Tuesday’s Workwear Report: Elbow-Sleeve Square-Neck Dress in Seasonless Stretch
Our daily workwear reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices.
I have often used the week between Christmas and New Year’s to clean out my closet. (Thrilling, I know!) I get rid of anything that hasn’t been worn that year or is looking a little worse-for-wear, and try to identify any gaps that need to be filled. After a preliminary glance, I know that I’m going to be looking for a basic black sheath to replace some of my old standbys.
This short-sleeved dress from Ann Taylor looks like it could be a contender, especially at this price. I like the square neck and elbow-length sleeves, which can easily be worn with or without a topper.
The dress is $159 at Ann Taylor and comes in sizes 00-18 and 00P-16P. It also comes in navy and charcoal.
P.S. Happy New Year!
Some of the best dresses for work as of 2025 include options from J.Crew, BOSS, T. Tahari, and Lands' End. For really affordable options, check out Quince and Amazon sellers Miusol or MUXXN (both with vintage vibes). We've also rounded up the best plus-size dresses for work!
Sales of note for 1/1/25 (HAPPY NEW YEAR!):
- Nordstrom – The Half-Yearly Sale has started — up to 60% off! See our roundup here.
- AllSaints – Now up to 60% off (some of the best leather jackets!)
- Ann Taylor – Semi Annual Sale! Up to 40% off your purchase; extra 60% off 3+ styles
- Banana Republic Factory – The Winter Sale: 50% off everything + extra 60% off clearance
- Boden – Sale, up to 60% + extra 10% — readers love this blazer, these dresses, and their double-layer line of tees
- DeMellier – Sale now on, free shipping and returns — includes select options like Montreal, Vancouver, and Venice
- Eloquii – Semi-annual clearance, up to 85% off; extra 60% off clearance
- Everlane – Sale of the year, up to 70% off — reader favorites include their scoop tee, Dream Pant, ReNew Transit backpack, silk blouses and their oversized blazers!
- J.Crew – 25% off full-price styles; up to 50% off cashmere; 70% off 3+ sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 60% off winter faves; extra 25% off $100+
- L.K. Bennett – All sale half price or less
- M.M.LaFleur – 30% on almost everything with code
- Rothy's – End of season sale, up to 50% off fall and winter styles
- Sephora – Extra 20% off sale items for Beauty Insider members
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off, plus free shipping on everything (and 20% off your first order)
- Summersalt – BOGO sweaters, including this reader-favorite sweater blazer
- Talbots – Semi-Annual Red Door Sale – 40% off + 25% off, sale on sale!
- Universal Standard – 25 styles for $25, 1/1 only
Anyone want to give recommendations for a long weekend to the Netherlands and Belgium? I originally just wanted a weekend of walking/eating/sight-seeing in Amsterdam, but my partner wants to see more for a longer trip. Ideas welcome!
Belgium is definitely worth at least a long weekend! Bruges is picture-perfect, and if the weather’s nice, rent a bike and ride along the canal to Damme for coffee and into the countryside. I really enjoyed learning about the history of Antwerp; don’t miss the Red Star Line Museum. Ghent is full of architecture and history too. You could spend at least a long weekend eating cheese and drinking beer just in Brussels tbh.
The tulip festival – just outside Amsterdam in the spring – is totally worth planning a trip around!
The public transit is very easy to use. I’d go down to The Hague for a day. Also highly recommend a few days in Utrecht. I would have loved to go to Belgium but wasn’t able to swing it with the time I had. Have a great trip!
The Hague is meh (although they do have The Girl with a Pearl Earring). Amsterdam, maybe Utrecht and for sure Bruges. Dutch countryside with windmills and tulip fields is lovely. Everything is easily accessible by public transport. If you’re an engineering geek, visiting Delta Works could be fun.
You don’t write what would be of the highest interest (or what is missing in the current plan to make it feel ‘enough’), so pick and choose from below.
You could spend 2 days in Amsterdam (highly recommend Rijksmuseum, van Gogh museum, walk in the city center to see the highlights).
