Creature Comforts
Mind-melting crafty things to watch, wholesome documentaries and heart-warming reads.
Hello there,
This has been the hardest kind of week. How do you describe a week that included arguably one of the worst days in American history? A week when almost 22,000 Americans died of the coronavirus, and somehow we are throwing out vaccines?
This is the kind of week when you break the glass on brain-numbing or deeply comforting things. It’s the kind of week where it’s essential to bludgeon your mind with the most wholesome, heartwarming stuff you can find and surround yourself with soft, fluffy objects. Here are some of my suggestions.
Watch
I haven’t brought up the Great British Bake-Off yet because I just kind of assumed everyone already binge-watched it during the pandemic. But if for some reason you haven’t yet watched all of the available seasons on Netflix, now is the time. It is the classic comfort watch. Do it.
If you have already watched it and want some other heartwarming, pure things to watch, here are some things to try.
For GGBO fans, try Making It on Hulu. It’s essentially the crafting version of GBBO, hosted by Parks & Recreation’s Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. It’s extremely wholesome and sweet and the contestants are really nice to each other and they make really beautiful, fun things. It’s hosted in a fancy barn in California, and Nick Offerman’s occasional chuckle is delightful.
If you’re a fellow dance person, have you checked out the two recent Nutcracker documentaries? There’s Dance Dreams on Netflix and On Pointe on Disney+. They both follow kids who audition for and dance in two very expensive but very different Nutcrackers; Dance Dreams is also doubles as a Debbie Allen biopic. They are both utterly delightful, and you will definitely cry.
Bonus watch: if for some reason you haven’t seen Mad Hot Ballroom (2005), it is one of the most heart-warming documentaries you will probably ever watch. It’s available on demand. Again, grab some tissues.
More of a sports person? I recently watched Ted Lasso on Apple TV and didn’t expect it to be good at all (the premise: an American football coach gets recruited to lead an elite British soccer team). In fact, it was almost *too* wholesome, and surprisingly enjoyable. Also, in case you didn’t watch it right before the pandemic, the docuseries Cheer on Netflix follows a championship college cheering team. There’s a lot of sad reality in there, but it has a lot of satisfying moments. Just…don’t Google the sweetest person in the series to see what he’s up to now.
And finally, are you a music person? Mucho Mucho Amor on Netflix was one of my favorite movies of 2020. It’s a biopic about Walter Mercado, a Puerto Rican astrologer and international icon. It is hands-down wonderful, a true balm for the soul. If you want something mind-numbing, Netflix’s Eurovision Song Contest is a boatload of dumb fun. If you don’t feel like sitting through the full two hours, just watch this scene:
Read
Why is it that so many well-written books are so depressing? I had to search through my recent reading list to find books that qualify as both well-written and even somewhat feel-good. Here’s what I came up with: The Girl with the Louding Voice, a coming-of-age story of a teenage girl in Nigeria, and The House at the Edge of Night, a multigenerational tale of a family that runs a café on a fictional island in Italy. (Currently accepting recommendations for feel-good books with decent writing!)
Follow
There are a few accounts I follow on Instagram expressly for their hypnotic, soothing content.
There’s this calligrapher…
And this painter…
And this potter.
Do
I spent a lot of this week wrapped in an extremely soft fluffy blanket wearing a fluffy zip-up. If you do not own something soft and fluffy, whether it’s a blanket or item of clothing, now is the time to get one.
Until next week (and hoping it's a better one),
Rachel