the take home folder vol 98
my favorite books of 2025 / goodbye christmas, hello cozy / 2026 dreamin' / + more
welcome to the take home folder
My big goals for this week between Christmas and New Years are to not be rushed, accept that the house is looking pretty…lived in yet also start chipping away at getting things back to their homes, wear as much Athleta (specifically these leggings I got for Christmas) and Aerie (this) as possible, enjoy time with family and friends, and dream about my goals for 2026.
Whether you’re vegging out this week, or working, or taking down all the holiday decor, or in a cookie/cheese coma, or thinking ahead to the new year (or a combination of it all), I hope this email finds you with a full heart.
my sunday questions
What is something I can do for our home?
What is something I can do for/with our family?
What is something I can do for myself?
Today for me it’s tucking away Christmas decor and doing some cleaning, making soup for dinner on this snowy day, and treating myself to some puzzle/audiobook time.
here’s this week’s take home folder, enjoy!
one // favorite books of 2025
2025 reading was goooood. I’m grateful that I found my way back to books a handful of years ago. Shoutout to my public library/the Libby app, Spotify monthly audiobook listening hours, and Indie bookstores for providing me with the richest reading life ever. Without further ado, here are my top ten in no particular order.
Honestly I could have put 20 books on this list.
I’m ending the year with 62 books read. My only reading goal each year is to have fun reading. (No book quantity goals!) How did your reading life feel in 2025?
two // christmas down, cozy up
I’m the type of person who wants Christmas decor down shortly following Christmas. Streamlined spaces calm my brain.
Here’s what I’ll be leaning into around our home from now through early March:
-twinkle lights on timers to come on around 5pm
-candle burning every night after dinner
-fireplace fires several nights a week
-down comforter and flannel sheets
-cozy throw blankets on the couch
-lamps turned on instead of harsh overhead lighting
-soup or chili on the meal plan every week
-occasional Trader Joe’s floral arrangements on the kitchen table for joy
three // use the good stuff
As I write this, I can see the new water bottle that Todd got for Christmas. It is sitting here in the packaging while he’s at the office using his old, rather grody water bottle. Earlier this week, I made my boys hot chocolate with a random packet I found in the pantry while the tin of Williams Sonoma cocoa I splurged on for the holiday season sat unopened.
Does anyone else struggle with using the good stuff? Here’s a nudge to enjoy it! Maybe for you it’s wearing that cashmere sweater. Or spritzing perfume on your wrist on an ordinary day. Or lighting that nice candle you’ve had in your cabinet for a year. Or scheduling an appointment to use that massage gift card. Or repurposing the stained, holy dish towel and putting the cute one into rotation.
If we have nice things, we may as well use and savor them. It provides a bit of an elevated experience in the day-to-day, and who doesn’t benefit from that?!
four // favorite things of 2025 (most of which aren’t really things at all)
morning workouts - front loading works and I closed my exercise ring in the early morning almost every weekday this year. Love the feeling of having a workout done first thing.
puzzles - after telling myself most of my life that I wasn’t a puzzle person, we started regularly having a puzzle going in the cold months and it’s been fun for the whole family.
wide leg pants - less about the pants and more about not telling myself I “shouldn't” wear certain things for my curvy/petite body type.
doing my own nails - I knew I had fallen in love with doing my own nails when I treated myself to a gel mani for my SIL’s wedding and had it removed immediately after we returned home. I use 2-3 thin coats of this polish followed by this topcoat and try to give myself a mani on Sunday evenings before bed.
pool membership - huge highlight of our year, so glad we sprung for it!
FB marketplace - I tried to thrift in person but just didn’t do it consistently. Buying secondhand on Marketplace though? Obsessed.
king size bed - we finally got a new bed 1.5 years after deciding on it. ;) Having a nice mattress (they gave me a discount code! - BEGINATHOME) and cozy bedding is an actual dream! Bed and bedding sources here.
prepping lunches for myself - I made a pretty good effort to prep healthy lunches as a kindness to myself. Want to do this even more consistently in ‘26.
loving our kitchen exactly as it is - I feel in love with our kitchen even more this year. Instead of only dreaming of gutting it (which simply isn’t a financial priority right now), I appreciated its coziness and functionality. I went from loving our kitchen even though it is older to loving our kitchen period. It truly is the heart of our home.
What are some of your favorite things from the year?
five // 2026 dreamin’
I feel a rush of anticipation and excitement for the new year and my brain is swirling with ideas for areas of focus in 2026. Will share more specifics next week.
The last few years I haven’t felt much like making big goal lists or doing a word of the year. So I didn’t. And that’s ok too.
The queens of intentionality and goal setting:
Shelley from Let’s Live and Learn (Substack, IG)
Kathleen from The Reframe (Podcast, IG)
Haley from Haley Wynn Home (blog, IG)
Fresh starts feel good. What’s on your mind as we enter a new year?
see you right back here next week,
p.s. Need anything from Target or Amazon this week? Letting my affiliate link open in your app before checking out supports my work at no cost to you (no matter what you buy!). Thanks for doing this, I notice and am grateful.
p.p.s. Athleta is doing their semi annual sale. I’ve lived in Athleta for a decade +.
leggings I wear every day of my life for working out/walking (7” shorts version in the summer!)
fleece lined leggings for cold weather
thicker fleece lined leggings (I prefer the ones linked above because they’re thinner but if you want the warmest, these are it.)
Supportive Sports Bra, even if you’re large chested like me
buttery soft brown leggings I got for Christmas
I intend to fully enjoy this downtime between the business of Christmas and the New Year. Definitely will be taking down the tree and tidying the wrapping supplies etc. My reading year was good - we have similar taste. Reading is one of my favorite hobbies. I love my kitchen as well - it’s old and definitely in need of a remodel but it’s super functional and comfortable to me. I am very grateful for the counter space and functionality every day. Other favorite things besides reading and my kitchen: spending time at the lake in my beach chair with my book, local adventures with family, my Broadway series subscription at our city theater, my garden, farmer markets and stands, Costco runs, my iPad for weekly menu planning and Substack reading including your newsletter which I enjoy every Sunday morning, puzzles, my house bag, my planner, early am gym time, my dogs and our daily walks, Bookclub friends, my family including my young adult/adult kids and their significant others and friends- I love this stage!
My favorite read each week! Totally resonate with the notion of “using it up.” I’ve been trying to do that more often, but still fall into the trap of “saving it.” I usually just forget about it or my toddler gets into it, so might as well enjoy it!