If you love plants/tulips, you’ll enjoy a trip to Keukenhof in April/early May (accessible by bus).
I would also check Rotterdam – has a more chilled vibe and a beautiful mix of old & new architecture, great food, and you can even take a 20min subway ride to the beach.
The Hague looks different than the typical Dutch towns, reminded me more of Vienna. I could imagine spending a day with a city walk, museum, the beach. All have some nice sights.
I haven’t been to Utrecht (during my 2y posting in the NL), but would recommend it.
I would spend 2 days in Amsterdam, then head to Rotterdam and then choose either Hague or Utrecht.
Check if there are any sports or cultural events when you’ll be visiting (Those usually close the whole city, so if that event is not your thing, avoid it at all cost).
Anne Frank House.
Canal cruise
Hope all of you are enjoying a peaceful end to 2024! I have two light requests.
Does anyone have a favorite shortbread cookie recipe? I made a browned butter, brown sugar one from Smitten Kitchen recently that is quite tasty. Next, I would like to bake some without that hint of molasses to compare.
And to go along with this, I just discovered how amazing loose leaf tea is compared to the mass market bags. For those of you who also enjoy this, how do you brew your tea? I have a little ceramic teapot that seems more decorative than functional, and in spite of preheating it with hot water, it has developed hairline cracks with only one use.
Thanks!
Currently we’re just using the French press for loose leaf tea, or brewing it in a Pyrex and then pouring it through a filter into the cup.
But I just ordered this glass tea brewer and am hopeful it will be good: https://dragonteahouse.biz/glass-cha-hai-loose-leaf-tea-brewing-serving-pitcher-w-t-in-built-filter-300ml/
I realize that glass doesn’t hold heat as well as a ceramic pot, so if you are brewing teas that really need to steep at a hot temperature while insulated, you might want something with a lid. But I wanted something 100% glass so I could really see the tea leaves unfurl.
Hario also has one that is glass except for the filter.
Breville tea maker. Expensive, but worth it.
I like the kati cup from Tea Forte for loose tea. It has a lift-out basket for the tea leaves.
I use this and I swear by it. It is dishwasher safe and my local favorite tea spot uses it too so I figure it can’t be a horrible option. https://www.adagio.com/teaware/ingenuiTEA_2_teapot.html
I find there is something really satisfying about how the tea instantly drains into the cup from these brewers.
I use a ceramic teapot with a strainer like this
https://a.co/d/fhtUWFf
While my Electric kettle warms the water for my tea, I fill my ceramic teapot with hot water from the tap to give it a little Head start on being warm.
This recipe is pretty good – from Brian Lagerstrom, who has a YouTube channel about baking.
SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD RECIPE
320g or 2 -2.5 CUPS AP FLOUR
110g or 1/2 CUP WHITE RICE FLOUR
110g or 1/2 CUP SUGAR
220g or 2 STICKS COLD BUTTER(16 TBSP) (cut into small cubes or grated on box grater)
3g SALT or 1/2 tsp
1. Combine flour, rice flour, butter, sugar, and salt in bowl of stand mixer or in medium mixing bowl
2. Mix on low speed for 3-4 minutes or until butter and flour are pebble like
3. Mix on medium speed for 10 more minutes or about 15 minutes in total or until dough is formed and is clearing the bowl as shown in video.
4. Once mixed, move dough over to half sheet pan lined with parchment paper
5. Press shortbread dough into a rough 9″x7″ or 20x17cm rectangle (roughly)
6. If you’d like perfect rectangles, perforate as shown in video, then score with fork
7. Bake at 275F or 135C for 45 mins to 75 mins depending on how crunchy you’d like.
45 mins will be soft and light, 75 mins will be crunchy and golden.
8. Take out and let cool 10 mins.
9 Cut along perforations while still hot…serve
Also should have added – Ina Garten’s shortbread recipe is good, too.
OP here – thank you!
This is only half relevant, but I just listened to the somewhat annual episode of the Home Cooking podcast and they share a nice trick for boosting that brown butter flavor without increasing the butter content in a recipe.
