“Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while,” says Malorie Blackman, a Black British writer. The transportative quality of a good book is more than just entertainment — it’s a powerful experience that allows us to drop into another person’s consciousness. It is one thing to hear someone tell you about their life, but it is quite another to spend time in their mind and experience their story almost firsthand. Studies show that reading fiction increases empathy, and helps us to behave with more care and consideration for others.

“The transportative quality of a good book is more than just entertainment — it’s a powerful experience that allows us to drop into another person’s consciousness.”

Reading is also a powerful way to help us feel less alone when we experience grief, trauma, or heartache. James Baldwin said, “It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive or who had ever been alive.” Learning that the greatest hardships in our lives can connect us across time and space with other humans is not only healing but nearly magical. When resources and energy are scarce, it is incredible that we can still travel, find community, and connect with others just by opening a book.

If you’re seeking stories that spotlight Black voices, you’ll find many below — including writing below that reckons with difficult histories and generational traumas while, at the same time, showcasing incredible resilience and enduring joy. You’ll also find romance novels, comedies, poetry, and other collected writings that capture a diversity of experiences. Read on for my personal recommendations of books by Black writers, both fiction and non-fiction, that offer us the gift of experiencing someone else’s story.

What are some books by Black voices that you have read and loved? Let us know in the comments so we can add to our stacks!

1. Between The World And Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

This powerful work examines the American legacy of racism in a letter from the book’s author to his young Black son. Part memoir, part critical history, Coates asks us to consider the cost of the social construction of race on Black and Brown bodies by putting us into his shoes as he recounts revelatory personal experiences of his life as a Black man in America. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook to hear the writer read the work himself for an even more immersive and intimate experience.

Read Between The World And Me

2. Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey

This book of poetry is my most well-loved and often revisited collection for its precise and vivid imagery, powerful subject matter, and lines that I can’t stop thinking about. Titled for one of the first Black regiments called into service during the Civil War, Trethewey reclaims the lost legacy of these soldiers and blends their voices with the memory of her mother, a Black woman whose marriage to a white man was illegal in their native Mississippi during the writer’s childhood in the 1960s. Trethewey’s artful weaving of national and personal narratives of the difficult history of the Deep South won this profound collection the 2007 Pulitzer Prize. Another book I highly recommend listening to as the writer’s voice will give you chills.

Read Native Guard

3. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

If you want a rich, multi-generational family novel that digs deep into the shifting sands of social identities, this is the book for you. Spanning forty years and two generations of women, the story begins with the Vignes twins whose identical upbringing takes a sharp turn that results in one sister living and passing as a white woman while her twin remains Black, living in their home southern community she’d once tried to escape. When they have daughters of their own whose lives intersect, the story takes a compassionate look at the ways that our expectations, desires, and loyalties must reckon with the influence of the past. It’s a gripping read, and there is a point in the book where no reader (including this one) can put it down.

Read The Vanishing Half

4. Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

It’s no secret that I love romance novels, so this list would be incomplete without one of my favorite contemporary Black voices in the genre: Talia Hibbert. This book is the first in a series that follows the three Brown sisters and their romantic adventures, all of which are compassionate, deeply charming, and extremely sexy.

Chloe Brown has a near-death experience and decides to make some changes in her life. She makes a list of ways she can “get a life,” beyond the confines of her quiet experience bound by computer work and a chronic illness. Goals like “ride a motorcycle,” lead us to the perfect rebellion mentor: Red, the sexy bad boy with a gruff exterior and secret habit of painting shirtless that Chloe may or may not spy on just a little bit (and, yes, he definitely has a motorcycle). It’s sort of enemies-to-lovers but entirely funny, sensitive, and very hot.

Read Get A Life, Chloe Brown

5. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are at the beginning of a promising life together, deeply in love and poised to launch into success in their respective careers. But then Roy is arrested for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. While he is serving a twelve-year prison sentence, Celestial’s art career takes off, and she finds unexpected solace in the arms of the best man from their wedding. Roy’s conviction is overturned after five years, and while he is ready to return to their American Dream and resume their marriage, Celestial’s life and heart have moved on.

This work is a deft and masterfully told story about the realities of wrongful conviction on a Black family. It’s a heartbreaker, but the writer’s tenderness toward her characters amidst a hard look at the realities around race and the criminal justice system in America manages to keep humanity at the core.

Read An American Marriage

6. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

This book absolutely floored me for its sheer scope and absolutely unforgettable writing. Spanning eight generations of a Black family, the book begins in eighteenth-century Ghana with two sisters –– one marries an Englishman and lives a life of luxury in the Cape Coast Castle, and the other is captured in a raid and sold into slavery. Each chapter follows their descendents as the story moves through 300 years of the legacy of slavery and colonialism on both the lineage that remained in Ghana and the one that crossed the Atlantic in the slave trade. This book is a truly singular work of art, bringing our global history into an intimate, unforgettable reading experience.

Read Homegoing

7. New People by Danzy Senna

A perfectly crafted novel, this smart, darkly funny book inspired a passionate argument in my writing group that only made me love it more. The story takes place at the end of the twentieth century following couple Maria and Khalil as they plan their wedding while living in a Black bohemian enclave in Brooklyn. With their matching beige skin tone, they are co-starring in a documentary about “new people” like them, a designation that begs the question of the nebulous nature of social and cultural identities. But Maria, deep in her dissertation work about the Jonestown massacre, has a growing fixation on a Black poet she barely knows, leading her to blur the lines between fantasy and reality, as the bounds with which she has defined her very self begin to unravel.

Read New People

8. The Fire This Time edited by Jesmyn Ward

An essay collection in conversation with James Baldwin’s seminal 1963 collection “The Fire Next Time,” this book brings together some of the most powerful contemporary writers on race and racism today (including many names on this list!). Jesmyn Ward’s selections are alive with purpose, centering Black experiences across a breadth of topics from music to mass shootings. Each masterful poem and essay is grounded in a willingness to confront the brutalities of our country’s harshest truths, all while showcasing a level of piercing intellect that made me pause, take notes, and then go back to read each sentence again and again.

Read The Fire This Time

9. Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

As the title suggests, Noah’s mixed-race parentage was considered an imprisonable offense in apartheid South Africa, and the author was kept hidden for the early years of his life. Once liberated, he and his mother begin a new life together exploring a world suddenly free of centuries-long oppression and struggle in which Noah was never meant to exist. Despite navigating the bleak realities of poverty and violence, these stories are often laugh-out-loud funny, weaving together the ordinary drama of puberty and dating with the ups and downs of a nation recovering from apartheid. The relationship between mother and son is at the core of each story, with a nuanced, complicated, and deeply moving portrait of the ways they grow and change together. This is another I recommend listening to: Noah’s voices for the various characters, and his expert delivery, add a layer of comedy that only he can achieve!

Read Born A Crime

Bonus — On my TBR: Everything Inside: Stories by Edwidge Danticat

A collection of short stories is, in my opinion, the perfect bedside book if you are a compulsive “Just one more chapter!” type like me. Reading a complete story gives me a sense of satisfaction and something whole to think about as I drift off, carrying over with me into the next day. This collection from the great Edwidge Danticat is at the top of my stack, and I can’t wait to dig in.

Read Everything Inside

Stephanie H. Fallon is a writer originally from Houston, Texas. She has an MFA from the Jackson Center of Creative Writing at Hollins University. She lives with her family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where she writes about motherhood, artmaking, and work culture. You can find her on Instagram or learn more on her website.

The post 9 Books By Black Authors Our Editor Loves appeared first on The Good Trade.

One concussion, followed too quickly by another, wreaked havoc on my mental and physical health, causing a cascade of negative effects that would lead to a prolonged recovery and PTSD diagnosis.

I became terrified of what my brain would endure in the world outside my door. Anything that would threaten my head in any way, however small, became something to avoid — low-hanging tree branches, other people, a missed step and subsequent “jostling” sensation. 

“All of it was rooted in anxiety. None of it was real. But I couldn’t tell the difference.”

All of it was rooted in anxiety. None of it was real. But I couldn’t tell the difference.

The PTSD showed up as nightmares and panic attacks. I would hardly leave my house. I thought I was protecting myself, but in fact I was shrinking my world down, making things worse. What I was experiencing is called hypervigilance. PTSD and anxiety mimic the symptoms we’re worried about, convincing us we’ve relapsed when we’re just flooded with cortisol. This vicious cycle makes us feel stuck, even when we’re making progress.

As a writer and a singer-songwriter, my life was built around language. After the injuries, I couldn’t access any of it — not reading, not writing, not singing. When your brain is injured, it can’t process information the way it used to. Anything too complicated — complex sentences, layered melodies, even conversations — quickly overtaxes your system and worsens symptoms. Headaches. Nausea. Dizziness. Light sensitivity. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t think clearly. I couldn’t listen to music. 

“I couldn’t read. I couldn’t think clearly. I couldn’t listen to music.”

As Tove Danovich wrote in The Atlantic, describing her own concussion recovery: 

“For months, a five-minute phone call made me exhausted, as though I’d been swimming laps for an hour. I couldn’t drive, and even as a passenger, looking out the window made me nauseous. Observing anything felt like work; my eyes skipped, as though the world was a slowed-down film reel. My real work…was impossible. Fun, too, was out of the question. Trying to retrieve thoughts felt like rummaging through one empty file cabinet after another. My self, that person who exists in the wiring in my brain, had gone missing. I worried that she might be gone for good.”

For weeks, I lay in darkness, unable to move, unsure of who I was without the things that had always defined me. My guitar and piano would sit untouched for years, and my way back to music would be anything but linear. I was hopeless, convinced I would never get those things back again. 

As I started to heal, I realized I wasn’t alone in feeling overwhelmed and anxious. The numbers tell a stark story: Anxiety rates have surged 25% globally since the pandemic, and things haven’t leveled off. In the U.S., 43% of adults report feeling more anxious than they did the previous year — up from 32% just two years ago. That’s a sustained upward climb, not a temporary spike. And despite all this, only 24% have talked with a mental health professional. That leaves a lot of people looking for other tools.

What changed when I stopped using words

Talk therapy and EMDR helped with the worst of the PTSD, alongside medication. Intensive physical and occupational therapy helped my brain recover. Eventually, I started listening to music again, but for years, I stayed away from writing my own music entirely. It wasn’t really a choice — my brain simply couldn’t handle it.

Helping my brain mend meant protecting it from overstimulation: avoiding overly complicated music or writing, keeping phone calls and visits short, and minimizing time on screens. As my brain healed, I was drawn more and more to quieter music — classical, ambient, neoclassical — genres defined by their unobtrusiveness. 

“I was drawn more and more to quieter music — classical, ambient, neoclassical — genres defined by their unobtrusiveness.”

