November Favorites | 2025
November is stealthy good, you know? It’s like everyone looks forward to summer, and then October, and December obviously, but November is a banger that gets so little due. She is Thanksgiving, guys! She is Still Autumn. She is mulled wine and the smell of woodsmoke. She is burgundy fingernails and the pregame to Christmas.
This month, I got really into Snoopy Jazz playlists on Youtube. I also hauled out so many candles and romanticized how to turn my kitchen into my favorite restaurant. I hung up string lights in my home office. I loved when it was cloudy and drizzly outside.
I took off a week of PTO - actually, I did one of those PTO hacks over Thanksgiving, using up only 3 days of PTO but getting the entire week + both weekends off. Today is my last day of that vacation, and I do feel so recharged! Maybe not excited to get back to work, but I am relaxed and that’s something.
November was the month that really got me thinking about filling my evenings. When it’s dark at 5pm, the evenings feel sooooo long and I get really lazy and bored. I went into overdrive trying to find activities to keep me from defaulting to my phone. More on that below, but suffice to say that analog hobbies are becoming an obsession. Related: what are you guys watching lately? If I have a hobby in hand, I find myself so much more able to pay attention to something on TV too and I’m actually watching things. Last night, I watched The Carmen Family Deaths. It feels unresolved but the lead up is pretty interesting.
Finally, I leave you with this - my one and only hero recipe: Pumpkin Bread Trifle. I make it every Thanksgiving to a good deal of applause and listen, nobody is every excited about my cooking, so you know it’s an excellent recipe.
1 // Hobbies
AKA filling my evenings. I found myself scrolling for hours in the evenings and then it would still only be 7pm and I’d be completely bored. Time to haul out some of those hobbies I’m always saving to my pin boards. I picked up this bead kit and made my first necklace this weekend, all while watching Sister Act and actually paying attention to it. Dreamy!
I’m also loving diamond painting and practicing calligraphy (lol low expectations!) in a sketchbook. Mostly I just write out my to-do list in the sketchbook, but look, practice makes perfect and there’s something so satisfying about making a list look NICE.
2 // Not Just the Tudors Podcast
A recommendation from this Substack and I’m so into it. Every episode features an interview with a subject matter expert from around the Tudor dynasty times. Not just the Tudors (so it’s aptly named) but it’s a lot about the Tudors, and I’m enjoying the range.
3 // Presidential History
I’ve always been interested in presidential history - especially memoirs from White House staff or the Secret Service - and I guess I just stumbled on a whole jackpot at the bookstore a couple of weeks ago. I grabbed The Secret Lives of the US Presidents and The President’s Club and I’m working my way through both right now. The former is great - quick chapters that includes the president’s height and astrological sign. For gals who know they’re a Leo and like to listen to NPR (aka me). We’re a great many things, folks!
4 // Old Navy Pants
First of all, I have these great wide leg pull-on trousers that I bought last year (sold out now) and they’re still doing the job. They look really formal, but the waistband is elastic and you know what that means for Thanksgiving. I’m not a masochist and I will not wear a button and zipper on Thanksgiving day, okay. These were great - I felt put together and also felt like there was plenty of room for pie!
Earlier this month I also picked up these fleece wide-leg pants in extra tall and they’re definitely “at home” pants and boy do I. I space it out by swapping in these high-waisted wide leg leggings that are pretty casual but I wouldn’t hesitate to wear them to the grocery store. I actually just ordered a second pair ($11!) because I expect I’ll be wearing this rotation allllllll winter long.
5 // Illustrated Harry Potter Books
Earlier this month, I scored years 2 and 4 from a thrift bookshop for $3 each and then my MIL gifted me an illustrated Christmas at Hogwarts book, and I’ve just been enjoying the heck of out these old favorites. My dream is to collect the entire series in its illustrated format, so I’m stalking the shelves of said bookshop for the foreseeable future.
PS - did you see the new full cast audio version has recently been released. WHAT A TREAT. The cast is great too.
6 // West End Girl
Boy did I get hooked. I was such a fan of Lily Allen in the Smile days and I feel like I picked right back up where we left off with the new album. Her voice is so sweet and beautiful to be singing those crazy things - haha! My favorite is Dallas Major and Nonmonogamummy, but I usually listen to the entire album from start to finish.
7 // Thanksgiving
One of the best holidays IMO - it’s all the fun of Christmas (food, family, board games and bottles of wine) without the stress of shopping for everyone. We roadtripped to spend the holiday with my in-laws in my husband’s hometown. Our niece has brand new twin baby girls that we got to meet and snuggle with and man, falling asleep on the couch with a baby nestled in the crook of my arm really took me back! My MIL made a bangin’ cheesecake and we spent hours playing Heads Up. We headed back home on Friday morning to try and beat a winter snow storm and got back just in time to hunker down for the weekend. Now the tree is up and the Christmas movie rotation has commenced!
8 // Bestsellers
No surprise, we’re all gearing up for the holidays. This pyrex set for holiday leftovers and cookie swaps was easily the biggest seller of the month. We all love the stunning wrapping paper over at Rifle Paper Company. The Sephora sale got a lot of us - this is what I took home. Speaking of Old Navy, this extremely cozy sherpa hoodie was quite a find! Adidas had a truly epic Black Friday sale that found prices all the way down to $36 and I’m so glad a few of us were able to score! It’s lamp season baby and these are $10 and fit just about anywhere.
Addendums -
Enjoying November // romanticizing the whole GD month.
Thanksgiving in carousel format
Everything I bought for Christmas // An itemized list.