What’s the trick?
oooh, I was listening to this recently. I think it’s adding powdered milk.
yes, you brown your normal amount of butter in the pan, but add powdered milk which is just the solids, so you get brown butter with extra many of the browned bits!
I’m spending NYE alone at home this year for the first time ever (and happy about it!). I’m going to order sushi and do some reflecting and intention-setting for the new year, but you all always have such great ideas– anything else you’d do to make it special?
Would love to hear more about your reflecting and intention setting. I always try to do this, but struggle with it.
As for great ideas, I like to make really actionable plans based on my upcoming goals. Whether it’s bookmarking new recipes you want to try or identifying a new workout plan and scheduling it into your calendar, I like to do all of the “pre planning” on paper for my goals.
Not OP, but I learned about YearCompass from someone here and love using it for looking back at my year and looking forward to the next. It’s free, online, and can be a solo or group activity.
I separated from my husband exactly a year ago and this has been a really tr@nsformative year with a lot of change and growth for me, so I’ll be reflecting on the accomplishments and challenges I’ve faced. I also have big plans to make more changes this upcoming year, so the intention-setting will be getting excited about those goals. I am a lifelong journaler, so I will probably write what comes naturally with those things in mind rather than any specific structure. I’m considering writing a letter to one-year-ago self telling her what’s to come, because that sounds fun.
I have done this (or similar) in the past and loved it! A new notebook or pen, clean sheets and fresh pjs, lighting some candles, and clearing away clutter before sitting down to reflect all make a big difference. Also don’t feel bad about going to bed before midnight – it feels really good to wake up on the early side on January 1!
totally agree. Due to good company, I might stay up till midnight this time, but it’s such a joy to willfully ignore all the midnight hype and start the year with a night of solid sleep (my internal clock wakes us up at the normal time regardless, ymmv)
I love doing this and plan to do it again this year. I recommend either Year Compass (Google it, it’s free and a fun PDF booklet with prompts to fill out that help you reflect on last year and dream about what you want next year to be) or, if you want something simpler, I like Suleika Jaouad’s five questions:
1. What in the last year are you proud of?
2. What did this year leave you yearning for?
3. What’s causing you anxiety?
4. What resources, skills, and practices, can you rely on in the coming year?
5. What are your wildest, most harebrained ideas and dreams?
Thank you! I’m guessing you’re the regular Year Compass poster. I love it!
Don’t forget your playlist. NYE songs aren’t as popular as Xmas songs but a few might get you in the mood
I stopped going out for NYE in my 30s. I used to always round up people to hit a club or party but it was always too crowded and too desperate in a way – everyone trying to hard to have The Best Time Ever, and no one actually was.
So I started inviting people to my home on 12/31 for a casual night – dinner or just heavy apps, some music, some games.
Now that my girlfriends are mostly bridges and tunnels away and don’t want to drive on NYE (I don’t blame them) it’s a quiet evening at home with my young adult children. Still a bunch of appetizers, some bubbly and cocktails or mocktails, and there will probably be a few games too.
Someone will turn on the TV at some point to watch the ball drop, but we don’t usually gather around the TV. We can see a few fireworks from our upstairs windows until about 1 am and then it’s bedtime!
Happy new year to all of you!
Is Ruggable still the best for washable rugs? Our dog has so many GI malfunctions that we need something we can easily clean. Another non-washable rug has been destroyed so I need to get something asap.
And I’m about to rage-quit this year.
When our elderly dog had GI issues, I found cheap fleece blankets (or even just fleece fabric from the fabric store) were best for protecting his usual nap spots. Cheap grippy-backed bathroom rugs for traffic paths, and cheap area rugs or runners from the back-to-college clearance rack for the hallway leading to the back door. Dark colors for all of them, and since none were precious it was fine to throw them away once we no longer needed them.
Fleece blankets could go in the washer and dryer; bathroom rugs washer and hang dry, and the area rugs or runners would get hosed off outdoors (or in the shower if too cold) and draped over the porch rail to dry.
