot, ensuring it continues to be used and appreciated. It’s a win-win situation all around.

A Quick Note on Availability: As of this writing, the specific black floral tea kettle I purchased is unfortunately being sold at a significantly inflated price by third-party sellers. However, don’t despair if you love the idea of a stylish kettle! There is a delightful marble design electric kettle available from the same brand that is much more reasonably priced and equally charming. My recommendation is to keep an eye on these products if you’re interested in a particular design; often, they come back in stock at their regular, affordable prices. Unique kitchen appliances like these are worth a little patience!

November Reads: A Journey Through Engaging Stories and Profound Thoughts

November was a fantastic month for reading, offering a diverse selection of genres and profound insights. Here are the six standout books that captivated me:

Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, by C.S. Lewis. This concise yet profound book presents a series of imagined letters from C.S. Lewis to his friend, Malcolm, delving into the complexities and wonders of prayer. While we only hear Lewis’s side of the correspondence, his reflections are rich with wisdom and offer a deeply personal look into his spiritual life. It’s a book you’ll want to highlight and revisit. Among the many “nuggets” I discovered, these two resonated deeply:

“The painful effort prayer involves is no proof that we are doing something we were not created to do. If we were perfected, prayer would not be a duty, it would be a delight. Someday, please God, it will be.” This quote offers a comforting perspective on the struggle often associated with prayer, reminding us that it’s a journey toward a more perfect union.

And, “Anxiety over the unknown is not sin, it’s not ‘not trusting God.’ Jesus suffered anxiety in Gethsemane and He is our example.” This was particularly reassuring, reframing anxiety not as a failure of faith but as a human experience, even shared by Christ himself.

Royal, by Danielle Steel. Believe it or not, this was my very first foray into the world of Danielle Steel novels. While the premise was intriguing – a storyline set in the mid-20th century about a supposedly long-lost royal granddaughter, raised as a horse trainer’s daughter – I found it a bit confusing initially. The decision to use actual historical British royals (Queen Victoria, King Edward, etc.) alongside fictionalized current royals and their daughters created a strange blend that felt inconsistent. My primary critique, however, was the narrative style. It often felt more like reading a detailed newspaper article or historical recounting of events, rather than an immersive novel. The prose focused heavily on facts and plot progression, often skipping large chunks of time, which made it difficult to form a genuine connection with any of the characters. While I appreciated the historical backdrop, I didn’t find the emotional depth or character development I typically seek in fiction. It will likely be my last Danielle Steel novel unless a truly compelling recommendation for a different work comes my way.

A Land Remembered, by Patrick D. Smith. This 1984 novel, which I listened to via Audible, left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s an epic, sweeping historical fiction narrative chronicling three generations of a family in central and south Florida, from the mid-1800s through the 1960s. Their journey from abject poverty to immense wealth is compelling, depicting the raw struggle against nature and the relentless pursuit of opportunity in a rapidly changing landscape. The historical accuracy is reportedly significant enough that a two-part children’s book adaptation is used in Florida schools to teach students about their state’s history, which speaks volumes about its grounding in reality. I typically enjoy such grand sagas, particularly those depicting a family’s perseverance.

On the other hand, the pervasive sadness of this book is palpable. Terrible things happen to each generation, often with brutal honesty, reflecting the harsh realities of pioneering life. The ending, in particular, left me with a profound sense of “what was it all worth?” There wasn’t a strong thread of inspiration or redemption; instead, it felt like a relentless march of events and consequences. While I remained invested in the characters’ fates and the unfolding history, I must admit I wasn’t sad to reach the conclusion. It’s a powerful, albeit somber, portrayal of a specific period in American history.

The Life and Times of Prince Albert, by Patrick Allitt (Great Courses). This lecture course, which I picked up as a free offering from Audible, was taught by Professor Allitt. Having watched and read extensively about Queen Victoria, much of the information wasn’t entirely new to me, but it was incredibly insightful to hear it presented from Prince Albert’s perspective. Professor Allitt does an excellent job of detailing Albert’s profound influence on British society, science, and the arts, often underscoring how his vision shaped Victorian England. The most surprising piece of information for me, differing from portrayals in popular novels and the PBS series “Victoria,” was the revelation that Queen Victoria reportedly disliked young children, even her own. She apparently viewed them as “frogs” and was envious of the time Albert devoted to them, engaging with her offspring only out of necessity. It wasn’t until her children matured into adults, allowing for more intellectual and emotional connection, that their relationships improved. This detail provided a fascinating, more complex layer to the often romanticized image of the royal couple.

The Last Days of Night, by Graham Moore. This historical fiction novel will undoubtedly secure a spot on my year-end “best of” list. It masterfully recounts the electric lightbulb “war” of the late 19th century, a fascinating and often overlooked period in history, between the titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, with Nikola Tesla making crucial appearances. Moore tells this story in such a compelling way that it’s nearly impossible to stop reading or listening. What makes it particularly engaging is its focus on Paul Cravath, a brilliant young attorney for Westinghouse, who was tasked with this Herculean legal battle just 18 months out of law school. His journey navigating the intricate world of patents, legal maneuvering, and industrial rivalry is gripping. Although Cravath ultimately didn’t win this specific case, he went on to establish one of the most successful and influential law firms in American history. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone interested in history, invention, or compelling legal dramas – it’s truly outstanding.

