Monday Musings- Laughter, Wisdom, and Why I Love This Community
A few weeks ago, a reader asked me what aging naturally means to me. It’s one of those questions that sounds simple until you sit with it for a moment. How we decide to age in a world full of options is deeply personal, and no single approach gets to claim the moral high ground.
What followed was one of those conversations that reminds me why this community matters so much.
I nodded along to many of your comments and laughed out loud at others. There was wisdom, perspective, and a very healthy sense of humor woven through the responses.
Some of you landed firmly in the pick-and-choose camp.
Some embrace gray hair, wrinkles, and the freedom that comes with it.
Some happily use Botox, retinol, or both, not to look younger, but to feel better.
What struck me wasn’t the variety of answers. It was the tone with no judgment and no lectures. Just women talking honestly about what works for them, in bodies that have lived a lot of life and learned things along the way.
Here are a few of your observations:
- Shoes have definitely changed from fun to things a platypus could wear!
- I just saw comedian Fran Lebowitz, and she said there are three looks…young, old and surgical! I’m still laughing! I’ll take old✅
- Aging naturally to me means freedom! Not thinking I have to lose 10 lbs to fit into an article of clothing that I have been hanging on to.
- I am 76 with white hair, wrinkles, crackly joints, and lots of other aging stages. I dearly relish and appreciate each white hair, wrinkle, creaky joints, etc., because of a sis who cancer took at 50 and never got to experience older age and all! I am simply grateful for each day!
- I had my upper eyelids done 7 years ago at the age of 65. I didn’t like how my upper lid kept folding further down. I’m really glad I did it.
- I’m not in the aging naturally column: if I were aging naturally, I’d have about 3-4 teeth left in my mouth and wouldn’t be able to eat anything that required chewing.
- To me, ageing naturally means just that. No hair dye, fillers, Botox, face lifts etc…just let nature take its course. But, like ‘natural’ childbirth, this approach can be painful and one that I have eschewed. Have not had a facelift, but certainly have fillers, Botox, and dye my hair.
This space has always felt like that to me. A place where we can compare notes, laugh at ourselves, and admit that comfort now factors into our decisions more than it once did. Including shoes. Especially shoes.
As the year winds down, I find myself appreciating this community more than ever. Slower conversations, fewer rules, common sense, kindness…and the freedom to decide what feels right without needing anyone else’s approval.
I’ll be taking a little time off over the holidays, but before I do, I want to say thank you. Your honesty, humor, and generosity are what make this space what it is, and I deeply appreciate you.
As we look ahead to 2026, I’d love to hear from you. What would you like to see more of here in the coming year? More real-life outfits? Deeper dives into color and fit? Fewer rules and more perspective? Or something you’ve been quietly hoping I’d write about?
However you’re closing out the year, I hope it includes good company, a few laughs, and style that makes you feel confident.
xo
Please enjoy your time off with your family! I love your blog and have used many of your suggestions for style and skin care. I just turned 81 and I am told I don’t look it. Thank you for all the time you put into your blog. I love seeing your personal style as it is similar to mine. I’m a true petite and lately I’ve had to shorten petite jeans and pants. A 29” inseam isn’t petite! I’m 5’1” tall, 135 lbs. which is a little over weight, especially as I’m eating goodies everyday! We can enjoy them for a few more days! My husband brought home a Christmas apple pie! Oh my! Have a wonderful Christmas and we will all see you after the holidays!
I always look forward to your columns Jennifer. Thank you for posting thoughtful comments and sharing your thoughts with us all. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Stay well! Looking forward to 2026 with you and this community.
Jennifer,
Thanks for your blog-what would my morning coffee be like without you? But I am firmly in the same camp as Lee in Chicago if not know when. I am 80 love makeup and clothes and my shop on Main St.
Amy from Galena
Color choices and how to put an outfit together from items we may already have in our closets. Affordable clothing options from reputable retailers. Thank you for all you do and Merry Christmas 🎁🎄 to you and your family.
I read your blog regularly and thank you for covering our maturing lifestyles so well. A blessed Christmas to you and your family. I look forward to your rerun next year.
Thank you Jennifer for your wonderful blog and the community you have created. Your blog is the first thing I look for every morning. It is so uplifting and enjoyable to read. I love all that you cover. Wonder how your dry eyes are doing? Carol said she would like to see shoes that are wide, I have the other problem, very narrow feet. Maybe you can address both issues.
