Holiday Window at the Bookshop
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Transcript
Speaker 1 Get more, nothing much happens, with bonus episodes, extra long stories, and ad-free listening, all while supporting the show you love. Subscribe now.
Speaker 2 This episode is brought to you by Progressive Commercial Insurance. Business owners meet Progressive Insurance.
Speaker 2 They make it easy to get discounts on commercial auto insurance and find coverages to grow with your business. Quote in as little as eight minutes at progressivecommercial.com.
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Speaker 1 The holidays can be a lot, can't they?
Speaker 1 For business owners especially, this time of year can go from cozy to chaotic fast.
Speaker 1
I remember my first holiday rush. I was so worried something would break.
The website, the checkout, my own brain.
Speaker 1 But that's when I learned what a difference the right tools can make. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world, about 10% of all e-commerce in the U.S.
Speaker 1 Whether you're just opening your virtual doors or you're running a full-blown store, Shopify helps you take the holidays from chaos to cha-ching.
Speaker 1 There are thousands of templates and tools to make your site beautiful and functional.
Speaker 1 AI tools to help write product descriptions and headlines, and built-in marketing support so your voice doesn't get lost in the noise.
Speaker 1 Plus, you can relax knowing Shopify's award-winning customer service is there 24/7 if anything comes up. So make this Black Friday one to remember.
Speaker 1 Sign up for your free trial today at shopify.com/slash nothing much.
Speaker 1 That's shopify.com/slash nothing much.
Speaker 1 welcome
Speaker 1 to bedtime stories for everyone
Speaker 1 in which
Speaker 1 nothing much happens
Speaker 1 you feel good
Speaker 1 and then you fall asleep
Speaker 1 i'm catherine nikolai
Speaker 1 i create everything you hear on nothing much happens
Speaker 1 audio engineering is by bob witter sheim
Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week, and this week we are giving to Empower.
Speaker 1 They provide children, teens, and young adults relief from grief and guide them through life following the loss of a parent. Learn more in our show notes.
Speaker 1 I spend a lot of time thinking about how to help you.
Speaker 1 Not just sleep, but wind down and relax.
Speaker 1 And I want you to have as many tools in your toolbox as you need for that.
Speaker 1 One that I use a lot, and I'm actually
Speaker 1 using right now as I record this,
Speaker 1 is a weighted pillow.
Speaker 1 I'm holding it on my lap as I tell your bedtime stories. For me, it's easier to use than a weighted blanket.
Speaker 1 I can take it with me when I go to yoga, lay it on my chest during Shavasana,
Speaker 1 or at home I might hug it while I'm watching a movie. The weight grounds and relaxes me.
Speaker 1 I just
Speaker 1 want to give you ways to feel good. So if you want to learn more about this,
Speaker 1 You can go to nothingmuchhappens.com.
Speaker 1 We've also got a link in our notes.
Speaker 1 Now,
Speaker 1 there is a sweet spot
Speaker 1 in which your brain will just naturally fall asleep.
Speaker 1 And bedtime stories can take us there.
Speaker 1 This isn't new information.
Speaker 1 It works by giving your thoughts a rhythm to follow.
Speaker 1 And all you need to do is listen.
Speaker 1 I'll tell the story twice,
Speaker 1 and I'll go a little slower the second time through.
Speaker 1 If you wake later in the night, don't hesitate to turn an episode back on
Speaker 1 or let them play all night long.
Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called Holiday Window at the Bookshop.
Speaker 1 And it's a story about clearing out the pumpkins and setting up the twinkle lights on a rainy December afternoon. It's also about old buildings with tall ceilings and heavy front doors,
Speaker 1 a dog asleep in a chair, paper stars and puddles among the cobblestones, and the promise of a new book to whisk you away somewhere magical.
Speaker 1 Okay,
Speaker 1 it's time.
Speaker 1 Switch off your light.
Speaker 1 Get the right pillow in the right spot
Speaker 1 and feel your whole body softening into the bed.
Speaker 1 All is well now.
