The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist

Ginger Sparklers: A Beloved Christmas Recipe

A reader asked if I would post my recipe for Ginger Sparklers and since they are my all-time favourite cookie, I had to oblige!!!

I was going to tack this onto another post, but decided…

Christmas, Food
Jan, 03, 2026
27 Comments

Happy New Year (Friday): 2 January

This is the first Happy Things Friday post of 2026.

I feel like I don’t have a lot of “new” Happy Things to add to my list, but I jotted down items that were…

On My Shelf: Books I Read in December 2025

Happy New Year!!!!!

Today seemed like a fitting time to recap the books I finished in December (I’ll be back next week with a roundup of my Top Ten fiction and non-fiction picks for 2025).

January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. September. October….

Reading
Jan, 01, 2026
35 Comments

Ideas for a Frugal-Friendly Christmas (It Can Still Feel Abundant!)

While things are decidedly more comfortable for us financially these days, we’ve had many Christmases—both in childhood and as a married couple—when money was tight.

And yet we’ve always tried to make Christmas feel abundant….

Christmas Recap 2025: Gift Edition

I know gift guides can be polarizing. Feel free to skip this post entirely if they’re not your thing. I happen to love looking at gift ideas—even if I never buy a single item…

Christmas, Holidays
Dec, 30, 2025
26 Comments

We Had Ourselves a Merry Little Christmas (2025 Recap)

Another Christmas season is behind us. The lead up seems long and wonderful (and mildly stressful!) and then it feels like I blink and it’s all behind us. I think that’s why I struggle…