Win Pit Liquor and Prizes with our “That Stinks!” Program!

Win Pit Liquor and Prizes with our “That Stinks!” Program!

Pit Liquor’s “That Stinks” program is an ongoing contest in which down-on-their-luck-denizens can submit a story in which they came up bust, tried and failed, or completely shat the bed. Every month, we’ll choose a winner and reward said hopeless hero with enviable prizes.
July 12, 2021 — Abigail Scott
7 Holiday Gifts for Everyone on Your List

7 Holiday Gifts for Everyone on Your List

It's that time of year, when you think about those you love and choose gifts to exchange, Christmas cards to send. Some years this seems fun and easy: a new apron for Mom, a thoughtful gift for your partner, a popular new toy for your kids. But other years? All you can think about it how hard it is to give gifts! What do your family members need or want? Santa is seriously underpaid. 

Never fear, we've got you covered! We have a gift idea for every hard-to-buy-for relative or friend on your list. Even better? Every gift has been thoughtfully selected from small, eco-friendly businesses, many run by women just like our own CEO. So sit back with a cup of coffee and get ready for some truly great gifts for all your hard-to-buy loved ones.

1. For your beloved grandmother across the country.

Talking over Zoom is the worst, especially when you're trying to call sweet Granny who still uses Windows 98. All you want to do is give her a hug and talk about her memories over a warm cup of tea. In years past you would visit once or twice a year, enjoying the Florida sunshine and Granny's company. But this year, everything has changed, especially for higher risk folks like your grandmother.

Try the Felt greeting card app. You can send beautiful cards with your very own handwriting straight from your phone to your grandma's mailbox. Now she can see pictures of your dog or her great-grandkids with a few thoughtful lines from you. The app makes it easy to send cards regularly so she won't feel forgotten after the holidays. She'll feel all your love, even from far away.

2. For your over-achieving, on-the-go sister-in-law.

Every time you call her she's in the middle of another volunteer event while simultaneously running fifteen miles and updating her color-coded planner. She seems to be everything and do everything while still maintaining her figure and somehow squeezing in some sleep. Just thinking about her makes you feel exhausted, but you still have to buy her a gift (wrapped perfectly, of course) before you can take a nap.

Try Girlfriend Collective leggings. These fair-trade, eco-friendly leggings mesh with her on-the-go lifestyle and even better, they're made from post-consumer plastic bottles and recycled polyester. The high rise pocket legging can hold her phone and keep her comfortable any day of the year. Throw in a few of Kate's Real Food bars in her stocking to fuel her on busy days and she'll be happy all year long.

3. For your kind-hearted aunt who has room for everyone around her table.

It might be a virtual table this year, but your aunt is the most compassionate, down-to-earth woman you know. She's never met a person she doesn't like, and she's always making new friends. Every time you're at her house, you feel like the most important person in the world to her. Her relaxed manner, her simple home, and her focus on kindness instead of competition make her everyone's favorite person.

Try Pit Liquor! Our products are as kind to her body and the earth as she is to everyone around her. You can choose a scent that's just right for her (pineapple is a favorite!), and give her a practical gift that will keep her hug-ready all year long.

4. For your best friend who has been virtual-schooling her kids all year.

It's been a year for parents, and your best friend is right in the thick of things. She's juggling two elementary school kids learning online this semester plus a toddler who needs her attention. She's holding it all together beautifully, but you know this is too much for any one person to handle. She needs (and wants!) to send her kids back to school so she can take a breath and gather herself back together. 

Try Wander + Ivy wine. This woman-owned company offers delicious organic wine in 6oz single-serve bottles. Now she can pour herself a glass at the end of a long day and take a well-deserved bubble bath. Order a holiday gift bundle so she can try a few different wines and she'll love you forever. 

5. For your brother working day and night on his new start-up.

It's been a hard year for businesses across the world, and your brother is no exception. His startup is doing well, really well, but it's requiring everything he has night and day. You've barely connected with him this year, and next year will likely be another year going full throttle to get this amazing company off the ground. You want a gift that tells him you're thinking about him and believe in him, even when you can't see him.

