the finale

2024: a play in 12 acts

It’s freezing cold as I’m writing this, a wicked reminder that winter is winter. Every year I’m shocked at how swiftly the seasons change. November passed by in an instant, and I know too well that December will too. Soon it will be the holidays, and the New Year, and then we’ll be off in 2025 chasing whatever comes next. It’s exciting to be poised to tackle a new beginning, but I want to be sure the ending has it’s flowers too. You may be tempted to keep that ball rolling, start plotting what you need to get done in the next year, what things you need to change about yourself. I think reflection can be a wonderful thing, but I warn you not to get transfixed by the image in the mirror. Instead of spending your spare time finding fault in where you’re at, why not look back at how far you’ve come?

Regardless of what 2024 had in store for you, you made it to the end of the chapter. This is the finale of our year, our play in 12 acts, and that means you deserve to take a bow.

December: Ritual

Organizing your thoughts, setting things into motion, uncovering the magic

• Ritual without the sacrifice. What’s a way you can bring something good into your life without restricting something else? What’s a habit you can repeat with relish? Look for something that will expand you instead of shrink.

• Regulate your nerves. The end of the year is notoriously chaotic and frazzled, but that doesn’t mean you have to be. It’s good to have some tools in your toolbelt for when you’re feeling overwhelmed that can bring you back to baseline. Is it a song? An activity? Phoning a friend?

• Allow yourself indulgence. There’s something beautiful about saying yes to excess. Excessive amounts of joy, food, and material goods are all greenlit for the season.

• Find the quiet. If you’re reading this newsletter I think you’re already very good at the little things in life, but in case you needed reminding: there are so many tiny wonderful moments we can easily overlook in our daily lives. Be extra observant of little peaceful scenes in your world. Make a point of listening to the sounds of your surroundings.

• Be a magic maker. It wouldn’t be keepsake unless I mentioned magic, okay? This is a great time of year to be behind the scenes rather than in the spotlight. Move small worlds for your loved ones, pull strings in their favor, surprise and delight them in whatever way you can. You’ll see more magic around you when you make some of it from scratch.

♡︎ Send a friend a letter. It can be long and poetic or it can just be a postcard covered in stickers. Everyone loves to get mail! Looking for a pen pal? Fill out this form to be matched with a fellow keepsaker. Depending on interest this can be a one time send or an ongoing new ritual.

♡︎ Do a stranger a favor. Open the door for someone, buy them coffee, tell them the tag is sticking out on their sweater. No favor is too big or too small.

♡︎ Perfect your sense of whimsy. No need for hard lines and harsh realities— keep your heart open to the idea of ‘what if?’

Some updates from November: I’m 30 years old now. I’ve already spoken about this a few times, but it’s really shocking how open 30 feels as opposed to closed. There’s no fall from the cliff, no impenetrable wall, just the world opening up wider. I spent the end of November and the end of my twenties in Paris, and returning to Brooklyn felt like leaving a new lover. I tried my best to have no stereotypical thoughts about Paris, but unfortunately it’s just as good as everyone says. I wandered the city on my own, ate approximately one million pastries, had a quiet moment with Monet’s waterlilies in the busiest museum, and it all felt like a dream. I have never said this about any other city on earth, but it may be on par with New York. It may even surpass New York, but don’t tell anyone I said that. My native New Yorker mother gave me permission to think this though.

The feeling I had while I was there was just this tremendous sense of gratitude. Gratitude for my ability to take this trip in the first place, to have the means to have this adventure, and the courage to do a few days of it completely on my own. I loved being alone more than I thought I would, and it’s funny how something that at times can be a fear is really a massive gift. I love spending time with myself, and I know how to fill it.

I’m also so grateful to be coming up on the one year anniversary of keepsake (!!!) which all at once feels so much shorter and so much longer than it’s actually been. I have some fun things coming out all month to celebrate, but one of the most exciting things I’ve been planning is the launch of keepsake’s very own Instagram.

clubkeepsake

A post shared by @clubkeepsake

I wanted to give keepsake a makeover, so I called on my brilliant designer friend Ahliyah Kim. We have new fonts, new colors, new logos, all thanks to her beautiful mind. It’s been so much fun playing with the branding I wanted to dedicate even more space to it with the club keepsake IG. I’ll be using the Instagram to share even more inspiration, some collage/design work, feature cool friends of keepsake, and post lots and lots of writing. I would love if you could give it a follow, and also let me know which bumper sticker you would put in your car in the image above because I truly can’t pick a favorite.

Check out Ahliyah’s work on her website or send an email with any design inquiries to kim@ahliyah.com

⊹₊ november favorites ₊ ⊹

I feel like Paris might need it’s own post with all the favorites and recommendations I have from my trip, but for now I’ll include a few:

Having fresh baguette with fleur de sel butter constantly. If you’re going to Paris you can get butter vacuum sealed so you can throw it on your suitcase at Le Grand Epicerie btw.

My birthday, which was a perfect day at Musée d'Orsay followed by dinner at La Renommée with the best food service and atmosphere I could dream of for such a special day.

Everything I bought, ate, and saw in Paris deserves it’s own line too.

I spent two days this month writing at gorgeous public libraries, once at the New York Public Library and then at Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and both times I was stunned by the beauty of the buildings and how nice it is to write in the quiet.

Feeling so loved and supported and treated by my family and friends for my birthday has also been an absolute highlight. I really felt so special and cared for and couldn’t have asked for a better month, to be honest.

Going to be a little bit cheesy now: The world opens up to you when you open yourself up to it. That’s the way I see it. I had a tarot reader once tell me that I would see the most success professionally by being myself, and I think that’s what this entire year has been about. I’ve been vulnerable in my writing, true blue to myself, and the universe has rewarded me for it with all this warmth and light.

Thank you so much for reading- do something nourishing for yourself today!

xo Julianna