The Best of 2022
Issue 15
Merry Christmas! Today we are diving into the ‘Best of 2022’ - the things I loved, recommend, and will always remember as being especially iconic for this year.
And if you’d like to join in the fun and share your own ‘Best of 2022’, leave them in the comments so we can all take notes from recommendations, or you can join in the fun on Instagram where I’ve got a template made especially for us that you can screenshot, fill in, and share in your stories!
Best adventure or travel: earlier this summer I spent five days with my college friends in Charlottesville, VA. We watched Polo while sipping rosé at King Family Vineards; ate many sandwiches from the best and perhaps most suprising delicatessan (I think “The Jefferson” may be my last meal); spent a day at the spa; went to pick peaches but instead ended up devouring peach doughnuts and slushies and softserve; watched fireworks on the 4th of July from the top of a mountain; and made it through a frankly concerning amount of Love Isaland UK. I don’t remember a time in recent history where I laughed as much as I did these few days. And as Ben Rector says, “there's nothing like old friends.”
Best book: Book Lovers, The Guncle, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (very closely followed by a few others that I’ll be sharing next week for a Newsletter fully devoted to “The Books of 2022: What I Loved & Loathed”)
Best TV show or movie: We watched Survivor & The Amazing Race both for the first time this year and I am now a hopeless and slightly obsessed fan. There was also so much good, new TV this year. My favorites were The Bear, Only Murders in the Building Season II, Julia, and Abbott Elementary. And my most enjoyed movies of the year were The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Top Gun: Maverick, & The Woman King.
Best new-to-you artist, song, or album: The Strike
Best follow on social media: @brunchwithbabs, @greedy.peasant, @a_puppy_and_a_bunny, @elyse_myers, @kristalavrusik, @manwithahammer
Best new podcast listen, newsletter subscribe, or blog follow: you can see all my favorite podcasts from the year here. And I have a handful of newsletters I keep up with, but Sarah Bessey’s will always be my favorite.
Best trend you tried: I did in fact join the leage of people who quite jobs this year, twice actually. There’s nothing like the adrenaline of a good career change (or two) in the span of 6 months to keep things interesting. And fashion trend wise, it was all about the shoes for me this year. I tried both Birkenstock Clogs and Adidas Sambas this fall and am smitten with them both.
Best beauty purchase: Ilia mascara & a silk pillowcase
Best new tradition, habit, or life hack: a long walk first thing in the morning. This wakes me up, starts my day calmly, and has been helpful with better sleep as I’ve been getting my circadian rhythm back in sync with a healthy does of Vitamin D right after waking up. We also adopted a weekly meal schedule via The Lazy Genius that has been nothing short of life changing.
Best home improvement or home purchase: this one is pretty simple because we bought our first house this summer! And an honorary mention goes to a fabulous striped red and white couch from Facebook Marketplace that is bringing me a lot of joy.
Best little luxury you've enjoyed: the Hatch Restore. Who knew I could love a white noise machine/alarm clock so much, but here we are.
Styling Q&A
Today’s styling question comes from Emily: What would you wear out in New York for a work dinner in January? I’m going with my very fashionable boss and want to step it up. Pants are preferred. I want to be cute & stylish/fancy, but I am drawing a blank with my closet. Many thanks!
Hi Emily! I’ll actually be in New York myself in January and need a couple of outfits that are similar, so I’ve been thinking about this exact styling already this week and have some ideas for us. I’d recommend a matching, modern suit set in a luxurious and warm material like velvet. You’ll get a lot of wear out of both the trousers and blazer separately or together. Another options would be a blouse with wide legged or tapered trousers - I’d go for something with beautiful drape and a sumptuous material. For both of these looks, keep everything on your bottom layer monocromoatic, and then you could introduce a different color or tone with a coat; or really go for it and keep everything including your top layer the same color. And then finish your look with an oversized coat. A wrap coat is especially warm, elegant, and will never go out of style. it is well worth the investment. And don’t be afraid to add a hidden, thermal base layer to help you stay warm!
I’ve put together some pieces for you, and there are lots more options when you click on the link too.
If you have a styling question of your own, you can submit it here!
Best Links of the week:
After a very sluggish reading pace for much of the year, I have really found my groove the last few weeks and have been moving through books. I just finished this cute (& ghostly) romance, and am currently reading and loving this novel, this beach read, and listening to this on audiobook.
Working from home is more enjoyable with cozy slippers and these classics have been serving me well for years.
I’m working towards a healthier relationship with social media. And since getting off of it completely isn’t an option with the work that I do at this point, I’ve been doing lots of reading and implementing some new parameters. This article was a great read if you’re also interested in doing the same.
This classic everyday necklace is back in stock.
This board game is sure to make you laugh.
How Amanda Seyfreid goes about choosing her red carpet looks.
This week’s high: coming back from a wonderful weekend away in Bath County, VA with Seth. It’s been an intense year and to finish it with time way with just to two of us was bliss. We also got to enjoy dinner at one of our favorite restaurants while in Hot Springs. If the butternut squash soup is on the menu, you must get it!
This week’s low: today is my last day of work before a two week winter break. While I am very much looking forward to time to rest and reset, my mind has been ramping up the anxiety and I’ve been battling distracted focus and a lot of late night thoughts that I don’t deserve time to rest and that it isn’t what is good for me or my business. I keep reminding myself that higher anxiety and overall struggle to focus is the exact indicators that some time to rest is exactly what is best.
This week on socials: You all were very kind when I shared a snippet from last week’s newsletter, this never gets old, it’s all about Hudson.
Honoured, Adelyn, thank you! Happy Christmas to you and yours.