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Holiday shopping is happening early this year (maybe you’ve noticed all the emails enticing you lately). With all the disruptions that have happened in the shipping and publishing industry, it’s not a bad idea to start working through your list a little earlier than usual.

You might be wondering why we’re talking about gift giving before we’ve even begun to hand out candy at Halloween (and I’m not one to rush the holidays), but there are reasons why this year it’s a good idea to consider ordering or making gifts before the holiday rush.

Supply chain issues are causing big problems as well as businesses having a difficult time hiring enough help especially through the holidays. Shopping early or pre-ordering helps smaller businesses navigate this difficult shipping and supply situation by giving them an idea of how much they need to order as well as having plenty of lead time for shipping.

Our family’s approach to this year’s gift giving dilemma is simple: keep it local, handmade, or order from a small business whenever possible. Anything that needs to be ordered online is going to happen by the end of the month.

When my husband and I head to the Hill Country or to downtown Austin to be together on our weekly lunch date, we’re also taking time to look for gifts for our family and friends. It feels good to take our time, decide together, and not feel rushed in finding something special.

Artisan markets, farmers’ markets, and pop-up holiday markets are great places to find gifts, and you’ll support local makers in the process. If visiting local markets isn’t your thing, I’ve put together a list of my favorite items from 2021 on Etsy. Buying on Etsy supports independent makers and helps you find something unique to give.

My Etsy Gift Collections for 2021 ($)

Sommer’s Favorite Etsy Finds of 2021

Gifts for Book Lovers

Gifts for Gardeners

Birthdays + Gifts

Gifts for Kids

Gifts for Teachers

Gifts for Furry Family Members

Hello, Fall

Hello, Winter

Shop The Etsy House for an interactive gift giving guide. You can find all the items from The Etsy House here.

Consider supporting independent booksellers and authors during the holidays (or all year round!) by giving books as gifts. Pair a book with some tea, a mug, blanket, bookmark, or a candle, and you’ll have one happy reader. Find ideas for books and cookbooks in my 52 Seasons Bookshop or give a Bookshop.org gift card.

If you’re still not sure what to get, a gift card is a great choice and supports your community by keeping your favorite coffee shop, restaurant, maker, or bookstore in business.

It’s almost Halloween, and we’re thinking about pumpkin decorating ideas.

Your dog’s guide to fall in Texas.

GARDEN

Nature is a gentle reminder that everything is constantly changing and evolving. The change of seasons means a change in wildlife and their preparations for winter in your backyard or local park, a change in weather, light, flora, the color and presence of leaves, and what needs to be planted now to flourish when we emerge from winter.

I noticed a large fluffy looking bumblebee in the garden recently and wondered what type it might be. Who knew there are so many types of bees just in Texas alone?

It’s bulb and wildflower planting time. I’ve been doing my research and taking notes on varieties after watching videos about planting bulbs and corms from the Floret resources archives.

Fall Bulbs for Spring Gardens ($)

Stomping wildflowers into the soil is a wonderful fall family tradition. You can find wildflower seeds and native grasses for Texas at Native American Seed and Wildseed Farms.

Fall Seeds Bring Spring Flowers! With Laura Brennand (*this video link has sound)

WELLNESS

A fascinating article on why the soil smells so fresh after rain.

CREATIVITY

I LOVE community art. I read about Seeing Into Tomorrow, a Richard Wright haiku project in Brooklyn. I’m just in love with this public art project.

In Season 40, I shared a book pumpkin I found on Etsy. If you'd like to try your hand at making your own, I found this book-pumpkin-making tutorial on the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club site.

BOOKSHELF

The Texas Book Festival begins this weekend! I plan to attend virtually, and I have my itinerary ready to go. I’m looking forward to all the author interviews this week. If you live in Austin, and would like to help out, go to the volunteer sign-up page here.

Halloween reading activities for kids from Maya Smart

This month I read Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile. After a long season of grief in her home in California, Charley Bordelon moves with her daughter to the sugarcane plantation in Louisiana left to her in her father’s will. The gift of the sugarcane plantation doesn’t come without conditions. After months of hard work re-imagining the run-down farm with the help of local seasoned expert Denton, things begin to turn around until Mother Nature and old family tension cause Charley to wonder why she gave everything up in the hope of growing a new life. Queen Sugar is a story rich with the struggle to belong in a family, a budding romance, and the legacy of Black Southern farmers and field workers who labored (and continue to work) in unimaginable conditions.

“All you need to do is listen,” Denton said, tossing the pad on the dashboard. “This ain’t something you take notes on, Miss Bordelon. You got to live it.” - Denton from Queen Sugar

I came across The Personal Librarian in a Bookshop newsletter a few weeks ago, and I was intrigued to learn more about the history of *racial passing (this video link has sound). The story of Belle de Costa Greene is based on a true story, but there are missing pieces of information from the letters she burned at the end of her life. This fictional novel brings those missing pieces to life.

Belle de Costa Greene (or Marion Greener by birth) passes as a white person by changing her name and weaving an intricate story of her Portuguese rather than African heritage. Her conflicting advice from Mama to “be cautious, never do anything to stand out”, and her advice from her equal-rights activist father that “to achieve one dream you had to forsake your core identity” were always battling it out in her mind. Belle works as a personal librarian to the infamous J.P. Morgan to build the Pierpont Morgan Library with the hope of one day converting the library into a public institution.

Books I’m reading: Parable of the Sower ($) by Octavia E. Butler, The Inheritance Games ($) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, and The House on Vesper Sands ($) by Paraic O’Donnell

Books I’m listening to: Pride ($) by Ibi Zoboi

Books I’ve recently finished: Clap When You Land ($) by Elizabeth Acevedo, The Personal Librarian ($) by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, Queen Sugar ($) by Natalie Baszile, The Cemetery Boys ($) by Aiden Thomas, and Address Unknown ($) by Katherine Kressman Taylor and Margot Livesey

What’s up next on my TBR (To Be Read) list:  Dear Miss Metropolitan ($) by Carolyn Ferrell, Harlem Shuffle ($) by Colson Whitehead, and Another Brooklyn ($) by Jacqueline Woodson, Shiner ($) by Amy Jo Burns, Cloud Cuckoo Land ($) by Anthony Doerr, Braiding Sweetgrass ($) by Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Mountains Sing ($) by Man Phan Que Nguyen

In case you are looking for book recommendations for kids (or yourself!), gift ideas for all ages or want to peek into my TBR List for 2021, head over to the 52 Seasons Book Shop on Bookshop.org.

COMMUNITY

If you’re anywhere around the Texas Hill Country, visit the Texas Marigold Festival October 23-30 in Blanco, Texas. Marigolds are a traditional part of the Dia de los Muertos celebration in Latinx culture on November 1st and 2nd. Families create ofrendas or offerings for family members they have lost. In addition to marigolds, you’ll find sugar skulls, photographs, and the person’s favorite food or drinks. In Mexico, Dia de Los Muertos coincides with the Monarch butterfly migration.

Do you have some holiday gift ideas or books you’ve loved recently? Share with us in the comments section below.

Enjoy your weekend :)

"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." - Desmond Tutu

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read 52 Seasons. I’d love to hear your feedback and ideas so that we can grow together.

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Disclosure: ($) If you see this dollar symbol in a post, the link is an affiliate post. I will receive income or a discount on products if you purchase that item on Bookshop.org or anything on the Etsy, Campspot, Beauty by Earth, or Prana website using my link. Income from the products in these links helps me to keep this blog growing.