Blah

For the first holiday in a lot of holidays, I am finding that I am not suffering from seasonal depression. This may have something to do with my apparently not recognizing that the holidays are happening. It is hard to be depressed about something that you are not acknowledging is going on in real time. I just happened to look up yesterday and noticed that there was something off about the living room. 

"Are we not putting up the Christmas tree this year?" I asked my aunt. 

She looked over at the empty space where the tree would usually be standing. "I guess not."

Although it is very cold in Atlanta, it doesn't feel like Christmas to me. Even with the hundreds of bad holiday movies I am confronted with on all my streaming services, I can't equate right now with being just a few days before Christmas. I even missed my holiday service at church, but not on purpose. The days flew by, and I forgot to go. 

My grandma used to say that Christmas is really a celebration for the kids in your family, which is crazy, because my 7-year-old nephew is usually holiday crazy, but has not been this time around. He formulated a completely unrealistic Christmas list based on a catalogue that came in the mail from Amazon. He gave it to me, and that was the last thing I heard him say about Christmas. 

I'm not unhappy this go 'round, but I am certainly not jolly. There is so much going on in the world and in the country that I think that the holiday spirit, or even negative feelings I may have around it, have been zapped from my consciousness. I even turn 41 in like a week and have no feelings about it outside of being grateful. My emotion about the holiday boils down to one word: blah. 

The Slump

I woke up the other day and realized that what I had felt in the middle of the night was true: the heaviness of the holidays had found me and wrapped itself around my body like a blanket that I couldn't take off. 

"Great," I said rolling over on my side, defeated. 

Silly me, I had thought that seasonal depression had given me a break. But if anything, it has become more cunning over the years. It totally snuck up on me, causing me to remember that we were in the holiday season. We obviously are, but I had somehow forgotten. 

My holiday depression is a real blast! I can zone out for hours, staring into space. I become incredibly forgetful and absent-minded. It takes days for me to complete simple tasks. And I can sleep hard and heavy for hours. 

This go-'round, there are no tears. No sadness, or at least not the sadness that I am used to. I just want to be left alone to sit in the dark and do nothing. Really guys, I consider this a win compared to holiday seasons past. 

Man, I need to be back in therapy. I would look for the referrals I was given, but I'm too tired. 

Lyn and the Text

How was your Christmas ya'll? Mine was pretty chill; Netflix during the day and dinner with the fam by night.
I texted with Lyn throughout the day. As with most things good, a man was casting a shadow over what should have been a good day. You see, the day was ticking by steadily and she hadn't received a Merry Christmas text from her new beau yet.
"The day isn't over yet," I assured her via text. "And you can always text him."
I could feel Lyn roll her eyes through the phone and I understand why. What girl wants to text their bae first? Is it too much to want to be thought about?
Here is the shinny on Lyn and her new guy: they work together, they are not official, they are having sex, they are both interested in the possibility of a relationship, and he has a kid. They have chemistry and the friendship has potential, for they have been "talking" for two months. I can tell that  Lyn is excited, but she is trying not to put any expectations on anything. But geez! When you are having sex with a guy, can't you at least expect a well-wishing text during the holidays? Apparently not.
Dear one man that reads my blog: for 2019, let's make some ground rules. When you are sleeping with a woman, let it be two days, two months, or two years, you are OBLIGATED to send her text on her birthday, on Christmas Day, on Martin Luther King Day, and even her off day. Why? Because it is COMMON COURTESY! Since when do you have to be in love to show some love? Geez!
Lyn may not have gotten her Christmas text but they are now totally back on track. Her sister has met him and thinks that he is amazing. I will keep you posted on how this develops, via text of course.

Friendsgiving

Amanda invited me to a Friendsgiving cookoff that the single's ministry from our church was putting on. There was going to be tons of food and fun so, of course, I was excited to go. Now I know, I know. The last time the single's ministry had an event I was desperately overdressed and disappointed. But that is only because I had expected to become engaged while I was there.
I had never been to a Friendsgiving before, but this one was awesome! The house was packed with young singles eating and having a good time. There was even a high-stakes game of Jeopardy. I was surrounded by people who were enjoying being single.
Years of having watched a trillion of my friends get married, of taking myself on Valentine's Day dates, and of attending baby showers where you have to play that stupid toilet paper game had me convinced that being single was an affliction. You know, like a lazy eye or a clubbed foot. And the only cure for this affliction was to try to find someone to love you as fast as possible. It's kind of like a game. The winners get the possibility of a life of bliss with a mate and the losers, like myself, get to plan their own birthday parties and tape pictures of Idris Alba on their vision boards. While watching everyone mix and mingle it dawned on me: maybe being single isn't a terminal illness. Maybe it's just the life you live while you're waiting for love or while you are in between romances.
I have decided to adopt this way of thinking, especially as the holiday season rolls around. Nothing reminds you you're alone like wrapping Christmas gifts to yourself. But maybe next year there will be a boy toy sitting next to me, listening to me complain about the ever-increasing price of wrapping paper. Oh, to finally be in love.