In 1975, Brian Eno famously invented what we now think of as ambient music while sitting in a hospital bed, recovering from a car accident. His friend had brought him a record player and a record of 18th-century harp music, but Eno couldn’t reach the volume control. 

The music was playing too quietly for him to hear it, but as he lay there, he listened to the rain outside, the din of the hospital, the crinkle of his sheets rustling, all while the distant harp music continued at a barely discernible volume. It was then he realized music could simply be a part of our surroundings, not necessarily the focal point. This kind of listening became important in my recovery.

Eventually, something shifted and I found myself drawn once again to picking up an instrument. But when I did, I didn’t want to write the way I used to — complex song structures, lyrical turns of phrase, any singing at all — because none of it was accessible.

Instead, I played simple chord progressions. Repetitive patterns. Nothing complicated. And something unexpected happened: 20 minutes at the piano would leave me calmer than anything else I’d tried. My hands would be steady. The constant tension in my chest would ease. My hypervigilant brain would go quiet.

I started playing daily, and it became part of my healing toolkit alongside therapy and medication — each addressing different aspects of recovery. Only later did I learn that what I’d stumbled into has significant scientific backing.

Why instrumental music works differently

Researchers have found that instrumental music activates specific neural pathways that help regulate stress responses. In fact, a 2021 meta-analysis of 32 randomized controlled trials found that simply listening to music (what researchers call “receptive music therapy”) significantly reduces anxiety symptoms, with instrumental music proving more effective than vocal music.

The key difference with instrumental music? No lyrics means no language processing. Your brain doesn’t have to work to decode meaning. It can simply respond to sound, rhythm, and pattern. For those of us with overstimulated nervous systems, that makes all the difference.

“No lyrics means no language processing. Your brain doesn’t have to work to decode meaning.”

A 2013 study published in PLOS ONE showed that music listening significantly reduces cortisol, the stress hormone, and improves autonomic nervous system recovery — the body’s automatic regulation of heart rate, breathing, and digestion — after stress exposure. That’s because music engages multiple brain regions simultaneously, activating auditory, motor, memory, attention, and emotion processing systems, as reported in a 2025 review published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 

What I didn’t know during my recovery — but research is now confirming — is that music is uniquely suited to brain healing and neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize and heal itself. A 2021 study from the University of Helsinki found that neurological music therapy improved behavioral regulation and executive function in people with traumatic brain injuries. It’s why I could play simple melodies when reading a paragraph was impossible.

Why this matters right now

What started as my personal pathway out of trauma has become something larger. Through my newsletter Fog Chaser, more than 8,000 subscribers tell me this music helps them through anxiety, work stress, panic attacks, and grief. They describe it as “a dose of calm when everything feels too loud.”

This resonates because instrumental music addresses the specific way our nervous systems are failing us right now. We’re not just stressed — we’re overstimulated. 

“Instrumental music addresses the specific way our nervous systems are failing us right now. We’re not just stressed — we’re overstimulated.”

Many of us are searching for accessible tools to help manage this overwhelm. Listening to instrumental music offers something uniquely suited to this moment: It’s immediately available, requires no special equipment, and calms your nervous system without requiring cognitive effort.

The science suggests most of us can benefit from intentional instrumental listening — we just need to know what to listen for and how to use it.

How to use instrumental music for nervous system care

Based on both research and experience, the music that works best tends to share certain qualities: A moderate tempo (you’ll feel this even if you can’t name it); no lyrics competing for your brain’s language centers; familiar harmonic structures your brain can predict without working too hard; and minimal sudden changes in volume or intensity. Consistency matters more than complexity.

“Consistency matters more than complexity.”

You don’t need to overhaul your routine to benefit. Just 10–15 minutes is enough for your nervous system to respond. And remember what Brian Eno discovered in that hospital bed: The music doesn’t need to be your focal point. Let it sit in the background at a low volume, creating an environment for your body to settle rather than something demanding your attention. 

Pay attention to what actually works for you. Some people respond to solo piano, others to strings or layered ambient textures. Your nervous system will tell you what helps — trust it.

As for when to use it: I’ve found certain moments especially receptive. Morning transitions, before you check email or start work. During focused tasks, when your attention networks need support. Between meetings, as a way to reset. Evening wind-down, when you’re signaling to your body that it’s time to shift gears. These small pockets of intentional listening add up.

Where to find music that actually works

The biggest challenge is knowing where to find music that has the right characteristics to help. Most streaming platforms don’t let you search by tempo or harmonic structure, so you need different strategies.

“The biggest challenge is knowing where to find music that has the right characteristics to help.”

When searching Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube, try terms like “neoclassical piano,” “ambient instrumental,” “slow classical,” or “focus music no lyrics” — these typically surface music with the simple, predictable structures that help rather than distract. Many traditional classical pieces also have the characteristics we’re looking for. 

If you’re new to instrumental music, I’d start with some of these artists, many of whom create layered, textural soundscapes that feel like being wrapped in sound:

Piano-focused:
Hania Rani, Poppy Ackroyd, Eydis Evensen, Agnes Obel, Gia Margaret, Nils Frahm

Ambient/Electronic: 

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Elori Saxl, Hollie Kenniff, Julianna Barwick, Vines (Cassie Wieland), marine eyes, Ólafur Arnalds, Philip Glass 

Strings & Harp:
Lara Somogyi, Mary Lattimore, Anna Phoebe, Arvo Pärt

I’ve created a playlist specifically for The Good Trade featuring pieces that helped me heal — all embodying the tempo, simplicity, and structure research shows works best for nervous system care. You can find my stress relief and recovery playlist, Healing Sounds, here.

What I’ve learned about healing

My guitar and piano sat untouched for years. I thought they’d stay that way forever. But here’s what I didn’t know then: Sometimes the things we think we’ve lost are just waiting for us to come back differently.

“Sometimes the things we think we’ve lost are just waiting for us to come back differently.”

Years later, I play piano most days — not the way I used to, but in a way that matters more. Simple patterns. Quiet melodies. Nothing complicated. My hands are steady. The chest tightness is gone. The hypervigilance has loosened its grip.

Healing isn’t linear, and it doesn’t look the same for everyone. But our nervous systems need help in this overstimulated world, and instrumental music offers something immediately accessible, scientifically backed, and genuinely effective.

If you’re struggling right now — if your world feels too loud or too threatening or too much — instrumental music might give you what it offered me: a way back to yourself. ✨

What helps your nervous system settle? I’d love to hear what’s working for you in the comments.

Matt Evans is a composer and songwriter who turned his recovery from traumatic brain injuries into Fog Chaser, a newsletter delivering original instrumental music for focus and calm. New compositions monthly at fogchaser.substack.com 

The post How Instrumental Music Saved Me—And Why It Might Help You Too appeared first on The Good Trade.

But life experience is a lot like birthday cake — best when it’s shared. 🎂 So this year, we decided to reach out to you, our readers, for even more advice across every decade of life.

And let us tell you — you delivered. We spent hours poring through advice from people in their teens all the way up to their seventies, grateful for all you had to share. Some of you even gave advice for years you have not yet reached, and they read like beautiful manifestations and affirmations of what you want for your life and for others. 

We selected some of our favorites below, but know that every tidbit of wisdom was received with warm hearts (and some teary eyes). Thank you, friends, for making the internet a kinder place, and for making aging seem a lot less scary.

Have your own piece of advice? We’d love to hear about it in the comments! ✨

Table of contents

• Advice for your teenage years
• Advice for your 20s
• Advice for your 30s
• Advice for your 40s
• Advice for your 50s
• Advice for your 60s
• Advice for your 70s (and up!)

Advice for your teenage years

“Trust in yourself and what you know. Don’t feel like you need to fit into a mold or what everyone else says you should be into, look like, dress like, etc. Let your inner voice guide you, and when in doubt, read some books!” —Ifrah A, 20s

“Meditate.” —Colette G, 20s

“Build self-confidence through keeping promises to yourself while you still have a ton of energy! Trust yourself to follow through on doing the things you deserve, like moving your body, eating whole foods, spending time with friends, and everything that makes life fun.” —Anonymous, 20s

“People aren’t thinking about you nearly as much as you think they are.” —Rachel T, 30s

“I don’t know who started the rumor that women need to be hairless to be attractive, but men don’t care. Anytime I’ve mentioned not being waxed or shaved the answer is always ‘so?’ Do what you want, it’s your beautiful body.” —Jacqui D, 30s

“Keep tweezers and wax far away from your eyebrows.” —Hanna S, 30s

“Slow down. You’ll grow up faster than you think and there are so many experiences to be had right now. Savor the time. Learn from the good and the bad. The intensity of your emotions are a gift, don’t ignore them. Sit with them. Consider them. And never be afraid to ask for help. You are loved.” —Laurie N, 40s

“Give yourself some grace and learn about how hormones impact your experience and perception. Be kind to yourself. Enjoy the freedom of your teens while respecting it and take into account how future you may be impacted by present choices.” —Elizabeth C, 40s

“Your parents are on your side. Your family is always going to be there. Value your time with them.” —Manjusha G, 40s

“As much as you want to moan and groan when your parents start acting ‘all young and silly,’ LET THEM. Life flies by REALLY fast and reliving teenage moments to them feels like yesterday.” —Nic K, 40s

“Find a mentor that you can share feelings with and ask important questions Don’t worry about not being in the cool gang, you will find your groove and tribe many times over throughout your life” —Sandi C, 50s

“Find your hidden gem. What makes you tick? Claim it. Find a good therapist. Go at least 4 times then you’ll have the rapport in place for when you need it. Avoid alcohol. Don’t ask why…just wait.” —Lisa PS, 50s

“Be open and learn from your elders. They have life experience which turns into wisdom as it ages.” —Amy S, 60s

“Oh darlings, just hold on tight. It’s all so confusing and wonderful all at the same time. Choose your friends carefully and don’t be afraid to be yourself and love that person.” —Dianne S, 70s

“Oh darlings, just hold on tight. It’s all so confusing and wonderful all at the same time. Choose your friends carefully and don’t be afraid to be yourself and love that person.”

