Reflecting on Autumn Reading

and a local Kriskindlmarkt

Hello readers! Today I am reflecting on my very satisfying reading this past season, as well as sharing a bit about a recent holiday-themed outing. Settle in and enjoy!

the senior insisted on us buying these collar flowers at the market - WORTH IT

Last week I mentioned that I was brainstorming holiday activities to do throughout December, and my friends, I successfully pulled off a FULL FAMILY outing last Saturday night! To a Kriskindlmarkt in a nearby smallish town! As anyone with teenagers knows, getting the entire family in one place on a Saturday evening is a major accomplishment, and I’m very grateful the more reluctant members came through for me. We even had a bonus family member, since the oldest brought someone with.

What is a Kriskindlmarkt, you may ask? It is “an outdoor, traditional European-style market with local artisans of all kinds” according to the website ~ given that I haven’t been to one of these in Europe, I can’t attest to the authenticity, but CAN attest to the fact that there were so many twinkly lights, European-looking huts with local craftspeople selling things, and a whole lot of food including bratwurst and crepes. Seems European enough to me! Apparently this event has been happening only 30 minutes away from me for the past ten years and I have been oblivious?

I bought quite a few treats the youngest begged for, super yummy masala chai mix, the above-pictured collar flowers, ornaments to gift the kids this year in their stockings, and some skin care products. My attitude towards markets such as these is to buy either consumables, something I already was going to buy elsewhere (the ornaments), or something incredibly unique (collar flowers!) and just consider all spending to be a boost to the community, more in the charitable spending category than anything else.

The market wove through the downtown area, including over several footbridges lit up with twinkly lights, past twinkly dining igloos, and left us near the local historical museum where there was a “Back to the 1980s Xmas” display. When in Rome, and all! We ended up spending quite a bit of time at the museum, a place I never in my life would have gone otherwise.

All in all, this was a very successful and memorable holiday outing ~ and we even managed to get a full family picture!

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Reflecting on My Autumn Reading

Back on October 1, I shared with you my autumn reading goals and the list of titles I had prioritized for the season. Upon reflection, I am so happy with that process and the resulting wonderful reading experiences I had.

Having this list of titles really helped me focus on the books I had prioritized, and I looked back at this graphic often as I was thinking about what book I wanted to read next. It’s a testament to my careful curation and listening to my seasonal desires that I loved all but one of the titles I had prioritized! Below I’m sharing my thoughts on each of these books, as well as that original TBR list.