Searching for funny tweets and one-off humor to share here always turns out to be therapeutic. News around the globe and even close by is disheartening. While it’s important to be aware and to act, the effects of information overload and trauma on the body and psyche are profound. How do we maintain an optimistic outlook toward humanity and the future? Transforming collective pain surely starts as an inside job. Right where I am, when hopelessness is everywhere, I listen for hope’s whispers. Beholding beauty, cherishing relationships, creating art, and enjoying laughter can be medicine when silver linings do not appear. Silly Quotes, Sweet Gifts & Cheerful Holiday Glimpses are not tone deaf to reality and suffering. Rather, they are an entrance to child-like wonder and pure whimsy.
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Silly Quotes to PIN & Sweet Gift Ideas & Cheerful Holiday Glimpses
If you’re partial to playful kittens, pom poms, pink everything, and even Coco Chanel, there may be a winner for you on the following boards. (And don’t make your family guess – direct them to this post if they ask for a gift suggestion!)
About the Coco kokeshi wood doll from Lucie Kaas…oh my word. What a cute collection for adults like me who enjoy these playful figures as art! I’m crazy about my Lucie Kaas collection!
Make sure to peruse the other kokeshi doll possibilities. (I have the hairy-chested Elton John on a shelf in my dressing room.) And all the adorable bunnies and creatures created by MAILEG? You simply must discover this Dutch brand which stole my heart years ago!
Enjoying the Whimsy of Christmas Inspiration
Surely the reason a Christian holiday looms so large as a celebration is because it breathes with hope that something new can be born.
It takes a childlike wonder to believe in the unseen.
And within that suspension of belief (which is sort of an override of the brain’s insistence magic is an illusion), there comes a freedom to imagine something more beautiful.
Oh, how I wish the magic of Christmas inspired me to create fanciful and whimsical spectacles as these:
For various reasons, my energy and even my creative energy, plummets in winter. The best I can do is simmer yummy spices on the stove, listen to Christmas music and maybe craft a few little pretty things. Nothing says whimsical Christmas to me like pompoms.
Candy pinks and cheerful turquoise give this boho pompom wreath above whimsical, fresh, retro holiday vibe. Doesn’t it remind you of the 70s!?!
My fuzzy wreath with pink ribbon above will always remind me of my sweet shih tzu who loved the snow desperately. Oh the sight of her coming in from the snow, her little form encased in the stuff, her fluffy coat heavy with little frozen snowballs.
Winter and Christmas memories have a way of crystalizing in our hearts…for this, I am utterly thankful.
Darling Ideas for Gifts
Have an aspiring writer on your gift list? Dog lover? Bet you’ll discover a treasure or two from this collection of assorted lovely things, a few of which I own and highly recommend.
Dog who can’t hold their licker! Hahahaha. This cedar candle from Jenni Kayne may strike you as too luxe or not whimsical enough for the collection, but my curation is subjective.
Cedar is one of those scents that whisks me back to childhood summer camp. It eases me back to a relaxed state of mind; reminds me of a cherished home’s cedar screen porch.
Old Dogs is a book I own full of the sweetest illustrations you could frame. Even dollar store black frames would do the trick! Mass them on a gallery wall in a bedroom or hall.
(Psst. Lighting that cedar candle can turn back time AND be a stand-in for a cedar porch if you’re one cedar porch short.)
Whimsical Touches from Designers
Why didn’t I think of that!?! If you have a glass shower enclosure, maybe holiday greenery is calling. Don’t forget gift wrapped boxes with pretty bows count as Christmas decorating.
Raise your wing if you want to try this as a Christmas tree topper!
More Silly Groovy Gifts to Charm
I am not sure how you will live without the Bowie figure, and I wonder what girl, guy, or granny wouldn’t love the most luxurious curvy-comfy pillow?
Maileg toys are not strictly for children…I love my little collection and want to add to it. I have even decorated a tabletop Christmas tree with them in the past. Can you even get over the avocado bed for a sweet cat or small dog?
Honeydew’s travel pillow is whimsical in its unusual shape. But the curve isn’t there for aesthetics. Its innovative design is for neck and shoulders. The pillow will be a hit for soooooo many reasons. It is luxurious, thoughtfully designed to stay fluffy, and the pouch means the pillow remains hygienic on any plane rides or…sleigh rides!
Target’s whimsical gold metal wreath can hang or function as an advent wreath on a tabletop. Can you picture it with candlelight?
I’m looking forward to dusting off my Joy wreath, and it comes in this smaller size (mine is huge!) too:
Allow Yourself to Be Awed by the Wonder & Whimsy of This Tour
How Will YOU Capture the Wonder of Christmas?
If there aren’t young children or grandchildren pattering about, the wonder of Christmas may require a bit of intention. For me, a good place to start is with the senses.
Decorating with twinkly lights and winter pretty things addresses sight, Christmas music sets a mood, and there’s just nothing like baking Christmas cookies to be transported to another time and place at Christmas.
Create a New Tradition
Just a reminder that it is never too late to begin a new holiday tradition. No matter your age, religion, or circumstance, you can embrace something new. If it agrees with you and yours, keep the tradition going. And if it doesn’t? NEXT.
If you make my cookie recipe, please write and let me know if your kitchen was filled with a heavenly buttery scent and if nibbling them left you feeling like a child again.
New to the blog? You may not know my Christmas cookies inspired me to blog. Wait, what? Yep. After they won a cookie contest for Country Home magazine, I decided to begin submitting my essays and articles for publication. As I got established as a writer in 2008, I thought blogging would be excellent writing practice. It truly is.
Swedish Christmas Cookies (Luke’s Christmas Love Cookies)
I have baked these with my sons their entire lives. It’s just not Christmas without them.
Prep: 50 minutes – Chill: 2 hours – Bake: 7 minutes/batch – Preheat oven: 375°
2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract, 1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cream of tartar, 1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 7-oz. jar marshmallow cream
3/4 cup butter, cut up and softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
Colored sprinkles
Instructions
1. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer on medium to high speed, beat 1 cup butter for 30 seconds. Add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Then beat in egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and almond extract. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Divide in half. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours or until easy to handle.
2. On a lightly floured surface roll half of dough at a time until slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. Cut dough using a 2 1/2-inch star-shape cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake in 375° oven 7 to 8 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Transfer to wire racks; cool.
4. In large mixing bowl beat marshmallow cream, gradually adding 3/4 cup softened butter. Beat in 3/4 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Spread or pipe atop cookies. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles.
Makes 6 1/2 dozen cookies.
TO STORE : Store in a single layer in refrigerator until frosting sets, about 1 hour. Store in a single layer in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze uniced cookies.
Per cookie: 73 cal., 4 g fat (3 g sat. fat), 14 mg chol., 49 mg sodium, 8 g carbo., 0 g dietary fiber, 1 g protein.
Sweet Finds for Holiday Smiles
I hope you click through to explore all the whimsical gift ideas in this post because my mood boards don’t always do them justice! For example, the watercolor pet portraits from Minted!!!
The minute I saw those watercolors, I thought, this WILL BE THE easiest year to Christmas shop because there isn’t a more thoughtful gift I know my loved ones will cherish!
I had no idea a couple of years ago that our son’s beloved Snoopy (a blind kitty he rescued that stole our hearts and even became a viral internet sensation the year he discovered the wonder of snow!) would only be with us for three years. He died of late stage kidney disease a few months back, and though we grieve, his memory is alive in the watercolor proudly displayed.
If you have a pet you would love to honor in a watercolor print, go ahead and give this gift idea to your family members who have no idea what to buy. I honestly can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t be touched!
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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