Yummie Winter Cocktails with Allaire Privee

Jack Frost Martinis:

2.5 Oz. Allaire Rum 2 Oz. Pineapple Juice1/4 Oz. Blue Curacao 1/4 Oz.  Cream of Coconut

About Allaire Privee: Allaire rum is aged for a minimum of 3 years in oak barrels, enhancing the sensory richness of this festive cocktail.

Stocking Stuffer Alert: Serenity Acres Farms Fresh Goat's Milk Soap

I have come across the cutest soaps from Serenity Acres Farm. Serenity Acres Farm is a local farm in Madison County, Florida with a goal to provide its customers with locally created products. The farm is so personable that they not only offer tours, but they also offer customers a chance to get to meet the goats whose milk is used to create their Fresh Goat's Milk Soap. Click here to meet Luna, Cocopuff, Dorothy, and Admiral Frodo.

Created by Serenity Acres owner Julia Shewchuck, the soaps come in scents and include rich, natural goat's milk. I am so excited about these soaps that I am telling anyone who will listen about them. The soaps do not include chemical or artificial dyes, alcohols, drying agents, or preservatives. They are also stuffed full of vitamins like Vitamin A, C, D, and E and are handmade.  As many of my readers already know, I have sensitive skin and can not use heavily scented soaps. These soaps are scented but calming, and leave your skin feeling soft. For those of you that are still concerned about scents, Fresh Goat's Milk Soaps also have an Unscented option. Below are a few of my favorites:

The Arabian Wood Goat's Milk Shaving Soap, $8.99, is the perfect pick for the men in your life this holiday.

 

The Lavender Vanilla soap, $6.50, smells earthy like lavender yet sweet like vanilla. 

Sweet and minty best describes the Cucumber Melon Mint soap. It is light, $6.50, and a perfect scent for the spring and summer. 

The Stress Relief soap, $6.50, is my holiday favorite. It literally smells like a peppermint candy cane. 

Interested in learning more about the Serenity Acres Farms Fresh Goat's Milk Soaps? Click here.

Review: 1500-Watt 1.5 L Double Wall Kettle

I drink about a pot of tea a day. I am not sure if this is a good thing, lol, but just as many people can not live without their coffee in the morning, I cannot live without my tea. Before getting the Rosewill 1500 Watt 1.5 Double Wall Kettle, I would make my tea in a small pot on the stove and would have to reheat it throughout the day. However, with the Rosewill 1500 Watt 1.5 Double Wall Kettle, all I have to do is plug in the kettle and add water and my tea bag for hot tea all day. 

So here are the cool things about the Rosewill 1500 Watt 1.5 Double Wall Kettle. It automatically shuts off when it gets hot. This is perfect for me, who has left the stove on numerous times. And, while the water is hot on the inside, the outside of the kettle remains cool, so no burns! And, on the aesthetic side, the kettle is really sleek and makes my otherwise drab kitchen look modern. If you are the type to get something for yourself to put under the tea, the Rosewill 1500 Watt 1.5 Double Wall Kettle would be the perfect choice. 

Shu Uemura x Maison Kitsune Holiday Collection

Shu Uemura Art of Hair and Shu Uemura Art of Beauty are excited to unveil their first joint artist collaboration with luxury fashion brand, Maison Kitsuné in the East Meets West collaboration – blending the worlds of hair, beauty, fashion, music, art and culture in a limited-edition Holiday collection. The 25 piece collection merges Shu Uemura’s eastern influences with Maison Kitsuné's Parisian culture for a unique experience. 

Shu Uemura x Maison Kitsune is available for pre-order online at http://www.shuuemuraartofhair-usa.com/maison-kitsune.

A Few of my Favorite Things!

If someone could stuff my stocking with the products I would like to indulge in for the year, it would be the following:

1. GNatural Hair and Body Oil, $16.99
    GNatural.net

2. SheaMoisture Coconut and Hibiscus Dead Sea Salt Nourishing Soak, $12.99
    Target.com

3. nuNaat Natural Curl Activator, $6.49
    nuNaatOnline.com

4. Haughty Cosmetics Limited Edition Brush Set, $58.00
    HaughtyCosmetics.com

5. ANYTHING from Besame Cosmetics
    BesameCosmetics.com