The Daily Valet. - 12/17/21, Friday
✔️ The Holidays Can Be Tough
Friday, December 17th Edition
Gonna miss you, but I’m looking forward to a break.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
↦ We’re wrapping things up for 2021.
↦ Tomorrow, you’ll get the last newsletter of the year with a weekend long read. Then, the team and I are going on a holiday break.
↦ We’ll see you back on Monday, January 3rd.
Today’s edition is presented by
Today’s Big Story
The Holidays Can Be Tough
But this year has more than usual spoiling the fun
The holidays come with the promise of gifts, cookies and general merriment with friends and family. But we all know the reality isn’t always so swell. Seasonal fatigue, stress and financial anxiety may test our emotions and drain the holidays of festivity. Even our own expectations can sabotage our joy.
Nearly 40% of Americans report that they become more stressed out during this time of year, according to the American Psychological Association. But it should be noted that, despite the widely held belief that suicides peak during the holidays, evidence reported by U.S. News and World Report suggests that is not the case. So ... we’ve got that going for us?
But while we were all hoping this would be the first normal-ish holiday season in two years, there are a couple of notable things that are most definitely going to make Christmas less than ideal this year. Like a highly contagious COVID variant that has triggered new restrictions on travel and public gatherings reminiscent of the dark days of 2020.
Then there are the supply chain complications wrought by our unending crisis that have been seriously mucking up the chances of your loved one getting your gift on time—or you simply receiving whatever it is you ordered online, at all.
And what about technical snafus? According to Gizmodo, tech workers are currently sweating their way through the worst software bug in recent memory. Companies are scrambling to patch their systems before some sort of holiday hack-apocalypse happens and breaks the internet. Oh, and don’t forget about the affectionately termed “Grinch” bots, which are gobbling up online inventory like there’s no tomorrow.
Finally, we have weather to contend with. This week has been marred by hurricane-force wind gusts, dust storms and tornadoes as well as numerous heat records. And the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center is projecting high chances of above-average temperatures for the eastern two-thirds of the nation over the next week—meaning little to no chances for a white Christmas.
↦ FYI: To help you manage the pressure and tension that comes with family get-togethers, we consulted some experts for their go-to advice on keeping calm.
There She Is ...
Miss America moves to streaming, raising questions about its culturally relevance
Did you miss the 100th annual Miss America competition on Thursday where Miss Alaska, Emma Broyles, was named as the state's first-ever pageant winner? Yeah, me neither. And we're not alone.
While the annual broadcast used to be a much-hyped TV spectacle, reliably drawing huge nationwide ratings, this year it was shipped to Peacock, NBCUniversal's streaming platform.
As the Washington Post's Amy Argetsinger, who just published a book on the history of the pageant, put it: “Miss America is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a shadow of its former self, plagued by infighting, litigation, a damaging email scandal and slow-burning financial challenges.”
MSNBC makes an interesting point that the pageant is arguably less culturally relevant today than it ever has been. And how that's a good thing. “If Miss America can just be a pageant, something that some women choose to opt in to—and enjoy—while the rest of us feel no pull toward its centrifugal force of high-drama femininity, why waste time railing against it?” Feminists seem to have rightly moved on to more pressing issues like abortion access, racial justice and workplace harassment/equity.
Partner
Don't forget to send a gift. When you're not sure what to give, this is a classy move that really delivers.
Travelers, Rejoice!
You will soon, finally, be able to renew your passport online
Here's some good news to wrap up the week (and the year): We will soon be able to renew passports online. It's all part of President Biden's new executive order “transforming federal customer experience and service delivery to rebuild trust in government.”
If you didn't know, the turnaround time for a standard passport renewal right now will take up to 11 weeks, according to the State Department. (For $60 more, an expedited renewal application can take up to seven weeks.)
You also have to mail in your passport, marriage certificate, and other important documents and hope you'll get them back. But now the antiquated system will be replaced with a simple, efficient online system that won't require any physical documents to be mailed.
According to Forbes, the new USA.gov, the official site for federal government services, is being revamped as a “centralized one-stop shop and 'digital federal front door' to improve access to the most sought-after government services and programs. Altogether, the executive order covers 35 high-impact service providers across 17 federal agencies,” which will make it easier to access to social security benefits, file taxes and yes, travel.