Speaker 1 I'll take the next watch.
Speaker 1 So no part of you
Speaker 1 needs needs to be active or on alert.
Speaker 1 I'm watching out.
Speaker 1 Take a deep breath in through your nose
Speaker 1 and sigh from your mouth.
Speaker 1 Again, draw in deep
Speaker 1 and release.
Speaker 1 Good.
Speaker 1 Holiday Window at the Bookshop
Speaker 1 Most of the autumn leaves had fallen,
Speaker 1 but the wind was blowing them around today,
Speaker 1 floating them along the curbs,
Speaker 1 and dashing them against the windows of the shops here on Main Street.
Speaker 1 I was building out my holiday window at the bookshop
Speaker 1 and enjoying the show from the cozy, warm interior.
Speaker 1 I always love window days
Speaker 1 and changed them at least once a month.
Speaker 1 It gave me an excuse to buy more craft supplies,
Speaker 1 to stop in at the stationery shop
Speaker 1 and peruse their collection of rubber stamps and stickers,
Speaker 1 to flip through the pages of construction paper in the bottom drawer of my desk,
Speaker 1 and to think about all the possibilities.
Speaker 1 It reminded me of a teacher in grade school
Speaker 1 who decorated the bulletin boards on the last day of each month.
Speaker 1 I loved walking in on the first of October
Speaker 1 to pumpkin cutouts and orange and black letters spelling out the month
Speaker 1 or the first day of April to see a row of raindrops hanging from the top of the board,
Speaker 1 paper umbrellas and rubber boots stapled in the corners.
Speaker 1 Thinking on it now,
Speaker 1 that must have been
Speaker 1 when this seed was planted.
Speaker 1 And I smiled,
Speaker 1 thanking that particular teacher in my head
Speaker 1 for
Speaker 1 the lesson of adornment
Speaker 1 creative enjoyment of one's environment
Speaker 1 maybe it was as simple as
Speaker 1 just caring to do a bit more
Speaker 1 than what was required
Speaker 1 to make the world sparkle
Speaker 1 I'm thinking of those April raindrops.
Speaker 1 I noticed some of their December cousins
Speaker 1 beginning to strike the window panes.
Speaker 1 The wind was blowing the rain sideways.
Speaker 1 It cut under the awning and skittered over the glass.
Speaker 1 A car rolled past on the street and splashed through the puddles, gathering in the cobblestones.
Speaker 1 It was part of being in the oldest section of downtown
Speaker 1 that the road was narrower,
Speaker 1 the doorways a bit wonky,
Speaker 1 and the cobblestones slick and uneven.
Speaker 1 But it also came with bonuses you just couldn't find in the newer sections.
Speaker 1 The heavy oak front doors
Speaker 1 with their brass fittings,
Speaker 1 the names and dates etched into the cornerstones,
Speaker 1 and the wide windows for display were just a few of them.
Speaker 1 Our bookshop
Speaker 1 also came with wide plank wood floors
Speaker 1 that had been walked on for so long.
Speaker 1 their shine had been replaced with a soft reflective glow.
Speaker 1 The ceilings were high
Speaker 1 and made of tin tiles
Speaker 1 and perfect for hanging twinkle lights
Speaker 1 and pots of creeping plants.
Speaker 1 Today, I certainly had some strings of lights ready to go.
Speaker 1 My plan was to create a little scene in our windows,
Speaker 1 something that told the story of magically falling into a book
Speaker 1 and being swept away by its plot and characters,
Speaker 1 and to do it all with a little holiday magic spilling from the corners.
Speaker 1 I'd already taken down the pumpkins and corn husk dolls,
Speaker 1 swept away the dry bits of straw
Speaker 1 and left over pieces of candy
Speaker 1 found among last month's decorations.
Speaker 1 Now I started in the corner of the farthest window
Speaker 1 and set up a small Christmas tree.
Speaker 1 I'd bought it at the corner store
Speaker 1 and it only came up to my knee.
Speaker 1 But up in the raised window it would look perfect.
