Morning Brew - ☕️ Care package

Good afternoon Essentials readers. What are your election night plans? Mine include watching cable TV election coverage, scrolling endlessly through Twitter, baking a lil’ something sweet (ideas?), and hitting the sack early.

— Rachel Cantor

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This election is giving all of us anxious energy—waking up half an hour before your alarm, over-caffeinating, and binge-eating your leftover Halloween candy. To cope, you either a) have a tab of FiveThirtyEight open all day or b) have avoided news coverage altogether and are planning a rom-com movie marathon. We could all use a little R&R, so I put together an election night care package. 

• An election distractor that might lead you to Melissa Clark’s hot chocolate tips, a soothing waterfall, or dolphins making faces. 
• 25 feel-good movies that are worth the rewatch. May I suggest some Nora Ephron? 
• Cook your way through election week with this meal plan. 
• Check out these coloring book apps to self-soothe or to multitask while watching the coverage. 
• Most of us will need a few tips on how to make the post-election hangover less miserable. 

Stay sustainable: You don’t have to worry about the “limited to one” rule with any of these 10 best paper towel alternatives. Plus, it’s a fun way to accessorize your kitchen. 

Stay rested: If you can’t focus at work and you find yourself plowing through a Netflix series per night, you’re most likely mentally exhausted. Find out all the signs and how to get through it, according to the experts. 

Stay up-to-date: For all the visual learners out there, check out these animated illustrations that explain how Covid spreads in indoor spaces. It really helped me wrap my head around it. 

Stay informed: When you’re sick of waking up to “I’m Michael Barbaro, a reporter at the New York Times,” try listening to What A Day—a podcast breaking down the biggest news of the day. 

Stay healthy: Every time I take a trip to the grocery store, I’m overwhelmed by all the plant-based milk choices. I personally just go for the bottle with the best branding, but which milk is actually the best for you?

Ahhhh, finally some comfort.

Lunya is reinventing sleepwear for the modern woman, making you feel comfortable and put together at home, or wherever you are. 

And because this year has been, well.. a lot, Lunya is adding some comfort to the mix this holiday season by giving away free, silk sleepwear. All you have to do is tell Lunya what home means to you for a chance to win cozy sleepwear plus goodies from some of their favorite brands. 

Feel at home with Lunya, no matter where you are. 

Enter to win now.

LauriPatterson / Getty Images

On the table: If you haven’t eaten all of your Halloween candy yet, you should either share it with a friend or bake a dessert. 

On tap: Warm yourself up with an alcohol blanket—aka a festive drink. And hone your craft with the best bartending books (great holiday gift) from veteran bartender Elliott Clark. 

On shuffle: The Boss is back with a new album and an Apple TV+ doc (first Billie, now Bruce). For all the fans of the Jersey legend, here’s every Bruce Springsteen song, ranked. 

On your watch radar: I just discovered CherryPicks—a site for movie recs, written by women and non-binary critics. I’m going to make my way through their collections, starting with the Classic CherryPicks Choices.  

On the move: Pop-Up Magazine’s fall issue is online, and I highly recommend listening to Take A Walk as you stroll around your neighborhood. 

All around the world: Here’s a map that shows you the true size of every country. I had no idea that Australia is roughly the same size as the U.S.

Sweet treat: Nothing like a free Krispy Kreme donut and an “I Voted” sticker on Election Day.

Give back: Here’s an ultimate resource guide with ways to support programs, orgs, and charities in the food space that have been affected by Covid-19.

Pop quiz: A fascinating experiment to see how we view history. 

Fine dining: Eating breakfast with this buffalo sounds like a fun time, but I’m not sure there’s room at my dining table.  

On Broadway: Throw it back to your theater kid days with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s TikTok. The best part is his WAP remix. 

Mollie K. (high quality pic)

This week’s Happy Place is brought to you by Essentials reader Mollie K. Here’s her sunset view from the patio of El Avion, a happy hour spot in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. Mollie has been living (and trapped) in the Central American country for more than 9 months now. Not the worst place to be quarantined. 

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to vote! And if you’ve already voted, go tell your friends and family to vote! I’ll see you on Thursday.