2019 is coming to a close and here's my December List to end the year. I'm bracing for a very active month, as I'm really looking to start 2020 with any extra boost possible.
Learn business lessons
Mammoth & Minnow turns two years old this month. I while am so happy that this business has grown over the course of the year, I have found that I couldn't keep up with that growth. I barely have any stock for this holiday season, and have felt pressed for time and behind schedule on production at various times throughout the year.
As I head into 2020, I will be reflecting on how I can better schedule my time, to increase output while keeping everything organized, as well as setting goals and getting tasks sorted to prepare for the year ahead.
Do my future self some favors
I've mentioned previously this year that Kev and I started our search for our next home. I'm happy to report that the search is nearing its end this month, and we'll likely be very busy in January and February with some renovations and moving. Anything I can do between now and then to get ready for this move will be helpful. Among the ideas I have:
Using up heavier pantry items such as canned goods, baking ingredients, and vinegars/oils
Going through our things once again to begin purging items that we no longer use
Gathering our important paperwork, including documents we'll need to file our taxes in the new year. Getting rid of the rest of all that paper.
Make myself an at-home spa
As a pre-teen, the Seventeen and YM magazines I read often featured DIY spa treatments, at-home mani/pedi how-to's, and other tips for kids who didn't know the first thing about actual spas but had plenty of free time to blow their allowance in the beauty aisles of drugstores, commandeer bathroom sinks, and perch precariously on the edge of the tub while trying to buff their toenails.
I'm throwing it back to those days this month as there are some bath and beauty products that I'm so excited to use (and use up as part of my year-end purge of stuff). Among them, a lovely lavender scented bubble bath, a lemony acid peel, and the Blue Tansy facial mask from Herbivore Botanicals. In addition, there are several dozen travel sized things that I'm ready to part with, so why not have some fun?
Get festive
I seem to love the holiday season more with every passing year. With a late Thanksgiving this year, December (and the Christmas season) snuck up quickly, but I'll be damned if I don't dive headlong into all the festivities and really relish celebrating our last holiday season in this sweet apartment. We've already put up our tree and pompom garland, as well as dug out the disco ball snowman for the season. There's a new box of hot chocolate mix in my cupboard, and my red lipsticks are ready to go for parties.
Find joy in the early evenings
The winter solstice is this month! This is great news because that means that the days will slowly, slowly get longer again. That said, there are plenty of weeks of early evenings ahead of us which for me, can get old quickly. While I don't have full blown seasonal depression, I do feel that darkness amplifies my existing state of mind: if I'm having a good day, I find the evening cozy. If I'm having a rough day, I find it discouraging.
Over the weekend, I went to Gran Electrica for dinner on the Brooklyn waterfront. Despite the very cold night, we wanted to walk down to the water after we ate to see the Manhattan skyline across the river. I've said it before - New York is endlessly beautiful. Seeing the city lights in the night reflecting off the East River was an uplifting moment that I hope to carry with me through the depths of winter. I love the feeling of being home when it's cold and dark out, but if I need to be outdoors, I'll look for the lights.
