Happy Things Friday: 30 October

Hi friends. We are officially on the precipice of November.

I texted this meme to Belle the other morning while she was getting ready for school. I knew she’d received it when I heard her holler (through a closed door): I’m the latter!

MY GIRL IS READY!

We’ve watched our first holiday movie of the season this week (Sugarplummed, a Hallmark movie from a few years ago), and I suspect there will be many, many more in the coming weeks.

Growing up, my family didn’t decorate for Christmas until mid-December. MID-DECEMBER. I truly thought it was a grave injustice.

Now that I’m the adult in charge of such decisions, I’ve slowly been moving the decorating date earlier and earlier. First it was early December. Last year, we had the tree up on November 11th (I like to wait until after Remembrance Day).

Belle, meanwhile, has no such restraint. She’s planning to start decorating her bedroom tomorrow. If she had her way, I suspect we’d have stockings hanging from the mantel by Labour Day.

My logic for decorating early is threefold:

• Anticipation is half the fun! Why not stretch out the magic of the Christmas season? Especially the glow of twinkle lights.
• We have an artificial tree. Much to Belle’s horror and despair we no longer buy real trees. But this also means we can enjoy it for weeks without worrying about needles dropping or branches drying out.
• December is BUSY. Getting the decorating out of the way early means one less thing to squeeze into an already full month.

I’m curious where everyone falls on the Great Christmas Decorating Timeline. November 1st? December 1st? December 24th? (If you’re in that last camp, I have questions. That’s how it was in my Dad’s household growing up which seems… so old fashioned!!)

But enough about Christmas. Let’s talk Happy Things!

YOUTH EVENT

Every year, our church hosts a big youth event. It used to be a relatively small affair, but things have exploded over the last few years.

This year, we had about 450 teens and leaders attending. Add in the other volunteers, and there were roughly 500 people involved/being fed three meals + four snacks.

It was an incredible weekend. There were moments of exhaustion (multiple), but it is such an honour to get to walk alongside the next generation, learn their stories, and share my own.

When we headed out the door on Friday afternoon, Belle asked if she could have an energy drink.

My first reaction was Absolutely not.

I’m not a fan of energy drinks for all sorts of reasons. But then I remembered we were staring down a very long evening, followed by approximately five hours of crummy sleep.

So I reconsidered. And literally said: Okay, but only if we split it.

Feel free to judge my parenting skills at this particular moment.

The caffeine did its job. I didn’t feel tired all evening! Unfortunately, it continued doing its job when I climbed into bed shortly after midnight and proceeded to toss and turn until 2 am.

There is always a price to pay.

Here we are, alive, awake, aware, and enthusiastic early in the evening. The caffeine was clearly doing its thing.

A few hours later, there were hundreds of teens gathered in our church parking lot, and it was FREEZING. Like, legitimately freezing.

Belle hunkered down with a group of friends and some blankets, and while everyone was cold, they were having a hoot.

The temperature increased by about 25°C when we headed inside for worship. Quite literally HALLELUJAH.

One of the teens from our church decided to hand out some glow-in-the-dark bracelets. When she put one on my wrist, she declared me to be her bestie.

Yes, please!

(Though I will note she said this to everyone who received a bracelet, so I haven’t let my newfound status go to my head.)

Speaking of caffeine…

At 6:30 the next morning, I wanted to hug my friend who was making coffee. BLESS HER SOUL. There is an extra jewel for her crown in Heaven.

I added a splash of pumpkin spice creamer, and I don’t think coffee has ever tasted so good. (Admittedly, I say this a lot.)

In the afternoon, we headed out for community service projects.

I had a group of four Grade 7 girls, and they were SO MUCH FUN.

The weather was beautiful and sunny. We played music, sang along, and spent hours walking around collecting donations for the food bank.

I loved every minute of it.

We took a before picture of the trunk of my SUV.

And here’s the after shot.

SO MANY DONATIONS.

The girls were enthusiastic, cheerful, and excited to help.

And here’s the final haul from all ten vehicles!

It’s pretty incredible what can happen when a bunch of teenagers decide to spend their Saturday afternoon doing things for their community!!!

After hours of walking, the girls requested a little treat.

Slushies it was!

(Would you believe I’ve never had an entire slushie in my life? Maybe a sip or two here and there, but never a full one. And I can’t think of many things I’d be less interested in consuming. Cotton candy, maybe? It’s a close race.)

But this gaggle of tweens were thrilled with all that sugar and artificial colouring…

I’m still recovering from the lack of sleep and the sheer level of overstimulation, but the weekend was worth every exhausted minute.

One of my favourite parts was seeing so many generations working together. Parents were volunteering with newborns in tow. Hundreds of teens were laughing and singing and playing silly games and working together on outreach projects. Seniors were helping prepare and serve food.

There is something incredibly beautiful about watching people of all ages come together to serve God and the people around them.

I came home exhausted, with a few new friendships, a glow-in-the-dark bracelet, and a very full heart. (And a sleep deficit!)

BIRTHDAY PARTY FUN

Indy (too young to attend the youth event as a participant; he helped serve food) went to a birthday party last weekend.

