It's that time of the year where lots of newsletters, websites, and, well, everything, release gift guides. I get sucked into these as much as anyone else. It's a lot of fun to see what's trending or new. Plus, occasionally, it sparks an idea for a great gift.

When it comes to gifts I like, I tend to want something practical... or nothing at all. Having lots of "stuff" around makes me anxious. But even I need and want new things. I keep a short list of stuff on an I Want Pinterest board. Some of the items have been on there for years because I just don't see the need to ask for them yet. Other things, I would just never buy for myself but think they might be nice to have. (Mom - I know you're reading this. I promise I'll send you an actual list soon.) In lieu of buying gifts for each other, the husband and I are each buying ourselves new laptops since we both need them.

Now that we've got a kiddo, I'm more focused on her gift list. We don't live in a big place and having lots of toys means that none of them get played with very often. Our family has been wonderful respecting our boundaries around gifts. For her birthday and Christmas, we put together a list. Each family group can pick one item from that list. This year, we said they could add a stocking stuff item of their choice. Kiddo gets to open everything but we don't keep it all out. She picks a toy to keep and the rest go away for later. We break a new one back out every few weeks or months. We try to time that to a day she is home from daycare and we're also stuck working from home. 

It's a system that's worked really well for us. The one problem is, I sometimes forget we have this stash of toys. We still have one toy from last Christmas that we have yet to pull out.

How do you handle gifting?

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I’m running a 25% discount on all paid subscriptions through the end of the year! The Sunday Wrap will always be free. Paid subscribers get full access to Thursday’s My Top 3 posts and full archives access. If you can’t afford a subscription, I offer comp subscriptions no questions asked. Just reply to this message.

Also, starting in the new year, I’ll be introducing The Best Thing on Tuesdays. This discussion post will give everyone a chance to share the best thing they read, saw, heard, experienced, or did. Let's celebrate the random awesome stuff that makes us happy, surprises us, or drives us to learn more.

The last hundred pages of The Thousandth Floor turned out great! I finished them in rapid succession and immediately requested the other two books in the trilogy from the library. I just started book two, The Dazzling Heights. It’s, once again, heavy with the character introductions but at least I’m used to the world.

While I was waiting for those books to arrive, I read the graphic novelization of The Adventure Zone’s The Crystal Kingdom. (Love that podcast.) I forgot so many parts of this story! It was a lot of fun. The illustrator has a way with facial expressions that exude emotion and comedy.

*Books shared here are affiliate links for Bookshop.org

• I did not know this about Tesla. [@stealthygeek]

• "Producing a sustained reduction in violence may not be possible without addressing extreme, persistent segregation by race, ethnicity, and income." I don't know why statements like this are still revelatory. Violence is a symptom of systemic racism and poverty. Always has been. Always will be. [The Atlantic - gift link]

• The rise of roundabouts. [WaPo - gift link]

• Many alternative ways to say, "Please find attached..." [HubSpot]

• A fascinating look at how climate and heating technology influence British home design throughout history. [WaPo]

• The insurrection that happened on January 6 was just... pointless. [The Atlantic]

• An economist talks popular financial advice. [Planet Money]

• We're really bad at listening to prognosticators. [Hidden Brain]

• How the January 6 sedition case came together. [The Daily]

• On bravery, physics, and the circus. [Short Wave]

• What is this sorcery!?!? [@JamieBGall]

• Hallmark Movie season is here! Unless we're watching sports, we've got one of these cheesy delights on. This week, one of my favorites was Inventing the Christmas Prince. It's about a mom who tells the story of the Christmas Price to her daughter. Daughter then mistakes mom's stiff boss for the Prince. Chaos and delight ensue. Ronnie Rowe, Jr., the actor who played the boss/prince, did a fabulous job of transforming his character from stiff and unemotional into warm and engaging. [Hallmark Channel]

• Our menu this week was full of lighter fare to help us ease out of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Skillet shrimp fajitas was the perfect pivot away from carbs and gravy. It's lighter, has different textures, and a nice spice. Plus, it comes together fast. I turned the leftovers into a quesadilla for lunch the next day. [Taste & Tell]

• I thought that Thanksgiving staples would be on sale. I made roasted brussels sprouts salad as my lunch meal prep. I adore brussels sprouts but am the only one in my family who thinks they're tasty. The dish was delicious but even I will admit that three straight days of this got a bit monotonous. Definitely works better as a side dish or a one-off. Ingredient note: For the dressing, I upped the vinegar and the mustard because I really like the tang. Also, swapped pecans for walnuts since we had some lying around. [Budget Bytes]

Mauna Loa gave volcanologist a great gift this year. Why are volcanic eruption photos so mesmerizing? [WaPo]

Every week, it’s a treasure trove full of serendipity. Each Friday, the Weekly Filet provides you with a careful selection of great things to read, watch, and listen to. I get some much good stuff from this newsletter. It’s one of my favorites.

The Atlantic released it’s annual space telescope advent calendar! This is one of my favorite small holiday traditions. I love seeing the new image pop up each day.

We got our tree and are festooning our home with Christmas decor.