I’ve been thinking a lot about naming — names too small for the people and things to which they belong (“love should be sesquipedalian!”), names made attractive by their bearers, names that don’t fit versus names that do (and perfectly), names we love for no reason, or maybe for a scant feather-like impression of a reason we can’t quite place. I am thinking of my friend Elisabeth. I know dozens and dozens of Elizabeths — I presume any girl who attended Catholic School in the 90s through early aughts does. In fact, four of my very dearest friends are Elizabeths; one of my sisters, too. It holds such important Biblical significance, and I have a special devotion to the story of the Visitation (the namesake, incidentally, of my high school!). Beyond that: I love a multi-syllabic name. It forces you to slow down; it demands your time. You take up space with a quadri-syllable name! But one of my friends spells hers with an “s” in the middle — Elisabeth. I love this secret sibilance, her hidden “s.” You would never guess it by ear, but on the page, it carries a surprising softness. I guess I also find it a perfect foil for her in particular, my wondrous and bright and cultured friend, full of warmth and charm. Her name should be marked by specialness.
Anyway, I’m nosy — let’s talk names today! Please share your thoughts in the comments…
+Name you considered for a child but didn’t use?
+Name of the nicest person you’ve ever met.
+What name do people often mistake yours for?
+Name you think should have been.
+Word that could be a pretty name (but can’t).
+Names you love.
*****
I’ll go first —
+Name you considered for a child but didn’t use? Lee. The name of most of my fictional protagonists. It’s gorgeously tomboyish, old-fashioned and modern in equal parts. I love the way it looks on paper; the openness of those two “e’s”! Like a door blown open by the wind. And its concision: abridged but sturdy. Of course this is shaped by Lee Radziwill but it was also the surname of a chic distant aunt on my mom’s side. Lastly, I lost one pregnancy and ever since, I’ve carried around this half-formed half-thought — she would have been a Lee?
+Name of the nicest person you’ve ever met. Carrie. An angel neighbor! I always think fondly on Carries because of her.
+What name do people often mistake yours for? Jen is pretty straight-forward, but I get a lot of misspellings with a double “n.” I am viscerally not a double n, and I have no idea why. But I see the name Jenn on a piece of paper and it feels like nothing could be further from who I am. Jenn might as well be Cybil or Maxine in my mind — the difference one letter can make! Lol.
+Name you think should have been. I don’t know exactly but I think I could have pulled off a Scandinavian name versus the very generic Jennifer (most popular baby name the year I was born). My maiden surname is Nurmi (Finnish) — could I have been a Lotta Nurmi? (Lotte is the name of a character in one of my fictional projects, too.) Then again: Jennifer feels just right for me. Everything is as it should be. And I like the length of my name, the shock of the “f” in the middle.
+Word that could be a pretty name (but can’t). There is a funny Reddit thread on this worth a skim for some light, ease-into-the-week reading. Celery and melancolia? Actually a lot of dark words have a strange beauty to them. (Rubella?)
+Names you love. Anouk, Annemieke, Cecily, Gracia. I love Anouk so much that I fleetingly contemplated it for Emory but felt it would be tough for her in America, and with no true relation to the French language or culture. Annemieke was the name of a Dutch friend I had my first year in college — I wonder what happened to her? — but I thought her name was absolutely gorgeous. The last two names: a Chilean family with four children attended my grade school, and two of the sisters were named Maria Gracia and Maria Cecilia. I thought they were the most beautiful, interesting girls I’d ever met, and their names felt like a prayer!
Your turn – please share! This might be helpful recon for our Magpies expecting babies soon!
Post-Scripts.
+Of course this conversation has lead me to want to re-start The Names…!
+What simple reframe has changed your outlook?
+Let people be wrong about you. So hard!
Shopping Break: Black Friday Week Begins in Earnest!
+Biggest news: Tuckernuck is 25% off sitewide with code SHOWTIME. Bestsellers not to miss: this fair isle cardigan, this velvet midi (I ordered!), this corduroy shirt-dress! I also just shared my favorite current season Tuckernuck pieces here!
+Lake is offering 25% off sitewide – their deepest sale of the year. I’ve given basically every woman I love in my life a pair of these jammies: these are ideal for moms/MILs, I live in these Relax sets (bought a pair for my best friend for her birthday this year!), and these are charming for a sis. (I own this ski set!). And of course their holiday jammies are adorable for kids. The kids sizing runs small – go up 1-2 sizes.
+Something you need to know about: these clever, ultra-light folding chairs, currently 35% off (!). I gave Landon two for Christmas last year! We first discovered them in Aspen, CO when we noticed a lot of the locals using them for outdoor activities and the Fourth of July parade. BEST gift for a husband who likes good gear. They pack up tiny, weigh almost nothing, and are perfect for soccer/sports sidelines, camping, picnics, music concerts! I can’t tell you how many parents have bought these because they saw us using them at my children’s baseball and soccer games. There is also an even lighter-weight model called “The Zero” but I’d rec the basic chair because it’s a little sturdier. (We have both models — two zeros and two ones.)
+I updated all my Amazon Black Friday deals here. I picked up a few things for my kids this week from this list while on sale: these mathematics puzzle games (recommended by my daughter’s teacher) and the box set of The Land of Stories series (my daughter has been OBSESSED with these and the whole set is 60% off! — good gift for an 8-9 year old who loves reading).
+Frame is running a sneaky warehouse sale with their flagship slim palazzo jeans as low as $107 in select washes. Go up a size in these. Also love this lace overshirt situation – 75% off?! I’d wear like a jacket over a white dress in the summer. Finally: this luxe cashmere pointelle short sleeved cardigan. Drool!
+As you may have noticed, I have a slight book problem, as in I have too many of them! I just ordered this well-priced ladder bookcase (on sale right now) to put in my studio because it’s super-narrow and takes up very little space with its footprint (and my studio is a petite gal!). I can’t wait to receive it. I have books in piles and stacks and double rows EVERYWHERE. Two other cool home finds that are also on sale there: this metal table lamp (so many fun and unexpected colors? would be so fun in a child’s room, and sturdy, too! — more fun/chic children’s room finds here, all on sale) and this travertine table lamp. Love that earthy, textured material of the base!
+While we’re talking home stuff, I did order this floor lamp for a little reading nook in our primary bedroom. I was hoping it’d be on sale but finally just ordered. It’s SO chic. I’m going to put it right beside this boucle sherpa chair I ordered for the space. Love all the textures together!
+20% off at Minnow! Use code HOLIDAY20. Great time to buy the next size up in swimwear for your kids, especially if you’re vacationing somewhere warm. I love this new pattern in the rash guard for girls, and the sibling match would be cute. Their striped knits are also incredibly well made and so classic. We own several of the pullovers and cardigans in different sizes!
+Two beauty buys you’ve been loving the past few days (both on rare sale): the Ziip Halo (20% off with code SHOOP; my full review of this gadget here) and Dr. Diamond Metacine’s plasma!
+I rounded up the Magpie bestsellers from all of these promotions that are running here. This is what the team is buying — a good shortlist of some of the best sale finds this season!
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