Undersea creature Christmas ornaments (including a Seussian fish, and a sexy merman)
My Christmas decorations are all ocean-themed. The santa on our stocking isn’t on a sleigh, but paddling a canoe, our tree is covered in shells and ocean critters, and our color scheme is turquoise, green, and silver. So, I set out to find some of the best ocean-themed Christmas tree ornaments out there — and came away with a big haul, all sea creatures, some more fantastical than others.
Happy autumn harvest celebration, everyone!
Homies, we have a nice little community here. We brainstorm solutions to problems, share fantasies, debate, and educate. I want to take a second to be grateful for my online family, of which you are a large part. We can’t share a meal this week and we probably won’t be sending each other Winter Holiday Greetings, but I can still say, “Hi everybody. It’s so nice to put this site together for you.”
Here are some of the posts which have hosted some of the most enlightening conversations this year.
An age-appropriate guide to using Thanksgiving to talk about Native American history
Thanksgiving is the closest holiday many American children will have to one recognizing Native America. Some of us may celebrate Native Americans’ Day in lieu of Columbus Day, but in public school, media, and pop culture, the story of Pilgrims and Indians holding hands around a turkey is still the official narrative of Native/Colonial interactions.
Bastards and orphans: celebrating holidays with peers
How do you create a sense of community with a group of people who aren’t forced to put up with each other? If you’re creating your own chosen family, this post will help you get through the holidays a little more warmly.
Eating with intent: staying conscious about food in the gluttonous haze of the holidays
I don’t want to let food turn the holidays into an emotional battlefield, so let’s huddle up and have a pep talk. I love food, and the holidays are ALL about food. That said, I totally don’t love diarrhea, which is what can happen when I eat four-meals-worth of food at a friend’s holiday potluck.
With avoiding those mornings of seasonal indigestion in mind, here are eight ideas for staying a bit more intentional and conscious about food during the holidays.
Gingerdead man cookie cutter: Holiday cookies with a twist of dark in your sweet
I adore these adorably macabre gingerbread man cookie cutters from ThinkGeek, which imprint a gingerbread skeleton into your rolled cookie dough.
Setting a Thanksgiving budget: When to spend out and when to cheap out
You may think I’m a weirdo for setting a Thanksgiving budget this far in advance of the glorious meal, but I assure you, if I don’t, I won’t have enough money by the time turkey purchasing day is upon me.
Honoring veterans with three of our favorite offbeat military mama posts
Today many people are celebrating at least one of three holidays: Remembrance Day (in Canada), Armistice Day (in France and Belgium), and Veteran’s Day (in the United States). I guess for everyone else… it’s still Friday! We thought it’d be appropriate to mark the day on Offbeat Mama by revisiting a few of our favorite military-related posts.