The world could use more kindness than we've seen lately because it feels like there's a lot of Mean Girls energy circulating online and in real life — and I don't mean by way of hilarious Tina Fey-written jokes. It's become cool to be disregard everyone else's feelings, but we can hear the cries for kindness behind each snarky attitude we encounter.
Realistically, there's no way we can combat the lack of kindness in the world with quotes, but we're sure these 16 reminders can help us remember to show grace to ourselves and others.
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"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about." —Wendy Mass
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"Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty." —Anne Herbert
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"You can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!" —Anne Frank
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"Deliberately seek opportunities for kindness, sympathy, and patience." —Evelyn Underhill
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"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members, a heart of grace and a soul generated by love." —Coretta Scott King
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"Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary." —J.M. Barrie
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"The words of kindness are more healing to a drooping heart than balm or honey." —Sarah Fielding
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"Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud." —Maya Angelou
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"We are all neighbors. Be kind. Be gentle." — Clemantine Wamaryia
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"You’ve been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens." —Louise L. Hay
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"Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference." —Barbara De Angelis
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"Kindness is always in stock." —Katy Perry
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"Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference." —Amelia Earhart
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"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you." —Princess Diana
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"Be kind to yourself so that you can be happy enough to be kind to the world." —Misha Collins
If you need help being kinder to yourself, we have 45 self love quotes that'll steer you in the right direction.
Header image via Sophie Mijnlieff
This edible crescent-roll cornucopia is our way of making a normal cheese boardmore festive — and definitely more fun — during the holiday season. Our go-to this time of year is a massive cheese plate that can stand alone and be the main attraction, or the starter for a larger meal. Press on for the surprisingly easy steps to braid a breaded cornucopia.
Chris Andre
Chris Andre
Start by sculpting tin foil into the shape of a cornucopia (it looks like a cone with an upturned tail). Pro tip: Lightly pack tin foil so it's easier to remove later from your baked cornucopia. Crescent rolls should be buttery enough that this shouldn't be difficult.
Chris Andre
Your tin foil mold should look a little something like this.Chris Andre
Pop open the crescent rolls and cut the triangles into strips. Pinch together the ends of strips to make strips longer.Chris Andre
Braid crescent roll strips. You can make these as fancy as you want. Not a braiding pro? Skip this step and leave those strips alone.Chris Andre
Wrap tin foil cornucopia with braids/strips. Make sure you cover all the tin foil. Leave a little wiggle room at the opening of the cornucopia, so that when you’re done baking you can pull some of that tin foil out.Chris Andre
Use any extra dough to cover the bottom of your cornucopia. Pinch the sides and anchor those braids/strips in.Chris Andre
Brush on egg wash before placing your cornucopia in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. Take out of oven and cover spots of cornucopia that are already golden brown with extra tin foil. Bake for another 20 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.Chris Andre
Let it cool down until it’s easy to handle. Remove tin foil.Chris Andre
Place cornucopia in corner of your cheese plate. Arrange cheese on your serving tray.Chris Andre
Add crackers — we like to have two or three options.Chris Andre
Don’t forget to fill up your cornucopia. It's called "the horn of plenty" for a reason. Fill with fresh fruit like grapes, apples, and pears.Chris Andre
Add nuts like walnuts and pistachios to fill in any empty spaces. Garnish with fresh herbs like rosemary and sage to finish it off.Chris Andre
Voilà! Invite over your friends, open a bottle of wine, and dig in!Chris Andre
A cornucopia cheese board will become your new favorite holiday tradition.Show us your crescent-roll cornucopias on Instagram and check out our baking classes (and our Easy Thanksgiving Desserts piece) for more holiday food inspo!
DIY Production and Styling: Paris Fried
Paris Fried: Paris loves any excuse to celebrate and throw a themed party. She loves experimenting in the kitchen and has a terrible sweet tooth. When she's not crafting in her studio, she's at the farmers' market buying seasonal produce or at her favorite local theater watching double features.
This post has been updated.
No matter whether she's juggling motherhood, a busy career, or a popular book club, Reese Witherspoon seems to know just what to say to encourage others. She's talked about things like parenting and being ambitious, but she's also shared her thoughts on the importance of simply living a good life. It's no wonder her inspirational and wise quotes have been on our minds lately! Here are 14 absolutely quotable moments from our Big Little Liesfave, Reese Witherspoon.
