Tasteless, tacky gift guides occupy the internet. This makes me very upset.
So, instead of complaining about the unrefined taste of Men's Health and Oprah Daily, I decided to be the change I wished to see.
My list does not consist of mere fun or practical gifts; it includes life-elevating items that have advanced my running on butter to the next level. Out of the goodness of my heart (it's the giving season!), I'm sharing those with you here today.
When I started this running on butter journey, one of the many aspects of being healthy that I found particularly concerning was whether or not I would look good while doing it.
I mean, obviously, healthy living produces great results for one's complexion and muscle mass. But hair? Well, the healthy people I knew had really bad hair.
I couldn't afford to forgo my hair standards by ditching the fertility-crushing hair products that "worked" for the "clean" products that make you look like a greasy sewer rat. But fortunately, I didn't have to sacrifice efficacy or my fertility thanks to Rahua.
Rahua (pronounced raw-wa) uses the purest—and most exotic!—ingredients to create hair products that give you clean, luscious locks. This product is beyond the binary—working wonders for men's and women's hair.
I use their styling cream daily. See the review I left three years ago:
Four Christmases ago, my brother, Rudy, gave me my favorite gift I've ever received: rose bushes. And not just any lame roses you can buy at Lowes, but David Austin English-bred roses. These blooms bring royalty to your landscape.
Each June, when the roses bloom, I think of my brother, Rudy, who passed away three years ago after a long battle with Burgerville addiction. Just kidding. Rudy is alive and well. So is his Burgerville addiction. And we are working through that. Together.
Anyway, here are some photos of the gifts that keep giving:
If you aren't reading The Free Press, then what the heck are you doing with your life? Save your excuses ("working"; "raising children"), and give the gift of a Free Press subscription to yourself and a loved one.
The company's tagline is "think for yourself," which, frankly, I find a little concerning considering some of the questions that have been raised on this page.
Where Running On Butter tells you exactly what to think (seed oils bad, butter good) The Free Press is fiercely independent in its reporting and platforms the steel-man versions of today's most important issues.
Some things like glasses make you look intelligent (guilty!), others make you feel intelligent. When I'm holding a G-2 pilot, I feel like I have the literary depth of T.S. Eliot and the computation of Isaac Newton. I feel powerful and creative.
Do these feelings translate to groundbreaking work? You tell me.
European Vacation
A little less budget-friendly than pens, European vacations are arguably just as essential. Traveling across the Atlantic provides perspective for all we've gained (freedom) and all we've lost (taste).
I've yet to collaborate with any European countries so I cannot offer any affiliate discounts, but I highly recommend visiting Switzerland. Its beauty and dairy go unmatched.
Written by Abigail Shrier, Bad Therapy is one of the most important books right now. Packed with the latest research, Shrier contends that many of the tools we're using to raise "happy" kids—social-emotional learning, gentle parenting, and therapy—are actually instilling misery, incompetence, and emotional aloofness among the rising generations.
This is a must-read for all parents who want to raise productive, resilient children.
The whey, the truth, and the life.
As I recently wrote, If you're interested in looking good for swimsuit season, not getting dementia, and growing healthy babies, use code BUTTERCUP to save 15% on Elite Fuel's 100% Grass-Fed Goat Protein.
Music is one of the greatest gifts my parents gave me. And notwithstanding my mother's angelic voice, my parents are not musicians. My dad couldn't hum a hymn to save his ten children's lives.
Nevertheless, they both saw the value and gift of music and wove its thread into our family's identity and legacy.
You can too.
My brother's Voetberg Music Academy offers world-class fiddle, piano, guitar, mandolin, and ukulele courses for anyone aged 3-103.
And to the parents who prioritize athletics, I suggest refreshing your memory with one of the most poignant parent-child scenes in cinematic history:
Jack Bolton: [in denial of the fact Troy wants to sing] You're the playmaker... not a singer... right?
Troy Bolton: Did you ever think that maybe I could be both?
[drops basketball and leaves, passing his surprised father and friends]
Don't limit your children. Let Troy be your example—your vision—for child-rearing.
I got my first pair of New Balance 880 running shoes when I was a senior in high school. That year, I saw significant improvement in my racing. It would be remiss not to attribute part of those gains to NB's 880s.
But this year, thanks to the bad advice of a friend who shall remain nameless (MATTHEW STEPHEN ANGOVE), I ditched the 880s for a brand that I won't mention (ALTRA RUNNING SHOES).
I am very upset I listened to my "friend's" advice, and I want to spare you the agony of having to run in anything other than New Balance 880s.
Don't just read Running On Butter; wear it. Shop the full collection here.
You can see my niece, Lisa, couldn't be happier to be a brand ambassador:
Wow, roses and piano lessons...Merry Christmas to me!!!
I enjoyed the list! But I may have enjoyed the humor of reading through the blog even more! Hope all is well.
Great list, but I have to disagree with one thing. While I was a long time G-2 fan, I switched to FriXion eraseable gel pens a number of years ago and have never looked back. I don’t even let my kids use pencils anymore. FriXion for the win.