32 Cozy and Inspiring Ways to Embrace the Season!
including Grace Farris' unique career, how to feel happier every day, and a coat guaranteed to get compliments
Hello! Welcome to the first free Happy on Purpose edition of 2026!
How are you feeling midway through January? Every December, I fantasize about how healthy and productive I’ll be after the holiday bustle ends, but inevitably, when January arrives, I’m not ready to throw myself into hard work and hustle. I feel an urge to gently hibernate and regenerate: to dream, scheme, and make audacious plans…but not execute quite yet!
In the countryside where I live, the midwinter lull is pronounced: the cattle, sheep, chickens, pigs, and horses are mostly indoors, the farmstands are closed, the fields and forests are brown and barren, and the nighttime sky is velvety black. It feels right to honor the rhythm of the season: to be home with a fire crackling in the hearth, soup bubbling on the stove, taper candles twinkling at midday, sipping endless cups of tea, and getting into bed (with a good book!) deliciously early, safe in the knowledge that as the warmth of the sun returns in the coming months, so will my energy and verve.
I’m an avid reader of print magazines and hope this issue feels like a satisfying glossy filled with cozy, inspiring ideas, including Grace Farris’ unique career as a doctor and cartoonist, 12 proven ways to feel happier each day, cheerful winter fashion, and good things to watch, read, and click on.
How are you feeling this month? Are you hibernating, hustling, or doing Dry January? I’d love to hear what you’re reading, watching, and cooking!
Grace Farris is one of my grown-up crushes: she’s a doctor, mom of two boys, aged 10 and nearly 14, and the genius illustrator of beloved parenting cartoons and books.
Grace lives in Austin with her family, and it was delightful chatting about how she combines two very different careers, and her latest book, More Than a Million, a heartwarming and hilarious bedtime story that’s fun for both parents and kids, and the perfect gift for new parents.
Here’s Grace on medicine, racy novels, and combining two careers…
1. Being nosy. Medicine is a great field for a very nosy person (like me!) because it gives you a window into other people’s lives and cultures. I started volunteering at a hospital as a teenager, and loved that it was a microcosm of humanity and the world.
2. Combining careers. I always loved to draw, but after college, I thought, Okay, I’m putting this in a box because I’m going to be a serious doctor. When you’re a woman, you often say, Oh, this is just a little thing I’m doing, but I got lucky when my first boss discovered I’d drawn an autobiographical comic strip in college, and he told me that graphic storytelling was becoming a thing in healthcare. Now, there are conferences with nurses, doctors, chaplains, artists, and academics, which are very helpful for my career development.
3. More Than a Million. One of the coolest things about parenting is watching my kids’ sense of humor evolve from peek-a-boo to sophisticated. This book features many kinds of parents and lots of mischievous kids, and is full of jokes, including “scandalous” ones like “I love you more than a million lice on your head!” It rhymes and is meant to be a pleasure for both parents and kids to read at bedtime.
4. Inner artist. When my first book, Mom Milestones, came out, I went to both of my kids’ classrooms and asked if it was hard to draw a soccer ball. All the fourth graders raised their hands, but in the first-grade classroom, no one did. The first-graders were all, “No, we’re all set, we’re fantastic artists!” It was an example of how, when you’re little, you think, “I am the best artist that’s ever been!” But soon after, we stop believing that.
5. Balance. Medicine gets a bad rap for flexibility, but most physicians I know have a lot of control over their schedule. There are some trade-offs, and I sometimes work on big holidays because I’m not in the office Monday through Friday, but when I go to college reunions, I’ve noticed that all the doctors seem very happy with the balance in their lives.
6. Racy novels. I didn’t realize that for the longest time, I was reading literary fiction filled with sex scenes! Now I embrace romance. Some favorites are Elizabeth of East Hampton, a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, and The Proposal, by Jasmine Guillory, featuring an ambitious, career-focused main character. I recently loved The Ten Year Affair: it was funny, and the first book I’ve read that accurately pins down that feeling of, “well, the pandemic happened, but we’re just gonna pretend it didn’t!”
Thank you, Grace, you are the best! More Than a Million is available in bookstores and online now, plus you can subscribe to Grace’s newsletter, Weekend Mom.
When I feel off and unsettled, the first thing I do is consult my Happiness Checklist: the 12 simple (mostly) easy and free daily practices that help me feel whole, healthy, and at ease. Often, it only takes a tiny adjustment—like taking a break, checking in with a friend, or turning my face to the sun—to make me feel better.
My checklist is a reminder that, while I can’t control what the world throws my way, there’s much I can manage. It’s especially helpful in winter, when the gloom dampens my mood.
The colorful and cozy things bringing me joy this month!
Closet Heroes
1. Straight jeans. I have these in Meteor and love the supportive, ultra-stretch fabric.
2. Swing coat. I receive compliments every time I wear my red coat, plus it’s on sale!
3. Super-soft joggers. I truly live in these.
Cheerful Sweaters
4. Yellow stripe.
5. Fairisle.
6. Pink polo stripe.
Cozifiers
7. After-shower body oil. Non-greasy and smells delicious.
8. Cozy cabin socks. My new favorite sleep socks!
9. Fancy body wash. The coriander scent is warm and spicy.
📺WATCH. I’m thrilled that the second season of British spy show, The Night Manager, is out, starring the debonair Tom Hiddleston. The first season is an all-time favorite, and I loved the John Le Carré book, too. I’m also watching the Netflix thriller, His and Hers; enjoyed Eternity, a touching movie starring Elizabeth Olsen, and can’t wait to see Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson singing Neil Diamond hits in Song Sung Blue, at our local theater this weekend!
📚READ. Earlier this week, I asked Happy on Purpose readers in the Chat for immersive and well-written books but aren’t dark or stressful. Check out the thread for excellent recs, including several I hadn’t heard of: Dinner with Edward, Still Life, Lost Lambs, and Evvie Drake Starts Over.
🎧LISTEN. James Clear’s conversation with Mel Robbins on making and breaking habits is an excellent distillation of his bestseller, Atomic Habits.
One weird trick to feel happier at home. I find this to be VERY true!
How little exercise can you get away with? I’m a huge fan of the 5-minute workout when there’s no time for more, and scientists are now finding the “minimum effective dose” of exercise is smaller than previously thought.
The 7 Habits of Self-Assured Midlife Women. “Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.”
No One Ever Said You Must Wear Tight Pants...and 49 other lessons learned during my half-century on earth!
A Powerful Happiness Habit That Really Works. A super-easy gratitude practice
The Secrets of Happy Families. The 5 most important lessons from my difficult childhood.
How to Have Better Conversations with Friends. An easy trick that works like magic
7 Affordable Luxuries That Make Life Better. Indispensable products for $35 and under!
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💘The next free issue will come out in February—I’m thinking about a love-themed edition for Valentine’s Day. Take care, and I’ll see you then!
P.S.: 🤣 Teenager texts. “What’s your handmaiden name?”
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I have red Adidas track pants that I bought for the Oasis concert in August, and it's been a personal challenge to wear them as much as possible, and I get compliments EVERY TIME. Something about red...
Thanks for the warm fuzzy read!
Also I can't believe the second season of the Night Manger is out...9 years later. Such a great show.
Just catching up, and love this! (And that New Yorker cartoon, SO funny — and true!)