Speaker 1 I wrapped an old plaid scarf around the base
Speaker 1 and strung colored lights on the branches.
Speaker 1 The storm outside made the day so dim and gray
Speaker 1 that when I plugged them in and let them shine,
Speaker 1 it seemed to light up the whole street.
Speaker 1 I laid out wrapped packages tied with ribbons and bows,
Speaker 1 one half unwrapped
Speaker 1 to show a few enticing letters on the beautiful cover of one of the best books of the year.
Speaker 1 The rain continued to fall as I rolled out a small rug into the window beside the tree and gifts,
Speaker 1 and the wind blew so hard that our sandwich board sign on the sidewalk began to wobble.
Speaker 1 I ran out to get it and wrestle it back into the shop.
Speaker 1 The noise I made and the bell ringing over the door
Speaker 1 finally woke my old dog alphabet in his bed beside the desk,
Speaker 1 and he turned over and slid lazily out of it.
Speaker 1 He did big stretches,
Speaker 1 came over to see me,
Speaker 1 still wiping rain off my glasses and shivering a bit by the door.
Speaker 1 I pulled on a sweater
Speaker 1 and helped Elfie up into the window.
Speaker 1 We watched the rain together for a few moments,
Speaker 1 and he sniffed at the tree
Speaker 1 and the staged presence.
Speaker 1 I had a small armchair,
Speaker 1 child-sized,
Speaker 1 that usually set
Speaker 1 in the kids' section,
Speaker 1 and I slid it onto the rug,
Speaker 1 draping it with a cozy throw,
Speaker 1 and adding another copy of the book
Speaker 1 open to the middle section,
Speaker 1 propped on its arm.
Speaker 1 I thought of that feeling of diving head first into a new book,
Speaker 1 of realizing in the first chapter that you found something fantastic,
Speaker 1 and snuggling in to turn the pages and disappear into another world. world.
Speaker 1 Beside the tiny armchair,
Speaker 1 just where this first window
Speaker 1 ran into the wood paneling beside the front door,
Speaker 1 I affixed a small door.
Speaker 1 I'd commissioned it.
Speaker 1 I'd commissioned it especially from a friend who built them
Speaker 1 and installed them around town.
Speaker 1 fairy doors
Speaker 1 and this one was a little bigger than usual
Speaker 1 big enough for the person who could sit in the chair to step through
Speaker 1 it hung from the moulding and stood slightly ajar with a clever light inside
Speaker 1 as if the person reading that book had just stepped through
Speaker 1 into a world of wonder.
Speaker 1 In the next window,
Speaker 1 against the opposite bit of paneling,
Speaker 1 and began to decorate the rest of the space
Speaker 1 with the features of this magic world.
Speaker 1 More twinkle lights were involved,
Speaker 1 and drifts of sparkly fake snow.
Speaker 1 In the center was a treasure chest,
Speaker 1 something I'd spotted at the antique shop a while back,
Speaker 1 and was really just an old piece of luggage.
Speaker 1 But I'd fancied it up a bit with some gold braid,
Speaker 1 and around it I sprinkled about a hundred tiny paper stars that I'd folded the night before.
Speaker 1 It looked like a mysterious, magical object
Speaker 1 waiting to be found on a desolate, moonlit, icy plain.
Speaker 1 Sort of, you know, if you squinted.
Speaker 1 I turned off all the lights inside, besides the ones in the windows,
Speaker 1 and leaned against the desk.
Speaker 1 Elfie had fallen asleep in the small chair,
Speaker 1 and his tail was hanging over the arm.
Speaker 1 The twinkle lights were reflected in the puddles on the street,
Speaker 1 and the wind whistled through the cracks in the old building.
Speaker 1 I smiled, thinking of my customers to morrow,
Speaker 1 standing out on the sidewalk
Speaker 1 and following along with the story in the window,
Speaker 1 then stepping in out of the cold
Speaker 1 to find it on a shelf.
Speaker 1 Holiday window at the bookshop.