Love all your outfits and your hair looks fabulous.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!!!!
Happy Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year from the north of Scotland.
Love your work, thank you. Would like to spotlight what works for curvy, short, pear and other shapes. And more stores that routinely carry plus sizes.
Jennifer, how you generate such thoughtful and detailed content day after day astounds me! Thank you for all the work you put into your blog.
I hope you can step away and enjoy your nearest and dearest over the holidays. We’ll be here when you return. Merry Christmas!
Wishing you wonderful holidays!
Enjoy your blog a lot. I would love to see the how and why an outfit might work together. I am petite and love the outfits you show with that perspective in mind. Love the shoe option posts too and travel outfits too. Happy 2026.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Yes, please take some time for you and enjoy your friends and family.
As for next year, styling and color advice would be fabulous, as well as learning how best to take care of ourselves.
Those are great topics!
I always look forward to your blogs! I totally relate to your writing, your choice of topics and your style. You inevitably choose a topic that I am wondering about and you address the issues so thoroughly. I totally think we should wear what makes us feel good, but I would like to know what things you think are dated that we could get rid of and possibly replace with something a little more modern. Tunics? Certain pants or jean styles? I love buying new clothes but I could use help curating and pruning my wardrobe too. Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2026!
I really enjoy your postings and have changed my wardrobe over the last year based on your dressing room try ons. I finally felt like I could donate all the things in my closet that no longer fit my lifestyle. Have a great holiday and see you next year!
I’m so glad the posts helped!
Thank you so much for continuing to write with such humour and positivity.
Wishing you a cosy Happy Christmas and good times in 2026.
C McC
Jennifer, I love the community you have created. Your outfit choices are inspirational and provide an alternative way to style. I enjoy the topics around ageism and how to deal with it. I wish younger folks can appreciate us the way I appreciated older folks in my youth. We have the power as a community. Thrilled you are taking a break for the holidays. For 2026, I want to hear you take more time for you! Your hair looks amazing in the pic with cashmere hoodie. I bought it in oatmeal, great find! Happy and healthy holidays to all!
Thanks Cheryl. Happy Holidays!
Good Afternoon Jennifer. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, love your Monday Musings. And really enjoyed the reader observations on aging naturally. I’m glad to see you in the Quince hoodie, I ordered one, per your recommendation, in the wine color and I absolutely love it. I want to get another, and the grey you’re wearing looks so naturally comfortable in a classy way. I’m hoping they’ll come out with one in that new red/brown color they just introduced. I truly enjoy your blog, I’ve gotten so many good ideas from you. And whenever someone compliments me on a new piece of clothing, I say “my stylist recommended it”. :-). Thank you for that. Keep in coming in 2026. Have yourself a very Merry Christmas, and enjoy your time off. Hugs.
LOL, I love that! Merry Christmas!
I would love it if you showed us Canadian ladies some local stores. I know you spend quite a bit of time in Vancouver or on the island. I’m not sure what percentage of your followers are Canadian but a dive into retailers that we can easily access would be deeply appreciated.
Have a wonderful Christmas Jennifer!
I can share some brands but the ones I shop while there are Gap, Talbots, Banana Republic, Eileen Fisher, Athleta, Aritzia, Old Navy. Yes, most are US brands but I have not found other Canadian retailers.
I would like to know how to take a so-so outfit and make it look better. I would like to see you wearing an everyday plain outfit and then see another pic of how it would look if you updated it with different colors/accessories. Thanks for all you do!
Great idea
I would like to see more vendors.
Merry Christmas and Thank you for your work on this.
I read blogs for the fashion. In my small Midwestern city there aren’t many stores to shop in. I appreciate seeing what’s out there. I find shopping extremely depressing as private equity buys up everything and the quality goes way down. I would love for someone to search out clothes and accessories made of natural fibers.
Hi, Jennifer. You asked what we would like to see more of in the coming year, so here are my suggestions: outfits that are comfortable, colorful, creative, and affordable. One of the things I enjoy doing with fashion is putting together outfits that are different from how the brands present the clothes. For instance, I recently hosted a Christmas MahJongg party and wore a blue/green plaid blouse from Talbots with a purple cardigan with sparkly buttons from J.Jill. I got compliments from several people, and I felt terrific in that outfit. Best wishes for a peaceful and joyous holiday!
