The Weekend Edit No. 13
What to watch, read, and listen to this week, plus a bunch of photos (and a video!) from our New Year's Eve party at home
Dear reader,
Happy New Year! How were your holidays? I don’t know about you, but we have reached our staying up late and alcohol limit for the month, along with maxing out our sweets intake. Our bodies physically can’t take anymore. The last few months have been nothing but family gathering after family gathering, each one complete with way too much food and wine and desserts. And while we most likely won’t do a complete Dry January, we will attempt more of a Dry-ish January. Damp, if you will.
The Christmas break has been for doing as little work as possible (I have barely picked up my laptop except to write this newsletter), but I’m learning that, as a parent, there is always some form of work to be done around the house or with the kids. How everwe did our best to get as much rest and relaxation in as we could. We slept in! Like, a lot! Our kids are old enough that they can let the animals outside and feed them, and then make oatmeal or cereal for themselves. This phase of life is so fun with them.
The last few weeks have been a spoil of good food, good friends, and lots of family time. Every other night we’ve hosted a little get together at home, which, for an extrovert like me, has been a real treat. PJ is a huge introvert, but even he has savored and cherished this time with everyone. This is what the holidays are all about for us, and we’ve realized year after year that we really do love hosting and having people over. It feels like we’ve found our rhythm with entertaining, figuring out how to use our house and the rooms in it to our advantage.
And while we’ve loved having company every night, I must say, I’m looking forward to a few nights with just the family at home before school starts back again next week. That alone time together is when we recharge and recenter ourselves. You know what I mean?
Speaking of company, we spent New Year’s Eve at home and it was basically a repeat of Christmas. We played our new favorite game, Telestrations, which had the entire house laughing for hours. A huge shoutout to a sweet subscriber named Colleen who sent it to us! Highly recommend this game at your next gathering.
We also spent the day baking the best chocolate cake recipe we’ve found.
The whole night was spent lounging around enjoying each other’s company. I love these people and I love that they were able to spend New Year’s Eve with us.
When the clock struck 12, the kids were still up with us going strong. While we all toasted with champagne and kisses, they had their own little cheers with some Welch’s sparkling grape juice.
And we even managed to get a family photo where everyone is (kind of) looking at the camera:
We took a bunch of photos of everyone in front of the fireplace, and here’s a little BTS of that:
In other news, we’re a little behind on choosing our Words of the Year. Rather than do resolutions every year, we pick a few words that we want to live by, like “minimize” or “organize” and do our best to stick to them. I’m happy to report that we did in fact minimize a lot last year by selling one of the beach shacks, selling a vehicle of ours, and donating a bunch of our kids’ things that they’ve outgrown, so I’m taking that as a win. When we finally settle on a few words, I’ll share them here in case anyone is interested, and maybe then we’ll be held a little more accountable to actually make them happen.
Lastly, and this is so random, but do you ever watch The Great British Baking Show on Netflix? Every year during the time between New Years and when the kids go back to school, we all find ourselves on the couch watching this cozy, comforting show. There’s something about British accents and baking and being cooped up inside on a cold day that is just the most comforting thing ever. I love that the stakes of this show aren’t very high and it’s just fun to see what the bakers come up with. Such easy viewing, which I think we all need this time of year.
Have a cozy weekend, friends!
Welcome Distractions
Watch “Maria” on Netflix. What a beautiful, quiet movie about a woman who lived such a loud, big life. Angelina Jolie gives her best performance, IMO, since “Girl, Interrupted”, and I think she definitely deserves the Oscar nomination she will most likely get in a few weeks.
Read “On Being a Work in Progress” by
. The business side of running a newsletter is a topic that fascinates me to no end, and this article explores posting on Substack for the sake of posting, how these newsletters are basically “glorified blogs”, and how they don’t have to be perfect because that’s kind of the point. None of us are establishments like The New Yorker or The Atlantic, and our writing and the content we share shouldn’t pretend to be. Our newsletters are imperfect and unique, and that’s kind of the point.Listen to “Hollywood Gold” Podcast with Nancy Meyers. Though the holidays are over, I feel like everyone’s love for the cozy 2006 movie “The Holiday” is everlasting. It’s our second favorite Christmas movie to watch every year behind The Family Stone, and Nancy joins Hollywood Gold to discuss “how the dual storylines made the crew feel like they were creating two different movies.” If you’re a fan of Nancy Meyers, her movies and their aesthetic, this one is a real treat for you.
A Closer Look
Graydon Carter’s apartment in the Dakota from 1996 has been my interior obsession for years, and when I came across it the other day, I fell back in love all over again. It has that studious, cozy, collected-over-time feel that only comes from people with impeccable taste.
Please look at the kitchen. This entire room, from the inset shaker-style cabinets to the brass hardware to the marble countertops, wouldn’t be out of place in today’s homes. Heck, it looks very much like our kitchen at our town house. And how great are all the books and art? It’s just such a dreamy family home and probably the biggest source of inspiration for me for our own home.
What We Wore
This Heritage cotton cable-knit cardigan sweater-polo from J.Crew is my favorite Black Friday purchase this year. I wore it to our last Christmas party of the season last week and felt so confident all night.
You May Have Missed…
Have a wonderful weekend! We’ll see you on Tuesday. If you feel up to it, please like this post and share it! It helps get the word out and lets others discover Okay McKay. Thank you, friends!
Me and my bestie watch GB Baking show every year as the new season releases the episodes to Netflix. We love it!!! Thanks for a great year of helpful tips, good recommendations, and solid entertainment Thomas and PJ!! Happy new year to everyone!!!
I really liked your philosophy of picking a word, or 2, to live be for the new year rather than making a resolution. Great idea to have passed on to everyone!