The Reading Life: The Joy of Seeing New Worlds Through Other’s Eyes, by C.S. Lewis. This delightful little book offers a charming and inspiring peek into the reading life of C.S. Lewis. It reveals that his ideal day was almost entirely devoted to reading – 7 to 8 hours, interrupted only for meals, tea, and a restorative walk! I found this utterly captivating and somewhat aspirational. Through this book, I also learned that Lewis routinely reread books, possessed an astonishing memory for what he’d read, and often made notes to himself in the front of books (sometimes even a cautionary “don’t read again”). His fondness for rereading Jane Austen again and again, finding new insights each time, highlighted his deep appreciation for literature. He profoundly believed in gaining insight through the works of others, emphasizing how reading expands our understanding of the world and ourselves. Overall, this book was incredibly inspiring, reinvigorating my appreciation for the invaluable time spent immersed in books and reinforcing the profound joy that reading brings to our lives.

Captivating Screens: What We’ve Been Watching This Month

As the days grow shorter and the evenings longer, there’s nothing quite like settling in with a good series or movie. Here’s a look at the captivating content that has held our attention this month:

TV Series:

The Queen’s Gambit, Netflix. We haven’t quite reached the finale of this miniseries yet, but it has truly impressed us. Both its visual storytelling and engaging narrative are exceptionally well-crafted. Who would have thought that the intricate world of chess could be portrayed with such visual flair and gripping suspense? The series follows the remarkable journey of a young orphan girl with an extraordinary affinity for chess, depicting her rise to become a formidable force in the elite, male-dominated world of professional chess at a remarkably young age. It’s a story that is at once fascinating, inspiring, and tinged with a poignant sadness as she navigates personal struggles alongside her meteoric career.

The Trial of the Chicago 7, Netflix. This powerful Aaron Sorkin film features an incredible ensemble cast including Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen, among others. It vividly recounts the astonishing true story of the trial of seven anti-war protestors accused of conspiracy and inciting riots during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. My husband, daughter, and I watched this together, and none of us were familiar with this significant piece of American history. We were thoroughly captivated by its execution – it’s a courtroom drama that is anything but boring, maintaining a high level of tension and intrigue throughout. What truly surprised us was how closely it adhered to the actual historical events, a fact we verified later. Even the almost unbelievable ineptness and bias of the judge, which we initially thought must have been dramatized for cinematic effect, proved to be historically accurate. I genuinely cannot recommend this film enough; it’s a masterclass in historical drama and a compelling watch.

Young at Heart, originally PBS, now on Amazon. My sister enthusiastically recommended this 2007 documentary, and it was an absolute delight. It tells the heartwarming story of a senior citizen singing group that performs modern rock songs, including a memorable (and hilariously awkward to watch!) rendition of a Nine Inch Nails track. This film is incredibly inspiring, showcasing the vibrant spirit and resilience of the singers, as well as the overwhelmingly positive reactions from their audiences. While there are undeniably sad moments as members of the group pass away, the overall message is one of joy, camaraderie, and the enduring power of music. It’s a truly feel-good movie that celebrates life and passion at any age.

I Am Woman (Helen Reddy), Netflix. My daughter chose this biopic, primarily because she knew nothing about Helen Reddy or her iconic music. While I grew up hearing Reddy’s songs, I was largely unaware of her personal story. The film proved to be quite interesting, with the lead actress delivering a commendable performance, capturing Ms. Reddy’s signature singing style reasonably well. I don’t think I fully appreciated just how colossal a star Helen Reddy was in the 1970s, nor the swiftness with which her career declined in the 1980s. The movie does tend to gloss over some of her profound accomplishments, instead choosing to focus more heavily on her tumultuous marriage. Despite this narrative imbalance, it remains a solid biopic, offering a fascinating glimpse into the life of a groundbreaking artist and the era she defined.

Rebecca (2020). Our journey with “Rebecca” began on a summer road trip to Yellowstone, where we immersed ourselves in Daphne Du Maurier’s captivating novel via audiobook. Upon returning home, we immediately followed it up by watching Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film adaptation. Knowing a new remake was on the horizon, we were eager to watch it as soon as it was released to draw comparisons.

Personally, my main concern was that the new adaptation would romanticize the early stages of the relationship between the protagonist and Maxim de Winter more than the book intended, and to some extent, it did. Armie Hammer, playing Maxim, felt perhaps a decade too young for the role, and the female lead, the new Mrs. de Winter, didn’t quite convey the profound insecurity and lack of self-confidence that defines her character in the novel. However, despite these minor deviations, we generally felt that the director and actors delivered a decent job in bringing the essence of Du Maurier’s story to the screen. A significant point in its favor was its adherence to the novel’s original, more unsettling ending, a refreshing contrast to Hitchcock’s somewhat watered-down version. Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary interpretation of a gothic classic, finding it a worthwhile watch for fans of the story.

That’s it for another exciting edition of the Good Things List!

If you’re keen to discover more of what I’m loving and to explore previous recommendations, you can check out all the Good Things Lists here. I genuinely value your input – I’d be thrilled to hear what you think of this month’s selections, if you’ve tried any of these recommendations, or what “good things” you’d personally recommend to me and other readers. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below; let’s build a community of shared discoveries!

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