↦ Biased Opinion: I don't know why I waited so long to sign-up for Global Entry, but I'm never going back.
A Weekend Pairing
The Nowhere Inn + a Whiskey Smash
For lovers of the offbeat and inventive, the mockumentary-slash-thriller-slash-comedy The Nowhere Inn should check plenty of boxes. It's written by and stars Annie Clark (better known as the musician St. Vincent) and Carrie Brownstein (known both for her music in Sleater-Kinney and her comedy in Portlandia), and it ostensibly functions as a concert tour documentary—but it descends into a strange pit of self-exploration.
Pitchfork called the Sundance favorite one of the best movies of the year and says it's a “Lynchian black comedy about the rock star persona versus the person behind it, complete with dizzying tour footage from the Masseduction era and callbacks to Mulholland Drive.” Meanwhile, Variety says the film can “feel so clever it gives you a headache.” But in the best way, right?
↦ Your Pairing:There’s something very Rock 'n' Roll about whiskey right? But since we’re civilized, we’re not going to swig it from the bottle. No, we’re going to make a whiskey smash. When muddled with some lemon and fresh mint, that biting whiskey sting is unexpectedly lighter and brighter.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Partner
About Those Last-Minute Gifts
What to get your hosts and other hard-to-buy for folks
The Nutcracker bouquet, $110
As we wade deeper into the holiday season, there are plenty of parties to attend, families to visit and friends to catch up with. So if you're looking for ways to express your affection and gratitude, send something UrbanStems. Our go-to flower source is known for procuring on-trend blooms and creating stunning arrangements that fit a wide range of styles. They prioritize working directly with Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in order to cut out unnecessary middlemen and deliver the freshest bouquets.
And they happen to have a fully-stocked gifting section with host gifts, table centerpieces and luxe home goods. If you can't be there in person, you could send a lovely arrangement to liven up someone's table. If you want to send a last-minute surprise, they've got bouquets, candles and even dried flowers that are sure to impress. Or if you've received a gift and need a quickly-delivered thank you, they've got you covered. Plus, their popular floral subscriptions let you have freshly cut blooms delivered every month.
The Poinsettia, $35
The Clarence, $130
12 garden roses in a Kate Spade hand-drawn glass bowl. The Revelry, $130
Blue and green jewel-toned dried bouquet. The Austria, $110
The Madras, $50
↦ Browse all gifts at UrbanStems
Special Promotion
Give Some Serious Outerwear
Got a snowboarder, skier or outdoorsman on your gift list this year? How about someone who just hates the cold? Well, then this is the brand you've been looking for. Drawing inspiration from vintage clothes and Cali skate culture, 686 merges a relaxed West Coast style with high-end technical innovation. For the past three decades they've been on the forefront of developing, testing and engineering technical fabrications and laminations in outdoor performance apparel. The end result? Cool, comfortable clothes that were literally engineered for active-minded people. Herewith, a few of our current favorites that work as well on the ski slopes as they do on the sidewalk.
Smarty 3-in-1 cargo pant, $219.95
Everywhere pant, starting at $94.95
Sub-Zero down jacket, $179.95
Utility pant, $169.95
↦ Browse more gifts from 686
Special Promotion
Modern Gifts for Active People
Looking to give clothes that are more than just garments? Ministry of Supply specializes in stylish pieces that not only look and feel good, but are backed by genuine science. Based out of Boston and born in the labs of MIT, the brand's clothes are engineered for motion, comfort, easy care and the planet. From bio-based fibers to natural odor and humidity control, they're clothes that are built to move and engineered to stay fresh and comfortable. Some of our favorites this season are the Composite merino boxer brief (a new product that actively controls heat and airflow) and the Joule active legging (the most popular women's product, now in new colors). But there's something here for everyone on your list ... and don't forget yourself.
New! Heat, humidity and odor controlling Composite merino boxer brief, $38
Velocity flannel pant, $168
Most popular women’s product! NASA Phase Change temperature controlling Joule active legging, $118
Fusion straight leg pant, $138
↦ Browse more gifts from Ministry of Supply
Morning Motto
Time to make those resolutions.
↦ Follow: @case.kenny
That’s all for today...
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