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"One honest voice is louder than a crowd." —Reese Witherspoon
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"It's a great thing, getting older. You are who you are; you say what you mean." —Reese Witherspoon
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"I do believe that if you want to change the world, you have to be responsible for it." —Reese Witherspoon
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"Every day you have to choose and cultivate your own happiness." —Reese Witherspoon
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"Spend less time tearing yourself apart, worrying if you're good enough. You are good enough." —Reese Witherspoon
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"There's no bad consequence to loving fully, with all your heart. You always gain by giving love." —Reese Witherspoon
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"I’m just trying to matter and live a good life and make work that means something to somebody." —Reese Witherspoon
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"I've realized that life is too short to spend my time with anybody who doesn't appreciate me, treat me with respect or bring value to the relationship." —Reese Witherspoon
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"Chance is the first step you take, luck is what comes afterward." —Reese Witherspoon
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"There’s something timeless and important about making people laugh, about being the right spot in their day." —Reese Witherspoon
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"I’m trying to take the stigma off the word [ambitious] so we encourage more little girls to be ambitious, because I do think that’s how society will change." —Reese Witherspoon
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"I want to make my life, not just my job, the best it can be. The rest will work itself out." —Reese Witherspoon
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"I encourage women to step up. Don’t wait for somebody to ask you." —Reese Witherspoon
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"All we can do to create change is work hard. That’s my advice: Just do what you do well." —Reese Witherspoon
Don't let the hardships of 2024 get you down! Here are 27 happy quotes to keep you stay positive!
Header image via Brit + Co
Though Black Friday is traditionally the official start of the holiday shopping season, we argue that it’s been kicking since mid-October. We know, we know: it still feels extremely early to start thinking about the holidays, but they’ll be here before you know it! Plus, many brands and retailers are already promoting their holiday goodies with plenty of sales and discounts available right now.
If you’re ready to embark on your holiday shopping journey, but still need answers to questions like ‘when’s the best time to shop?’ and ‘where should I shop for gifts?’ and even ‘how the heck do I save money this season?’, you’ve come to the right place. Consider this your go-to guide for holiday shopping in 2024.
Scroll on for our best guidance on navigating this busy time of year and finding the best gifts possible!
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The best time to do holiday shopping really all depends on your personal shopping goals. Do you want to get a jump on items you know will sell out soon? Do you want to save the most money possible? Do you want to focus on handmade, personalized gifts? These factors will undoubtedly influence your holiday shopping schedule.
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Shopping early can be advantageous for all of the aforementioned goals. A lot of retailers start promoting their holiday products early on, giving you ample time to snatch up that limited-time lip kit or fancy water bottle you’ve been eyeing way before the holidays.
Plus, some of the best deals for holiday shopping happen ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – in 2023, Experian observed a surge in early spending in October, thanks to early discounts, a trend likely to continue in 2024.
Finally, shopping early can be especially helpful if your plan is to focus on handmade or personalized gifts, giving the artisan you buy from (or yourself, if you’re DIY-ing your gifts) plenty of time to craft the item with love and care.
Gallup reported in 2023 that one in four shoppers start shopping as early as September, a trend likely to continue in 2024 – so you might already be embarking on your shopping spree!
Mikhail Nilov / PEXELS
If right now is just still too darn early for you to start holiday shopping, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the best times to shop since so many retailers offer their largest discounts of the entire year. Plus, the late November-early December timeline can feel a bit more appropriate for the gifting season opposed to late October-early November, when everyone’s still recovering from Halloween.
The only thing to consider during this time is the shipping timelines for the items you purchase – but most retailers will typically advise their specific shipping schedules, so you don’t risk your goodies arriving late.
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You have three main options when it comes to where to shop for holiday gifts: online, in-store, and via our amazing gift guides. Of course, each method has its advantages and disadvantages.
Shopping in-store offers a tangible experience: the opportunity to hold specific items in your hands and gauge exactly what they’ll be like when you give them as a gift. The pitfall with shopping in-person is that it typically requires a commute and journeys through potentially very busy malls and shopping strips, which can add to the already-stressful holiday experience.
In-store shopping can be more physically exhausting, but it’s all about preference! Sometimes strolling through the stores that get all dolled up for Christmas is the best part of the season.
