Merry & bright: cozy books, films, music for the holidays

Written By E. Key

Hello friends,

This is Emily, and you're reading the Hard Copy newsletter! It's the free comfort newsy for cozy weekends. Thank you so much for letting me visit your inbox! Here, we unwind with the latest book recommendations, original columns, playlists and music worth listening to, and the best in film and television. If podcasts are more your jam, you can listen to the Your Weekly Breakdown podcast, with new episodes out each week.

Holiday demands are high, and I'm a bit low. Your girl is run down! How are you feeling?

I asked our crew the same question on instagram, and the team is feeling it; overwhelm, tension, anxiousness, it's all *a lot*. So, if you're struggling, know you're not alone.

I hope you get some downtime during this hectic season in whatever way refuels you best!

Personally, I enjoy sitting in my car, silently sobbing while I inhale whatever confection I can find at the nearest coffee shop (brownies, preferably). A friend said she'll do some scream therapy for her Christmas pillows. Another said, eff this, and is heading off to Thailand, not a family member in tow.

For others, embracing the season's chaos is the strategy of choice, and I applaud you for that!

However you celebrate, wishing you an unclenched jaw, restful sleep, and a very low-stress season.

xo,

​Emily​

PS we're lining things up on Youtube! Please subscribe to our channel as we have lots of fun things coming up for your enjoyment in 2025.

Your Recommendations

📺 Watch

Keira Knightley *not* in a period piece! She crushes her role as a spy in Black Doves, a cheeky thriller you'll enjoy binging over the holidays. If that isn't enough to lure you, I'll add that Ben Wishaw is at his *finest* with irresistible charm as the star's trusty sidekick. (Netflix)

​Carry On is a high octane thriller starring Taron Egerton, with Jason Bateman as the villain. Very fun, blackmail, airport centric, all taking place at an airport on Christmas eve. (Netflix)

If you have it in you to leave the house, I highly recommend heading to the theatre to view some of my favourites: Gladiator II, Queer, Small Things Like These, or Anora. If you’re patient and need to escape the chaos on Christmas Day, let me know how you enjoy Nicole Kidman in Babygirl!

🎧 Listen

​Slow Burn is an apt title for the latest EP from Baby Rose, who this time collaborated with BADBADNOTGOOD. The result? Smooth and sultry tunes with incredibly soulful lyrics.

Lola Young is enjoying a breakout week with her hit ‘Messy’ all over social media (and I'm too perfect 'til I open my big mouth 🎵). She’s no one-hit-wonder though: her album, This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway, showcases not only her range - from guttural and raw lower register work through to her angelic and smoothing melodies - but her staying power.

The Hard Copy Holidays playlist is an absolute smash, with an unconventional and jazzy take on the classics.

For those already getting into 2025 planning mode, I recommend the Ascending playlist to give you a bit of pep in your planning step.

Finally, there is a new episode of Your Weekly Breakdown out, and we’ll keep you company over the holidays with 2 additional episodes before the end of the year. Thank you for tuning in!

📚 Read

When I’m running out of things to read, I often send a note to my well-read cousin. She never disappoints! This time, she suggested I Am Pilgrim, which she said her own mother loved so much that she read it twice. We follow an American former intelligence agent through this clever and well-paced adventure.

I hadn’t yet read The Housemaid, a 2022 novel from Freida McFadden but it caught my eye when I heard it’s now being adapted into a film starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. I can see what! A psychological thriller I devoured in one sitting.

​The Spy Who Loved is a riveting non-fiction about Britain’s first female special agent of World War II. Daring, highly-decorated, and overall an extraordinary woman’s life.

A few of my favourite things

I cover a lot of territory when it comes to curating what recommendations I have for you each week, and it’s been fun to reflect on what the standouts were over the past year. Below, I’ve highlighted a few of my favourite things from 2024.

Newsletters

It seems like 2024 was the year everyone started a Substack newsletter, but at some point it all becomes a bit too much. There’s only one newsletter that I read 100% of the time and can wholeheartedly recommend (other than this one, of course):

Reading The 19th’s newsletter is a key piece to my morning routine, and independent journalism like theirs means staying informed doesn’t feel like another task on the never ending To Do list.

For busy people like us, staying in the know shouldn’t mean doomsrolling for hours through the noise. Highly recommend their free newsletter.

Podcasts

I’m biased but I do love Your Weekly Breakdown, obviously. We cover high- and low-brow culture to keep you in the know and laughing all the way.

If that’s not your jam, then Celebrity Memoir Book Club keeps me highly entertained with their casual and insightful reviews of whatever celeb memoir is on their nightstand.

Also: Hard Fork, Pivot, Las Culturistas, The Daily.

Music

Books

Selecting favourites is an impossible task. But! I’ve reviewed my list and have narrowed it down to:

Film & TV

Great pieces from the Hard Copy blog to guide you into 2025...

💫 2024 As Told Through The Signs

As we arrive at Winter Solace, our resident astrologer reviews 2024 through an archetypal lens, and gives a sneak preview for what lies ahead.

🙏 Embracing Mindfulness

A few simple ways to incorporate wellness into your daily life.

🌶️ 4 Ways to Approach Goal Setting

Are you we doing resolutions for 2025? Goals? Lying down and avoiding everything?

🧠 Recovering from Burnout...

…or from exhaustion or motherhood or simply existing in the modern age.

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E. Key
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