Happy Holidays! | Cup of Jo

What are your plans for the next week? The boys and I are hosting Christmas at our house, and we’re excited for a noisy houseful of grandmas, aunts, and cousins. Most of all, I’d like to thank you for being here, whether you’ve been reading for many years or are just stopping by. We’re deeply grateful for this wise, funny community. We’ll be taking a break until January 3rd, but if you’re in a blog-reading mood, we rounded up the year’s top posts…

In the Style category, the winners are:
Most Likely to Be Spotted on a Beach: Odette Williams
Biggest Aha Moment: The #1 Thing My Capsule Wardrobe Taught Me
Outfits I’ve Worn the Most Often: Everyday Clothes I’ve Worn 8 Million Times
Most Popular Bag Among CoJ Readers: 7 Things People Were Wearing in Paris
Most Charming Week of Outfits: Shoko Tatara
Trend We Love Best and Thus Will Probably Burn Through the Fastest: Are You Mysteriously Drawn to Bows Right Now?

In the Beauty category, congrats to:
Most Jaw-Dropping Makeovers: 9 Readers’ Hair Transformations (Plus, Jannelle’s Dream Haircut!)
Most Surprising Hit: The Random Thing I Get the Most Compliments On
Coolest Celebrity Sighting in a Beauty Uniform: Chloe Hall
Funniest Beauty Uniform: Monica Heisey
Best Reason to Head to Target: Four Drugstore Lipsticks With Cult Followings
Deepest Dive Into the Archives: 10 Most Recommended Beauty Products

In the Food category, please raise your glasses for:
Most Controversial Taste Test: What’s the Best Vanilla Ice Cream?
Snappiest Weeknight Dinner: Salmon Crunch Bowls
Most Likely to Inspire an Impromptu Dinner Party: What Do You Make When Friends Come Over?
Hungriest I Felt While Writing a Post: The Best Party Snack of All Time
Liveliest Debate in the Comments: Seven Rules for Being a Good Dinner Guest
Top Takeaway: Bad Cook, Great Mom

In the Relationships category, our winners are:
Most Vulnerable I Felt While Pressing “Publish”: Some Personal News
Question that People Ask Me Most Often: What’s Your Relationship Status?
Sultriest Soundtrack: My Sex Mixtape
Wisest Words: What’s the Most Helpful Thing a Therapist Has Ever Told You?
Most Revelatory Comments: Five Things That Surprised Me About My Divorce
Most Offbeat Hang Outs: 13 Things To Do With Friends (That Aren’t Dinner)
Fastest Way to Transform a Group Chat: The Best Thing to Text a Friend

In the Travel category, let’s give a round of applause to:
Most Requested Post by Readers: 6 Fun Itineraries for Kids in NYC
Handiest Travel Reframe: The #1 Trick to Enjoying Family Vacations
Prettiest Destination for a Girls’ Trip: Our Week in Paris
Most Meaningful: The Life Motto I Learned at My Grandmother’s Funeral
Best Advice in the Comments Section (775+!): What’s Your #1 Travel Tip?
Most Essential Reading: New York City, I Love You But I Have a Disability

In the Parenting category, congratulations to:
Best Advice from the Trenches: 10 Surprising Tips for Parents of Young Children
Least Cool Post of All Time: A List of Things to NOT Do If You Have Preteens
Strongest Mad Men vibes: What Don Draper Taught Me About Parenting
Most Reassuring: The #1 Thing I’d Tell New Parents About Family Dinner
Most Satisfying Use for Play-Doh: A Surprising Way to Help Kids Open Up
Sweetest Essential Reading: Six Children’s Books With Black Characters

In the Design category, our top posts were:
The Wiggliest Boys Ever in a Photo Shoot: Our Brooklyn Family Home
Smallest Home Tour: This Tiny Swedish Apartment Bursts With Personality
Most Likely To Make You Buy Pink Paint: This Connecticut House Tour Is Our Most Colorful One Yet
Sweetest Reader Responses: Do You Hang Photos of Your Friends?
Best Life Hacks: What Small, Inexpensive Things Make Your Life Easier?
Strongest Temptation to Move: 5 Downsizers Show Us Their Smaller Homes

And in our Culture category, the winners are:
Cutest Opening Photo: How to Be a Neighborhood Aunt
Most Likely to Be Texted to a Spouse: What Are Your ‘Couple Shows’?
Most Likely to Say “Welp!”: This Is the Best Show About the Midwest
Navel-Gaze-iest Question: What Would Be the Title of Your Memoir?
Funniest Reader Anecdotes: What Was Your Most Embarrassing Moment?
Most Heart-Warming List: What Glimmers Are You Noticing These Days?

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Thank you again for reading! We love you so much and will be back with new posts on Wednesday, January 3rd, and of course feel free to check out our newsletter Big Salad. Have a wonderful holiday. xoxo

P.S. Last year’s most popular posts, including the loveliest week of outfits.

(Top photo by Veronica Olsen.)