Andrea Piacquadio / PEXELS
Per Google, 65% of those planning to shop for the holidays say they will shop online more. Shopping for gifts online can be super helpful since you can centralize your findings in your browser’s bookmark tab or via virtual cart(s). Plus, shopping online can pose more opportunities for saving some money: lots of retailers typically offer discount codes for online users, especially if you sign up for their digital marketing channels (like email and text) and make a purchase.
Shopping online isn’t just shopping, either. The internet can be a stellar research tool to help you vet whether certain products are worth it, where they can be bought, and when they’ll be available. In fact, Google reported that more than half of U.S. holiday shoppers who went into a store last year say they looked up product reviews online and/or located an item in-store by checking it online.
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Last but not least, scrolling gift guides has to be our favorite place to shop for gifts – and not just because we write and publish them.
At their very core, gift guides help streamline the holiday shopping process, alleviating the stress that bubbles up when you’re wondering what the heck to shop for in the first place. Our gift guides are backed by real people, real experiences, and real opinions from our editorial team. We only promote products that we really love and believe in, oftentimes ones we’ve tested and reviewed ourselves.
We have gift guides for just about everyone on your list, with more on the way! Check ‘em out:
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The best kinds of gifts to give are thoughtful gifts that consider the giftee’s interests, wants, and needs. These gifts can be sentimental, practical, or both simultaneously. What matters most in a gift is that it’ll be meaningful to them past just the holiday season, whether it’s helping them get through daily tasks, reminding them of a memorable trip or event, or giving them small doses of joy.
“Shoppers are increasingly looking for personalized and unique gifts that reflect the recipient's personality and interests,” says Mia Anderson, Owner of ChicSew. “With the rise of online shopping, many consumers are opting for curated gift boxes or experiences that add a special touch.”
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Gift boxes, personalized items, books of interest, self-care goodies, and even gift cards can all be thoughtful gifts depending on the recipient. If you have no clue what your giftee is into, it’s not a bad idea to ask them what they want the most!
“My idea of a great gift is something that is in tandem with the recipient's interest and offers something new to the person, be it learning a new skill, enjoying a calming activity, or simply spending quality time with the family,” says Alfred Christ, Sales Manager & Marketer at Robotime. “This season, we encourage shoppers to shift their focus on quality and the memories their gifts will create and not just merely material aspects.”
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Black Friday is always the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year, Black Friday lands on November 29.
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Cyber Monday is typcally the Monday after Thanksgiving. This year, Cyber Monday will land on December 2. Oftentimes, retailers and brands extend their online offers through the week (coined Cyber Week) after the event. Salesforce reported that 67% of shoppers in 2024 plan on shopping during Cyber Week!
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The holidays at Starbucks are creeping up on us, people! Peppermint Mocha season will return on November 7. If you’re a die-hard Starbucks fan, you know Red Cup Day is a whole holiday in itself – the frenzy for a free reusable cup is truly no joke. There’s even an entire website dedicated to counting down the madness! Even though there’s no official word on when Red Cup Day 2024 will be, there are several clues that cue us into the annual event. Scroll on for details!
Starbucks
Red Cup Day is Starbucks’ highly-awaited annual event that marks the start of holiday beverage season at the coffee chain. For one day only (and while supplies last), customers who order any of Starbucks’ holiday drinks will receive a reusable red cup that features a bespoke design for the respective year.
Starbucks
Here’s a list of all the drinks rumored to be available on the Starbucks holiday menu starting November 7:
Starbucks
Starbucks hasn’t officially announced when Red Cup Day will be for 2024, let alone what the famed red cups will look like this go-around. The one obvious point is that the cups will be red! They’ll also likely feature some festive motifs that echo the holiday season. Last year’s red cups boasted playful white and green stars and ornament-like shapes.
Starbucks
Red Cup Day = freebies, which can feel really rewarding if you’re really into receiving free goodies. Plus, it’s just a fun way to lean into the holiday spirit. The red reusable cup keeps giving beyond Red Cup Day, though! Every time you use the reusable cup for future Starbucks orders, you get a 10-cent discount as well as 25 bonus stars toward your Starbucks Rewards account to save up for more discounts on drinks, food, and merchandise.
Starbucks
Again, Starbucks hasn’t alerted us on when Red Cup Day will be for 2024, but based on previous Red Cup Days, we can infer it’ll land on the third Thursday of November. In 2022, Red Cup Day happened on November 17, and for 2023, it was November 16. The third Thursday of November in 2024 hits on November 21, so mark your calendars, everyone!
Additionally, check back here for official info as Red Cup Day approaches.
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