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December Begins: Vintage Books, Winter Rituals, and a Steady Reading Life

December 04, 2025

Hello book friend, It’s the first Friday of December, and before the month picks up its usual speed, I wanted to share a short update—something steady, useful, and encouraging as we step into a busy season together.

December can be a swirl of baking, errands, holiday gatherings, gift lists, and family schedules. But it can also hold quiet, grounding moments worth protecting.

My hope is that this update helps you start the month with intention and inspiration.

New Vintage Arrivals

Here are the latest additions to Reading Vintage—clean, carefully sourced, and ready for readers and collectors alike.

A. B. Frost: The American Sportsman’s Artist (Derrydale Press, 1990 Limited Edition)

A beautifully illustrated monograph celebrating Frost’s iconic sporting scenes, produced in a limited run of 2500 copies.

Sporting Art / Wildlife Etchings Portfolio (Limited Edition)

A plate-only art volume featuring crisp reproductions of wildlife etchings—perfect for collectors of sporting art and naturalist illustration.

Ernest Hemingway Two-Book Bundle

• The Garden of Eden (1986 First Edition)
• A Moveable Feast (1964)
A pairing that highlights two very different periods of Hemingway’s life and voice.

Premier Press Limited Edition — The Still-Hunter (1989)

A gilt-edged, leather-bound sporting classic exploring the discipline of careful, quiet fieldcraft.

Ski Magazine’s Complete Book of Ski Technique (1975)

A fully illustrated guide documenting 1970s skiing instruction—150+ photos and diagrams from the era that defined modern technique.

Colleen McCullough Two-Book Bundle

1• The Thorn Birds (1977)
2• An Indecent Obsession (1981 First Edition)

Family saga and wartime drama from one of Australia’s most beloved storytellers.

Bruce Catton’s Centennial History of the Civil War (3-Volume Set)

A thorough, accessible trilogy covering the war’s political, military, and human dimensions.

Arctic Passage: The Turbulent History of the Land and People of the Bering Sea, 1697–1975

A sweeping historical account of survival, exploration, and cultural endurance.

Vintage Retro Kitchen & Cooking Book Bundle — Knox Gel-Cookery (1962), Domino Sugar, Skippy Peanut, Jell-O Hostess Guide, Proof of the Pudding

This retro kitchen & cooking book bundle brings together five mid-century advertising cookbook treasures from brands you like.

🎄 December Cooking Tips (From a Real Kitchen)

December cooking always brings me back to my mother’s kitchen—a long countertop crowded with mixing bowls, cookie sheets, and family.

My dad wandered through to “sample” things not quite ready. My sisters helped. Once grandchildren came along, they were given their own small task: one recipe per child, carefully supervised cracking of eggs, and eventually frosting everything together as a group.

My job was always the mixer station. A niece or nephew stood beside me on a chair, adjusting the mixer speed while I measured ingredients and kept unruly batter—and unruly helpers—on track.
With fresh eggs from my dad’s chickens, it became a ritual of noise, sugar, and laughter.

And a few lessons stuck:

✔ New cookie cutters are not always better.

The plastic cutters with clever shapes looked fun, but dough filled every crease. They now live with the Play-Doh tools. Mom’s metal set continues to win.

✔ Simple recipes survive the season.

If a recipe has more than five steps or more than five ingredients, I look for something else. December rewards simplicity.

✔ Chaos is part of the memory.

Kids will frost cookies unevenly, spill sugar, and over-decorate. These are the cookies no one forgets.

If you’re planning to bake this month, consider keeping things simple—and memorable.

Meaningful December Rituals (Not Pinterest Perfect)

Every year, the tradition I look forward to most is the Christmas Walk at Dow Gardens. The candlelit paths, the quiet songs from carolers stationed along the trail, the reindeer, the hot chocolate—it all creates a peaceful beginning to the month.

It doesn’t require perfection. It simply sets the tone.

If you’re looking for a grounding ritual this December, choose something small and steady. Something that asks nothing of you except to enjoy it.

Creating Space for Reading in December

Finding time to read in December can feel impossible. My own rhythm has become predictable: after the day winds down, I settle on the couch with a blanket and read for an hour or two before bed. It’s a small anchor in a busy month.

I also never travel without a book. You never know when a quiet moment might appear.

If you’re trying to read more this month, a few strategies help:

Pick a time of day that reliably belongs to you.
Keep a book in your bag or car.
Let small reading sessions count—they do.

A reading life is built with consistency, not perfection.

A Quick Collector Tip for December

The books I sell aren’t mass-produced, disposable copies. They’ve lived lives. They’ve been inscribed, gifted, shelved, read, and occasionally used as safe-keeping for a flower, a letter, or a handwritten recipe.

When you gift a vintage book, you’re giving someone a story that has already been part of someone else’s life.

A few reminders for caring for vintage books this month:

Keep books away from heating vents—dry air warps boards.
Don’t store books near an exterior door or cold draft.
If gifting, include a note about the book’s history or provenance.

It makes a difference.

New at Reading Vintage: The Reading Life Starter Kit

This December, I introduced something I’m proud of:

the Reading Life Starter Kit, — a blog + digital download designed to help you build or rebuild a reading routine that fits your life.

It includes:

habit-building worksheets
reflection prompts
a reading audit
guidance for choosing books that support your goals

You can explore it here. It’s a great way to start the month with clarity—and to reconnect with reading in a season full of noise.

Here’s to a month of simple rituals, good stories, and moments that feel like your own. I’m glad to share the start of December with you.

Keep turning those pages,

Pam

p.s. A vintage cookbook I opened this week listed an ingredient as “a goodly amount of butter.” That’s not a measurement, but I respect the confidence.