I have the FFERN ad with the woman who looks like Little Red Riding Hood on it stalking me on social media. It is a bit funny to me with how algorithms misfire because I am solidly a Moira Rose / Law & Order junkie hybrid. Is this perfume any good though and it is solely a subscription model or can you buy it anywhere? I used to love a good scent and then swear I was too busy for decades to bother other than hot dates. My preferred scent is probably way too heavy to be a daily driver (Coco — original version not any offshoot).
My sister‘s daily driver is Coco, not Mademoiselle, and she finds that using the lotion instead of the perfume is what makes it the right strength for a daily driver. I’m in favor of wearing what you love. Enjoy!
What’s the best place to find a live feed of NYE fireworks in foreign cities? I have young kids and elderly parents who won’t make it to midnight so we like to watch the fireworks in Asia and Europe throughout the day and celebrate with the various foreign cities like Sydney and Hong Kong. I recall having trouble finding a feed of this in previous years, although I would think it shouldn’t be hard!
Any rucking fans out here? Looking to start with my backpack and maybe just 10 pounds (basic 10 hiking essentials from Boy Scouts). I feel like my purse can weigh that much, definitely my laptop bag, so this should be easy to start with, yes?
I’m not an expert on this, but my brother really messed up his back doing this. He wound up in physical therapy for months. So ? maybe ask yourself why?
How did he do that? I’m not the OP, but the only reason I took up jogging/running is so that I could make an escape if needed. Maybe OP has the same motivations w rucking.
People absolutely can injure themselves doing this if they are stupid about it. Same as all forms of exercise. Sounds like OP is working to not be stupid about it, so I don’t think saying she needs to “ask herself why” is particularly helpful.
I wouldn’t say I’m super into rucking or anything, but I’m more likely to use a carrier than a stroller for my toddler and I went backpacking a couple times a year before that. 10 pounds sounds great to start out, but when starting I’d be less concerned about the weight than the weight distribution. If it’s a backpack that doesn’t have a chest clip or hip belt, the weight puts a lot of strain on your shoulders and neck, which most of us don’t need any more of. If your backpack has a chest clip, I’d max out the weight at 15 or so pounds, with some room for fudging. If your backpack has a hip belt and chest clip, go as high as you want.
The key is to keep the weight closely to your body. I got a small osprey backpack and flat weights made for rucking. You can’t just throw weights into a backpack bc that will strain your low back.
A weighted vest is also popular.
Co-sign. I ruck semi regularly and I started wtih a weighted vest piror to moving to a backpack setup that sounds similar to yours. No injuries using these setups, and I have tweaky low back that keeps me from running.
If you have had children, please get evaluated for diastasis recti before getting started. Ditto any other potential causes of abdominal injury, but there are a lot of postpartum women walking around with DR who don’t realize it.
I used to run commute with a laptop, which is not dissimilar to rucking. The big thing is to start light and go slow, and keep the pack close to your frame so it moves with you. Cross-train your abs in your normal life (I found bouldering to be a great complement to my run commuting) and consciously focus on your form—there are a lot of videos on YouTube, etc. Find women-specific ones, as our weight distribution is different than men’s.
A small twinge in your lower back is something you need to listen to immediately and take a break. Your back is more delicate than other parts of your body, so listen to it.
Hiking is often a good on ramp to city rucking. The danger is that regular short hikes with a light pack will turn into a desire to become a backpacker and then a thru hiker. It’s addictive. Have fun!
How did you run commute with a *laptop*!?
Not the OP but for me the key to running with a load was eliminating bounce. Osprey makes good packs for this, and then packing so that the laptop is against my back really helped prevent anything else from rubbing, since it’s nice and flat.
I was in my 20s and stupid, mostly! But also, I paid out of pocket for the lightest laptop that my work IT was willing to accept, I planned ahead so my laptop was the *only* thing in my bag, and the run commute was only 4x segments a week (to work or from it, never both in the same day). At the time, I was doing a training plan with 2x a days to prepare for an ultra (that never happened), and this was the only way to get the second, shorter run in.
I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone without a very good running + cross-training base!
