Hello Giggles

Candid commentary on everything from party-planning, procrastination, general fabulousness, to life in your 20s. 

15 parties to throw this year for no particular reason, HelloGiggles

I love a good party. Birthday parties, Halloween parties, Christmas parties—I’m a big fan. But it’s always around this time of year—when the holiday season is behind us and the celebrating dwindles—that I start to get a little bummed. Getting amped up in January can be tough, so why not find cause to celebrate!?

How to Deal with Super Awkward Hometown Holiday Run-Ins, HelloGiggles

There’s something magical, and warm, and fuzzy, and also slightly unbearable about coming home for the holidays. It’s amazing to spend hours chatting away with friends and family, but then there’s that other scary breed of holiday encounter we could totally do without . . . the awkward hometown run-ins.

How to Do the Thriller Dance: A Step by Step Guide, HelloGiggles

It’s officially Mischief Night, and you know that means: pranks galore, costume-prep spooky movie marathons, and my personal favorite pre-Halloween tradition—the Thriller dance!

Holiday Movies that Actually Make Your Family Seem Functional, HelloGiggles

For many people, Mass Family Gatherings during the holidays (MFGs, as my dad likes to call them) are an excellent time to get together and catch up, reflect on the developments of another year, eat, drink, and be merry. If you’re from New England or live in a Hallmark commercial, maybe you play a nice game of touch football. That’s great for those people, but for the rest of us, the holidays can sometimes be a bit… nutty.

24 Things I Learned the Hard Way by 24, HelloGiggles

No matter which way you slice it, being a grown-up (or grown-up in training) is hard. While I’m happy with where I’ve ended up, and count myself lucky to have learned from previous experiences, I’ve found that there are some life lessons out there—okay, mistakes—that you can maybe just skip over to save yourself some time (and humiliation).

These Awkward Life Situations Come up All the Time. Here’s how to Handle Them Like a Pro, HelloGiggles

We’ve all been there: Everything’s going great and then, suddenly and sometimes without warning, a situation gets sticky. Even the most well-laid plans can go off the rails, and try as you might to plan for the best, sometimes stuff just gets weird. And by “weird,” we mean downright awkward.

Social media relationship milestones that nobody really talks about, HelloGiggles

Although our timelines might make everything look like sunshine and roses, there are some relationship milestones that fly under the radar—and maybe because we like to keep them there. After lots of qualitative surveying and observational research (aka scrolling), we’ve pulled together a timeline of all the social media relationship milestones that nobody talks about.

It’s Encourage a Young Writer Day! And Anne Lamott is Dropping Some Serious Truth, HelloGiggles

In case you forgot to wish her all the joy in the world, today is Anne Lamott’s birthday! It’s also Encourage a Young Writer Day. So the literary maven and overall queen of wisdom is actually giving us a gift on her special day. She penned a moving Facebook post power-packed with advice for writers.

That Time I Got Dumped on Valentine’s Day, HelloGiggles

Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I like the romance, the flowers, the chocolate. But even so, not every single February 14th in my personal history has been perfect or even close to it. I’ve had my fair share of nights spent at the Heartbreak Hotel, but rather than wallow, I tried to tuck those experiences away, knowing that one day they’d make for some pretty good stories.

Here’s an Idea: Let’s all Throw a Winter Beach Party!, HelloGiggles

Out where I live (the wild, wild Midwest), the prairie wind, mixed with the flatness of the land, can be a real pain. I often find myself dreaming of sun-streaked skies and silky sand beaches, but am instead met with dead grass and precipitation that’s not quite snow, not quite rain, not quite anything but annoying.

How to Survive the Holiday Home Stretch at Work, HelloGiggles

We are this close to vacationing-out with a hot mug of eggnog and a marathon of A Christmas Story. But with comfort and joy come sacrifices—like working your behind off in the days leading up to the holiday break. Deadlines, reports, a growing to-do list, and countless mandatory celebrations can make it really hard to stay on track.