My husband and I went away recently to a cute little Airbnb a couple hours from our house. It was part writing retreat for me, part babymoon before we welcome our fourth. My brother and sister-in-law held down the fort at home, entertaining our three other kids with movies and ice cream and all the things the best aunts and uncles do.

We had two nights to enjoy kid-free quiet, and yes, in many ways it was as luxurious as it sounds (despite my pregnant body feeling slow and uncomfortable and reckoning with the reality that I’m not exactly in my 20s anymore!). On Saturday morning, I slept in (8:30am!), drank coffee while it was still hot, stayed in my pajamas until lunchtime (OK, that’s not that uncommon these days), and generally moved at a glacial pace.

While my husband roamed around the house not quite knowing what to do with himself, I commented, “I’m finally going at a pace I can manage.”

I felt like I could keep up with the day, like I could move my body when it was ready. I could exercise, then rest. I could read a book, then write. And for once in my life, I wasn’t rushing out the door or running late.

It’s been a harder, stranger year than many of us expected. Maybe we’re entering the Christmas season exhausted and weary. Maybe we’re excited to have something to celebrate. But whatever you’re feeling, my guess is that we could all use a little hope.

This gift guide is meant to help with that.

From sweatshirts reminding us that the weary world can rejoice to shelves to display plants that bring life into our homes, each product in some way is meant help encourage, inspire, or refresh the recipient.

Purchasing these products will also help the people who make them. Aside from the books, each item comes from a small business–and even with the books, you can purchase from Bookshop.org instead of Amazon to support local bookstores. Several items also support meaningful causes like helping human trafficking victims, small family-run coffee farms, or local families in need of food.

A few days ago on my Instagram Stories, I shared someone’s post that I had come across about the Day of the Dead. I was attempting to learn and appreciate more about this Mexican holiday, but it turns out, I didn’t take the time to get all the information. The post I shared (which I’ve since taken down) made this holiday seem light-hearted, harmless, and joyful–and to be honest, I failed to do my research. My friend, Cynthia, kindly responded to me with additional information, showing me that there was more to the story.

We moved our conversation to email, and Cynthia sent me facts as well as her stories and opinions about the Day of the Dead. I realized how little I knew–and how easy it can be to believe things are harmless, when in reality, we are fighting a very real spiritual battle.

Cynthia’s words were so helpful and eye-opening, and I asked her if I could share them with you here. In the following post, she offers personal experiences, facts about the Day of the Dead, her own opinions, and then a closing story to help us to recognize the spiritual forces of evil trying to take us down. But, as she writes below, “Of course, Jesus wins. His light breaks through the darkness.”

Need an easy holiday appetizer? These garlic sauteed chanterelles are so elegant yet incredibly simple to make! They're perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or a date-night-in.

The first Thanksgiving my husband and I ever hosted, we crammed 21 people into our one-bedroom apartment. We lacked both a dining room and a dishwasher, but I refused to use disposable dinnerware. We moved furniture, borrowed folding tables, and arranged place settings for a full-fledged, seated meal for friends and family.