Did you ask any experts at the local gear shop? I did a few group events with my local REI store – even week trips – and those people really know their stuff and can help a lot of people of all ages and abilities. You may want to ask a physical therapist or occupational therapist too
Does anyone have resources on becoming a solo practitioner and starting one’s own law firm? It’s something that I think is worth considering at this stage of my career. Thanks!
Obligatory I am not a lawyer, but the Small Business Administration (sba.gov) has a lot of solid information if you’re just getting started and I’ve also spent a lot of time at irs.gov for all things tax related.
Your state bar association may have helpful information. Mine (GA) has an entire manual on how to start and run a solo firm. I ended up not using much of it because I took ownership of an existing firm where I had worked for years, so much of the infrastructure was already in place, but it was still helpful. There also is a Reddit forum on small/solo firms that has recommendations I couldn’t find anywhere else, such as a timekeeping/billing systems that are suitable for a smaller firm and not crazy expensive. I think professional billing and timekeeping software is one of the first things you should nail down. In other words, don’t start off billing through QuickBooks or just sending your bills as Word documents. I love being in a micro firm (2 lawyers). I meet a need in my niche field, have great clients, do good work, and make plenty of money without killing myself.
I’ve never done it, but my husband had his own firm for 40-plus years, and the hard part is not the law part, but the business part: Personnel, payroll, billing, collections, office stuff (if you have an office), tech support, taxes, and all that. When you go into the private practice of law, you are a business owner first and foremost and don’t you ever forget it!
That said, he started out (many years ago) trading billable hours for office space with an established lawyer in town and moved out on his own once he had a client base.
Totally agree, as a sole practitioner myself. Don’t underestimate how time consuming (and unpaid) all of this labor is. Your charged rate needs to take this into account.
Your local bar association should have some guidance on this. They’ll help you figure out how to set up your accounts, engagement letters, etc. so if/when you get audited, you’re in compliance with local ethics rules. The rules are very jurisdiction-specific, so I would trust local resources over national resources, at least for nit-picky stuff.
Thanks all! It would probably just be per diem flat fee stuff for my former employer but it still feels like a lot to set up. I come from a family where nearly everyone owns a small business so I’m not totally ignorant of what that entails. Still, it’s worth exploring as an alternative to moving up where I am now.
As a law firm bookkeeper with 20 years of experience, I will recommend that you use two programs to run the firm: Quickbooks for tracking income and expenses, IOLTA and owner draws; a separate legal billing program for actual invoicing and tracking client costs. I’m in Los Angeles if you want to talk more.
I’m feeling wanderlusty today and wanted to ask some fun travel questions:
For a week in Costa Rica, where would you focus your time?
Has anyone been to Romania? I’m intrigued and have heard great things. Would love recommendations.
Where are your favorite domestic places to work remotely from? I can work remotely from anywhere in the US.
Monteverde for Costa Rica! Enchanted cloud forest with a small town vibe.
I went there too and loved it! Great for bird-watching and relaxing. For a very different feel, I enjoyed the hot springs around Arenal.
+1 the arenal region! We stayed in an incredible resort (Nayara tented camps) for a super luxe few days during our honeymoon! It was magical!
Maine for US remote work (in the summer/fall)
I’ve been to Romania twice. It’s big and there is a lot to see. You may want to narrow down if you want mountains/outdoors or castles, historic towns, painted wooden churches to narrow down an itinerary. My absolute favorite don’t miss spot is the Danube Delta. Go, relax, consider a night in a floating hotel and enjoy!
I want to start some rituals for 1 Jan. I feel pressure to have a good one, and generally filling it with all the “shoulds” like eat healthy, work out, dont fight with husband etc but lack of structure and rituals just make me feel grumpy by the end of the day and annoyed on the 31st itself under pressure. Growing up my parents somehow always had the worst day on Jan 1 and over time I tried to tell myself it is just another day, nothing actually changes, calendars are a made up concept etc but I havent been able to make peace with that fully. My therapist was no real help & repeated her usual it is not all or nothing advice. Would love to hear some ideas and thoughts.