Try Copper Cow coffee. This pour-over Vietnamese coffee is easy to make at home and comes in a variety of delicious, organic flavors. No matter how busy his days (or nights!), your brother can make a quick cup of coffee to fuel his work. Try the Best-sellers Bundle or splurge on a Coffee Club gift subscription. He'll be ready to start the new year off right! Try

Bonus: this woman-owned, sustainably sourced company is definitely worth supporting, just like your brother's startup.

6. For your extra-tidy, extra-thoughtful mom.

Every time she calls (which is often), she's cleaning something around the house. She tells you all about her bunco club or your dad's latest project while she does the dishes, mops the floors, or dusts the shelves. Lately she's been in overload adding Christmas décor so her grandkids have something to see over Facetime when they call. Her house is warm, cozy, and always immaculately clean. While you could never achieve this level of housework perfection, it's nice to know you have a neat and tidy house to visit at the holidays that's brimming with holiday cheer.

Try Whoa Nellie cleaning supplies. This delightful company, handmade in Iowa, offers non-toxic cleaning supplies, cleaning accessories, and a few personal care products in pretty colors and patterns. Their Swedish dishcloths are as practical as they are festive, just like your mom. Send her a holiday cleaning bundle and she'll be all ready to welcome the new year.

7. For your always-drunk-at-Christmas uncle.

At this point you can't imagine a holiday without Uncle Bobby saying something inappropriate while drinking liquor out of Aunt Shirley's favorite holiday mug. You still have no idea how he manages to hold down a full-time job and take the family to Disney World every summer but props to him for pulling it off. You need a gift as unconventional as he is.

Try a Viking horn cup. He'll be delighted by the unconventional shape and history, while Aunt Shirley can finally get her mug back. Instead of picking a fight with your dad, he will feel ready to set sail with the Norse gods. 

 

 Looking for even more companies with a great mission and fantastic products? Click here to check out a few brands we love and join us in shopping small this holiday season to make the world a better place.

 

Melanie lives near Raleigh, NC with her husband and three kids. She loves hot coffee, good books, and deep conversations. Connect with her on Instagram via @intentional_motherhood

December 01, 2020 — Melanie Allen
Self-Kindness During the Holidays

Self-Kindness During the Holidays

 

I have discovered, in recent years, that I am a master of self-criticism. I can critique myself on anything from the color of my hair to my attitude to the way I say hello to the grocery cashier. The holidays amplify this. I am suddenly hyper-aware of the way my house looks, my (lack of) gift wrapping techniques, and the Christmas cards I do or don't send. I wonder what family members or friends think about me, my gift giving, my holiday style, my very soul while silently berating myself for things no one would ever say to me. 

Sound familiar?

What if we change things up this year? What if instead of criticizing yourself, you celebrate the amazing person you have become? Here's the thing: even if you only ever criticize yourself silently, the people around you notice. They see your anger or your sadness or your self-pity. They become the recipient of your criticism too, even if you don't mean for that to happen.

The bottom line? Changing your inner monologue and treating yourself kindly is an act of kindness to those around because you won’t be the worst version of yourself.

Let's give it a try. I'll be your guide as we learn together to change our inner narrative, which will in turn change our outer attitudes. We might not be able to change this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year, but we can certainly change our inner dialogue.

 

Holiday Photo Cards

You know the drill. Your mailbox fills with shiny cards from every Facebook friend and extended family member you forgot you had. Each photo is more perfectly coordinated than the one before. How is it possible that your friends all lost five pounds and learned how to be a model during 2020?! Suddenly, sending out your own holiday cards with that candid photo from last summer seems like a terrible idea.

The Lie: An inner dialogue pops up in your head that says something like, "These people are so much more attractive/beautiful/handsome/thin/curvy/fill-in-the-blank than me. Clearly, they have their lives together in a way I never will. Look how happy they are, while I struggle with depression over here." If you drill down to the bottom of your self-criticism, you are believing that something is fundamentally wrong with you. You just don't measure up and you have no idea how to fix it.

