Ep. 194: Holiday Realness: Staying Grounded This Season
EQ: How do the seasons we’re in (socially, politically, and financially) shape the way we navigate current events, embrace fall transitions, and connect with family during the holidays?
Get ready to cozy up with us as we dive into fall vibes, holiday chaos, and winter wellness! We’re talking favorite autumn traditions (snacks, sweats, and staying sane), navigating tricky family gatherings (boundaries, overplanning, and maybe just not going), and tips for staying healthy when it’s dark and cold (hello, YouTube yoga and heated vests). Plus, we share underreported stories, viral moments that warmed our hearts, and some holiday memories in this episode of IWL. Tune in for a blend of humor, heartfelt advice, and inspiration to carry you through the season!
References:
Fend Off Holiday Stress w/ Mayo Clinic
4 Mindeful Tips to Destress This Holiday Season w/ John Hopkins
Do Your Fudging Homework:
Hope: Take care of yourself! Build in something that is de-stressing for you
Annie: Go to your local coffee place and enjoy a yummy drink!
Ep. 60: It's the Most Wonderful Time To Reignite the War on Christmas
EQ: How should we handle holidays in the classroom, are they uniquely special abroad, and what do we have to be thankful for this year?
We review our generally warm feelings about this time of the year, but acknowledge our very Christian upbringings. We delve into why it’s not okay to force Christmas imagery in the classroom even if you are “properly teaching it” or trying to be “exclusive”. We blame Tom Rademacher for restarting the war on Christmas (aka white middle class women) with this tweet:
If you don’t get the reference, check out this article from Snopes on the history of the struggle.
Annie and I reflect on why so many Americans “need” to compare everything to Christmas (Christian) traditions. Go read Stop Calling Hanukah the Jewish Christmas. Finally we toast (pass out hypothetical cookies) to our dear friends and family. We are free with the goal for all the shady folks making the holidays about consumerism and Elf on a Shelf.
Do Your Fudging Homework:
Hope: Teaching Tolerance series : anti-bias guide to the holidays
Annie: make your New Years’ Resolution outwardly focused this year and consider what you can do to make the world a better place. List your favorite social justice causes and dedicate extra attention to them this year.
Ep. 36: To All Those Who Deserve Hand-painted Christmas Cookies
Our EQ: Who made 2018 a little brighter and did their part to keep BS at bay?
We’re back with Katy Evans, the Holiday Hero, to distribute hand painted Christmas cookies to a few of the wonderful men, women, and non-binary folxs making the world a better place by fighting stereotypes, white supremacy, social norms, and #beinglessbasic
In the first half of the episode we reminisce about delicious holiday foods and childhood memories. Cookie Trays? Hundred dollar mac and cheese? Hold on to your hats, because this episode is filled with Caucasity. What the hell is rice-mello? Have you ever tried Divinity? Did you know you can smoke your cocktails with an overpriced William & Sonoma Cocktail Smoking Box.
If you’re feeling crafty, make some Reindeer Footprints or gag gifts of reindeer, elf, or snowman poop. Explore the art of popcorn balls. You can also try your hand at the many many craft projects Hope attempted with medium success like DIY ornaments or Novel Clocks.
Christmas Cookie Distribution
Axl Rose because he’s using his platform to call out BS. Read more: Axl Rose Hates Trump as much as You Do
Other hetero white-dudes standing up to white nonsense on social media
The Blue Wave (read “The Real Metaphor of The Blue Wave”)
Queer Eye (read “Why the Queer Eye Reboot is One of the Most Important Shows on TV Right Now”)
Who Shot YA Podcast “A movie podcast that isn’t just a bunch of straight white dudes”
Keep It (Crooked Media)
Ellen Pompeo for stepping out to describe what allyship looks like (yo, this conversation is ON POINT).
Laverne Cox became the first transgender woman to be on the cover of Cosmo
The New York Times, while bogus in a number of other areas, started a project to publish obituaries of notable women they had historically overlooked, including activists, scientists, and Olympians. Read more: How an Obits Project on Overlooked Women was Born
Lena Dunham Call Outs
Ariana Grande’s “Thank u, next”
Films like Crazy Rich Asians (which has been scrutinized more than any film about rich white people), Love Simon, Black Panther (Read Black Superheroes Matter)
The Winter Olympics Adam Rippon “On What It Means to ‘Show Every Part of Who You Are’”
Ava DuVernay became the first black woman to direct a film that grossed more than $100 million at the domestic box office. Read more: The Ava Effect
The Me Too Movement and the fall of Harvey Weinstein
The Mueller investigation and the promise that public officials and their handlers can and will be held accountable for wrongdoing
Guilty Favesies:
Hope: Eshakti & online stores that suck you in via Facebook or Instagram ads
Annie: Instagram - celebrities, makeup tutorials, and Hiking Bangers
Katy: Choir Stuff, especially choral music
Do Your Fudging Homework:
Hope: none from me!
Annie: ride that positive high from the holiday season and commit to a cause that will make the world a better place in 2019. I’m going to try and do more to support LGBTQ+ youth organizations in and around Tacoma.
Katy: Speak your gratitude.