Weekend Recs #27: Non-corny holiday crafts, cookies, and stuff to stream

Plus: A book you’ll want to read in one sitting.

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This is Weekend Recs, a weekly send of ideas and diversions for your downtime. Not subscribed yet? Here you go:

Editorial note: Alisha is on maternity leave. In the meantime, Downtime is edited by Aliza Abarbanel.

Four ideas for your weekend…

• 📺 Rye Lane

  • I love the resurgence of the contemporary rom com and this is quite simply the cutest movie I’ve seen in a while. (Check out the trailer here.) The premise: Two twenty-somethings reeling from their recent breakups connect on a random day in South London and pledge to help each other get over their exes….and of course, find connection of their own in the process. It’s streaming on Hulu and the perfect movie to stay in and watch tonight (or any night). 

• 📚 Deacon King Kong

  • I picked up this book after guest writer Thao Thai’s recent newsletter rec for author James McBride’s latest book, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, and I’m so glad I did. McBride is a master of dialogue, weaving together memorable characters in late ‘60s Brooklyn into a laugh-out-loud novel where plotlines overlap and nothing is as it seems. 

• 🎄Non-corny holiday crafts

  • Low-waste DIY ornaments. So chic and shiny, nobody will know they were made from the shiny insides of an old tomato paste tube (but I think you should proudly tell them).

  • Homemade Hanukkah gelt. A fun way to decorate chocolate and make customizable, covetable dreidel winnings (or at least, dessert).

  • Paper snowflakes. Classic, simple, and still so festive and fun. A great snow/rainy/gray day activity for folks of all ages.

•  🍪 Recipes to cook right now

  • Gingerbread blondies. I had the pleasure of trying all the recipes from New York Times Cooking’s excellent new holiday cookie package and this one was my favorite. It’s an incredibly chewy blondie with a rich brown butter flavor and festive warming spices. Simply so good. 

  • Earl Grey hot chocolate. Why didn’t I think of infusing my favorite tea into hot chocolate before? This one is fragrant, rich, and still very chocolatey. 

  • Spicy coconut pumpkin soup. A hearty Caribbean-style pumpkin soup that makes the most of any kind of squash that might be lying around. 

  • Best-ever potato latkes. It’s not Hanukkah until I’ve made this classic, crispy Joan Nathan recipe. Top with applesauce, sour cream, brisket, chili crisp, caviar…the world is your latke.

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Thanks to the supporting sponsor of this week’s newsletter, Organic Basics:

Comfy meets cool: Get intimates, sweats, and other cozy staples with Organic Basics, designed in Copenhagen and made from sustainable materials like organic cotton and recycled textiles. Get 10% off site wide: code DOWNTIME10.

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What paid subscribers got this week: A special recipe roundup of snacking bakes for the holiday season from cookbook author Yossy Arefi, plus her tips on gifting baked goods.

If you’ve been enjoying Downtime, consider becoming a paid subscriber for many more perks, like the full version of every Friday newsletter, bonus posts, access to the comments, and more!

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A grab bag of links and reads worth sharing with the group chat.

From the heart. Image by Angela Kirkwood via New York Times

• When the Best Gift Costs Nothing at All [New York Times] *gift link*

  • Experts say focusing on sentiment over receipts is more likely to bring holiday cheer.

• Inside The Simple Life, Twenty Years Later [The Cut]

  • An oral history of the iconic reality TV show, featuring fascinating insight from the show’s producers

• It’s Okay to Suck When You Try Something New [Vox]

  • Useful advice on how to enjoy a hobby when you’re not good at it (yet).

• How to Organize a Holiday Party, According to a Party Planner [Shondaland]

  • Because we can all use a little help. 

• 2023 Person of the Year: Taylor Swift [TIME]

  • ICYMI: a deep-diving interview with Taylor, who was given TIME’s annual title this week.

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🌼 And more fun fluff…

It’s pear time. Image via: @olivia_cavalli

40 more holiday cookie classics. // Simple exercises for better posture. //  The best pumpkin spice mix I’ve ever tasted also happens to be ethically sourced. // Cher! // A blanket for all the berry lovers. // I can’t even say how many times I’ve looped this video of Kacie Musgraves singing Can’t Help Falling in Love With You at Graceland. // The best movies of 2023. //

Links continued below…

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