Our Top Posts of 2020

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1. I’d be curious to know the top-selling product too!

   1. I may be able to figure that one out… good idea. :D

2. Ooh! I’d also be interested in the top comment threads of 2020. Though that might be somewhat incendiary.

   1. I think the pet peeve threads would be up there.

   2. Yeah, it’s interesting because the top post only had 25 comments! I figured the comments were driving post visits a lot (as you go back again and again to check replies) but maybe not.

      1. This list is always interesting to put together because it’s sorted by top page views over a certain time period — and then we (this year, I) pick out the top substantive posts we published in 2020 to pull together for the list. So for example in 2020 the top 3 posts were Best Women’s Suits of 2018, Easy Office Updos, and Guide to Basic Women’s Suiting — but because those weren’t 2020 posts we won’t include them. (The posts above represent #s 28, 35, 94, 103, etc.) We also don’t include the TPS reports/coffee breaks/sale roundups in the list because they’re not “substantive posts.”

         SEO is always the primary driver of traffic, more so than comments, although comments obviously help a lot!

         1. (It’s also why in a lot of our most-bought roundups you’ll see things like maternity pants even though we haven’t ever featured maternity pants here in a long time — we’re ranking for some of those keywords.)

         2. Curious – why exclude the outfit posts from the stats? I’d be interested in seeing which are most “hit” among those posts, too.

            1. It’s just kind of the way we’ve always done it. I feel like there’s less rhyme or reason to why they get the most pageviews. It’s an easy enough list to put together though.

               (We also — mostly me here again — use these lists of “top posts” to go back through them to make sure they’re better optimized for SEO, social media, etc. There was a big WordPress update recently that means a lot of the older posts need to be converted to the newer format and stuff too. Fun fun.)

   3. That would be cool, but unfortunately there’s no way for us to figure out that out as far as I know. Thank you for reading!

      1. Actually I could include the top 10 most-viewed TPS reports — that might give you an idea. I’ll update the list.

         1. and actually I totally misspoke, I think all of the “threadjacks of interest” in the sidebar are bitly links so we can do analytics on those. But if it’s not in there there’s no way we can find the top threadjacks. Unless you guys would care to share the ones you remember the most and then we can find the links to those?

3. I am spending Christmas and New Years alone (holiday plus weekend). Ideas appreciated!
   – do my nails
   – bubble bath
   – 2 hours max house cleaning
   – 2 hours max 2021 attainable goal planning
   – January budget
   – documentary or movie on Netflix
   – a new book

   This will take me through a weekend.. and I could of course repeat the next. Am thinking about doing a carryout charcuterie board one weekend as a splurge.

   1. What about baking something? I don’t normally cook or bake but I have made brownies out of the box a few times now and it is really easy! It smells so good in the oven too! I have also seen some recipes for desserts in a cup that you microwave that look yummy!

      For Netflix binging, I am watching Safe right now and it is so good! Very suspenseful and only 8 episodes so it is not a big commitment. For more fun shows, I loved Emily in Paris!

      This is more adventurous, but I have a friend who is fostering a dog and she has loved it! If you don’t have a pet, I highly recommend cats lol! A cat can be so fun and usually low maintenance/easy to care for.

      Hope you enjoy your time off!

   2. Take a hike
      Complete a jigsaw puzzle
      Bake or cook something adventurous
      Schedule a phone call with a friend or family member (maybe someone lonely)
      Write letters/cards to people you care about and mail them
      Play a one-person game (I recently read about “Box One”, a tabletop escape-room-esque experience that describes itself as “an ever-evolving game of trivia, codes, puzzles, and discovery – only from the mind of Neil Patrick Harris.”)
      Cut your hair or dye your hair
      Online yoga class (or kickboxing, or Zumba, or weights)–there is lots of good free content online
      Sort through your jewelry or accessories or other closet items

      1. +1 to jigsaw puzzle. That + a pizza + wine + music can get me through a lot.

   3. NYT Sunday crosswords.
      If you enjoy cooking, great time to do some batches of easy-to-freeze winter entrees (beef bourguignon? Pot pie filling?).
      Attacking the after-holiday sales for fresh loungewear.
      Long walk around the city listening to favorite holiday music.
      Rearranging furniture or decor (sometimes swapping a table or chair from one room to another feels surprisingly fresh, or reorienting a room?)

   4. A long, long walk, preferably in nature!

   5. Marie-Kondo your drawers. I love that folding method – lets me see (hence use) more of my folded clothing than I normally would.

      1. I Kondo’d my sweater drawer the other day and it was great! I keep opening it so I can admire the beauty and order.

   6. A long walk and a yoga video

   7. If you like baking – design and bake a house from scratch. There are a few templates online that you can edit and play around with the scale of.

   8. Do you enjoy writing cards or letters? Once started I get momentum and feels great to send them.

      I’d also love a big chunk of the to go through photos from last year to pick some to print (with a movie or podcast on in the background).

   9. Dancing around to very silly songs.
      Small jigsaw puzzle (500-1000 pieces) to celebrate New Years.
      Research to find cultures/ religions etc with different new years, and making low level plans to to celebrate along.
      Experimental makeup.

4. What do you do when someone you didn’t get a gift for gets you one?

   I hadn’t planned on exchanging gifts with friends this year because I’m pretty much locked down at home due to being high risk.

   Earlier this month one of my friends wanted to drop by to chat on the porch (masked, distanced) and I knew that meant a gift so I cobbled one together from things I made (I bake and make jam) and that was ok. But since then two friends have left things on my porch without telling me they were going to do it, and then another who lives an hour away just sent a gift down with someone who was traveling through my area.

   Of course I thanked them immediately by text, but now I feel both loved and like a jerk. What would you do?

   1. A text is fine! I baked some stuff for my neighbors and local friends this year because I wanted to, not because I expect cookies (or gifts or whatever) in return.

      1. +1. I am not going to claim I don’t enjoy receiving gifts, but I get much more joy out of giving them. If you text your friend a message, or photo of you enjoying their gift and tell them you’re thinking of them, that’s going to bring a smile to their face, no in-kind reciprocation or guilt necessary.

      2. This. These people are not giving you a gift to get one in return, they’re doing it because they enjoy gift-giving and want to make you feel loved. Just be appreciative.

   2. I’m more often the gifted than gifted, and it 100% doesn’t hurt my feelings. I

   3. I would try to get them a gift at the next gift-giving opportunity but wouldn’t worry about getting them one now.

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