A Few Things

Hello Friends. How are you? How was your week? We had a happy, simple Thanksgiving here at home. All the usual foods, but no guests, which makes everything feel like much lower stakes, you know? We missed our big kids who were in the U.S., but we had a lovely family video call and we’re grateful we could connect. It definitely felt like one of our most relaxing Thanksgiving holidays ever.

As I’m sure you know, Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday here in France, but our kids took the day off from school on Thursday, and then they went back on Friday. Oscar was out early on Friday so he helped me pull out the Christmas boxes and set up the Nativity so Betty & Flora June would be surprised when they got home from school. We had spices simmering on the stove, and Christmas music playing, and when everyone was home it felt like the official start of our Christmas Season.

I know this is a big shopping weekend. If it helps, I’ve shared a few shopping guides over the last few weeks, and there are a few more coming.

Holiday Prep Supplies
Young Adult Gift Guide
Shopping Guide for a Holiday at Home
100% Cotton PJs
Beauty & Skincare Shopping Guide

For Small Business Saturday, I shared 50 terrific companies on Instagram Stories — all owned by Black Women or Indigenous Women. I included links to their websites and their Instagram pages.

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In the mood for some weekend links? Here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you:

-“It feels like the moment Instagram’s power as a tool for organizing and creating communities was unlocked, the company dug deeper into commercialism, oblivious to how so many people were using the app.”

-A new film chronicles the illegal sterilisation of women in prisons.

–The Guy Who Decides Packaging. (I couldn’t stop laughing.)

-‘Reach Out to Trump Supporters,’ They Said. I Tried. I give up.

-The first — and only — randomized controlled study of the use of face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is finished. The conclusion: masks are most effective if everyone wears them.

-“Other countries have social safety nets; the U.S. has women.”

–Easiest lasagna recipe ever.

-Meg Conley wrote an excellent 3-part series on home ownership in America (and the shame around it).

-I mentioned we’ve been moving heavy things (like cast iron radiators) and tons of people recommended Forearm Forklift and Shoulder Dolly moving straps. Have you ever tried them? I want to order a set, but I’m wondering if one brand is substantially better than the other.

Here are some tweets I saved for you:

–Thoughts on the recent Supreme Court decision.

In Jewish law, religious freedom in a global pandemic is the freedom from any other relevant obligation if a life would be risked in its fulfillment. In fact, protecting the lives of the living becomes the obligation. What the Supreme Court is protecting is not religious freedom.

— Rabbi Yosef Goldman (@yosgold) November 26, 2020

–A thread on ways to support Native folks this weekend.

Every year I invite non-Native folks who are celebrating the colonial holiday to do something in support of Native people. This holiday isn’t a happy one for a lot of folks, but if you would like to extend some solidarity to Native folks this weekend, here’s a thread for that.

— Puff the Magic Hater (@MsKellyMHayes) November 26, 2020

-A heartbreaking thread from a family dealing with Covid-19.

Diary of a Sad Woman – why I hate COVID. Sun, Oct 15th – my brother picks up my mom who has just spent 2 weeks in Florida staying with my aunt post uncle’s death.  Mom/dad had both attended my uncle’s funeral 2 weeks earlier.  Mom comes back feeling sick.

— Hina Patel (@hinapatelRx) November 25, 2020

-I’d never heard of Paul R. Williams until I read this tweet. Click through to read more in the thread.

Paul R. Williams, architect of some of the grandest homes in Hollywood & iconic buildings in L.A., learned to draw upside down bc his clients did not want to sit next to a Black man.

His handwriting is portrayed in the Beverly Hills hotel sign, which he could not stay at. pic.twitter.com/vU3aJxKlKd

— Jake REI (@jkostecki_rei) November 24, 2020

-I love following this account on Twitter. I enjoy the broad range of art they introduce me to, or remind me of.

Vanessa Barragão, contemporary Portuguese textile artist known for large-scale hangings inspired by ecosystems including coral reefs using upcycled waste materials from the textile industry #womensart pic.twitter.com/uHvgNx5xTg

— #WOMENSART (@womensart1) November 25, 2020

–A thread with good info about student loan debt cancellation.

Broad student loan debt cancellation via executive order is good economics and politics. A thread (with lots of data). 1/

— Bharat Ramamurti (@BharatRamamurti) November 16, 2020

-Our picture of rural life doesn’t always match up with real life.

People like to say states like Wyoming need to be over-represented in government because they're "rural." We imagine this means people there work on the land. In reality, only 3065 people in Wyoming work in agriculture. 30,171 work in retail. 36,871 work in hotels and restaurants

— Sandra Newman (@sannewman) November 16, 2020

-The ultimate party planned at age 8.

I’ve never planned a better party than the one I planned when I was 8 pic.twitter.com/oFr1vaqHSN

— Emily Flake (@EmilyFlake) November 23, 2020

–A haiku.

A haiku I saw this morning:
"We isolate now
So when we gather again
No one is missing"

— Scott Lawson (@ST_Lawson) November 18, 2020

I hope you have a gorgeous weekend. I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already.

kisses,
Gabrielle

P.S. — Here are some snapshots from our Thanksgiving Day: