Fluff Stuff Friday #74: Onward January

❄️ A seasonal living recap, and a few movie & book recs, and some words to touch your soul

Welcome to the Seasonalist, a happy place to land, where you’ll find all things seasonal and seasonal-adjacent (books, movies, food, and fun) from Austin, Texas. If you’d like to subscribe, click below.

Seasonal Living last week.

“Never are voices so beautiful as on a winter's evening, when dusk almost hides the body, and they seem to issue from nothingness with a note of intimacy seldom heard by day.”—Virginia Woolf

Happy Friday y’all!

Each Friday I recap how I lived seasonally this week, and I encourage you to do the same. Why? Your life can be so much better if you follow the formula. It’s about putting something on the calendar, experiencing joyful anticipation, and then some happy feelings emerge. Try it!

How I lived seasonally last week (picture above)

1. Carnations (January flower of the month)

2. A glass of wine while watching the Golden Globes in my San Diego hotel

3. Catching the San Diego sunset

4. A bowl of pastina (winter comfort food)

On to the Fluff Stuff.

🎥 Movie Stuff

While on the plane to San Diego last week, I watched Ticket to Paradise with George Clooney and Julia Roberts. They play mortal enemy divorced parents who team up and travel to Bali to prevent their daughter from entering into an impulsive marriage. This movie was Fluff, and Nothing But the Fluff. When you’re on the plane and want to escape to Bali—here you go. Clooney and Robert aren’t even actors—they’re movie stars, and I was here for it.

📚 Book Stuff

As per my January reading goals, I read “The More of Less” by Joshua Becker (of Becoming Minimalist), and it was a quick, well-written read. One of the takeaways was to start your day with the sentence, “Today I commit myself to….” fill in the blank. Seems simple enough. Commit yourself to something this year—and see how your life changes. Of course, I’m committed to seasonal living. But I can stretch myself further. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of 5)

I also read Caught in the Axe (free on Kindle) per the Mindful Librarian’s recommendation. This was a quick, cute read (this is Book 1 in a series). ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (out of 5)

🥣 Cozy Cooking Stuff

With the colder weather in Texas, I’ve been cooking up a storm (in addition to the Pastina, above). I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture, but we devoured Caro Chambers White Chicken Chili (from her cookbook). Last night, I made her Turkey Taco Salad (also from the cookbook).

Other family members made nachos. Options!

🌎 Sustainable Stuff

For my paid subscribers, on Tuesday I did a deep dive into my plan for Underconsumption in 2025—and its core, think twice, be mindful, and see if you can use and enjoy what you already own. On Contentment: How to Have a Low-Buy Year.

Some good reads (may they continue all year) this week:

• From “Searching for Enough,” Reckoning With Your Own Consumption.

• From the BBC, Maybe You’ll Realize What You Have is Good Enough: Why Influencers are Facing a Pushback

💗 Touching the Soul Stuff

Susan Cain (writer of Quiet)—with “How to Live a Quiet Life in 2025.” Cain writes:

A quiet life is really about attention, and how you direct it. It’s about intellectual and emotional energy, and where you expend it. It’s about letting yourself be saved, as the poet Mary Oliver put it, “by the beauty of the world”.

Right now, as the climate attacks our planet, both environmentally and politically, we do have control over ourselves and our spirits. It’s a little something I’m trying to do here—what is in our sphere of control? We can keep our focus on the “beauty of the world”—by living seasonally and noticing the joy around us. We’ve got this.

💙 Wrap-Up

*Reminder: for 2025 most Tuesday posts will be for paid subscribers. Friday is always free to all. I’m keeping the price for an annual subscription at $35 for 2025.

Today I commit myself to…calm responses and reactions (can you see where my headspace is today?)

How did you live seasonally this week?

May your weekend be fluffy!