Cornucopia Mode: 8 Holiday Prompts
Pairs well with soupy green bean casserole & avoiding familial face-off
Punctuating this week’s email barrage with a short ‘n sweet tasting menu of Moon Lists prompts for the holiday table.
Ahead of (American!) Thanksgiving, may you arrive to a season of group gatherings, family dinners, et. al equipped with more than just ambrosia salad and your optimism—scroll on for a list of conversational (or journaling) prompts intended to accompany whatever scenario you find yourself in this month, including both low balls & potentially expansive questions exploring the layer below tradition.
PS: a slightly different version of this list was originally shared on my friend Colu Henry’s newsletter (and if you’ve dined at my house before you know I cook this recipe of hers ad nauseam and it never fails).
8 Prompts for the Holiday Table
1. CHERISHED REPETITION
What are some long-standing, passed down traditions (from your family of origin or choice) that you choose to reincarnate?
2. BREAK THE MOLD
Reverse it: what are holiday season or autumnal/winter traditions you’ve initiated on your own…or perhaps one you’d like to begin?
3. “EVERY COUNTRY HAS A MEATBALL”
There is an adage that “every country has a meatball” (or in other words, an innovation or adaptation that fulfills the same core need, no matter the place). Every household has that dish. What's a passed-down recipe or a specific, edible "something" that the season feels incomplete without?
4. IT’S ALL GRAVY
What’s feeling easy right now? In what aspects of life are you finding a natural flow of effortlessness, stability, and/or progress?
5. SOUFFLÉ AS ATTITUDE
Contrarily, what challenges are you embracing—a new skill or hobby? An intellectual endeavor? A…mindset?
6. ADD (PUMPKIN) SPICE
What’s something you want to mix up or do differently in the season to come?
7. WELL GIFTED
Make a case for the best gift you’ve either given or received—a nomination that’s both highly specific and sure-to-please (i.e: a pearled Maison Pearson hair comb, a thimble-sized vial of custom perfume, a copy of M.F.K Fisher’s The Art of Eating.)
8. MY PLATE IS FULL
What experiences consistently conjure a feeling of abundance for you? (or how do you define that word?)
PS: A reminder that pre-orders are still available in limited quantities for the special edition of The Moon Lists workbook. These linen-bound, exposed spine, hand-bound books are available in two colors—bleu ciel (above) and almond—with more details & ordering info here. These books will ship approximately December 5.