Dianne S, 70s

Advice for your 20s

“Find something you enjoy that you can go to when in tough times.” —Anonymous, 20s

“You should not compete with others, drink way less, and ask a lot of questions. Also, suffering in relationships is not love. Leave.” —Mariana CR, 20s

“Know your worth and that it’s okay to make changes. You don’t have to be locked into a path and follow that to its end. You can shift and change course. Your skills and time are valuable, never let anyone else undermine that.” —Ifrah A, 20s

“You definitely don’t have to know your next step (your 20s are for figuring yourself out), but you should have a strong set of values by your mid-20s that guide the decisions you make. That way, you’ll end up in the right place, even if you don’t know what that place is right now.” —Anonymous, 20s

“Be intentional about your relationships, learn to invest in those people that also invest in you. Continue to love others. Go at the pace you’re called to go, you don’t need to get married right away, or have kids right away, or get a house right away. Everyone has their own pace.” —Shine R, 20s

“Celebrate your friends’ accomplishments, big or small. A new apartment, an engagement, leaving a crappy job…Be happy for the people around you!” —Celia W, 20s

“Everything will be constantly changing during your 20s, so try your best to build a relationship with yourself that can ground you when things become confusing or overwhelming. Get to know yourself (and your inner child, very important!), meditate, move your body, do more of what you like, say no to the things you don’t and try not to take life too seriously.” —Iris G, 20s

“You can change. And change again. And change again.” —Farrin M, 30s

“Have fun! Make mistakes and learn from them!” —Jen K, 30s

“Approach this decade with ferocious curiosity” —Kimberly H, 30s

“Sexual health is important, get your pap smear every year, get tested for STDs, and make sure your partner does as well.” —Jacqui D, 30s

“Everyone is struggling. It’s not just you.” —Hanna S, 30s

“Don’t turn down road-trips or special moments with one or both of your parents. You’ll regret it if you turn down some sweet bonding time.” —Anonymous, 30s

“Life is long: don’t rush to work and have a stable life. Don’t obsess over money, clout and status. Dance, cook, have sex, do drugs, stay at home, sleep in the streets, do whatever except obsess over work and money.” —Elena S, 30s

“Even though everyone says you should find a career in something you love, not everyone should. Depending on that about which you are passionate for your livelihood can take the joy out of it. Find a job you enjoy, one that is fulfilling, but it’s okay to keep your passions for yourself.” —Laurie N, 40s

“Be kind to yourself. Learn how to enjoy spending time on your own.” —Elizabeth C, 40s

“You will not be the same person 20 years, don’t take it too seriously.” —Michelle L, 40s

“Eat healthy, drink water, take care of your skin and get exercise, and build healthy routines, rituals, and habits—your 40+ age self will massively thank you.” —Nic K, 40s

“Work on yourself in little ways (with that therapist from your teens :). Start saving money. Start thinking about needs vs wants. Kiss a lot of different people. Say nice things to yourself in the form of affirmations. If you have a shitty mom or dad, find new role models. Journal. Travel to as many countries as you can. Begin in this decade.” —Lisa P, 50s

“My 20s were the toughest decade for me, trying to find my niche. Explore. Try different jobs. Live in different parts of the world. Be open to learning more about yourself. I was drawn to Tarot cards and astrology to understand myself. Therapy never hurts.” —Amy S, 60s

“Get out of your head and into the world, experience is much better when you feel it with your heart.” —Susan M, 60s

“Fall in love with everyone.” —Dianne S, 70s

“Get out of your head and into the world, experience is much better when you feel it with your heart.”

Susan M, 60s

Advice for your 30s

“Develop an awareness of how you feel and follow it. Drink your water, wash and moisturize your face. Quit that job. Find a new one thing and follow it like a rabbit down a hole.” —Farrin M, 30s

“Don’t panic if you seem to be doing things later than everyone else. We all grow and discover at different rates. At the same time, don’t let fear hold you back. You are so much stronger than you think.” —Jessie C, 30s

“This is where transformation happens. This is when you learn about yourself more than ever. Allow it, embrace it and be proud of how far you’ve come” —Allison R, 30s

“Glass of water before bed. Glass of water before morning coffee. Now that does a body good.” —Hanna S, 30s

“If you’re not happy, make a change until you are. Life is too short to spend living someone else’s narrative. Nothing matters as much as being true to yourself. So do the things that make you happy and distance yourself from those that don’t.” —Cris A, 30s

“Trust your gut but don’t always do as your experience tells you: take chances, risk things, cry a lot.” —Elena S, 30s

“I felt like this was the time when I started to settle into my being, my life, and my future but that wasn’t quite right. We should constantly learn, change, evolve, and expand. From our souls to our bodies to our surroundings, seek growth. Surround yourself with love and people who nourish you. Find your community (if you haven’t already) and build upon your foundation.” —Laurie N, 40s

“This is the stage for some belly button gazing and doing some self work.” —Michelle L, 40s

“Be patient with your partner — you are together for a marathon, not a sprint.” —Manjusha G, 40s

“Perfect the art of being attentive and buying quality gifts people will love to receive. Invest in a quality mattress and quality bedding — sleep is important and you best love being in the place you do it every night” —Nic K, 40s

“Take care of yourself, this includes your: feet, mental health, and physical strength. Also, if you’re interested in starting a family and haven’t yet, it can still be done — admittedly, having my one and only baby at 40, I can tell you that you can do it, just know your body can struggle more if you’re not actively working towards improving yourself (exercise, etc.).” —Rebecca W, 40s

“Be kind with your changing self. Life is happening now. You don’t have to be perfect to be accepted or loved.” —Marie C, 40s

“There is no perfect time to start a family.” —Michelle Q, 40s

“Stop trying to be happy all the time. Strive for contentment and appreciate happy when it happens.” —Regina M, 50s

“Stay true to yourself. This is the decade when you might erode/lose who you are at your core due to life changes, partnerships, children, and peer pressure.” —Cathy V, 50s

“Travel. Travel. Travel. Develop grounding daily practices. Trust. Begin investing. Learn new things. Read all the time. Be a good friend. Find your inner wisdom. Talk to her regularly. Keep checking in with your therapist. If they suck, definitely find a better one.” —Lisa PS, 50s

“Eat well, watch alcohol consumption.” —JA, 60s

“Don’t feel that you have to take on everything. Job, marriage, parenthood. You’ve still got some time, you’re still growing. No unnecessary pressure.” —Dianne S, 70s

“Trust. Begin investing. Learn new things. Read all the time. Be a good friend. Find your inner wisdom. Talk to her regularly.”

Lisa PS, 50s

Advice for your 40s

“If you’re lucky, you still have as many years ahead as behind. What an amazing time to exist. The knowledge you have earned over the last few decades can make this the most beautiful time in your life so far. This can be the decade of comfort and exploration. You’ve likely established yourself in one way or another. Maybe it’s time to lean into that or maybe it’s time to renew yourself. It’s also time to make sure you’re taking care of your body and mind. Feed and exercise both in a way that rejuvenates. You will be rewarded for that love.” —Laurie N, 40s

“Take care of your skin (full body), do more of what you love, and go to bed by 10 — or find a way to get all your sleep.” —Anonymous, 40s

“Be kind to yourself. You are still so young and don’t forget it. Appreciate your body.” —Elizabeth C, 40s

“If you haven’t started already, spend as much time and collect as much wisdom you can from the elders in your life you’re close to. […] Your 30s will have flown by and your 40s go even faster. Stop filling your life with clothes, make-up and other material things. Spend the money on trips and memories and experiences, and savings.” —Nic K, 40s

“You still have plenty of time ahead of you. Make this time yours and not others’!” —Marie C, 40s

“Remember that even those people in your life that you trust fully will eventually cause hurt to you through betrayal, dishonesty, or just plain bullying (yes, bullying is still a thing). Having the grace and strength to get through these challenges are built throughout your earlier decades. Don’t lose who you are because those of peer pressure.” —Cathy V, 50s

“Trust your inner wisdom. Claim your voice. Keep traveling. Nurture friendships. Hire help. Limit alcohol. Keep your practices strong. Give time to your community. Take your neighbor’s garbage cans in and out. Travel. Volunteer in another country. Keep learning. Get a dog. Write. Teach others what you know best. Be kind. Tip a lot. Save and spend. Do both equally.” —Lisa PS, 50s

“I felt my strongest, internally in my 40s. Sex is great. Go for it.” —Amy S, 60s

“Buckle up. Contribute to 401k, patience, enjoy life while kids are still home.” —JA, 60s

“Ok now you are a big person….an adult. You may think you were before but most people shouldn’t have made life altering decisions before now.” —Dianne S, 70s

Advice for your 50s

“I have just turned 50 and although I’ve just moved countries, changed my career, learning a new language, I’m still searching out things to do, places to go….. live life to the full. I’m focused on my health because I want to be fit and independent for as long as I can. I make sure people I love and my well-being are at the forefront of my life. Looking back I probably have only one wish which is that I probably should have invested more but it’s only a minor practical thing that I can say from hindsight.” —Sandi C, 50s

“Continue to learn every day, especially through younger and older people. Be open to evolution and keep in mind that the world is so incredibly different than when you were growing up. Practice patience with those who feel like their old ways are the best ways but also free yourself from their company when you realize that their values and philosophy about living are completely contrary to yours.” —Cathy V, 50s

This is a good time. If you’ve taken care of yourself, your body is probably perfect. So is your mind. You have gained knowledge and experience enough to give good sold information and advise. It’s a decade to reevaluate and look at some of the things you wanted to do but didn’t. If you are a parent you can start to have a meaningful adult relationship with your children.” —Dianne S, 70s

Advice for your 60s

“WOWOWOW…how did I get here and what is next? I spent too many years surviving, sometimes thriving, sometimes crying, but 60 wasn’t on my radar. Dream of your next life early on.” —Susan M, 60s

“60s are a time to reflect and think about the person you are. If you’re retired and worked all of your life you most probably didn’t take the time to tweak any emotional flaws that may have been their all your life. It’s time to sit back any really look at the way you are, or not loving yourself. It’s time to stop giving any of your energy to criticism, negativity or judgment to yourself and to people and things around you. It’s time to realize that what you think is who you are. Be soft, be accepting. We’re all, including you, doing the best we can.” —Dianne S, 70s

Advice for your 70s (and up!)

“It’s really a lovely decade. BTW, I forgot to say all this time you should have been moving and breathing! If you have, and you’re healthy, enjoy every minute. It’s one of the best times in your life. Spend time being kind, generous. Laugh a lot. Stay mindful, love every moment this life continues to give you. Being is a privilege and an honour. Don’t ever take it for granted. Love yourself. See beauty in the world. And look in the mirror every day and tell that reflection looking back how wonderful they are. The world is Divine and so are you.” —Dianne S, 70s

“Love yourself. See beauty in the world. And look in the mirror every day and tell that reflection looking back how wonderful they are. The world is Divine and so are you.”

Dianne S, 70s

Emily McGowan is the Editorial Director at The Good Trade. She studied Creative Writing and Business at Indiana University, and has over ten years of experience as a writer and editor in sustainability and lifestyle spaces. Since 2017, she’s been discovering and reviewing the top sustainable home, fashion, beauty, and wellness products so readers can make their most informed decisions. Her editorial work has been recognized by major publications like The New York Times and BBC Worklife. You can usually find her in her colorful Los Angeles apartment journaling, playing with her cat, or crafting. Say hi on Instagram or follow along with her Substack, Pinky Promise.