If you have tried to do this in the past, I’m going to recommend going from “rituals” to “ritual” – pick just one thing. And even then, you’re not going to commit to do it for the rest of forever, you’re going to commit to do it until X time to see if you actually enjoy it/it makes you feel good. And keep them small – “I read at least a little most nights” or “I want to say sorry more often than I have in the past.”
Something that I have tried in the past that I enjoyed was giving myself intervals at which I would revisit my goals, drop some old ones, make some new ones, recommit to some, all that jazz. Once a month is a little too short for me, so I did it once a season – the equinoxes and solstices, since they are evenly spaced and arbitrary and when the weather is changing I’m more likely to as well.
thanks good advice but to clarify I meant as a “1st day of the year” ritual so literally how to spend my day or do X on Jan 1 of every year. After 40 of these, I realize I dont like being completely untethered.
I treat January 1 as a really nice day off, and just do whatever I like doing on a day off. Would that work for you?
If not, then schedule a time for exercise, plan a couple of healthy meals, and think up something fun to do with your husband (that doesn’t lead to arguments).
For the last several years, I try to (1) get great sleep, (2) do something indulgent to make me excited for the year and (3) make sure I get in good exercise. That’s it.
So tomorrow I will sleep as late as possible and nap if needed, get in a run (can be as short as a mile, but I will do it), make myself stretch (something I ignore most of the year), and then make my collars/black-eyed peas while drinking champagne. It is not a lot, but it is a loose agenda that makes me happy to welcome the new year.
That makes perfect sense, sorry about the poor reading comprehension/incorrect assumptions. I have no good advice there, as I have never been able to maintain a yearly cadence ritual. My holidays always include whatever activity sounds interesting to me that year, never the same thing more than 3 years in a row. I’m going rock climbing and making some bread tomorrow.
We take down our tree, go for an all-household walk outside, and at some point during the day we open all the exterior doors at once. The door thing started as part of the tree dismantling process (the ornaments bin has to be retrieved from our detached shed). Now it’s our way of releasing the old year and welcoming in the new year. We don’t leave them open for any set period of time, usually just a few seconds because it is cold. I especially like that this little ritual arose organically for us and didn’t come with any family of origin or religious baggage.
A lot of local state parks have a New Year’s Day hike
I will always be the person suggesting a group activity that is already planned that you can grok on to, especially a physical activity to raise endorphins. Boom – you met new people and you’re outside and happy and did a thing. It’ll be a great year
+1 to group activities. There are several group hikes between the national trail and state park trails in my state tomorrow.
If you’re into yoga, go to a New Year’s Day class. I do this every year and it’s an anchoring point.
Niche suggestion: If you really don’t want a group thing, but you’re into yoga and like a challenge, find a 108 sun salutation YouTube class and do that. I do these on the season changes and love how they punctuate my year, but New Years is another popular time to do it.
My daughter and I always do a complicated baking project on New Year’s Day.
I think it’s helpful to put a new spin on some of the old stand-bys.
For example, one year I made a goal to try a new recipe every month, with a focus on recipes that called for a spice I didn’t already have on hand. In the past, I hesitated to try a recipe with an known spice because I didn’t want to buy a set of spices or a full-size bottle that I might not like. This meant I cooked the same dishes over and over, and I was sick of them. So, the goal to try a new recipe that included a new spice helped me find some new foods and let go of the “wasteful” mindset.
For the exercise, you might like the concept from “Atomic Habits” about habit stacking. The concept is to link two activities, like brew coffee + do 10 bodyweight squats while you wait for it to finish. I’ve done a version of this in the past, like 25 crunches right before I take a shower. It’s a helpful way to just add a bit of movement into the day, without the pressure to hit a personal record or lose a certain number of pounds.
I like to do the ‘best’ version of my regular weekend days. For me that means getting up early, taking my dog on a 2 hour long walk (weather permitting) and grabbing a latte while I walk her, coming home, playing with my son while my husband works out, going to our favorite diner for lunch, son takes a nap and so do I, we do a fun ‘family activity’ and then I make one of my favorite meals for dinner. These are things I do some weekend days, but not all one 1 weekend day usually, so it feels like a nice way to start the year.
