The Weekend Reset: Holiday Traditions and drinks to go with them.

It’s Friday. Looking for something to switch up your weekend, or to give you an excuse to relax a little? That’s what the Weekend Reset is for. Each week contributor Tim Johnstone pulls together five things to get your weekend started. Could be something to read or watch, something to eat or listen to, or even something to do. Enjoy the weekend fellas.

 

READ: Letters from Father Christmas – J.R.R. Tolkien

Yes, that Tolkien. This is absolutely new to me. But it is far from new. Apparently this book is something of a Christmas tradition for countless families around the world. Mark Twain collected letters he wrote “from Santa” to his children as they were growing up and this is something similar. The two collections could not be more different from the other. Tolkien’s letters included paintings and drawings and while there are stories about polar bears and the man in the moon, there are also goblins. So, yeah. Tolkien. How I never knew about this collection baffles me. It looks wonderful.

 

START…A new Holiday tradition.

I’m fascinated by traditions. I love learning about regional traditions from different parts of the country, especially where the Holidays are concerned. I’m also a proponent of creating one’s own traditions as a way of marking an occasion or season or meaningful event. Apparently there’s a 7 yer old kid in New Zealand who has tapped into my psyche. I love this.

 

BINGE: Dappered reader Brandon D recommends this Amazon series.

Brandon D. recently finished the second season of what he refers to as a “spy dramedy.” That got me attention. Then he added that the “show says a lot about my sense of humor (IE, can violence be funny?  YES) and I instantly added it to my queue. Now, if you need more convincing (and I don’t know why you won’t just take his word for it), he helpfully passed along this handy review for you. Thanks Brandon!

 

LISTEN: Ingrid Michaelson’s Christmas sings the songs of the season.

Here’s where I acknowledge that I have been fortunate to spend some time with Ingrid over the years via my main gig. I adore her for more reasons than I can list at the moment. Just so you know. Ingrid has lined up some excellent guests on this collection of classic and original songs including Leslie Odom Jr, and Grace VanderWaal, Christina Perri and the criminally under-appreciated Allie Moss. This is all kinds of perfect. There is joy and beauty and heartbreak and the elements essential to a classic Holiday album. Ingrid is nice enough to inject a little Judy into this version of the song Garland made famous.

 

DRINK: Another seasonal cocktail for your Holiday gatherings.

I was fortunate enough to spend a semester of college studying in London. There is nothing more English than a neighborhood pub. It was in these public houses that I learned about shandies. I wasn’t a fan at the time. In fact, I haven’t been a fan at all until I stumbled across this. Now I want one in the worst way. Sounds like a cousin to the Dark & Stormy and that is a favorite of mine. So, yeah. This send up looks delish. It might take more than 5 minutes to make a round but they are worth it. Besides you get extra points for making your own ginger syrup and that means bonus skill-sets for your arsenal of party favors.

Tim Johnstone is Dappered’s music correspondent as well as our resident gatherer of all things interwebs related. He’s currently undergoing a Tim Improvement Project™ (Version 4.0).