Speaker 1 Most of the autumn leaves had fallen,
Speaker 1 but the wind was blowing them around today,
Speaker 1 floating them along the curbs
Speaker 1 and dashing them against the windows
Speaker 1 of the shops here on Main Street.
Speaker 1 I was building out my holiday
Speaker 1 at the bookshop
Speaker 1 and enjoying the show
Speaker 1 from the cozy, warm interior.
Speaker 1 I always love window days
Speaker 1 and changed them at least once a month.
Speaker 1 It gave me an excuse
Speaker 1 to buy more crafts supplies,
Speaker 1 to stop in at the stationery shop
Speaker 1 and peruse their collection of rubber stamps and stickers,
Speaker 1 to flip through the pages of construction paper
Speaker 1 in the bottom drawer of my desk
Speaker 1 and think about
Speaker 1 all the possibilities.
Speaker 1 It reminded me of a teacher in grade school
Speaker 1 who had decorated the bulletin boards on the last day of every month.
Speaker 1 I loved walking in
Speaker 1 on the first of October
Speaker 1 to pumpkin cutouts
Speaker 1 and orange and black letters spelling out the month
Speaker 1 or the first day of April
Speaker 1 to see a row of raindrops
Speaker 1 hanging from the top of the board,
Speaker 1 paper umbrellas
Speaker 1 and rubber boots stapled into the corners.
Speaker 1 Thinking on it now,
Speaker 1 that must have been
Speaker 1 when
Speaker 1 this seed was planted.
Speaker 1 And I smiled,
Speaker 1 thanking that
Speaker 1 particular teacher in my head
Speaker 1 for the lesson
Speaker 1 of
Speaker 1 adornment,
Speaker 1 creative enjoyment
Speaker 1 of one's environment.
Speaker 1 Maybe it was as simple as just caring to do a bit more
Speaker 1 than what was required
Speaker 1 to make the world sparkle.
Speaker 1 And thinking of those
Speaker 1 April raindrops,
Speaker 1 I noticed some of their December cousins beginning to strike the window panes.
Speaker 1 The wind was blowing the rain sideways.
Speaker 1 It cut under the awning
Speaker 1 and skittered over the glass.
Speaker 1 A car rolled past on the street
Speaker 1 and splashed through the puddles,
Speaker 1 gathering in the cobblestones.
Speaker 1 It was part of being in the oldest section of downtown
Speaker 1 that the road was narrower,
Speaker 1 the doorways a bit wonky,
Speaker 1 and the cobblestones slick and uneven.
Speaker 1 But it also came with bonuses
Speaker 1 you just couldn't find in the newer sections.
Speaker 1 The heavy oak front doors
Speaker 1 with their brass fittings,
Speaker 1 the names and dates
Speaker 1 matched into the cornerstones,
Speaker 1 and the wide windows for display
Speaker 1 were just a few of them.
Speaker 1 Our bookshop also came with wide plank wood floors
Speaker 1 that had been walked on for so long.
Speaker 1 Their shine had been replaced
Speaker 1 with a soft, reflective glow.
Speaker 1 The ceilings were high
Speaker 1 and made of tin tiles
Speaker 1 And perfect for hanging twinkle lights
Speaker 1 and pots of creeping plants
Speaker 1 Today I certainly had some strings of lights
Speaker 1 ready to go
Speaker 1 My plan was to create a little scene in our windows.
Speaker 1 Something that told the story of magically falling into a book
Speaker 1 and being swept away by its plot
Speaker 1 and characters.
Speaker 1 And to do it all with a little holiday magic
Speaker 1 spilling from the corners.
Speaker 1 I'd already taken down the pumpkins and corn husk dolls,
Speaker 1 swept away the dry bits of straw,
Speaker 1 and left over pieces of candy
Speaker 1 found amongst
Speaker 1 last month's decorations.
Speaker 1 Now I started in the corner
Speaker 1 of the farthest window
Speaker 1 and set up a small Christmas tree.
Speaker 1 I'd bought it at the corner store
Speaker 1 and it only came up to my knee.