I’m planning the same! I’ll probably sleep in and drink coffee while reading the Mary Oliver book I got for Christmas. Then go for a long walk, have an easy lunch at home, and see a matinee with my husband. We’ll make dinner at home and wind down early before I’m back to work on the 2nd.
I’ve worked hard all year, and I can trust myself to do the same in 2025. There’s no need to reset or rush. Try this mindset on! Time is indeed a construct.
Just giggling b/c I misread that as “see a manatee” and loved that idea as an annual ritual.
LOL
If you’re looking on how to actually structure tomorrow:
One of the tough things is that everything is closed. It’s not like you can run errands.
Get out of the house: go for a walk, hit the gym (some are open, albeit limited hours), go to the movies. See if there is a museum or zoo that is open.
I would keep cleaning to a minimum. Obviously don’t leave a giant mess for yourself on the 2d, but don’t try to move furniture and appliances to clean.
Make a healthy meal. Meal prep – buy ingredients for one good meal-prep meal today.
Costco is closed but everything else here is open tomorrow. Maybe some limited hours, but it’s actually a great day to run errands.
We always watch the Rose Parade on the New Years Day.
On New Year’s Day, I make black eyed peas, cornbread and greens, and make everyone eat some for luck. Then I put away the Christmas dishes until next year. It’s a good day to clean the kitchen and start fresh.
Christmas decor starts coming down that day too, but it doesn’t have to be all done 1/1.
Today I need to pop out and buy my bullet journal/work planner for 2025.
Some ideas to consider –
*Brunch in p.j.s.
*Takeout lunch and dvd/stream the first dinner and movie date you had as a couple. Bonus points if the movie is now part of a franchise and watching becomes a marathon.
*Choose a word for the year and make a playlist around the year’s word.
Oooh I love doing a word of the year, but I’ve never coupled it with a playlist! I love that suggestion!!
My recently-adopted ritual is to make black eyed peas with rice and to invite family over to partake. It’s simple, it’s social, and a nice way to kick off the new year (before going. back to work on January 2). Enjoy!
Do you mean a ritual specific to January 1, or a daily ritual to begin January 1? If the former, how about a visit to the art museum or botanical conservatory?
The superstition is that what you do on Jan. 1 you will spend the rest of the year doing. So, I try to do more of what I love on new year’s whether that is spending the day reading a book or spending time with friends. I never clean or do chores. I’m catching up on cleaning today. I also will eat lots of lucky foods and try to sleep in.
This is ironically inspiring to spend tomorrow cleaning (I could really use to do a better job on this this year!).
the only New Year’s specific thing I do is make collard greens (which has traditionally consisted of heating collards from a jar but the amazing company is no longer making them and now I have to cook my own :-( ), cornbread, and slow cooker BBQ chicken, and we eat them on the fancy china. (I don’t do black eyed peas because I don’t like them, but that’s the other southern traditional new year’s food. Greens and cornbread for good fortune, peas for good luck). Otherwise I just treat it as a usual weekend day.
I’m a big fan of “start as you mean to go on”. I pick three things to aim for each year, large or small. On New Year’s Day I’ll do something to honor those three things. For example, this year I have fairly minor goals because last year was a doozy and I’m not up for big projects. My three things are to stretch thoroughly every day, continue to improve my handling of my finances, and close my kitchen every night. Tomorrow I will do something for each of these things. Plus sleep in, watch an old movie with my morning coffee, and eat black eyed peas and greens for luck.
How would you style a gray sweater dress in a modern way? (I don’t trust myself to not look like I’m in 2019.) I have Chelsea boots, ankle boots, suede calf-high boots, and knee-high boots to choose from. It’s going to be 16 degrees so anything dainty is a hard pass.
the knee-high boots.
I also think this is the answer. And maybe no belt at the sweater dress makes it more modern. Not that op mentioned belts, but just envisioning my millennial inclination would be to add one to make it less boxy and I think it’s more current to resist the urge.
Agree. The ankle boots with tights and a skirt/dress are what makes it look 2019. The tall boots are more of a classic look.
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