The post We Asked Our Readers For Advice On Aging By Decade — Here’s What You Had To Say appeared first on The Good Trade.

“We rehearsed every Monday, and when I first joined, I really needed that structure.”

What’s my obsession with Mondays, you ask? A couple of years ago, I decided to join a community choir in Chelsea. We rehearsed every Monday, and when I first joined, I really needed that structure. I was clouded by depression (which I later found out was due to an acne medication I was taking), and my remote job only made me feel more isolated. 

Music has always been intertwined with my DNA, as tangled up in it as corded headphones at the bottom of your bag (a lost art, right?). My dad plays Chopin on the piano like it’s as easy as Hot Cross Buns; my mom’s voice rivals an angel’s. So as soon as I could sit on the piano bench without sliding off, I was taking lessons. Then I married the keyboard to the vocal chord, taking voice lessons, singing in select choirs, and even sometimes playing out with my dad. 

So when I needed something to lift me out of my melancholy, community choir seemed like just the thing. And it was. For a while. 

But then I started to get burnt out by the whole “every Monday” thing. I couldn’t say yes to other plans, or even have the option of doing nothing on what is famously the most draining day of the week. The commute to choir was lengthy, almost an hour each way, made more hectic by rush hour, near-certain train delays, and the anarchic bedlam that is the Times Square subway transfer. I spent most of the rehearsal not focusing on the music, but impatiently checking my phone to see how close we were to the end. 

“I started to get burnt out by the whole ‘every Monday’ thing. I couldn’t say yes to other plans, or even have the option of doing nothing.”

So, I thought about quitting. And then not quitting. Over, and over, and over again. I imagined how calm I’d feel having a Monday evening with no obligations. But that fantasy would be swiftly shattered, or at least fractured, when I would think about Betty, the older woman in the tenor section who always smiled when I walked in. Or the two women I sat next to in the soprano section, and how we’d snicker between measures, the adult version of passing notes in class. And Dusty the golden doodle, who was adamant that belly rubs were far more important than the SATB arrangement of “Smooth Operator.” 

Because, of course, choir was about singing. But I can sing in the shower. The people (and dogs) made the choir worth it, and I felt as if quitting meant I didn’t appreciate them the way I should have. Despite that guilt, I couldn’t hide that I just wasn’t looking forward to choir anymore. And once I was able to admit that, it seemed like it should’ve been easy to leave the choir behind. So why was I having such a hard time making this decision? 

“I felt as if quitting meant I didn’t appreciate them the way I should have.”

Rebecca Hendrix, LMFT, helped me unpack that. As I described my dilemma, Hendrix noticed that this was more than a mild case of indecisiveness. I was judging myself, terming myself a “quitter” and allowing that declaration to color how I thought about myself. 

She suggested a reframing of my decision from one that condemns change to one that celebrates my ability to listen to my needs, both now and in the past. When I started choir, I was listening to my needs at the time: More social interaction, a new routine to soften my depression, a return to more musical roots. Now, I have different needs: More downtime during the week, and space for more spontaneity, should I want it. 

While quitting felt so negative to me at the time, I now realize that the ability to let go of a hobby is just as vital as taking the leap to start one. But acknowledging that is one thing. How do you actually do it? 

Accept that you won’t be 100% certain 

We’d all like to be unflinchingly sure of the decisions we make, but that’s not the reality. That tug in the other direction, that gray area that never seems to settle into black or white, can cause us not to act on very real feelings. But as it turns out, being uncertain about something and doing it anyway, that is where progress is made. 

“We’d all like to be unflinchingly sure of the decisions we make, but that’s not the reality.”

Being a marriage and family therapist, Hendrix remarked on her experience with couples, saying, “I can’t tell you how many couples walk down the aisle, feeling like they should be 100% like, ‘This is the best day of my life, I’m absolutely certain this is the best person for me.’ They’re not. But they walk down the aisle anyway, and they have a very healthy, long-term, successful relationship.” 

Certainty can be comforting, but it can also make us more rigid than we need to be. Uncertainty just means that thing you’re quitting is nuanced — not all good, not all bad. 

Listen to your gut, but don’t judge it

If you’re feeling like you might want to quit something, there’s probably a reason. Whether it’s dread, boredom, burnout, or some cocktail of the three, those are flags worth paying attention to. Your job is to give those signs a nod, without slipping into judgment. 

“If you’re feeling like you might want to quit something, there’s probably a reason.”

Hendrix gives the example of choosing to end a friendship. “Someone might ask, what does it mean about me that I don’t want to be friends with this person anymore? Well, I make it mean that I’m not kind. Can I forgive myself and say that just because I’m not going to be friends with that person doesn’t mean I’m not kind?”

She calls this a self-honoring choice, one where you resolve not to draw conclusions about your character based on a single decision. We can apply this to everything, including the hobbies we choose to step away from. 

“She calls this a self-honoring choice, one where you resolve not to draw conclusions about your character based on a single decision.”

Okay, so what if it’s something more important than a hobby? What if you’re volunteering for a cause where people depend on you? Isn’t it selfish to quit in that case? 

Hendrix says no. “It’s not selfish, it’s self-honoring to take care of myself first. Because if I do, I’m going to have more to give.” 

It all comes back to the ever-evolving nature of our needs. Just because you commit to volunteering in one period of your life doesn’t mean you have to do that forever. And it also doesn’t mean that the time you did show up is worth less because you didn’t stick with it. 

Your hesitancy to quit might be exactly why you should

If you’re reading this, you’re probably someone who makes decisions methodically. That doesn’t mean you break out a pros and cons list to buy a new pair of jeans (though if you do, I would not judge it). But you’re less impulsive when it comes to the way you distribute money, time, and energy. 

“We’re hard-wired to persevere, to follow through, even when it’s inconvenient.”

That’s a good thing! We’re hard-wired to persevere, to follow through, even when it’s inconvenient.

Your hesitancy to quit means that you’re a thoughtful person who makes grounded decisions. And sometimes the best decision is to grant yourself the fluidity to let go of a hobby, rather than digging your heels in as if to say, “I planned to like this, so I have to like it.” 

Just because you quit something doesn’t mean you can’t come back to it

Viewing my decision as permanent is what made it stressful for me. I felt like I was operating within some kind of “The Little Mermaid” logic: You can trade your tail for legs, but you have to give up your voice forever. 

Again, it comes back to self-judgment, or even the judgment you imagine others are casting on you. Those people stuck with choir, those people aren’t quitters, those people are better at balancing life than I am… the list goes on. 

“It comes back to self-judgment, or even the judgment you imagine others are casting on you.”

Chances are: No one is analyzing your decision that deeply. If you take some time off from a hobby and decide to go back to it, no one is going to think that you’re lesser for it. 

You shouldn’t either.

Olivia Macdonald is a NYC-based writer. Her advertising work for clients like the Harris-Walz campaign and the state of Connecticut have been featured in AdWeek and AdAge, but more importantly, have been a big hit in the family group chat. You can read more of her writing in her newsletter, om nom, and on her website.

The post How I Learned That “Quitting” Isn’t Always A Bad Thing appeared first on The Good Trade.

My husband turned to ask me if we should invite everyone over for an early dinner. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with everyone, especially those who lived far away, so the answer was obvious even though this would mean throwing an impromptu dinner party for thirty people. 

“The answer was obvious even though this would mean throwing an impromptu dinner party for thirty people.”

We let those we could know in person to come by around four, and asked them to text the ones we hadn’t been able to touch base with to spread the word. On the way home we swung by the store, grabbed a couple of bags of pasta, one gluten free alternative, and a whole bunch of vegan sausages. We went home to do what we could to prepare.

We pulled out any spare chair or stool we had, put two huge pots of water on to boil, dumped two or three jars of sauce into their respective pots once the noodles had cooked and set out several large baguettes next to the butter dish. Thoughtful guests who had a chance to run by the store brought bottles of wine. When they arrived, we instructed everyone to grab a plate and let people know where they could find the glassware so they could help themselves.

Anyone who was able-bodied and under the age of fifty sat on the floor, leaving the seats for the likes of my grandma’s generation, which included my 88-year-old grandfather, two of my great uncles, and two great aunts. My grandmother was the first of their generation to go, and this was the first time my generation would grieve someone we’d grown up making memories with. I was very aware that this was the beginning and the end of an era.

“I was very aware that this was the beginning and the end of an era.”

One of the things I remember most about that night was my mother and one of her first cousins sitting on the rug, legs folded to their chests and plates atop their knees, giggling and clinking their glasses. I couldn’t help but think this was the best possible way to close out the day of my grandma’s funeral — a woman who had gathered all of us so many times before and had hosted countless dinner parties over the decades.

Another especially meaningful gathering that comes to mind is my husband’s 34th birthday. To mitigate our guests’ wide array of dietary needs, we invited each group or pair to bring a dish of their choosing. That night we ate vegan tacos, enjoyed an artfully curated charcuterie plate, and a traditional Middle Eastern dish called makloubeh that is cooked in a huge pot and served only after a climactic move that requires the server to flip the enormous dish upside down and hope that the rice doesn’t spill everywhere (the flip was a success — we have a video!).

After we ate, we headed out back to sit around the fire pit, as usual. Everyone had seconds and thirds, smoked hookah, and laughed into the night. The meal was a rich mish-mash, the evening a hodgepodge — just like us.

“The meal was a rich mish-mash, the evening a hodgepodge — just like us.”

Perhaps my favorite, though, was the time we hosted forty people at our house for Thanksgiving. We still lived in that same two-bed, one-bath house that was built in 1920 — arguably too small to host a large group of people. Modern amenities were few and far between. But she had character for days, and we had a really long driveway that inspired us to set up the longest table we possibly could and invite everyone who could come.

And they did. We filled the table to the brim. We rented linens and chairs and dishes, and everyone brought an entree or a side. One of our dearest friends filled vases with foraged blooms from the neighborhood and made personalized name cards. Another brought his turntable and made it his job to keep the music going. 

The people who came spanned four generations, several different family trees, and folks drove in from the desert and up from San Diego. I remember both ends of the long table were reserved for our two guests in wheelchairs. I remember missing my grandpa, who had died just a few months before, and really wishing he was there. I remember my daughter, not even a year old, wearing a red corduroy jumper, the youngest at the table. 