The Truth: A dear friend once told me that when I compare my worst to another's best, I will always lose. Those holiday cards are another family's absolute best moment. They got out of their sweatpants for an entire hour and put on extra makeup specifically for the photos. They don't actually look like this all the time, just like you don't wear leggings and a pony tail every day of your life. Your family, appearance, or life may look very different from theirs but that doesn't mean it's insufficient or insignificant. Differences are worth celebrating, not shaming ourselves over.

As you leaf through holiday cards, take a moment to send good wishes to all your family and friends who are trying just as hard as you to make this year the best it can be. Then thank yourself for your beautiful body and all the happy memories you made with your loved ones this year

 

Holiday Hosting

Inviting family or friends into your living space can feel equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. You suddenly feel the need to clean all the things, decorate with holiday spirit, and buy enough food to feed an army platoon. A small holiday gathering can quickly go from simple to overwhelmingly complex and expensive.

The Lie: It's easy to believe the state of our home/apartment/room reflects who we are as people. We think that when people walk inside our doors, they judge us for a pillow out of place or a ring around the toilet upstairs they'll never see. We tell ourselves this was a bad idea, our home isn't up-to-snuff because it doesn't look like one from a magazine.

The Truth: The real reason loved ones visit during the holidays is that they love to be together. You invited people because you want to be with them, not because you want to them to be guest judges on "DIY Home". There will always be people who judge your living space or even you, but those aren't the voices to listen to anyways. The people who truly love you will be delighted to see you no matter what color your carpet is or the absence of a Christmas tree.

Before you host your next gathering, make a point to simplify the day. Pick no more than three things to make or buy yourself and ask others to bring the rest. Light a few candles to bring in the holiday spirit, turn on festive music, and call it a day. Everyone will have such a good time with stress-free you that they won't notice or care if your snowman collection is missing from the mantle.

 

Holiday Traditions

Instagram is a highlight-reel of traditions come December. Elf-on-the-Shelf, holiday cookies, walks through the snow, visits to Santa, and more flood your screen in all it's picture-perfect brilliance. You tell yourself that your small stocking stuffers and store-bought sugar cookies aren't enough to make Christmas magical. You are failing on an epic level. Your kids will basically grow up emotionally destitute because you didn't do a 12-days-of-Christmas extravaganza.

The Lie: Holiday magic + elaborate plans = happy loved ones, right? Wrong. This equation sets you up for failure, because the more elaborate your plans, the more overwhelmed and stressed you become. The more stressed, the more angry or hurt or sad you become which typically makes your loved ones unhappy. By believing your people will only love you and have a good holiday through your own efforts at winter magic, you set everyone up for disappointment and fuel the fire of your inner critic who already believed you were going to fail.

The Truth: Your family and friends love you because you're you. They don't expect you to put on a song and dance routine every Christmas (unless you're David Rose, and then you definitely should). Every personality, no matter how exuberant or introverted, has something to celebrate. Find something that brings you joy and share it with your loved ones. They'll be so much more delighted to share something you love than to do a hundred forced Christmas activities while you yell at them.

Pick your favorite traditions or poll the people you live with. Choose no more than five and ditch the rest. You'll be so much less stressed it won't matter that the Elf never made his appearance this year.

 

Are your ready? Take off that self-criticism like a bad manicure and get ready for a joy-filled, self-loving holiday season. It will be your best holidays yet.

 

 Melanie lives near Raleigh, NC with her husband and three kids. She loves hot coffee, good books, and deep conversations. Connect with her on Instagram via @intentional_motherhood

November 21, 2020 — Melanie Allen
A little kindness goes a long way.

A little kindness goes a long way.

"Always be a little kinder than necessary." JM Barrie

As 2020 draws to a close, we could all use a little extra kindness in our lives. Kindness to ourselves, kindness to others, kindness to the world around us. Here at Pit Liquor, we're committed to showing kindness to our world through our sustainability program, and through our top-notch customer relations. Did you know that National Kindness Week is November 9-13? Let's kick off the celebration with a few stories about kindness, both big and small. 

