🧭 Cultural Compass #22
A round-up of culture influencing my navigation of life: Confusion… and Christmas
Bit of a long post today, mainly on account of pictures rather than words, so it if gets chopped off in your email inbox, try reading online here, or via the app.
This Cultural Compass column has always been tag-lined as a round up of culture influencing my navigation of life. Things I have read / watched / listened to / seen, that’s made me think about something in a way that puts me in a better mindset, or opens up new possibilities. Perhaps a helpful steer on a particular theme. And, therefore, there is hope that what I share may offer the same for you too.
But the purpose of this issue has really had me thinking these past few days, since the news emerged last Wednesday of a new US head of state, and crucially, not the one I had been hoping for.
So this week will be a tale of two halves - of confusion, on recent political happenings, and, on a lighter note, Christmas, thoughts of which I am also navigating. Hopefully in a more joyful way.
Take what you need, and leave the rest. I hope both sides can offer something for you this Sunday, but if one half or the other feels more appealing, enjoy all the same.
🗳️ Shock Horror
I’m not an American citizen, and though I have been lucky to visit on several occasions, I don’t spend a whole lot of time there.
But it doesn’t matter.
The election result still felt like a huge blow.
To me, as a woman. To me, as someone who believes in justice. To me, as someone who believes the power should lie in the hands of someone proven to be more truthful.
According to the Substack stats, 20% of
’s subscribers are in the US. I don’t see you as a stat, and only dug out the numbers out of curiosity while drafting this. I wholeheartedly appreciate all of you as individual readers. I don’t pretend to know your politics, but if you generally enjoy the sentiments I share here, I can take a guess that you’re also feeling an aura of disappointment right now. Bewilderment. Anger. Confusion. I know I am.And so what could I possibly share that can help you, and all of us in the UK and elsewhere around the world, with navigating this time?
I have mulled over many formations of words, and plunged into political analysis rabbit holes trying to find a way that this decision might be reversed.
Ever since I first studied the electoral college system, in A Level Politics lessons at school (circa 2011/12 - a much more HOPEful time to be delving into the stateside situation), I have felt baffled at how the voting share demonstrates such disparity with the popular vote.
But what am I going to do?
Write a treatise on electoral reform for a country that is not my own in one Substack column?
Not today, at least.
Here are some words I settled on sharing a few days ago:
In the absence of anything revolutionary right now, here are some warming words from Substackers I have read and found comfort, encouragement, and even joy in, this week. And I hope you might too.
🍂 From
- an autumnal visual story with accompanying prompts✒️ From
- inspirational poetry and prose🌉 From
- words from a hotel room in San Fran🌊 From
- on finding something small but meaningful♀️ From
- heartfelt rage (for more on women and America, it’s dreaminess and it’s desolation, I would also highly recommend Marisa’s Wild Hope - an apt title we should keep hold of)🏡 From
- finding comfort at home, where you can🌟 From
- straight-talking reminders📚 And a Note on good words from none other than
Off of Substack, and though not directly connected to this week’s shenanigans, I also felt deeply captivated by this conversation between Ta-Nehisi Coates, Trevor Noah and Christiana Mbakwe Medina, on a walk to dinner with friends on Wednesday evening. Really getting into the nitty gritty of some deep issues, and yearning to see both sides. Very much a bit of what we need right now.
And so we move along to look ahead.
You might be thinking mid-November is far too early for talk of gifts and decorations. But I am unapologetically one of those people who can feel excitement for this time of year all-year-round, and so for me we are very much in acceptable territory to be talking about the big seasonal C.
Which, in my view, by the way, is not just one day, but really is this whole season. Mid-autumn spiraling into December. I wrote a piece last year about my seasonal enthusiasm, so won’t reiterate here (too much) - but safe to say I am not the only one dipping into festive planning (and writing) on Substack at the moment, which is another reminder of being in very good company here.
And so, a few festive navigational influences for you…
📖 Christmas Catalogues
Namely, the Boots Catalogue. Why? Because it’s usually the first one out, sometimes even as early as October 5th, though this year it was near enough Halloween before I spotted it in store.
I know what you’re thinking. Catalogues? How old are you? (Charlotte says it’s just me and the grannies left reading these… if you share an appreciation for a print gift-guide, regardless of age, I’d love to know!). They’re bad for the environment! It’s all online! What purpose do they serve?!
I won’t dispute all that. But for me, they’ve always been a mainstay of the pre-Christmas period.