I love the dressing room diaries and I also like how you put your outfits together! Comfortable shoes,tennies and boots after 50 also are one of my favorites. The what to get gifts for Christmas and other holidays also top my list. 😊
Merry Christmas and a Happy, Hopeful, New Year, to you and your family. I hope, you will explore the “world of comfortable shoes” for those of us who (80 yrs.) need a little help with balance issues but not orthopedic. Having some style is still important. 😊🎄🎄🥳
I read your blog everyday. I always learn something, whether it’s related to fashion, makeup , hair or aging gracefully. On that note, you are 76?? I thought 60’s, tops. Keep on keeping on!
That was one of my readers comments.
Thank you, too. Truly. You are the first thing I read every morning.
Jennifer, I wish you all the best for a mostly heathy and happy year ahead. You’ve brought so much advice, knowledge and humor through your blog! 😘 I’ve followed you for several years now. I’ve recently change my email so I hope I get your posts in my inbox! If not, I’ll continue to check in through web search. I hope you get a nice break and enjoy the company of family and friends.
I really enjoyed your post on color pairings and I would like to see more posts like that. You helped me see color pairings I would not have thought of. Posts about what looks good on certain body shapes would also be helpful. I have fuller hips and thighs though am not pear shaped.
Great idea!
Happy holidays to you and all your readers.
Same to you Nancy!
A Very Happy Holiday to you and yours. I truly appreciate your fashion and health postings. It is always a safe place for opinions and ideas- let’s keep it that way. I feel like your column is a mini magazine (just like the ones we used to know). I miss the retailers and magazines of earlier years like old friends. You are near and dear as a newer friend.
Thanks,
I’d love to see more clothing options for short older women, and maybe a few more Kohl’s try-on sessions. I really can never find things that fit me in Walmart. I am 4’10”, roughly a size 10 or 12 petite. I DID try a pair of the knit pants from Quince and I like them. The length was great. I’ve been continually disappointed with Loft styles and quality. I appreciate the tips on hair thinning!! ( A medication has made thinning more of an issue for me…) And love the skin care tips, and the honesty regarding sun damage issues…Thanks for this page. I look forward to it.
I love everything you show us and write about. I keep seeing things on wear this not that and I kind of like that. How to tweak things to make it more stylish. I also love seeing everything you wear out in the wild! Enjoy your time off. Merry Christmas and Happy New year 🎄
Merry Christmas Rosemary!
Hi Jennifer! I feel you write with humor, honesty and generosity every day! I look forward to seeing you pop up in my inbox again soon. Happy New Year!
MaryAnn
Happy New Year!
Please continue showing us what you wear each week. It gives me ideas about what to wear instead of wearing my standard outfits. Enjoy your break over the holidays. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Jennifer….many thanks for all the work you do to publish, write and keep us engaged. I’ve always tried to look good in my clothes but honestly, it’s been trial and error. Now at 65 and almost retired I am finally feeling confident because of your posts! You have an impact!
Enjoy your well deserved holidays!
Peggy, one of your Canadian friends!
Jennifer I read your posts every morning. You always have good insights and a style sense that is classic and wearable.
As for what I’d like to read about in 2026. I am going on a trip to Japan in April. I have no idea what to pack because in addition to traveling in Japan we are jumping on a cruise that will take us all the way to Seattle, 20 days. There will be lots of stops in Alaska for hiking and river trips. What to pack and what to leave home?
Wishing you a wonderful holiday with friends and family.
That sounds like an amazing trip!
Your hair looks full, smooth, and strong. What is your best advice, along with products, to get your look?
I’ve written about my hair thinning and struggles often. I take otal minoxydil and use tons of products for volumne.
Hi Jennifer, In the coming year I would love to see you write about what to wear, and pack; for a destination wedding! My son is getting married in the Philippines in April on the beach, and I am at a loss! I’m 73 but young at heart ( I hate that society would describe as elderly!), short and 20 pounds overweight. I’m much more comfortable in a cozy sweater and jeans than baring it all in a skimpy sundress. However, with the extremely hot and humid weather in the Philippines, I will probably be wishing I could take off my skin too and just sit around in my bones😆!
Wishing you a Blessed Holiday Season!