The candles burned all the way down, surrounded by half-empty glasses, wine stains, and the general mess of a well-used tablescape after everyone has finished their meal. Most people stayed well into the night, and I remember at one point capturing a video through the back window of a handful of men gathered around the fire, laughing. I knew this was it — the thing we’re all always chasing. Connection and community.

“I knew this was it — the thing we’re all always chasing. Connection and community.”

We woke up the next morning to the leftover mess in the backyard. Our friends who had spent the night helped us clean up. Our daughter played while we did so. It occurred to me that this was her very first Thanksgiving, and what a Thanksgiving it was.

To be honest, our great big Thanksgiving dinner wasn’t exactly within our budget. And often hosting more people than we planned isn’t. I’m certainly not advocating for financial irresponsibility, but my point is we’ve never once regretted the splurge.

Now it’s old hat, second nature for us to invite our friends and their kids for a post-nap run around the backyard and casual dinner parties. If capacity allows (emotional, physical, or otherwise), we pivot to add one more to the table, one more to the calendar, one more evening to our rolodex of priceless memories with the ones we love.

Kate Arceo is the Community Manager at The Good Trade. She has a Bachelor of Science from Evangel University and has over 5 years of experience reviewing sustainable home and lifestyle brands, as well as organic kids’ apparel and nontoxic cosmetics. When she’s not hosting dinner parties with her husband at their home in Southern California, you can find her sipping a latte at their local coffee house or shopping for strawberries with her kids at the farmers market. Say hi on Instagram!

The post The Case For Hosting (Even If You Don’t Have The Perfect Home) appeared first on The Good Trade.

In my practice as a functional medicine doctor, we often talk about food as medicine, movement as medicine, and sleep as medicine. But gratitude? Gratitude might be one of the most underappreciated forms of medicine of all.

“Gratitude might be one of the most underappreciated forms of medicine of all.”

When we practice gratitude, something profound happens: Our nervous system softens, our heart rate steadies, and our brain begins to rewire itself toward safety and connection instead of vigilance and stress. That single moment of thankfulness ripples outward — lowering cortisol, balancing hormones like serotonin and melatonin, improving digestion, and even supporting deeper, more restorative sleep.

The research is clear: Gratitude doesn’t just make you feel better. It changes you on a cellular level. 🫶

How gratitude rewires stress hormones

Let’s start with a simple but confronting question: Are you more often grateful, or chronically stressed?

Usually (and I mean no shade when I say this), we don’t need practice in being stressed. But we do need practice — and reminders — to make gratitude a habit that lasts longer than November.

Chronic stress keeps the body in a perpetual state of “fight or flight.” Cortisol rises, heart rate quickens, and your system stays on high alert, constantly scanning for the next demand. Over time, this wears on your biology. Your stress response becomes dysregulated, hormones lose rhythm, and symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, poor sleep, and inflammation begin to appear.

“When the body feels safe, healing, hormone balance, and true rest finally become possible.”

Gratitude, on the other hand, sends the opposite message. It tells your body, you’re safe now. And when the body feels safe, healing, hormone balance, and true rest finally become possible.

Thankfulness works like a counterbalance. When you intentionally shift your attention toward what’s good — a moment of laughter, a sunrise, a warm meal — your brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the same neurotransmitters that elevate mood and build emotional resilience. Studies show that consistent gratitude practice can lower cortisol levels by up to 23%, improve heart rate variability, and even reduce inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP).

In short, gratitude helps regulate the very systems that stress disrupts — your hormones, your sleep, and your sense of inner calm. It doesn’t erase life’s challenges, but it gives your body a way to respond to them with steadiness instead of survival.

The hormonal ripple effect

Your hormones respond directly to your emotional environment. When stress dominates, cortisol suppresses reproductive hormones like estrogen and progesterone, disrupts thyroid function, and interferes with blood sugar balance. Gratitude acts as an antidote to that spiral.

But it’s not just about thinking grateful thoughts — it’s about feeling them. There’s a somatic difference between saying “I’m grateful” out loud and actually pausing long enough to sense gratitude in your body. That felt awareness — the warmth in your chest, the breath that deepens, the shoulders that drop — is what tells your nervous system you’re safe.

“There’s a somatic difference between saying “I’m grateful” out loud and actually pausing long enough to sense gratitude in your body.”

When your body perceives that safety and connection, oxytocin (the “bonding” hormone) rises, cortisol lowers, and your parasympathetic nervous system — the “rest and digest” mode — comes online. You digest better, your cycle steadies, your energy stabilizes, and your immune function improves.

The simple act of feeling what’s going right, even for a few seconds, creates a cascade that supports hormonal balance from the top down.

Gratitude and sleep: Why it’s easier to rest when you’re thankful

One of the most beautiful (and practical) effects of gratitude is how it supports sleep.

Studies from UC Davis and the National Institutes of Health have found that people who regularly express gratitude fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and wake up feeling more rested. Why? Because gratitude decreases rumination — the anxious, looping thoughts that keep us wired late into the night. Thankfulness is a powerful pattern interrupt for anxious thoughts that keep us wired into the night.

“When you consciously focus on what you’re thankful for, your brain shifts activity from the amygdala — the fear center — to the prefrontal cortex, the area linked to emotional regulation and calm.”

When you consciously focus on what you’re thankful for, your brain shifts activity from the amygdala — the fear center — to the prefrontal cortex, the area linked to emotional regulation and calm. This shift activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering heart rate and blood pressure and signaling safety to the body.

Thankfulness also boosts serotonin, a neurotransmitter that not only lifts mood but helps regulate melatonin — the hormone responsible for maintaining healthy sleep cycles. Research has shown that people who keep gratitude journals report lower nighttime cortisol and improved heart rate variability (HRV), a key marker of nervous system balance.

When you end your day by acknowledging what you’re thankful for, your brain begins to associate bedtime with safety and contentment rather than unfinished tasks or worries. It’s like a grown-up version of counting sheep, except it works by calming your biology.

Gratitude prepares your body for rest in the most natural way possible. It’s a practice that quiets the mind, regulates the hormones that govern sleep, and reminds your body that it’s finally safe to exhale.

How to build a gratitude practice that actually works

Gratitude doesn’t have to be grand or performative. It doesn’t require a journal, a perfect morning routine, or an inspiring sunrise. What matters most is consistency — not just checking in once at the end of the day, but weaving thankfulness into small, ordinary moments. The kind of gratitude that changes you is really just the practice of slowing down enough to feel what’s good.

Because gratitude isn’t just a mindset; it’s a physiological experience. When you let your body register safety, pleasure, or appreciation, even for ten seconds, you’re training your nervous system to recognize calm instead of chaos. Over time, that shift helps move your baseline from stress to steadiness.

Here are a few simple, science-backed ways to make gratitude stick:

• Habit stack it. Anchor gratitude to something you already do, like your morning coffee, commute, or brushing your teeth. Repetition helps your body feel safe in routine.
• Make it sensory. Instead of “I’m grateful for my health,” try “I’m grateful for how strong my legs felt on this morning’s walk.” Tangible details activate the parts of your brain linked to emotional regulation and reward.
• Share it out loud. Expressing gratitude to a partner, friend, or even a stranger increases oxytocin, the hormone that fosters connection and trust. And if it’s part of your spiritual practice, speaking your gratitude out in prayer can do the same — deepening both peace and presence.
• Catch it in the moment. Gratitude isn’t something you have to save for later; it’s something you feel as it’s happening. Think of it as your conversation with life. Notice the warmth of your coffee, your child’s laughter, the quiet between tasks. These micro-moments are where your nervous system learns to rest.
• End the day with it. Before bed, name three moments that went right. This lowers nighttime cortisol and signals to your body that it’s safe to rest.

Gratitude isn’t a thought exercise, but more of a full-body practice. The more you allow yourself to feel it, the more your body learns what peace actually feels like.

When things are hard

Gratitude isn’t about pretending everything’s fine when it isn’t. It’s about finding small anchors of light when life feels heavy. During difficult seasons, your brain’s negativity bias becomes stronger — it’s wired to scan for danger and protect you from further pain. That’s survival.

“Gratitude isn’t about pretending everything’s fine when it isn’t. It’s about finding small anchors of light when life feels heavy.”

But intentionally practicing gratitude, even for a few seconds a day, can shift your brain’s focus from threat to possibility. Research from UCLA shows that regularly acknowledging what you’re thankful for activates the medial prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain linked to emotional regulation and resilience. Over time, this changes how you process stress — not by erasing pain, but by strengthening your ability to move through it.

In somatic terms, gratitude helps the body remember safety. When you whisper “thank you” through tears or exhaustion, your nervous system gets the message: You’re still here, you’re still safe, and there is still good.

Gratitude doesn’t deny hardship; it helps your body metabolize it. It’s not about spiritual bypassing or toxic positivity. It’s about presence — allowing both grief and grace to exist in the same breath. Because sometimes the most profound gratitude isn’t loud or joyful. It’s quiet. It’s what gets you through.

The everyday medicine of gratitude

Gratitude isn’t something we save for the holidays or practice only when life feels good. It’s a daily rhythm that does your mind, body, and soul a lot of good. Thankfulness is a way of steadying ourselves in a world that moves too fast and asks too much.

“Thankfulness is a way of steadying ourselves in a world that moves too fast and asks too much.”

When practiced consistently, gratitude reshapes the body’s stress response, steadies hormones, and helps the nervous system rest. It’s one of the simplest, most profound forms of medicine we have — free, accessible, and backed by science.

The world constantly pulls us toward what’s missing, but practicing gratitude brings us home to what’s already here: our breath, our people, our bodies, and the quiet, ordinary miracles of being alive. ✨

Dr. Jaclyn Tolentino is a Board-Certified Family Physician and the Lead Functional Medicine Physician at Love.Life. Specializing in women’s health and hormone optimization, she has been featured in Vogue, The Wall Street Journal, and Women’s Health. As a functional practitioner and a breast cancer survivor, Dr. Tolentino is dedicated to uncovering the root causes of health challenges, employing a holistic, whole-person approach to empower lasting wellbeing. Follow her on Instagram here for more insights.

The post The Science Of Gratitude: How Thankfulness Transforms Your Hormones, Stress, And Sleep appeared first on The Good Trade.

“I recall the cool, crisp air rising off the ice rink at Rockefeller Center and brushing my face while I watched the skaters.”

Fast-forward to grown-up life, with its accompanying pressure to make the holidays memorable. Whether it’s finding the perfect gift, making the best cookie ever, or decorating to the max, we strive to create Hallmark moments rather than savoring our actual experiences with mindful attention and intention. We may spend so much time imagining how we’d like things to go in our heads that we miss what’s going on in our lives — for example, baking cookies with your son or daughter and focusing on how they turn out, but not the magic of the moment with your child. Or, spending days preparing a meal for your holiday guests only to discover that by the time they show up, you feel depleted and don’t enjoy the meal.

