We all know that Thanksgiving will be different this year. For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed being the sous-chef (otherwise known as chopping and pouring wine) for my mother’s feasts. One year, my father brought home a Gourmet magazine and pointed to its glam ‘80s cover shot and asked her to recreate it for our family’s holiday table. Perfection, no surprise if you know Joanne, except the moment when my sister returned from her California boarding school and declared she was a vegetarian.
I will also never forget the Thanksgiving meal with my parents and my friend Greg at the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York. Each table in the glittering and glorious dining room not only received their own turkey, but a box of divine leftovers to take home for the weekend. Because my birthday is always around this time — my father snuck in turkey and treats for my mother in her hospital room two days after I was born — sometimes it’s a double whammy on the actual day. No matter what flavor of pie, there would always be cake (usually lemon from a Coral Gables Bakery).
Next week I will turn 52 on Thanksgiving Day. And like any Type A daughter of an overachiever, I announced I would make my mother’s famous spread myself, perhaps over FaceTime since they can’t be here. My husband watched me assemble the recipes for a few days and then intervened. Not happening. After almost 20 years of marriage, he’s seen this movie before and declared we were ordering takeout.
And for that I’m deeply grateful. I know we can all get through this — pressure off, please — and enjoy each other’s company once again whether around the table or at a fancy restaurant. Until then, I offer a few distractions below.
P.S. Yes, I know it’s been a minute since my last newsletter, so if you want to get the weekly “must-haves”, don’t miss Morphmom’s Happier Hours where we interview women doing incredible things around the country. Check it out Wednesday with Broadway producer Betsy Dollinger (Wicked, Jagged Little Pill, Six, Mrs. Doubtfire, just to name a few) live at 6pm tonight or catch up with the recorded episodes here.
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My husband has been stalking the stream waiting for this documentary about the “world’s most dangerous amusement park” that most New Jersey kids remember from the ‘80s. For Gen Xers, it will remind us of an era free of helicopter parents and how times have really changed. The rest of you will just laugh and scratch your heads, wondering how in the world....? |
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If there was one show I cried over when it closed, it was David Byrne's American Utopia. Thankfully, Spike Lee brilliantly captures the Talking Heads frontman and his crew for the small screen. Just try not to dance in the living room to "Burning Down The House" and revel in their rendition of my favorite Janelle Monaé anthem, "Hell You Talmbout". |
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This weekly podcast from Air Mail editors Michael Hainey and Ashley Baker has been my Saturday staple from its inception. I can’t help but smile as my former Details colleague and the savvy style editor break down the newsletter’s best stories. From reminiscing about the Golden Era of NYC restaurants to getting the scoop behind Ina Garten’s viral cosmo moment or coaching a David Sedaris two-part episode (because having just one is never enough), it's a delightful diversion. |
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This book by Maggie O’Farrell transported me to Shakespeare’s world — historical novels are forever my favorite — and his family life outside of the London stage where he was trying to cobble his career together during the plague. I know, I know, but I promise I escaped for a few hours (and the bubble bath with bubbly never hurts while reading either). #selfcareSunday
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You’ve probably already finished this new season already, but I wouldn’t be worth my salt if I didn’t include it. My father shared a reviewer's reaction that we’ve might have had our fill of Aston Martins rolling through the country roads and Olivia Coleman’s vacant stare out the palace windows, but I just can’t help it. Can you? |
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I predict this will be the gift for that style-setter friend this season. What Becomes a Legend Most: A Biography of Richard Avedon lays out the behind-the-scenes brilliance of the iconic photographer’s story as he defined the pages of magazines like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Hint, hint?
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I fell in love with Dune Jewelry’s concept of incorporating sand to create exquisite pieces like this sterling silver Wave Necklace. Whether you send in your own or choose from more than 4,500 locations in their Sandbank, it’s quite the memorable gift that’s made in the USA. Bonus: use our code HappierHour, save 15% with a portion donated to coastal and global causes. |
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Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes competing to bring the best surprise guest — Jennifer Aniston, Gustavo Dudamel, Robert Downey, Jr. just to name a few — combined with their best-friend banter make this the perfect podcast escape from whatever fresh hell your day has brought before you. Also, binging it while cleaning out the closet might be the smartest thing I've done yet.
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THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT
If you take a dash of Mad Men’s midcentury design and add a jolt of feminist strife from a striking chess ingenue, you’ve got this series in a nutshell. Just get past the first episode (Valley of the Dolls meets Annie anyone?) and your sophisticated teens will devour it along with you.
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If you're missing it like I am, soothe your soul with On the Rocks. Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola should always make movies together, and this father/daughter romp through the city with Rashida Jones playing a frustrated writer/mom had me nodding with recognition over scenes such as waiting in the drop-off line and nursing the perfect martini at The Carlyle. And of course, The Undoing is hitting every high point, from the $30 million Upper East Side living to the Nicole Kidman's wardrobe as she navigates husband Hugh Grant's sins. Guilty pleasure indeed. |
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