Growing up, a Saturday shopping trip to the city with my Mam around this time of year would not be complete without returning home to unpack a bag’s worth of beautifully bound gift guides from across the high street. From M&S to John Lewis, Boots to Debenhams, House of Fraser to Waterstones, they’d all have a little something to pick up by the door, or dotted around the store, to take away and ponder potential purchases at home.
Alas, not all these high street classics are still with us, and I do wonder if that has influenced the decline of such gift guides in recent years.
Which is a real shame. Yes, they may fuel the capitalist merry-go-round of overspending in the lead up to this one day in December, which in itself bears no witness to the day’s origins. But to that view I say bah humbug. The experience of sitting down with a cuppa and a pile of festive catalogues, and diving in with the intention to see what sparks inspiration for people on your nice list this year, is, I would argue, far superior to a scroll through Amazon, or a mad dash to the shops for a last minute gifting spree.
I think there’s something so wonderful about buying gifts and celebrating with loved ones at the end of a year, in a way that perhaps departs from the origins of the occasion, but nevertheless retains the love, gratitude and connection that should be at it’s heart. And as part of that, to give something thoughtful that says, well done for getting through the year, here’s a lovely sparkly treat that you’d never buy for yourself, is just, well, what the season is all about.
There are gift guides aplenty online (more on which below) but I will forever be a print devotee, especially for something as cosy as writing a Christmas shopping list… and maybe adding a few things to my own list for Mother Christmas too. While offerings from the high street dwindle, print magazines are still flying the flag with double page spreads. Red’s December issue offers a wonderfully colour-coordinated collection, no scrolling required. The cover is also 10/10.
A few mini catalogues have, magically, appeared through the door. Excellent marketing from Stripe and Stare (they do the best knickers!) and The White Company, with an insight of what’s on offer. A few weeks ago I wrote about digital decluttering, and unsubscribing from the equivalent emails from brands such as these. Because I don’t want to scroll through an inbox to look at beautiful tablescapes, or click through to explore the full range of PJs. I want them in my hands, to flick through, and return to, all through the season.
It’s not all about buying from well known brands and foregoing local businesses, or feeling overwhelmed by unjustifiable price points for a candle, but about diving into the inspiration, the excitement of gifting, and getting swept up in seasonal colours, patterns, and, y’know, vibes.
And when it’s all over? Before they go in the recycling, have another look through, but this time with an eye for your new year mood board.
Remember, sequins are for life, not just for Christmas.
🎄 Festive Friends
As mentioned, plenty of Substackers have been chatting about the merry season already, with tips and advice a-plenty. Some even sharing gift guides, which, in the spirit of fantastical Substackery, even I will get on board with digitally.
So to round off, here’s a few festive posts I have been enjoying thus far…
got in early last month with ideas on what to stock up on or book, before the crowds snap up all the good candles and tickets. It prompted me to dig out some festive ribbons (and confirm I DO NOT need to buy any more right now) and realise I love a red and white stripe, so thinking about how I will integrate more into the season. also shared a winter wish list, and some festive activities to book in the capital. I for one did not know that Bella Freud had a collab with M&S (did I just totally miss the memo?), the discovery of which has led to much gifting ideas for those the collection will delight.Meanwhile,
shared five top tips for easing into the season with less stress, all of which sound like very sensible ideas - though I will always prefer IRL shopping to the online kind!Just this week
shared plenty of gifting ideas, many with more affordable price points than other such guides you might find on Substack. I’ve seen a little pushback on these lately, and I get it, but also my take is to just lean into it as inspiration. Would I personally pay £350 for a nightie? Reader, I would not. But if there’s something I like about it - the colour, the fabric etc. - I can browse around for something that offers a similar sentiment. Or, if tempted by something for my own wardrobe, have a root around to see what I’ve already got to create the look!I also enjoyed having a browse through
’s gifting edit (though of course would have loved it even more in a flickable magazine!), and it’s not out yet but I know is working on the gift guide - one I have enjoyed receiving in my inbox since the days of her Girls’ Night In blog.So there we have it. Quite a mixed bag in this issue of Cultural Compass, but hopefully a bag that’s served you well in one way or another.
Happy Sunday x
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Thank you for this, Lauren. 💙
The mention of Christmas catalogues immediately brought me back to my childhood, and the memory of lying on the living room floor with my brother and cousins, leafing through the Argos catalogue and circling the things we hoped Father Christmas would bring us 🧡🎄