As a psychologist, I’ve heard from so many clients about the difficulties this season brings up. As we head into the season, I wanted to share some thoughts on how to remain present, even as the holidays shake up our routines and stir up feelings and stress. 😌

What is presence?

For me, being present means being fully engaged in the moment, losing track of time. Some people call it “being in the zone.” When was the last time you were in the zone? What did it feel like? What were you doing? For most of us, it’s very gratifying and fulfilling to be in the zone, although it’s often challenging. So, if presence feels good, why don’t we do it more?

“For most of us, it’s very gratifying and fulfilling to be in the zone, although it’s often challenging.”

Simply put, because the environment we’re living in is designed to distract us. The average person is exposed to hundreds or even thousands of commercial messages every single day. Whether we’re on our laptop, desktop, phone, or iPad, everyone is trying to capture our attention. When was the last time you were in your car and got to your destination without noticing your route along the way? Or someone was speaking with you, and you didn’t hear a word they said? Or you ate your meal, and you didn’t taste it? One of these probably happened to you once or more in the past week.

Despite practicing mindfulness for the past 15 years, I still experience many “mindless” moments when my life is happening. That’s because it takes practice.

Being present is possible but not easy

Even with an environment filled with distractions, we can learn to practice presence. The more we put our attention and intention on the moment we’re in, the stronger our “presence muscle” becomes. Since the experience of being present to a positive or neutral event is accompanied by feeling good, this will make our behavior of “being present” more likely to occur again. Over time, this becomes more automatic and can develop into a habit that offsets our tendency to be distracted both externally with the messages that bombard us daily, and internally with our own thoughts and feelings.

“The more we put our attention and intention on the moment we’re in, the stronger our ‘presence muscle’ becomes.”

For the last 4 years, I’ve been participating in a 5K walk/run in Springfield, Missouri on the first Saturday in November. Usually, I’m preoccupied with thoughts and fears about whether or not I’ll complete the course, but this year I focused on noticing and savoring my experience. Let me describe exactly what I mean. Instead of worrying about how far I had to go, I paid attention to the sights, sounds, and other sensations around me.

It was a crisp fall morning with the sun just coming up as we started. I could hear the other participants happily chattering and the sound of athletic shoes striking the pavement. Bystanders cheered and rang cowbells when we came by. I saw the changing fall colors on the trees and the rustling of their leaves. The sky was clear, and the temperature gradually warmed the further we walked and ran. I could feel my cool, steady breath moving in and out of my body. Tuning into my senses helped me relax and enjoy my experience, rather than focusing on and worrying about how far I had to go. 🏃‍♀️

Body-centered practices to rediscover and reclaim presence

Over the years, I’ve developed a mindful stress reduction program that I call “Stress Less Live Better.” I start with three body-centered practices: In Simply Breathe, the object of attention is your breath, and the intention is letting go. In Soothe Your Body, the object of attention is your body, and the intention is to pay attention. In Savor the Moment, the object of attention is your five senses, and the intention is savoring your experience.

“When your attention starts to stray, and it probably will, just gently and lovingly bring it back to your breath without judgment or self-criticism, as it flows in and out.”

My program starts with these three body-centered skillsets because it’s easier to get out of our heads when we’re focusing on our bodies. We start with breath since it occurs effortlessly without us having to do anything. I tell my students: When your attention starts to stray, and it probably will, just gently and lovingly bring it back to your breath without judgment or self-criticism, as it flows in and out.

Pairing this with attention to what I see as the four pillars of health — sleep and rest, exercise, nutrition, and stress reduction — will ensure you have a good baseline to begin.

How to be mindful during the holiday season

Now that your body is starting to settle down, it’s time to put your rational mind back in the driver’s seat. Research indicates that we spend 80% of our time worrying about the future, 20% regretting the past, leaving little time in the present moment. During a stressful time like the holidays, we’re even more prone to drift from our present.

I frequently collaborate with Cristle Griwach, M.A., M.F.A., an experienced health educator, advocate, and health literacy expert. Together, we developed these six tips to quiet your emotional brain and re-engage your rational mind during this time of year:

1. In any season, gratitude is a helpful mindfulness practice. At the end of each day, think of three things you are grateful for. You could start a holiday gratitude journal or just make a mental list at the end of the day. The benefit of writing it down is that the list will help you preserve the memories. I find that looking back at what I was grateful for last week makes me happy all over again.

2. Over the years, I have learned to keep the holidays simpler, and I like it. Instead of too much holiday decor and too many presents, I decorate minimally, with intention, and limit presents to a few. My family enjoys this simpler routine that more closely mirrors the calmness and serenity of winter. We would rather fill up on experiences than things we probably don’t really need.

There is a wonderful Victorian tradition for filling children’s stockings that works as a gift guide for adults, too.

“Something to eat;
Something to read;
Something to play with; and,
Something they need.”

3. This is a great time of year to contact old friends. You could even mail out actual holiday cards, or digital cards, email, or make a phone call. Connect with friends and family and share memories together.

4.  Engage in creative activities that you enjoy. Some people like to decorate cookies or wrap elaborate packages. If that’s not for you, try coloring, holiday decorating, or journaling. Whatever you enjoy. Throughout the year, I save clever craft ideas and then select a few to try during the holidays. It can be something as simple as a new way to wrap a package.

5. Make time to appreciate how much you have learned and grown this year. Look back on challenges you have met, skills you have learned, and obstacles you overcame. I bet that if you think about it, you will be pretty impressed with yourself. So, hats off to you!

6. Finally, treat yourself by doing something special just for you. It could be as simple as listening to your favorite holiday song, getting a manicure, or phoning a friend. Whatever you do, make it about you. By prioritizing self-care, we remind ourselves that we deserve to enjoy the holidays just as much as anyone else.

Once you’ve practiced being “present” during the holidays, keep this tradition alive throughout the year. Celebrate yourself and your life unfolding moment to moment. Not only is our presence a gift to our loved ones, but it is also a present to ourselves. Enjoy!

Dr. Diane Sanford is a women’s health psychologist specializing in empowering women through every stage of life. For 35+ years she has prescribed self-care and mindfulness to guide her clients towards inner peace and self-awareness. To achieve clarity and balance in her own life, her self-care and mindfulness practices include yoga, meditation, walks in nature, reading, cooking, spending time with loved ones, and playing with her 20-month-old grandson, Cameron. You can visit her at drdianesanford.com.

The post How To Experience The Holidays With Presence appeared first on The Good Trade.

A few weeks ago, we reached out to our community of subscribers to The Daily Good to see how we’re all feeling about shopping in 2025, and what we’re thinking about for the holiday season. (How is it late November already?) 

We believe that the most sustainable products are the ones you actually use, and we are always excited to hear how you all approach sustainability in your own lives. It’s inspiring for our work, and for our own lives — we have so much to learn from one another. 

So first, let’s dive into introductions!

We heard from over 300 readers on their favorite brands, shopping habits, and gained plenty of insight from all the write-in options. Most of our respondents reside in North America, and we had readers from age 18 to 75 and beyond — with an average reader age of around 40 years old. We love being able to reach folks at all ages, what a delight to have you in the community with us! 💛

And we see you too, readers who reside outside of North America! We’re constantly inspired by every comment, response, and share from our global audience and can’t wait to ring in 2025 with more tips on sustainability, slow living, and self-love.

Below are the key takeaways and recos from our readers — keep on scrolling to read about your (and our) favorite brands.

1) Half of your purchases are made from sustainable brands.

The majority of respondents (almost 75%) shared that at least half of their purchases come from sustainable brands — up from 61% last year. We love to see it, especially since, according to Business of Fashion, sustainability isn’t as top-of-mind for fashion execs as things like emerging AI technologies. (Dear brands – don’t slack on sustainability, please!)

Most readers only shop one or two times a month from these sustainable alternatives, so it sounds like the motto of “fewer, better” is really resonating. “I try to buy only what I need and know I will use,” says one reader. Yes!! While many of you prioritize sustainability in your purchases, you take your time to find exactly which products will fit into your lifestyle.

“I try to buy only what I need and know I will use.”

– The Daily Good Reader

When you shop online, almost half of readers like to visit the brand directly — tending to stay away from places like Amazon — and cutting out those additional costs. But we hear how convenient marketplaces and Amazon alternatives are, and wish there were more in-store options as well. We heard from many readers on how important it is to shop locally or secondhand in order to reduce shipping costs and packaging waste.

One reader shared their hesitation with all the waste that online shopping can bring: “It would be nice to have an article done on local grocery store or drugstore options when it comes to sustainable brands that I don’t have to order online and can buy physically in store to reduce my online shopping.”

Remember, it’s a marathon and not a sprint and we’re all doing the best we can. Keep going, friends.

2) You would prefer to shop vintage, whenever possible.

One of our favorite findings was how much you all love to thrift and hunt for vintage and secondhand treasures. Many answers you submitted as write-ins included a mention of thrifting, and you’re certainly in good company. 

“I thrift or buy most things vintage at antique shops,” writes one resourceful reader. “Everything else, I try to make myself.” Such a cool outlook — we’re bringing that energy into 2026 for sure. Thrifting can still be prohibitive for folks who are plus size, in more remote/rural areas, and even folks in larger cities, where thrifting can be more expensive.

We love to hear you treat yourself occasionally! When and if you can, allow yourself grace to give yourself love. (Psst — thrifting in and of itself can be a fun solo date!)

“I shop sustainably by going to local markets and purchasing in-season, local produce, buying locally made spirits, buying gifts from markets, and avoiding buying new whenever I can!”

– The Daily Good Reader

3) When it comes to organic and sustainable materials, the kitchen matters most.

We asked you about where you prioritize nontoxic, organic, and sustainable goods the most — and weren’t surprised that the kitchen took the top spot. From supplements to cookware to cleaning supplies, here are your favorites:

• Lodge takes the cake when it comes to your favorite cookware and bakeware, and materials like stainless steel and cast iron were frequently mentioned as your faves
• Your top recommended supplements come from Garden of Life, MaryRuth Organics, and Thorne — think brands that offer a wide range of selections at more affordable price points
• When you’re not shopping at the local farmer’s market, Thrive Market is your favorite source for getting organic snacks and grocery essentials
• You prefer the range of nontoxic cleaning options at Grove Collaborative, and of course, homemade cleaners like baking soda and vinegar

Almost equally important was the bathroom; hair care and skincare are such intimate parts of our routines that it’s no wonder we’re wanting to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals there too. Shoutout to shampoo bars and plastic-free care items showing up on the survey several times — less plastic in 2026, pls!

