How To Romanticize the in Between and Find Serenity Before the Holiday Rush
How To Romanticize the in Between and Find Serenity Before the Holiday Rush
By Audrey Cooper — November 19, 2025
Between the glittering chaos of the holidays, when the flights are booked, deadlines begin to stack, and studying begins, there is a quiet grace period that often goes unnoticed. This small stretch of time marks the end of the fall season and the beginning of the upcoming winter chill.
This is a time of transition, a pause that fades into the calendar. Fashion turns tactile again. Wool, suede, cashmere, and leather return to rotation. Beauty routines shift in preparation for harsher air, as skin is treated more than decorated, and hair is left undone or pulled back in wind-blown buns. It is not glamorous, or loud, or headline worthy, but that is exactly what makes it so special.
There is something powerful about the moments in between the major holidays. The self-care nights and candle-lit dinners cooked not for guests, but simply so you can enjoy your own company. These are the mundane days where nothing “big” happens, and yet they end up being the days with the fondest memories.
So before the extravagance of the holidays takes over, revel in romanticizing the in between and embrace the stillness of this season.
Have a “slow morning”
Set your phone to the side. Put a little extra time into cooking breakfast, and truly taste your morning coffee.
Pick a cookbook, and cook one recipe per week
We all have cookbooks we have purchased with the belief that we will use them constantly, but then we never end up opening them. It is now time to open that book.
Listen to an entire album front to back…no skipping!
Give music the reverence it used to have before fast-paced streaming.
Visit a library or bookstore
Give yourself time to pick a book that speaks to you. Enjoy the smell of the paper, the sound of rustling pages, and the atmosphere around you.
Buy one luxury candle that captures the season
Only burn it when you can really enjoy its fragrance. Let it become a smell that your brain recognizes as calmness.
Visit a farmers’ market before winter takes over
Pick one ingredient you have never cooked with before and build a meal around it, or just simply start conversations and support passionate, local small businesses
Play cards with friends
Sit around a table with your best buds and enjoy getting into a game, whether it be Uno, Poker, Go Fish, or Spoons, just to name a few, and make it a weekly ritual.
Romanticize grocery shopping
Pretend you are strolling through a European market. Listen to your favorite playlist and choose intentionally.
Go on a spontaneous road trip
You do not need to drive anywhere in particular, just get in the car and go. Grab some friends or go solo, and embrace the ride. Look out the window and take in the season, let the air flow through the windows, and blast your favorite songs.
Write little notes to your friends
Everyone needs a pick-me-up from time to time. Write little funny or sweet notes and hide them in obscure places: their car mirror, their nightstand, their mirror, or on the coffee machine, etc.
Make a Scrapbook
Collect all your favorite pictured moments from the year and compile them into a book. Leave room to add to it as we move into 2026.
The world will speed up soon enough, but for now, it is simply fabulous being right where you are and soaking up all the little moments going on around you.
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All photos belong to Audrey Cooper, Sophia Alba, and Dupe Photos.