Small Kindness

When I think about small acts of kindness I often think of the classic "pay for the person behind you" idea where you pay for your own food or groceries as well as the person in line behind you. I'll be honest, I was a skeptic about this idea for many years. I always worried I would be the one using my last $5 to cover a millionaire's coffee order. Of course, good judgement is always wise, but let me tell you how much of a difference this can make.

One day not very long ago, I was having the absolute worst week. Everything that could possibly go wrong did. I was upset with my partner, our house was  a mess, our money wasn't stretching as far as it should. Our children were being generally terrible, I was in a particularly bad disagreement with a family member, and I was feeling really lonely. While I was out running errands, I stopped by my favorite local coffee shop for a much-needed caffeine boost. As I stood in line, all I could think about was the weight of bad things I was carrying in my heart. It took everything within me not to cry right there at the coffee counter. I managed a small smile and half-hearted "How are you?" to the barista, who joyfully responded with the news that someone had paid for my drink. I was flabbergasted. I could have afforded to pay for the drink myself, but the fact that someone else cared enough about me to cover the cost meant the world to me. I'm not exaggerating when I say that small act completely changed my day. I suddenly realized there was a big wide world out there beyond my own struggles. Everything was going to be ok.

Kindness Through the Mail

I imagine almost every person in the world, including you, is feeling the pain of being separated from loved ones this year. My best friend lives several states away, and it has felt particularly difficult lately to live far apart. We spend time on the phone or using video-message apps, but it just doesn't feel the same as a hug or in-person conversation. It probably doesn't help that we have five children between us, so our time is often full-to-bursting with online school and parenting and potty-training.

My best friend holds that title for a variety of very spectacular reasons, but one of her extra-amazing qualities is her talent of sending thoughtful notes and gifts through the mail. Every month or two, she'll send me a handwritten note or small gift: a box of chocolates, stickers for my kids, a little something she picked up because she was thinking about me. None of these have been expensive or elaborate, but her kindness on an ordinary Tuesday often transforms my whole week.

In our digital age, I have forgotten the power of a handwritten note. The notes my friend sends always make a point to tell me something specific that she loves or appreciates about me, and to speak kindness and encouragement to my heart in some way. Now that we've been in quarantine for over six months, I have a whole stack of notes in her loopy handwriting that I can look through when I'm feeling especially discouraged or lonely. This small, seemingly insignificant kindness on her part has bolstered me through the one of worst years ever. Imagine if we all began writing notes to those we love, near and far.

Sacrificial Kindness

Have you ever noticed how hard things seem to hit all at the same time? You lose your job and break up with your partner in the space of a few weeks. You lose multiple people who matter deeply to you in one season. It sometimes feels like all the hard parts of life gather together into one giant rain cloud that unexpectedly lets loose in a life-storm of difficulty. I've certainly experienced my share of painful seasons. A few years ago my husband and I battled infertility and then a miscarriage while he was working extremely long and stressful hours at work. We lost two grandparents in the space of six weeks while I was in my third trimester with one of our daughters. Another time my then-4 year old had her tonsils out the same day my youngest was almost hospitalized with bronchitis. (I have a lot of children so it seems my struggles regularly coincide with something child or pregnancy related. I now refer to some memories as "that year when I was pregnant with somebody." Clearly, I live in a zoo of small humans.) 

Here is what I have found to be true about these difficult times: When your life feels like it is literally falling apart at the seams, people show up. It might not be the people you thought it would be, but there is always someone who brings kindness right when you need it most. When my husband and I lost his grandparents, his boss sent me flowers and a few friends made us dinner. When I miscarried while my husband was out of town, a friend drove me to the hospital. Another friend simply sat on my couch with me while I cried. Last year when I had two very sick children, a friend brought milkshakes and stayed with one child while I took the other to the doctor. Even in the darkest seasons, there are people in your life who truly care about you, and who will cross oceans, literally or metaphorically, to offer kindness in your times of greatest need.

 

I hope each of these stories inspires you to spread kindness to those around you in small and big ways. Happy World Kindness Week!

 

Melanie lives near Raleigh, NC with her husband and three kids. She loves hot coffee, good books, and deep conversations. Connect with her on Instagram via @intentional_motherhood
November 07, 2020 — Melanie Allen