Happy List: #372 | Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Hello! Welcome to the last Happy List of 2024. I know, I know. It’s a Monday and Happy Lists are supposed to happen on Fridays. Way to shake things up, Annisa!

I thought one last round of things that inspired me would be a good way to sign off the blog until next year. Consider it a gift, of sorts, from me to you.

As always, thank you for being here. It is an absolute honor to share this little spot on the internet with you. I pinch myself regularly that I am able to do this “work.” I put work in quotes not to minimize what I do, but because it doesn’t feel like work most of the time.

If you want to reach out and I hope you do, please comment on this blog post or email me here. You can also reach out on Instagram or Facebook.

Here’s the Happy List!

SO PRETTY

Lauren’s (Blesser House) entry is so pretty decked out for Christmas. You have to check out her post for the scoop on those gorgeous candles. Don’t they look real?

(image: Blesser House)

5,000 DISHES

There is a tree in Belgium constructed from 5,000 donated dishes. How neat and creative is that? I’d love to see it in person.

See more pictures and learn more about it at This Is Colossal.

(image: via This Is Colossal)

P.S. If you want to see a snowman made out of 3,600 wine bottles, click here. It’s pretty impressive.

WEDNESDAY WAFFLE

The Wednesday Waffle is a way to keep up with friends who don’t live close to you or because you are all busy. It’s a 2-minute a video, shared to your group chat on Wednesdays, where you detail what’s happening that week, how you’re feeling, what you’re working on or looking forward to, etc.

The man in this Upworthy article explains how sharing in this way has changed his and his friends’ lives and made them all closer and more supportive.

BEAUTIFUL CENTERPIECE

I love the Christmas centerpiece Diane from In My Own Style made using recycled bottles.

She has a bunch of other easy ideas on how to make your Christmas table special using items you probably already own. Check those out here.

(image: In My Own Style)

DIY HONEYCOMB BALLS

I just learned you can make your own honeycomb decorations using tissue paper and glue. Gathering Beauty has a tutorial that seems doable.

You can also buy pads of paper that are already honeycombed, so that you don’t have to do the glueing.

What a great time to be alive!

Should I try making honeycomb party decorations?

(image: Gathering Beauty)

LEGO REPLAY

For folks in the U.S., did you know you can send old Lego bricks back to Lego and they will clean and distribute them to children in need? Don’t worry about missing pieces. They just want the loose bricks and figurines.

So far, Lego Replay has donated Lego bricks to 485,418 children, which is 580,924 pounds of Lego.

Learn how to donate here.

If you have a child aged 5-9 years, they can get a FREE subscription to Lego magazine. My kids loved this magazine when they were little. Sign up here.

P.S. Years ago I made a free Lego Valentine printable. You can download it here.

ONE MINUTE PARK

Have you heard of One Minute Park? It’s a website you can visit that has one minute videos from parks around the world. The screenshot below is from a park in Japan.

I thought this was a little dumb at first, but if you sit and watch for the full minute with sound on or off, you can feel the change in your body. It’s not quite as good as being outside, but a close second if you’re stuck inside.

The really cool thing is you can submit your own video. They are trying to fill in all 1,440 minutes in a day.

(image: screenshot from One Minute Park – park in Japan)

When we traveled when our kids were younger, we’d always find a public park. It was partly a survival mechanism, but it ended up being a really neat way to experience different countries and states like a local instead of a tourist.

The below photo is from a park in Paris, which had the coolest slide we’d ever seen.

ZACH BRYAN FANS

If you love country music or know someone who does, this make up bag with Zach Bryan lyrics will be a hit. I bought it for a teen and used it to “wrap” a gift card. Gift cards and cash are what teens really want. Haha!

It’s a great size and could hold pencils, loose items in your car console, etc.

(image: Amazon)

TREADLE SEWING MACHINE

Treadle sewing machine bases often get repurposed into tables. I’ve never noticed one with a round top before and that’s what caught my eye in this photo.

If you enjoy this photo, you’ll love the rest of this home! Check it out here.

(image: Rikki Snyder via Town & Country Living)

EGGNOG FRENCH TOAST BAKE

Instead of cinnamon rolls, I’m making this Eggnog French Toast Bake from Just So Tasty for Christmas breakfast.

The crumble topping would have been enough to make me try the recipe, but the “make ahead” nature of the recipe put it over the top. I already bought whipped cream in the can too. Going all out! Haha!