stress-free(ish) holidays: great outfits, finding calm & pudding
5-4-3-2-1: outfits, cheer, loves, styling & a great quote
One of my first teaching gigs was at a charter school in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. My school leader required an extensive checklist to be completed and signed on the last day before Christmas break. Basically, you couldn’t leave until an administrator signed off.
It was called the “StRreSs-FrEe ReTuRn tO WoRk ChEcKliSt.”
As your resident ADHD-coded friend, I hated it. Being told what to do when it feels “unnecessary” has always been a struggle—never as an athlete, always as an employee. When the checklist went out, a wave of dread hit me. Normally, I’d leave on the last day, enjoy my break, and panic Sunday night if I wasn’t ready for Monday. Here, everything had to be completed and signed off by an admin before I could truly enjoy the holidays.
Some tasks included: Photocopies for Monday done and stacked, Monday’s objectives on the whiteboard, clean classroom—etc.
This checklist of death felt like a massive barrier between me and my holiday vacation. But do I dare say it helped? It forced me to get organized when every bone in my body resisted. It forced me to prepare for the future, which goes against every fiber of my being.
Luckily, I survived this trauma and live to tell the tale. In true Traci fashion, I no longer follow any of these forced rituals 🤣—but I can see their value.
So I made my own stress-free(ish) list for the next two days—attainable and NO SIGNATURES REQUIRED. Hopefully, it helps you too!
Outfit prep: Lock in outfits for Christmas Eve and Christmas.
Cognitive offload: List all holiday tasks so my mind can relax (catering pickup—lord knows I cannot cook, errands, last-minute grocery runs).
Daily joy: Plan one intentional moment each day— make hot cocoa, take a hot-girl/guy walk, light that fancy candle, or have a Mariah Carey dance party!
Trash check: Confirm the trash/recycling schedule so nothing piles up and The-Four-Shirted-Husband™1 doesn’t spiral.
Easy dinners: Plan simple meals for the next few nights if you’re not hosting. Personal favorite: breakfast for dinner, baby!
MOST IMPORTANT (!!!): NO MAN/WOMAN DOWN- Take your vitamins, probiotics, Emergen-C, sage your life, and maybe eat a gingerbread cookie. Stay healthy and enjoy the celebration we worked hard to create.
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What’s Inside: Here’s our gameplan for today - a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown, you know the drill!
👗5 recent outfits
🎄4 bits of festive cheer
💗3 things i’m loving
👕2 outfits styled
🗨️1 quote
Wore this look to work on Monday: a fringe wrap skirt, turtleneck & some cowgirl boots- complete 100/10.
When the world feels chaotic, I crave simplicity. A little black monochromatic look, a pop of burgundy in my boot, and a leather bomber to call it a day.
3. I saw this sweater posted in a gorgeous collage by Hermeshuns. Its whereabouts were whispered in the comments. I sleuthed it out, found it & love it.
Do you ever put on an outfit you laid out the night before and realize it’s not doing what you hoped? Yeah, that happened. Thank goodness I had a Plan B outfit already mapped out on Indyx!
Off to NYC. Plot twist: my son got sick, so I held down the fort at home. Had to turn lemons into lemonade. Before my husband headed to NYC with the family CEO (my daughter), I snuck out and got a mani/pedi. And yes, I sure did upgrade to the “special pedicure.”
HOMEMADE HOT COCOA - I was out of my favorite Williams & Sonoma mix on a recent snow day, so I made this incredible dupe - here’s the recipe card!2 I’ve been enjoying a cup of this everyday around 3pm after work (matcha life is on hold for now). The perfect treat!
HOME VIDEOS - We’ve been watching our old home videos on the big TV with the kids. If you’ve been following, our hard drive of basically our entire life crashed and was saved by an angel in Boston. Reliving the little moments and the hilarious things caught on film has been so fun.
AUNT OPAL’S BANANA PUDDING - I am Team Catering for Christmas Eve due to my C+ cooking skills. I like to feel like I contributed something beyond a credit card swipe. I found a banana pudding recipe that seems simple and at my novice skill level. I may ask the family CEO (my daughter) to assist as sous chef—though I fully expect she’ll be executive chef in no time.
GIFT OF UNDIVIDED ATTENTION - We did it—we got a Brick (purchased with my own $). It’s a tiny square block that blocks distracting phone apps so you can actually focus on life. Is it pathetic that I need this tiny block to finally put my phone down? Yes. Am I loving the way it’s forcing me to reallocate my time? 100%. As of today my screentime is down 67%3. That’s pretty wild.4
PRINT MAGAZINES - The Four-Shirted-Husband™ and I recently secured babysitters for date night. He asked what I wanted to do for date night… the world was our oyster! I chose Panera in sweats and a leisurely walk around Barnes & Noble. I got lost in the magazine aisle and scooped up some of my favorites. There’s something so special about browsing a physical magazine!5 Plus, I snagged some magazines for my kids’ stocking stuffers.
ILLUSTRATED RECIPES - I found this beautiful illustrated recipe on Substack Notes! It was created by Anna Lena Feunekes of The Illustrated Kitchen. Her images tell the story of recipes via images instead of just text! The perfect art-meets-food masterpiece.6
READING: THE NEXT CONVERSATION - I love Jefferson Fisher’s Instagram videos on communicating and navigating difficult conversations. I’m really enjoying his book! Yes, I’m a toxic self-help/non-fiction reader. Maybe 2026 will be my year of adventure… into other genres.
Let’s style two cozy outfits for Merryneum (the odd week between Christmas and New Year). Like who are we, what day is it, and why am I eating sugar cookies for breakfast?
The holidays beg for checklist-level perfection. Let’s aim for good instead—calmer, happier & way easier to enjoy!
Let’s Chat:
What is one tiny thing you’re doing just for yourself this week?
What holiday task are you secretly dreading but pretending is fine?
Lastly, to all the parents—and anyone giving this season—don’t doubt yourself. You’ve probably done more than enough. In the end, your kids, or the people you care about, will remember the time with YOU more than a candle or a Harry Potter LEGO set (both elite gifts in my book).
That’s the roundup, friends. Now go enjoy your little wins, your Mariah dance breaks, and your perfectly imperfect holiday! See ya next week, my friends!
If this made you smile, hit the heart 💗, re-stack it 🔁, or share it 📤—those tiny taps make a HUGE difference.
Feeling generous? You can also buy me a coffee to say thanks! ☕
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If you’re new around here: The Four-Shirted-Husband™ is my husband. He has four shirts and a lot of opinions re: fashion.
My recipe card was adapted from this original recipe by Cook For Foodies!
Someone, somewhere read this and said, “6-7!!” 😑
Here’s a great NYT article presenting the Brick as a “transformative tool” that helps regain focus, minimize doom scrolling, & rediscover time for hobbies, etc.
Anna Lena Feunekes’ Substack is incredible - to learn more about her & her incredible work, please check out her website here!
Wow the brick!!! That's crazy. Maybe I need it too.
Also am I the only one that read Merryneum as perineum?! 🤣🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠 Hope son is feeling better now and a replacement trip to NYC is planned.
Omg your outfits are so damn perfect, I’m dead. I need….everything?? Literally everything. Best Zara finds ever. Also, merryneum - I’m died dead. And also can we share the full story behind the four shirted husband bc I need more context??