While nontoxic wardrobes and bedrooms weren’t as high on the list, we noted that of the sustainable products you’re saving up for, bedding and furniture were most frequently mentioned. Bedding, mattresses, and furniture all make sense to save up for, as they’re big-ticket items that you’ll likely keep for years to come. (Psst — with Black Friday coming up, you’ll want to keep an eye on mattress and bedding brands for sales.)

Surprisingly, this year you also mentioned you’re saving up for quality cookware more than in past years. Can we come over for dinner? We’ll bring the wine and NA apertifs!

4) Not surprising: Patagonia is your favorite sustainable brand.

It’s no surprise that Patagonia was the most-loved brand in this whole survey and the most beloved fashion brand — for the fourth year in a row! As one of the earliest defenders of environmental ethics in the industry, Patagonia continues to expand its commitment to labor ethics as well. (Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, gave away the company to fight the climate crisis as of 2022.) Patagonia also has a secondhand shop, Worn Wear!

Pact and Etsy were named #2 and #3 as our readers’ top responsible fashion brands, especially thanks to their availability and price accessibility (and of course, all the secondhand options available via Etsy!) Dozens of write-in answers also mentioned thrift stores, both online and local, were your favorite places to shop. Quince is another fan favorite thanks to its range and affordability; you can see our editor’s review of that brand here.

Other runners-up were Sézane and Reformation — looks like combining ultra-practical garments with super stylish pieces is hitting the sweet spot these days. We also discovered plenty of smaller brands from the write-in options; excited to dive more into those in 2026!

5) When it comes to home goods, you shop for accessible quality.

West Elm was named our readers’ favorite place to shop for a wide variety of home goods, at reasonable prices, while supporting increasing levels of sustainable and ethical sourcing. One note on West Elm — remember to use advanced filters to find pieces that have the most sustainable certifications when you’re shopping. We were also excited to see that Avocado took the number two spot on your list; our team toured the Avocado factory in Southern California last year, and got to see the production of the brand’s zero-waste furniture collection. (And some previews of what’s to come, too — get excited!)

Coming in at number three on your list of favorites was Etsy, a top-listed brand for the fourth year in a row. If you want a good place to get started, check out this roundup of our 99 favorite Etsy shops! The marketplace supports a move to more affordable and accessible retailers for sustainable wares.

6) The best in clean beauty goes to ILIA. 🏆

But you still impressed us with how personal beauty is for each of you. This was the category with the most write-ins, from well-known drugstore brands down to small handmade skincare goodies (and some DIY in your own home!). In fact, there were more write-ins than any votes for individual brands we shared for consideration!

Outside of the write-ins, ILIA topped the charts again this year. We especially love its dewy Super Serum Skin Tint, which comes in 30 shades and offers SPF 40 coverage — you can read our editor’s review of that and some other ILIA products here. OSEA was the second favorite, and cocokind followed closely behind — showing us that you all prioritize clean ingredients whether you have a big budget or a small skincare stipend. (Read our reviews of OSEA and cocokind for more info.)

7) When splurging on sheets, our readers think these linens are worth every penny.

Your most recommended bedding brand was none other than Avocado. This is a reader fave thanks to the quality of its bedding, and the dedication the whole brand has to making sure everyone sleeps sound and snuggly. 

Avocado’s bedding is made in India and features long-staple GOTS Organic-certified cotton, alongside both MADE SAFE and OEKO-TEX certifications. We especially love that the queen sheet sets start at $135, which is great for folks who want a long-lasting product that fits a little better into the budget. Avocado is also truly a one-stop shop for everything you need for a cozy bedroom, including mattresses, toppers, and protectors. (All of the mattresses are handmade in Avocado’s California factory!) 

Notable mentions included organic sets from Pact and Boll and Branch, once again showing that balancing nontoxic materials and quality is the name of the game. You can read our full review of the top nontoxic bedding brands here — we’ve tested them all!

8) You’re leaders, not followers (of course you are!). But here are some great sustainability influencers to follow anyway.

When we asked for your favorite ethical fashion influencers, the majority of you told us you didn’t have a go-to account that you like to follow. But if you are in the social media space, the rest of our readers suggested so many great creators — here are the three that came up most frequently. (Be sure to hit follow!)

9) When it comes to the holidays, you want to give homemade goodies.

You love to shower your loved ones with unique and personalized homemade items — not surprising. But so many of you noted that you want only to gift experiences, time spent together, or consumables that leave a smaller footprint once they’re gone. A couple folks even listed skincare and wellness tech in your write-ins, which usually don’t cross our minds as frequently due to how personal they can be.

Most of you prefer to give homemade presents, experience gifts, and things like coffee, tea, or chocolate. We love how universally loved many of these items are!

10) You want to receive experience gifts…and also cozy consumables.

While handmade gifts did not make the top placement for items you want to *receive* (they were a close second), ephemeral experience gifts like subscriptions, event tickets, or other cultural activities ranked the highest this year.

Coffee, tea, and chocolate came in at the number three most popular types of gifts you want to receive — losing ground to handmade gifts for the first time in the four years we’ve run this survey. Fashion, including jewelry and snuggly things like slippers and robes, rank higher than larger-ticket home goods and travel accessories. Sounds like we’re all keeping it simple at home this year!

(If you’re still stuck, we do have a list of gifts for her and gifts for him, and your picks for the best jewelry shops were on Etsy and Mejuri.)

Overall, you may want to avoid gifting *or* requesting makeup and skincare products unless you know both parties understand each other’s routine well — most people already purchase the beauty products they love most for themselves.

Thank you, all, for sharing your insights with us and inspiring us as we head into 2026. We consistently share your feedback, notes of encouragement, and recommendations with each other in The Good Trade Slack channel. We learned even more than what we shared here, and we can’t wait to deliver you all the very best in sustainable products and responsibly sourced products in the new year. 

Wishing you all a warm, safe, and loving conclusion to 2025, and offer a reminder to share kindness, grace, and empathy whenever you can. We all need it right now.

Emily McGowan is the Editorial Director at The Good Trade. She studied Creative Writing and Business at Indiana University, and has over ten years of experience as a writer and editor in sustainability and lifestyle spaces. Since 2017, she’s been discovering and reviewing the top sustainable home, fashion, beauty, and wellness products so readers can make their most informed decisions. Her editorial work has been recognized by major publications like The New York Times and BBC Worklife. You can usually find her in her colorful Los Angeles apartment journaling, playing with her cat, or crafting. Say hi on Instagram or follow along with her Substack, Pinky Promise.

The post Hundreds Of Readers Share The Sustainable Brands They Love Most appeared first on The Good Trade.

So, what is a solstice exactly? Let’s look at the science.

The earth’s tilted axis (23.5º relative to the ecliptic plane) directly impacts the amount of sunlight we do or don’t get throughout the year. This tilt, along with our planet’s orbit, creates both astronomical and meteorological seasons. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, “…astronomical seasons are based on the position of Earth in relation to the sun, whereas the meteorological seasons are based on the annual temperature cycle.” 

When following the astronomical seasons, there are two solstices and two equinoxes to mark the change in meteorological seasons. The winter solstice happens between December 20 and 23, and it’s when the earth’s axis tilts away from the sun, making it the shortest day and longest night of the year for those living in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s reversed. (The word “solstice” derives from the Latin word sōlstitium and translates to “sun stands still.”) This year, the winter solstice will happen on December 21.

There’s not an exact recorded time when humans first started observing the solstice, but monuments like Chichén Itzá, Stonehenge, and the Goseck circle indicate that people have been honoring the astronomical seasons for years.

How can you celebrate the winter solstice?

Today, the winter solstice is a reminder to honor our connection to the natural world. It is a way we can celebrate the change in seasons without traditional holidays, gifts, or decorations. Instead, we can honor winter through rituals and self-care, looking specifically to our ancestors and heritage for inspiration rather than co-opting from others.

“Today, the winter solstice is a reminder to honor our connection to the natural world.”

Here are a few ideas: 

1. Consider practicing a pagan yule candle tradition (a tradition with European roots). Create an altar with items that bring you joy and peace, and surround it with candles. Light the candles as a symbol of the sun’s ability to give us both life and light.

2. Wake up early on the day of the winter solstice to watch the sunrise. Close your eyes, and feel the sun’s warmth on your face. Observe how the sun lights up the world around you. Bring a journal and write down any thoughts that come to mind.

3. Create a traditional winter feast with warming foods to eat on the night of December 21. Have fun creating a meal that warms and nourishes the body.

4. Draw a winter solstice bath, adding citrus essential oils to symbolize the energy of the sun.

5. Create something handmade that honors the sun or the natural world, such as a wreath from what you have around your house or backyard. Paint or draw the sun. Grab an instrument you haven’t played in a long time and write a song; then share it with loved ones.

“Wake up early on the day of the winter solstice to watch the sunrise […] Write down any thoughts that come to mind.”

However, you chose to bring rituals and new traditions into your life, make time to appreciate the natural world. Wherever you are, embrace how the air and the sky change, and on the coldest days, know the sun is right around the corner.

Courtney Jay Higgins is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She has a BA in Visual Communications from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and is the founder of Coincide, a subscription-based yoga platform focusing on inclusive, sustainable yoga rooted in ancient Eastern practices and spirituality. Her 10+ years of experience in yoga include a 200-hr YTT certification in a Hatha-based yoga practice and a certification in prenatal yoga. She has been featured in Shoutout Colorado, Voyage Denver, and Cora’s Blood & Milk. Since 2017, she has been reviewing sustainable fashion, natural makeup, organic wellness, and safe pregnancy products for The Good Trade’s readers.

The post What Is Winter Solstice? (Plus Cozy Celebration Ideas) appeared first on The Good Trade.

And let us know in the comments what you love to watch this time of year!

Vintage classics

1. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

George Bailey learns what life would be like if he had never existed in this Christmas Eve classic.

2. White Christmas (1954)

Four performers save a rural country inn in Vermont when they go to perform a Christmas show.

3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

It’s Christmas time in New York, and the real Santa has to start filling in for the fakes.

4. A Christmas Carol (1951)

A mid-century adaptation of the Charles Dickens novella.

5. Meet Me In St. Louis (1944)

A year in the life of four sisters at the turn of the century leading up to the World Fair in 1904.

6. Christmas Eve (1947)

An heiress must local her long lost sons before her nephew steals her fortune.

7. A Dream for Christmas (1973)

A Southern minister must relocate to California with his family to save a church scheduled for demolition.

8. The Holly and the Ivy (1952)

Set in post-war Britain, a widowed minister reconnects with his family.

9. I’ll be Seeing You (1944)

Two star-crossed lovers connect over the holidays in this film starring Ginger Rogers.

