Thursday Things #113

The one with all the gift exchange favorites.

Every other Thursday, I share a handful of good things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. AKA the random good stuff we’d talk about over coffee or text if we had one another’s phone number. I'm glad you're here!

This about sums up the current situation:

Jet-lagged + grateful = me.

I spent the last few days in Mexico with the (in)courage contributors for our annual trip, a combo of work + fun + community building. (Can all yearly contributor commitments include payment in the form of a trip? Just a thought.)

We left for the airport at 9am yesterday and I made it home at 10:30pm, so just ignore any typos below. 😂 I’m gathering up the random goodness for TT #114, but this one (TT #113) is totally inspired by one of our trip traditions.

First things first, the GOAT.

Every time we get together, we each bring a couple favorite things for a white elephant gift exchange. The requirements: Under $20 total and small enough to squeeze in a carry-on. Item #1 last year: this candle lighter,

There’s no official tally but odds are good that I’ve mentioned this Thing more than any other in Thursday Things.

I try not to repeat very often so it’s always up-to-date and literally real-time, what I’ve listened to/read/discovered/loved the last two weeks . . . but like any friendship, sometimes we circle back around, repeat ourselves, and blab about the same thing again and again.

I shared this favorite with you in 2021 and then re-shared April 2023 after the (in)trip, but it is 200% worth mentioning again. Every time someone messages to say some version of “Okay, I didn’t really understand the lighter but then I bought it and oh my gosh!” my response is simply:

Please see these words from 2021 me, and know 2024 me stands by it all:

Cue the dramatic music: My candle life will never be the same again.

When researching how to safely dispose of a lighter that no longer worked but still had a small amount of butane left (and yes I just had to look up that word again), I discovered the absolutely genius invention of an electric and rechargeable lighter.

There’s no gas, no fluid, no flame. It's windproof. It feels much safer and works much faster. And it will work 18,000 times before you need to buy a new one. SOLD.

Get this for your people, for yourself, as a stocking stuffer, etc. I've shared it on IG Stories twice and judging from the responses, you're as amazed as I am. Someone said it’s one of their very favorite things, another bought it immediately and has already posted a picture saying she loves it, and others said it would be a much better option around kids than the disposable ones.

Go ye forth and get the Electronic Candle Lighter, and may your candle life be changed forever.

I am not an Amazon affiliate, but if one day this candle lighter company reaches out with an affiliate opportunity I will jump on it within .04 seconds. Also I will probably share this again in 2025 so, hey, something to look forward to.

Favorite thing #2.

The other item I included in the “these are a few of my favorite things” gift exchange last year: this candle wick trimmer.

It’s safer, will make your candles last longer, and minimizes smoke after blowing the candle out. For years now, I’ve used these two items legitimately every day unless I’m traveling.

(On that note, a little P.S.)

I have Some Feelings™️ about not saving candles for a “better” day or a celebration.

For more years than I’d like to admit, I stored candles in a cabinet, letting them gather dust, each unlit wick telling the story: at some point along the way, I began to act as if candles are only meant for parties, celebrations, or magical moments. Regular life was extra ordinary—rarely extraordinary—and so the candle collection grew while I waited for a “good enough” reason to celebrate. (Cringe.)

Instead of savoring them, I saved them. And then in the middle of one of those regular days, two questions began to stir inside, refusing to let go while gently offering a new lens to look through. I wrote about this years ago and shared it again earlier this week (linked below, if you missed it and would like to read) . . . and I’ll admit, it’s probably a strange thing to smile so widely every time I reach the end of another candle . . . but I do. Lighting a candle is now such a regular rhythm of my day that I don’t even think about it—until the final wisp floats away and I’m reminded again that I would have missed this, reminded again that I’m glad I didn’t wait to celebrate.

Beautiful. Ordinary. Now.

Amen.

Go-to everyday earrings.

If you’ve been here for a few months, this will be exactly 0% surprising. Half of the gift I brought with me this time: Hypoallergenic Lightweight Thin Gold Hoop Earrings

They’re extremely lightweight, go with pretty much everything, and there’s a 50/50 chance I’ll have them on if we happen to run into each other in person. Seriously, I wear them 3-4 times a week. (I have both gold and silver, and I usually reach for the 50MM though I have two sizes of the gold.)

Two enthusiastic thumbs up. Five stars. Wholeheartedly recommend.

Waterproof bags for shoes (or whatever, really).

It seems like people either think packing cubes are the world’s greatest invention ever when it comes to packing, or they just don’t care. I fall in the second camp. But I’ll tell you what I very much care about: the bottom of my shoes *not* touching the clothes so nicely folded (or stuffed) into the suitcase. Just, gross. Big no thank you.

For years I wrapped shoes in a plastic grocery store bag before packing them in a suitcase, but I feel like I’ve leveled up the game with these.

Here’s what I love:

• Each one can hold 2-3 pairs of tennis shoes/flats/flip-flops/sandals.

• They’re waterproof and you can easily wipe them down to clean, if needed.

• The different colors make it easy to grab the bag you need, especially if you do use them as packing cubes or for organizing. (I used one for shoes this week and another for dirty clothes and bathing suits, juuuust in case they were still the slightest bit damp from the pool.)

• Because I pack in a carry-on 97% of the time, I love that they’re super flexible. If they had more structure, I’d lose valuable space in the carry-on due to shoes not filling every single inch of the bag. Sometimes that doesn’t matter, but sometimes you pack for a week+ and need every bit of space available. With these, I can squish them down and whatever is inside is well protected from being jostled anyhow because the suitcase itself is stuffed.

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Okay, I’m off to play catch-up with work + do laundry + figure out dinner + make a grocery store list for tomorrow + wrap a gift for a wedding shower this weekend + try to find a few words to share on social about the trip + watch American Idol (iykyk) + reapply aloe yet again (surprise surprise, I stayed in the shade and I still turned into a lobster).

hashtag lobster

All the things, right? 😂

But I’d love to hear in the comments, if you’re up for sharing: what would you bring to a Favorite Things gift exchange?