December Wrapped
A beginning, middle, and end.
December
The last month of the year felt like an ending, a middle, and a beginning all at once. I've been quiet on Substack this month, wrapping up too many projects, but also prioritizing offline time with friends. This is (hopefully) the last winter I'll spend as a Vancouver resident, so I've been making the most of my remaining time with friends and the proximity to nature I've taken for granted over the past few years. It's also the first month my breakup has felt complete—like all the personal work I've been doing since June has finally culminated in real clarity, healing, and growth. There are still pieces I'm picking up and putting back together, which I'm ready to work at and be patient with. But I'm really happy with where I'm at, and I haven't felt like this in a long time.
I keep seeing—and loving—posts on Instagram that say, “This is how life sounds when you’re not starting over for the new year, you’re just continuing the process you’ve already been living.” This is also the first year in many where winter hasn’t felt hard. It hasn’t felt depressing, exhausting, or dark. Three years ago, I decided to try to beat SAD, and maybe I’m finally getting somewhere. Or maybe I’ve finally removed myself from the circumstances that were keeping me anchored in unhappiness. Either way this December feels like a middle, like I’m already on my way to an amazing 2026.
Loving
I did upgrade to the iPhone 17 Pro Max this year and can confidently say the photo quality was well worth the jump. The protect this unnecessarily expensive piece of tech, I’ve really been enjoying the MOFT vegan leather case in Navy Blue. The quality is amazing and it looks great paired with any of the new iPhone colours.
Saie slip tint baked setting powder
I finally finished the Laneige Neo Blurring powder which has been my favorite over the last 3 years so I thought I’d try something new. Janice swears by this Saie baked powder and I totally understand the hype now. It wears beautifully over make up and adds a little extra coverage to anything you’re wearing. It also looks great on it’s own for those “no make up” make up days. Definitely a new fave.
I’m a die hard fan of the Logitech MX Master mouse series so as soon as I found out they released a new one, I ordered it immediately. The MX Master 3s was by far my favorite mouse I’ve ever used and I will say it was slightly more comfortable for my hand size. The MX Master 4 feels a little larger which took a day to get used to but the multi-use button that gives you an action ring (like their creative console does) is definitely a bonus for us shortcut warriors. The haptic feedback is also fun change but I haven’t found it particularly useful yet.
Consuming
The Housemaid
Watched The Housemaid with Janice Fong since she’s back in town and it definitely fuelled my “smash the patriarchy” mindset some more. It was a fun watch if you’re looking for some woman-power energy.
I’m such a believer that the universe brings you the exact books you need when you need them. I had a week in December where grief was feeling extra hard so I picked this book up as a “light read”. Little did I know, it would tackle some of the feelings that I’ve been trying to understand in myself in a lighthearted, funny way and ended up being the perfect comedic relief to my tough week.
Repeating
Running
If you told me at the start of 2025 that I’d end up loving running I would’ve laughed in your face. I’ve always hated cardio so I’m still not entirely sure what made me want to start running this year. I have a suspicion that it’s because life felt so out of control and crazy this year that I needed to prove that I could take on hard things. Even if I hated it. Even if I thought I’d never get through it.
Either way, it’s gone from challenging, the therapeutic, to something I look forward to weekly. This just proves that we really can be anyone we want to be if we really want it.
If you’ve also been curious about running (or maybe am just inundated with running content on social media like I’ve been), I shared some of the things that got me into it in last week’s post.
Olivia Dean
Much like the rest of the world, I’ve had Ms. Olivia Dean on repeat since November. I keep finding songs of hers that describe how I’m feeling to the T but The Hardest Part and Be My Own Boyfriend have been the two that I listen to the most. Is it that obvious that I’m in my healing era?
Starting
I know we don’t love social media on here but I am trying to look at my relationship with content and social media differently. In December, I started a new Reel series that I actually feel quite proud of. The series was inspired by Jonas Luskey’s journaling videos and how vulnerable he gets with his writing.
I’ve been sharing more personal stories and feelings here and on my journaling Substack, Of Late, so I finally decided to bring some of those glimpses into my life to Instagram.
I’m honestly blown away at the feedback I’ve gotten so far and it feels motivating (but also a little heartbreaking??) to know so many people can relate with how I feel. This series feels near and dear to my heart and is something I want to continue working on this year as I continue to figure out what content feels the most authentic to me.
Snapping
This piece really captures something special about healing as continuation rather than disruption. The way you frame December as simultaneously an ending, middle, and beginning perfectly describes how growth actaully unfolds in real life. I've noticed the same thing in my own recovery work, where the pressure to "move on" often made things worse, but allowing myself to stay connected to what matters made everythign lighter. The insight about removing yourself from circumstances versus just battling symptoms is kinda profound.