<p>We revisit our long list of hacks to make the holidays a happier time. </p> <p><strong>Resources & links related to this episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li> </ul> <p><br>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <em>Happier </em>app.</p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

<p>We discuss a know-yourself-better question related to how we conceive of ourselves at different ages. Plus we talk about a way to find excellent book recommendations.</p> <p><strong>Resources & links related to this episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="http://happiercast.com/course">Join the <em>The Happiness Project: Revisited</em> course</a></li> <li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/since-you-asked-with-lori-gottlieb-and-gretchen-rubin/id1837981015"><em>Since You Asked</em></a> advice podcast</li> <li><a href="http://happiercast.com/shop.">Shop the biggest journal sale of the year!</a></li> <li><a href="https://secretsofadulthood.substack.com/p/gretchen-rubins-secrets-of-adulthood-000">Substack Live with Sari Botton</a> </li> <li><a href="https://oldster.substack.com/">"Oldster Magazine" on Substack </a></li> <li><em>Less Than Zero</em> by Bret Easton Ellis (<a href="https://amzn.to/48gKWpJ">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15926/9780679781493">Bookshop</a>) </li> <li><em>All My Friends Are Going to Be Strangers</em> by Larry McMurtry (<a href="https://amzn.to/3LSF66K">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15926/9781631493577">Bookshop</a>) </li> <li><em>The Secret History</em> by Donna Tartt (<a href="https://amzn.to/49Fuceo">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15926/9781400031702">Bookshop</a>) </li> </ul> <p><br>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <em>Happier </em>app.</p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

<p>I joined Kim and Penn Holderness on their podcast "Laugh Lines" for a funny, thoughtful talk about parenting after the kids move out—a great listen as families come back together for the holidays.</p> <p>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <a href="https://thehappierapp.com/"><em>Happier </em>app</a>. </p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

<p>It’s easy to get swept up in a cycle of holidays that feels more like a relentless to-do list than a source of joy. In this Celebration Roundtable, we talk about how to embrace the holidays as opportunities for intentional connection and meaning.</p> <p><strong>Resources & links related to this episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.splendidtable.org/bio/francis-lam">Francis Lam</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.priyaparker.com/">Priya Parker</a></li> <li><a href="https://katebowler.com/about/">Kate Bowler</a></li> <li><em><a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/books/the-happiness-project/">The Happiness Project</a></em> by Gretchen Rubin</li> <li><a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/books/happier-at-home/"><em>Happier at Home</em></a> by Gretchen Rubin</li> <li><em>Stone Soup</em> by Marcia Brown (<a href="https://amzn.to/44kmVNt">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15926/9780689711039">Bookshop</a>)</li> </ul> <p><br>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <em>Happier </em>app.</p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

<p>As a writer, I'm particularly drawn to great endings, and I read the extraordinary closing paragraphs of Lytton Strachey’s biography <em>Queen Victoria</em>. Strachey imagines Victoria's fading mind retracing the vanished visions of her long history—passing back through decades of memories in a poignant, poetic cascade that captures both the end of a life and the end of an era.</p> <p>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <em>Happier </em>app.</p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

<p>We talk about the challenge of choosing a one-word theme for the upcoming year, as well as the surprising value of gossip. Plus we talk about a fun reason to have a party.</p> <p><strong>Resources & links related to this episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="http://happiercast.com/read25in25">Send recommendations for your favorite books to give for the holidays</a></li> </ul> <p><br>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <em>Happier </em>app.</p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

<p>We talk to Lori Gottlieb—psychotherapist, bestselling author, and co-host of the “Since You Asked” advice podcast—about what she wishes she could tell her patients. We discuss questions like why patients lie to their therapists, how to know if you’re the toxic friend, how to handle a challenging holiday gathering, and how to end rumination.</p> <p><strong>Resources & links related to this episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="http://happiercast.com/bookplate">Request bookplates now to get them in time for the holidays! </a></li> <li><em>Maybe You Should Talk to Someone</em> by <a href="https://lorigottlieb.com/">Lori Gottlieb</a> (<a href="https://amzn.to/47UQFSc">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15926/9781328662057">Bookshop</a>) </li> <li>Elizabeth is reading: <em>The British Are Coming</em> by Rick Atkinson (<a href="https://amzn.to/498L50L">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15926/9781250800589">Bookshop</a>) </li> <li>Gretchen is reading: <em>A Weekend in New York</em> by Benjamin Markovits (<a href="https://amzn.to/4nZMKtq">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15926/9780571403370">Bookshop</a>) </li> </ul> <p><br>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <em>Happier </em>app.</p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

<p>Sometimes a teaching story has such a great lesson that it doesn’t even matter if it’s not true. While the famous story of the sardines and the catfish turns out to be apocryphal, it illustrates a useful truth: Being in an environment where we need to show hustle can be better for us than quiet, stagnant surroundings.</p> <p>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <em>Happier </em>app.</p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

<p>A twist on our “Clear the Decks” strategy—this episode guides you through a series of quick, one-minute tasks to help you get organized for the holidays.</p> <p><strong>Resources & links related to this episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Sign up to be an <a href="https://donatelife.net/">organ donor</a>!</li> <li>We mention the <em><a href="https://the-happiness-project.com/collections/journals/products/five-senses-journal">Five-Senses Journal</a></em>, which includes spaces to do <a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/podcast/387-five-senses-portrait/">five-senses portraits</a>.</li> <li>To make it easier to identify good gifts to give, take the <a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/quiz/the-gift-giving-quiz/">Gift-Giving Quiz</a>.</li> <li> <em><a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/books/outer-order-inner-calm/">Outer Order, Inner Calm</a></em></li> <li><a href="http://happiercast.com/journals"><em>Know Yourself Better Journals</em></a></li> <li>We mention the <a href="http://thehappierapp.com/"><em>Happier</em> app</a></li> </ul> <p><br>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <em>Happier </em>app.</p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>

<p>We talk about the value of having a party (a party that’s not family- or child-centric). We share an easy hack for assembling furniture. Plus listeners give their examples of how they feel the pressure to “use up”—the beautiful offerings of the world.</p> <p><strong>Resources & links related to this episode:</strong></p> <ul> <li> <a href="http://happiercast.com/giftgenerator">Here's a guide to help you generate thoughtful gift ideas</a></li> <li aria-level="1">Elizabeth is reading: <em>The British Are Coming</em> by Rick Atkinson (<a href="https://amzn.to/3JbiRrF">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15926/9781250231321">Bookshop</a>) </li> <li aria-level="1">Gretchen is reading: <em>On the Beach</em> by Nevil Shute (<a href="https://amzn.to/473VucE">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15926/9780307473998">Bookshop</a>) </li> </ul> <p><br>Get in touch: <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p> <p>Visit<a href="https://gretchenrubin.com/"> Gretchen's website</a> to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the <em>Happier </em>app.</p> <p>Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>