Weekend Non-Negotiables: “The End of an Era,” Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding, and “Wisecrack”

You worked hard enough this week. Let us plan your weekend…

Psst…For more dates worth knowing this week, check out the Skimm+ calendar.

It’s officially Holiday Movie Season, so let’s settle this once and for all: Who is the worst holiday movie villain?

Vote below:

Happy (almost) weekend. The good news? I’ve survived my first cold of the season. The bad news? I’m now feeling behind on my holiday errands. So in between trying these low-effort, high-reward ideas for squeezing in more quality time with friends and family (#5 is unexpectedly brilliant), I’ll try to knock as many to-dos as I can off my list. Such as…

• Finalize my holiday menu. We’ll have 16 people for Christmas dinner (😅) so my mom, sister, and I are going all-in on time-saving recipes that require as little math, stress, and prep as possible. We’ll double this crowd-pleasing wine-braised beef for the fourth year running and serve it alongside creamy, make-ahead mashed potatoes and warm, crusty bread. Meanwhile, this $6 Trader Joe’s treat will take care of dessert — and trick everyone into thinking we spent days chopping, slicing, glazing, and baking.

• Wrap up the last of my holiday shopping using the extremely scientific “one for you, one for me” method. I’ll grab a few of these “game changer” microfiber hair towels for a gift exchange with my beauty-obsessed best friends, and the granny-chic accessory of the season for myself. But if anyone has ideas for my 11-year-old nephew who loves sports and saying “6-7,” I’m all ears. Once he’s taken care of, I’ll treat myself to the chunky oversized sweater from Madewell that I’ve had my eyes on for months. 

• Spend Sunday afternoon on my couch, finishing Reese Witherspoon’s favorite book of 2025 — which is shaping up to be one of my top reads of the year, too. Murder, a love triangle, and rich descriptions of the pastoral English countryside? Say no more.

— Kylie McConville / VP, Editorial / New York, NY