Yes. It's the holidays (!!!!)  Yes, that is the common response. Stress. Nostalgia. Sometimes joy. Sometimes dashed hopes, of all shapes and sizes. It seems like everything shakes loose and sheds its skin-good and bad-starting in mid-November.

And here is my usual calendar of feelings during this time:

Beginning of December. Week One: Feeling good! Loving all the little tweaks in the Starbucks menu. (Dork! I know.) Holiday goodness is abounding, suffusing my essence, and my apartment's decor, slowly but surely. Then: Week Two hits: I start thinking about what I need to purchase and procure for my immediate family. But I still have time! Yes. Of course I do. Week Three: Desperation starts to set in. Work gets more stressful. Friends are having nervous breakdowns of all sorts. Then, as each day drips by, the usual turmoil of head and heart, as my imaginings for the "perfect" holiday go out the window, curtains flying...

UGHHH.

My first tip:

Do NOT go shopping on Black Friday.

Thats' right. If you're not spending it with your family, grab your cat/dog/significant other/yourself and cuddle down on your couch. Don't make any lists. Don't fret. Instead. Look around your home. And NOT at what you want to change/fix/make a project out of, no. Walk around, and decide what your HOUSE would want for Christmas! YES. Right? Not YOU. Or friends. Or family. Your space. Your home. 

This is literally where you live. This holiday, give yourself the gift of starting to make your house your home, if you haven't done so already. It will help enormously to put the holidays in perspective. We focus here a LOT on House & Mind about your "Inner Home," but your outer home is almost just as important. It is your refuge, a place that should make you feel safe, solid and grounded. 

The main reason we do not have a crazy Instagram feed, or a Pinterest Page here at House & Mind, is because we do not want to show an idealized version of how we live. Of course, we may obsess about the newest line from IKEA, the latest issue of our beloved Domino Magazine, or someone's boho bedspread on IG, but this is not what this site is about...

Not at all. So, just start where you are with your space...

My apartment wants a new doormat. I seriously have been living with the same, old doormats the former tenants left, for OVER TWO YEARS! Ikea has doormats for as low as ninety-nine cents (!) Seriously, dude. What have I been waiting for? ;) 

What does your house want for Christmas (or Hanukkah)  this year? :) After chilling out on Black Friday, and inspecting and listening to your place, you may just wanna check out the fun goods on our Stuff We Just Love page, and treat yo' house...

But most importantly, give yourself the gift of being at home where you live, wherever that may be. We are here to help you to do just that...xo

Pick up something both unique & practical for your home from our friends at Life and Home, a great Brooklyn-based home decor, gardening and organizing site: