Currently tucking my dessert into my duvet

A weekly report

Getting to the end of this week felt like crossing a threshold. It was winter solstice, my husband defended his dissertation, his family came and left, the holidays are now here, and I am staring into the abyss of a 10 full days off.

I have not planned a single thing during this festive period: I’ll bumble, dawdle, linger, breathe, ideate, and relax to my heart’s content. I am looking forward to having the space to dive into my own brain. And probably also take many plunges into icy water after a sauna session as well as read, watch movies, unplug, take photos, and create festiveness.

Weekly report:

Reading:

A Christmas Pageant by Donna Tartt
This is an atmospheric short story about a little girl who takes religion very seriously. She is forced to go to a Christmas Pageant, and, from there, things unravel.

Everybody was dressed up, and some of the little girls looked as though they had been at the beauty parlor, but Sally's hair was short and she hadn't gone. She was wearing a plaid pinafore, a white shirt and red leotard, and black patent-leather shoes. Usually she liked this outfit but tonight she had not wanted to wear it because it seemed irreverent. In her room, before leaving home, she had searched about hastily for something that would make her look more religious; at last, she draped a white dresser-scarf over her head. It made her look like a bride, or the Virgin Mary. For a while she practiced supplicant poses in the mirror--holding her hands out, palms up, eyes fumed to heaven. Then Leah, the maid, had come in without Sally seeing her and laughed.... Sally's part was the letter T in the word Christmas. Each child was to wear a big sign with the proper letter, and they were to step forward and explain what their letter meant when the time came....Sally had wanted to be M because that stood for Mary, but she was glad that Mrs. Mills had picked Kenny Priddy and not her because Mrs. Mills had made it mean mistletoe, and that meant kissing, and people would laugh.

Eating:

Risalamande
Risalamande is a traditional Danish dessert made of rice pudding mixed with whipped cream, sugar, vanilla, and chopped almonds. It is served cold. My favourite part about it is that once you have made the rice pudding, the best way to let it rest is “tucking it in,” so you often put it in bed under the duvet. It is just so cute, and a major bonus that it warms your bed before you get in it on a cold and long winter night.

Playing:

The Nutcracker
I was in a performance of the Nutcracker from the ages of 5-17, but I am still not sick of the music. If you can’t make it to a live performance, there are excellent productions available on Youtube. It is an annual tradition to watch one.

Christmas with PJ Morton
I mentioned last week that this is my favourite Christmas album. This week, I am ready to overdose.

New Yorker Mini Crosswords
I am back on my crossword game, and these are perfectly bite sized for a quick brain blast.

Obsessing:

Doen Ysabell Skirt
I splurged on this for the holidays, and it is perfect. A bit sheer, but not so sheer as to be inappropriate for holiday gatherings of all kinds. I wore it to my holiday party and the Nutcracker.

Recommending:

Having good light
Either from a well-lit Christmas tree (or, for the rest of the year) great lamps and candles. Danish people are very obsessed with lighting, and I truly have become indoctrinated in a new way since living here. I am constantly adjusting and/or complaining about light to get it to perfectly fit the mood.

Treating:

A day at the museum
Lately, I haven’t had much time for visiting exhibitions beyond the gallery in which I work, but I think this is the inspiration I need and worth the effort of going out instead of staying in bed. Speaking of which:

A day in bed
Or even a few hours when you are not sleeping just to lounge. Preferably with your cute and snuggly dog alongside a great gothic novel.