Thanks Jocelyn
Jocelyn, I wore a sleeveless lace dress, knee length, and the mother of the groom wore a knee length cream skirt with a sleeveless top, when our kids were married on the beach in Dominica. We were dressed appropriately for the occasion and location but not too hot. Hope that helps!
Dear Jennifer, Just keep doing what you are doing. I read the blog religiously and find myself reviewing my wardrobe, my style of and my body type. Your blog really helps a woman of my age see ourselves in a different, and positive light. Thank you for your endless hours of shopping, trying on and reviewing fashion trends for us. Happy Holidays and Safe Travels!
I had to laugh at the excerpts from the “aging naturally” post, thanks for sharing! And no apologies needed for taking some time off, you are the hardest working blogger I’ve seen. Cheers!
Thanks for all that you do and enjoy your time off!
Jennifer,
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Looking forward to seeing more of your thoughts and ideas in 2026.
Jennifer, I hope you have a wonderful holiday and enjoy time with family and friends. I appreciate your honesty and openness about your own problems. Makes me feel like I’m with a friend. Thank you!
We are all friends here, which is why I love this community
Thank you, Jennifer, for choosing to do this day after day. You’re important to us. Happy holidays to you and yours. Enjoy a well-deserved break.
Yes to a deeper dive into color and style.
It would be nice to see plus size clothing included in sources.
Shoes are a nightmare – I need a true wide fit not just “they run wide”
My shoes are 3 different sizes – and they all fit!
Merry Christmas Jennifer!
I cannot say enough how much I enjoy your blog. You know you are the first thing I read at the crack of dawn in Oregon. So in February we are attending my great nephews wedding in Orlando. Help, I need suggestions for a dress. The ceremony is outdoors and reception indoors. I am hoping you can help.
Thank you.
It will be nice and warm but the humididty should not be too bad so a nuce summer dress will work.
Lately, I’m more aware of the environmental impact of buying new clothes as well as the labor conditions in many countries. In 2026, I would love to hear your thoughts on this, and also to hear your suggestions on some of clothing companies that sell organic fair trade products.
Thank you Jennifer for writing such a beautiful blog everyday. You bring warmth, caring and a softness to this sometimes difficult world we live in. I hope you enjoy your time off over the holidays. May the New Year bring you a year of joy in whatever you do.
Lovely post, thank you. And my mantra is, “if not now, when?” I love sequins and velvet and jewelry but have always been reticent about standing out so they sit in my closet. I am 85…what do I think I am waiting for? “When” is now!
Yes, it’s now!! I need to remind myself too
And this is why we love you and your blog so much Jennifer – you write with such honesty, compassion, wisdom and humour.
Happy Holidays to you, all your loved ones and all the fabulous women who follow your blog. And may 2026 be a more gentle, kind year to us all. xo
Thanks for being here Yvonne! xox
I really enjoy your try-on posts. I don’t have any of those stores in my small, rural city, so I like seeing what is out in the stores for women my age. I appreciate your candid comments about style, fit, and fabric.
I enjoy reading your posts. I really appreciate your “try ons” and your honest opion about the clothes.
I want to wish everyone the happiest of holidays!!!!
Happy new year to Jennifer and this wonderful community! Let’s all age how WE want to! However that is! And let’s continue to help each other. Love to you all! 🥰
I enjoy your column every day and appreciate your insights and honesty. I would love to hear more on color and fit in the coming year. Wishing you happy holidays and a happy and healthy new year!
Merry Christmas. Enjoy your time away. Rest and rejoice! And thank you for this blog which I look forward to each day!
Love your eyeglass frames in this photo. Would you please share the brand? Thank you.
They are Burberry from here.
Happy Holidays to you and your family!!! We’ll be here when you come back!
Thank you, Jennifer, for starting off my day in a very nice, uplifting way. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.
I have totally embraced my gray which turned out to be a lovely shade of gray and my brown hair. I know it will turn all gray but I am enjoying what it is now. I exercise five days a week and I try to maintain a healthy weight and I do watch my diet. As for skin care , I have a lot of products and use them every day. I am not trying to look young just the best I can at 75. I have not had any plastic surgery except for a breast reduction.
Really enjoy all of your posts. I would love to see what you find at a Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, or Winners ! I know this is hard as the stuff is so random you really can’t add links to buy – but it still would be fun to see what outfits you pull together. Thanks – Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Merry Christmas and a special New Year. So enjoy your posts. I like the variety you have posted, more of the same will be just fine with me.