Let's Be Weird

The comfort of being whoever the heck we are and doing it together

A comic strip I made many moons ago

Dear Friends,

Today is Rama’s birthday, and all I keep thinking is “Thank God this man was born.”

Rama has taught me so much in the 22+ years I’ve known him. Like the importance of recreation and how to make a killer ice cream sundae. He has shown me that the key to making art is following through and that most things worth doing take practice. But one of the most important lessons I’ve been lucky to learn from Rama is that it’s wonderful to be weird.

Rama is silly and creative, honest and funny, and he is unapologetically himself. Instead of making everyone in his orbit feel uneasy or scared, Rama’s authenticity makes you feel comfortable and safe. Like you, too, can let your guard down and just be yourself and it will be okay. You will be okay.

I am still learning to embrace all the parts of me, but it gets easier. It definitely helps having a fellow weirdo by my side.

xo Christine

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Good Things

• The new and familiar faces at Rama’s 6th Annual Portrait Party

• The foresight to pose with props

• Wake Up Dead Man, Rian Johnson’s new Knives Out film

• Sleeping the whole night through after a week of middle-of-the-night wakeups

• The Sound of Music on stage

• Working on the sofa with twinkly Christmas lights in view

• Gliding scissors along a wrapping paper sheet

• No line at the post office

• Dinner at my favorite All Time

• The Best Gifts (NYT gift link)

• The art of wrapping presents and how seriously I take it

• Two weeks off, here I come!

Good Gifts for Procrastinators

So you ran out of time to order that something awesome you bookmarked from a gift guide? Here are a few quick and easy present ideas.

• A gift card to a local bookstore. Throw in a bookmark, too. The magnetic ones are my favorite, with old postcards as a close second.

• Handwritten coupons. Write them on index cards or slivers of scratch paper. My kids’ most used coupon is “get out of dish duty.” For friends or partners, a dinner or coffee date always wins.

• A sweet or savory treat, like rice krispy squares made festive with sprinkles, a batch of healthy granola, or spiced nuts.

Good Tidings to YOU!

Speaking of nuts, as a little holiday gift from me to you, I’m sharing my family famous spiced cashew recipe. I make this every year for us and our friends, and it’s always a hit. Download the PDF below.

Good Quote

Good Deed of the Day

If someone’s in a hurry, but you’re not, let them go ahead of you: On the road, at the market, or if you happen to live in a tiny house with only one bathroom.