How are you spending the holidays? I’ve been flying solo in New York, seeing friends and eating lasagna, and the boys and I are now coming back together for some hang time. I hope you’re having a good week; I know the holidays can bring a range of emotions! Most of all, I’d like to thank you for being here. We’re deeply grateful for this warm, wonderful community. We’ve rounded up the year’s top posts, if you’re in a blog-reading mood…
In the Style category, we featured women’s weeks of outfits, including the wonderful doctor-writer Shirlene Obuobi and tall girl Erika Veurink. We asked friends to share their ‘hero’ pieces and what outfits make them feel sexy. Finally, we revealed the shoes we spotted all over NYC (hint: my photo at top!).
In the Beauty category, congrats to three CoJ readers for their hair makeovers, and also what was your worst hair day? Here’s the best beauty product I tried all year, and nine women show off their gray hair. Plus, our hearts burst when we saw eight readers’ photos of they felt most beautiful.
In the Food category, please raise your glasses for so many recipes, including four Trader Joe’s hacks, morning cookies for the backpack, and the easy dinner Jannelle makes on repeat. My friend Adam revealed his own seven rules for being a good dinner party host, and I taught my kids how to chat at dinner. And if you’re still hungry, 11 readers share their go-to recipes.
In the Relationships category, Catherine Newman wondered, ‘Do I drink too much?’ and I shared the best advice I’d heard in ages and my #1 dating rule. We asked big questions: what have CoJ readers taught you, and what do you think happens when you die? And to pull on the heartstrings, couples revealed their marriage proposals and Jannelle shared a career move that makes her teary. Finally, Christine Pride wrote about feeling ‘Black enough’. Xo
In the Travel category, I loved showing photos from a girls’ week in Paris and our family trip to England. We always love sharing our packing lists, too. Readers loved the essay ‘The Many Lives of My Zillow Alter Ego’ and hearing from seven women who moved to different countries. (Would you?)
In the Parenting category, I was happy to write out the script we used to talk to our kids about divorce and revealed a parenting realization that really moved me. Two very popular posts were Passive Aggressive Work Emails With My Toddler About Dinner and How Gilmore Girls Helped Me Understand My Mother. Lastly, Jannelle revealed four things that surprised her about having a second child.
In the Design category, our top house tours were a colorful house peppered with reading spots, a Brooklyn home that feels like a woodsy cabin, and a mom of four’s introvert nook. I loved sharing 5 home decor ideas, and we asked, what small, inexpensive things make your life better? People loved the essay Why I’m Done Making My Home Look Like A Magazine, and nine readers shared their cozy corners.
Lastly, in our Culture category, I asked, is this the sexiest podcast and what are your five most rewatchable movies? In a very popular post, we talked to a doctor, chef, priest, and therapist about whether TV jobs seem real. The comments were hilarious on the post What’s Something Popular You Just Don’t Get?, and we loved sharing beautiful things we’ve read.
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Thank you again for being here! We will be back with lots of new posts starting Monday, January 7th, and of course feel free to check out our newsletter Big Salad. Have a wonderful New Year. We love you. xoxo
(Top photo by Christine Han.)
