Barbie, Burning Man, And The Rest Of Your Favorite Posts Of 2023

Plus solastalgia, a new kind of winter sadness

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Hello, friends.

Still a beautiful view

For the last three Decembers our family of four has driven up to the Adirondacks, to spend a few nights at an extremely cozy and quaint inn. It’s close to Whiteface, the tallest ski mountain in the Northeast. I had been especially attached to this trip because it meant catching a breath of real winter. We’re in a snow drought in New York City and across the region—no more than an inch has fallen for almost two years.

Well, this year, there wasn’t any real snow even up on the mountain—only the stuff they spray out of nozzles. There had been about a foot earlier in the month, but it washed away in a huge rainstorm.

So I had a bout of solastalgia—that feeling, peculiar to these days, of missing home when you are home, or in a beloved, beautiful place where something important has changed. Have you felt that? Maybe call it a new brand of seasonal affective disorder—only, this time it’s the seasons themselves that are affected, as well as us.

And I…just let it be. I allowed that sadness to coexist alongside the cheerfulness of the blazing fires in the fireplaces, the eggnog and the cookies, ice skating with a view of the mountains, and the giggles of playing a new family game on the drive. And I looked forward to writing about it here, and was grateful that I have gathered this little community of people who get it and won’t try to brush these feelings away.

Your favorite posts of the year

Here’s your top five. They encompass the Gaza war, the Barbie movie, and many places in between. Thanks again for being here, and Happy New Year! I’ll be back next week.