10. The Lemon Drop Kid (1951)

A con artist has under Christmas to come up with $10,000 in the film that originated “Silver Bells.”

11. Babes in Toyland (March of the Wooden Soldiers) (1934)

Laurel and Hardy star in this black-and-white comedy set in a dreamscape — or check out the ’80s remake with Drew Barrymore.

12. Remember the Night (1940)

In the spirit of the season, New York’s district attorney falls in love with a pretty shoplifter.

13. Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

A single city magazine writer pretends to be a Connecticut housewife in this Christmas comedy of errors.

14. The Bishop’s Wife (1948)

A debonair angel (Carey Grant) comes to Earth to help an Episcopalian bishop and his wife raise funds for a new church.

15. Holiday Affair (1949)

A poor young widow is torn between a successful businessman and romantic bad boy.

Holiday TV specials

16. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Charlie Brown searches for the true meaning of Christmas in this Peanuts classic.

17. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

Dr. Seuss’s tale about Christmas in Whoville comes alive in this animated ‘60s classic.

18. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (1970)

Mickey Rooney and Fred Astaire star in this claymation classic about Santa’s backstory.

19. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

A young reindeer with a red nose saves Christmas.

20. The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974)

The jolly man in red gets sick and discouraged in this claymation film, while two elves save the day.

21. Frosty the Snowman (1969)

Everyone’s favorite snowman comes alive and has to make it to the North Pole before he melts in this animated film.

Family-friendly favorites

22. Elf (2003)

Will Ferrel stars as an elf looking for his father in one of the most popular holiday movies of all time.

23. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Nothing goes according to plan over the holidays for the Griswolds. 

24. Home Alone (1990)

A spunky 8-year-old is left behind accidentally when his family goes on vacation for Christmas.

25. Polar Express (2004)

A children’s book comes to life in this computer-animated film about a boy who travels to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.

26. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Jim Carey stars in this live-action comedy remake of the ‘60s animated film.

27. The Santa Clause (1994)

A divorced dad must become the new Santa Claus after a rooftop accident in this film starring Tim Allen.

28. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Some call it a Halloween movie, but we’re dubbing Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated fantasy film a holiday movie for now.

29. A Christmas Story (1983)

Ralphie wants a BB gun for Christmas in this film set in a small midwestern town.

30. A Christmas Story Christmas (2022)

In this long-awaited sequel, the actor who played Ralphie heads back to his hometown to give his kids a magic Christmas like the ones he grew up with.

31. Jingle All the Way (1996)

A dad tries to find the sold-out toy his son wants for Christmas in this comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

32. Ira Finkelstein’s Christmas (2012)

A young Jewish boy switches plane tickets with another kid to head to Christmastown, Washington for the holidays.

33. Grinch (2018)

Another Grinch! This one stars Benedict Cumberbatch and is computer-animated.

34. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

Another Dickens adaptation, this one stars the Muppets.

35. Jingle Jangle (2020)

A joyful toy maker finds new hope when his young granddaughter arrives at his doorstep in this fantasy.

36. Prancer (1989)

A young girl nurses one of Santa’s reindeer back to health.

37. The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

Two siblings hatch a plan to kidnap Santa Claus, but the plan goes awry.

38. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)

Young Clara is on a mission in this fantasy adaption of the classic Christmas ballet.

39. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (2024)

New this year, this film follows a group of rowdy siblings who teach a community the true meaning of Christmas.

40. Klaus (2019)

A new postman is sent to a northern town where he befriends a toymaker called Klaus.

41. Rise of the Guardians (2012)

A magical team of holiday characters led by Jack Frost embark on a journey to save themselves.

42. 8-Bit Christmas (2021)

It’s 1980s Chicago, and a young boy is on a quest for the latest and greatest video game.

43. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017)

This film stars Christopher Plummer and follows the writing of Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.”

Laugh-out-loud comedies

44. Scrooged (1988)

Bill Murray stars in this modern take on “A Christmas Carol.”

45. Christmas with the Kranks (2004)

A couple must forgo their Christmas travel plans when their daughter comes home for the holidays.

46. Deck the Halls (2006)

Danny DeVito and Matthew Brodrick star in this comedy about two neighbors trying to outdo each others’ holiday decorations.

47. Bad Santa (2003)

Two con men pose as Santa and his elf each Christmas while they swindle malls.

48. Office Christmas Party (2016)

A failing branch of a business must throw an epic holiday party to impress a client and save their jobs.

49. The Night Before (2015)

Three college friends go all out for one last Christmas Eve of partying before one of them becomes a father.

50. Fred Claus (2007)

Vince Vaughn is Santa’s Scrooge-like older brother who must help out at the North Pole.

51. Four Christmas (2008)

Another Vince Vaughn flick, this one has him opposite Reese Witherspoon juggling all their family Christmas gatherings.

52. Candy Cane Lane (2023)

A laid-off corporate marketer (Eddie Murphy) makes a deal with a mischievous elf to win his street’s holiday decorating contest.

53. A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011)

Stoner friends get into holiday antics as they attempt to replace a prized Christmas tree for one of their fathers-in-law.

54. Little Fockers (2010)

The third and final movie in the Meet the Fockers series, this one follows the family during a Hanukkah-Christmas celebration.

55. Eight Crazy Nights (2003)

Adam Sandler stars in this adult animated film about a party animal during Hanukkah.

56. Trapped in Paradise (1994)

Three brothers attempt a bank heist on Christmas Eve in this film starring Nicholas Cage.

57. Almost Christmas (2016)

A widowed mechanic invites his grown children home for the holidays, but they can’t stop bickering.

58. Spirited (2022)

This new Christmas musical is a “Christmas Carol” adaptation and stars Will Ferrel and Ryan Reynolds.

59. The Holdovers (2023)

A grumpy prep school instructor stays with the boys who aren’t going home for the holidays in this dramedy.

60. Mixed Nuts (1994)

This Nora Ephron film follows the Christmas-time antics of a man (Steve Martin) who manages a suicide prevention hotline.

61. A Bad Moms Christmas (2017)

A sequel to the 2016 comedy, this film follows overworked moms as they prep for the holidays and the arrival of their own mothers.

62. Love the Coopers (2015)

Four generations of Coopers gather for their annual Christmas Eve celebration.

Holiday romances and rom-coms

63. The Holiday (2006)

Two women, one in LA and one in the English countryside, swap homes for Christmas and both find unexpected love.

64. Love, Actually (2003)

Interconnected love stories following eight different couples unfold in London over the weeks leading to Christmas.

65. The Princess Switch (2018)

A baker and a duchess (both played by Vanessa Hudgens) switch lives and find love during the holidays.

66. Happiest Season (2020)

A woman plans to propose to her girlfriend over the holidays, only to find out she isn’t out to her conservative family in this Kristen Stewart flick.

67. While You Were Sleeping (1995)

A transit worker pretends to be engaged to a comatose man, but falls for his brother.

68. Last Holiday (2006)

A woman who discovers her terminal illness just before the holidays lives life like a millionaire and looks for love.

69. Serendipity (2001)

A chance holiday meeting leads two old flames to wonder if destiny will reunite them.

70. Boyfriends of Christmas Past (2021)

The ghosts of her ex-boyfriends visit a marketing exec in the weeks leading up to Christmas to get her to open her heart.

71. The Family Stone (2005)

A woman (Sarah Jessica Parker) navigates awkward family dynamics and unexpected romance over Christmas.

72. Eight Gifts of Hanukkah (2021)

An anonymous suitor sends a woman gifts each night of Hanukkah in this Hallmark flick.

73. A Christmas Prince (2017)

A journalist falls for a prince while covering a royal Christmas story in a small European kingdom.

74. The Best Man Holiday (2013)

College friends reunite over the Christmas holiday, and old flames are reignited.

75. Feast of the Seven Fishes (2019)

A big Italian family prepares for the traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve.

76. Feliz Navidad (2020)

Mario Lopez stars in this rom-com about a widowed dad looking for love.

77. A Castle for Christmas (2021)

An author sparks romance with a grumpy duke while trying to buy his castle during the holidays in this flick starring Brooke Shields.

78. Round and Round (2023)

A time loop movie that’s also about Hanukkah and also has romance.

79. Home for the Holidays (1995)

A single mother travels to her childhood home for the holidays.

80. Let It Snow (2019)

Teen friendships and romances blossom during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve.

81. The Perfect Holiday (2007)

A single mom is wooed by a songwriter during Christmas time.

82. Single All the Way (2021)

A man asks his best friend to post as his boyfriend when he goes home for the holidays.

83. New Year’s Eve (2011)

This flick follows a group of intertwined couples and storylines on New Year’s Eve in New York.

Winter movies with holiday vibes

84. The Wiz (1978)

Not exactly a holiday movie, this retelling of “The Wizard of Oz” has historically aired around the holidays.

85. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)

A security guard saves the day when a team of criminals takes hostages at the mall where he works in this film set during the holidays.

86. Little Women (2019)

Nostalgic and cozy though not necessarily about the holidays, “Little Women” the book begins and ends on Christmas, so it’s often connected with the holiday.

87. Die Hard (1988)

A notoriously not-Christmas Christmas movie, the action flick follows a man who must save the hostages of a holiday party in New York.

88. The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)

Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman must save an inner-city Catholic school.

89. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

The Nora Ephron film that everyone knows and loves has a pretty romantic New Year’s Eve Scene and cozy vibes all around.

90. Rent (2005)

The movie adaptation of the musical following a group of friends at the dawn of the ‘90s in New York begins on Christmas Eve 1989.

91. Tangerine (2015)

An LA sex worker goes looking for her unfaithful boyfriend on Christmas Eve in this crime comedy.

92. Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

This Wes Anderson flick is set at a popular snowy European ski resort.

93. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (1945)

A young girl yearns for a life beyond her Brooklyn tenement.

94. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

This classic rom-com kicks off with a Christmas party scene and ends with a kiss in the snow.

95. Snow Day (2000)

Kids in upstate New York hijack a snowplow to keep school closed during a snowstorm.

96. Fargo (1996)

This black comedy crime movie is set during a snowy Minnesota winter.

97. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

Four English siblings are swept into a snowy fantasy world.

98. Ice Age (2002)

An unlikely group of animals reunites a human baby with its parents in this animated classic.

99. The Golden Compass (2007)

A girl travels to the Arctic region of a parallel universe to rescue her best friend in this fantasy film.

Natalie Gale is a Boston-based freelance journalist. Since 2022, she has been reviewing the top sustainable home, wellness, fashion, and beauty products, sharing her honest opinion on the best finds. When she’s not writing about art, food, or sustainability, you can find her biking to the farmers’ market, baking, sewing, or planning her next Halloween costume. Say hi on Instagram!

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