The first order of business was to find a suitably ridiculous birthday card.

It took him less than ten seconds to spot one featuring potty humour.

There’s that job done!!

The party was at a climbing gym. Indy has tried a small climbing wall at summer camp, but he’d never done anything quite like this before, complete with a harness and ropes.

Apparently, he had a fantastic time!

COOL BLOGGERS WALKING CLUB

The October 2026 edition of the Cool Bloggers Walking Club wraps up TOMORROW!

I love, love, love seeing all the updates and collages and hearing the interesting little details about everyone’s walks.

A reminder that next Thursday I’ll be posting the final recap. If you have any pictures, collages, or thoughts you’d like included, please send them my way. (The sooner the better, so I can pull everything together.)

I posted the list of walking locations yesterday. If you walked somewhere that isn’t on the list, please let me know, as I’ll incorporate it into the maps!

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS

I’ve been wanting to read The Screwtape Letters for years, and after two people I know referenced it within the span of a week, I decided it was finally time.

I put a hold on the audiobook at the library, and it became my soundtrack for the drive over to my parents’ place.

I will admit, I had to take some breaks.

It is… dense and cerebral and brilliant. And I’m already hankering to reread it in paper form, with a pencil in hand.

C.S. Lewis does not mess around!

If you’re unfamiliar with the premise, the book is written from the perspective of demons. God is referred to as “The Enemy,” and the demons are trying to win a human soul (known as “The Patient”) for their “Father,” Satan.

It’s a fascinating way of turning conventional thinking on its head. I’m still mulling it over a few days later.

THINGS ARE IN GOOD HANDS

I walked out the door on Wednesday afternoon and, aside from writing a few things on the calendar, essentially washed my hands of all domestic responsibilities.

And John has everything covered.

The kids are getting where they need to go. A birthday gift that needed purchasing has been purchased. He’s even gotten a jump on some Christmas-related tasks for me. Halloween plans are all in his court.

This annual visit to my parents looks a bit different this year because of my mom’s health changes.

There’s a lot to process, emotionally and practically, and it’s an enormous gift to be able to focus on being here without worrying about what’s happening at home.

I know John has it all covered. Not just the logistics, but the emotional side of parenting, too.

It’s easy to take the everyday rhythms of family life for granted, but there’s an incredible amount of work (much of it unseen) that goes into keeping everything running smoothly.

Being able to walk away from those responsibilities, knowing they’re in such capable hands, is a gift I don’t take lightly.

That’s a very Happy Thing indeed.

BONUS HAPPY THINGS

• Getting some pesky home admin tasks done.

• I had clear driving all the way to my parents’ house. Sunshine, beautiful fall foliage, no traffic, only a few very short stints of construction.
• At one point, I needed to stop for a bathroom break and may have decided to work an ice cream into the equation. As one does.

• Fall weather. I love it. So much. I find myself deliberately taking circuitous routes just so I can walk through piles of crunchy leaves. The colours are still beautiful, and I am soaking up every last bit of autumn. This is my favourite season by a long shot!
• In case you missed it: here are my gift ideas for men, stocking stuffer ideas for men, gift ideas for women, and stocking stuffer ideas for women. Teen girls + tween boys will come next week 🙂
• My e-reader. I continue to be amazed that so many books can fit on such a tiny device. It’s especially wonderful when travelling. A whole library in my bag? WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE, as Nicole would say.
• Release Radar on Spotify. I love getting a fresh weekly playlist featuring new songs from artists I’ve listened to before. Such a simple little pleasure, but one I look forward to every week.
• The feeling of the wood stove at my back when visiting my parents. I have zero desire to deal with the muss and fuss of a wood stove in my own home, but there is nothing—NOTHING!—like the heat of a wood stove.

GIFT QUESTIONS/PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

One of the items on my to-do list is to get things sorted for gifts THIS Christmas. To that end, I have a few questions to inform my planning!

• Do anyone own and love the Our Place Always Pan? I’ve come across it numerous times over the years. It’s a big investment, but I want to hear from someone who actually owns/uses it in terms of feedback. If that’s you, let me know what you think.
• To all the people who suggested a heated throw blanket, does anyone have specific brand recommendations (or, conversely, warnings?)
• I’m looking for dry shampoo recommendations. I RARELY use it, but have a daughter who likes it. I’m not looking for anything too pricey; ideally something that I can source at a local pharmacy/online.
• Does anyone regularly use Poshmark? I have a few things I’m looking to get (for example, Indy REALLY wants a Nike sweatset for Christmas and I am appalled at the price of buying one new)… and I’ve never used Poshmark before. Feedback? (Vinted doesn’t have a Canadian presence anymore.) I think Depop is another Canadian option? I only ever buy my clothes at thrift stores, so this is uncharted territory for me. Help!

That’s a wrap from me for today.

Happy weekending, folks.

Your turn.

• Tell me some Happy Things from your world.
• When does the Christmas season officially begin in your house? Are you hauling out the decorations on November 1st, waiting until December, or somewhere in between? And do you have any strong opinions about decorating before Remembrance Day?