Speaker 1 But up in the raised window
Speaker 1 it would look perfect.
Speaker 1 I wrapped an old plaid scarf around the base
Speaker 1 and strung colored lights on the branches.
Speaker 1 The storm outside
Speaker 1 made the day so dim and grey
Speaker 1 that when I plugged them in and let them shine
Speaker 1 It seemed to light up the whole street
Speaker 1 I laid out wrapped packages tied with ribbons and bows,
Speaker 1 one half unwrapped
Speaker 1 to show a few enticing letters on the beautiful cover
Speaker 1 of one of the best books of the year.
Speaker 1 The rain continued to fall
Speaker 1 as I rolled out a small rug into the window beside the tree and gifts
Speaker 1 And the wind blew so hard
Speaker 1 that our sandwich board sign out on the sidewalk
Speaker 1 began to wobble.
Speaker 1 I ran out to get it
Speaker 1 and wrestle it back into the shop.
Speaker 1 The noise I made
Speaker 1 and the bell
Speaker 1 ringing over the door
Speaker 1 finally woke my old dog Alphabet
Speaker 1 in his bed beside the desk,
Speaker 1 and he turned over
Speaker 1 and slid lazily out of it.
Speaker 1 He did big stretches
Speaker 1 and came over to see me,
Speaker 1 still wiping rain off my glasses,
Speaker 1 and shivering a bit by the door.
Speaker 1 I pulled on a sweater
Speaker 1 and helped Alfie up into the window.
Speaker 1 We watched the rain together for a few moments,
Speaker 1 and he sniffed at the tree and the staged presence.
Speaker 1 I had an armchair,
Speaker 1 child-sized that
Speaker 1 usually set in the kids' section,
Speaker 1 and I slid it onto the rug,
Speaker 1 draping it with a cozy throw
Speaker 1 and adding another copy of the book
Speaker 1 open to the middle section,
Speaker 1 propped on its arm.
Speaker 1 I thought of that feeling
Speaker 1 diving head first
Speaker 1 into a new book
Speaker 1 of realizing in the first chapter
Speaker 1 that you found something
Speaker 1 fantastic
Speaker 1 and snuggling in to turn the pages
Speaker 1 and disappear into another world
Speaker 1 beside the tiny arm chair
Speaker 1 just where this first window
Speaker 1 ran into the wood paneling,
Speaker 1 beside the front door,
Speaker 1 I affixed a small door.
Speaker 1 I'd commissioned it especially from a friend
Speaker 1 who built them and installed them around town.
Speaker 1 Fairy doors,
Speaker 1 and this one was a little bigger than usual,
Speaker 1 big enough for the person who could sit in the chair
Speaker 1 to step through.
Speaker 1 It hung against the moulding
Speaker 1 and stood slightly ajar
Speaker 1 with a clever light inside
Speaker 1 as if the person reading that book
Speaker 1 had just stepped through
Speaker 1 into a world of wonder
Speaker 1 In the next window
Speaker 1 I hung the door's twin
Speaker 1 against the opposite bit of paneling
Speaker 1 and began to decorate the rest of the space
Speaker 1 with the features of this magic world.
Speaker 1 More twinkle lights were involved
Speaker 1 and drifts of sparkly fake snow.
Speaker 1 In the center was a treasure chest,
Speaker 1 something I'd spotted at the antique shop a while back,
Speaker 1 and was really just an old piece of luggage.
Speaker 1 But I'd fancied it up a bit
Speaker 1 with some gold braid,
Speaker 1 and around it
Speaker 1 I sprinkled about a hundred tiny paper stars
Speaker 1 that I'd folded the night before.
Speaker 1 It looked like a mysterious magical object
Speaker 1 waiting to be found
Speaker 1 on a desolate moonlit icy plain.
Speaker 1 Sort of,
Speaker 1 you know,
Speaker 1 if you squinted.
Speaker 1 I turned off all the lights inside,
Speaker 1 besides the ones in the windows,
Speaker 1 and leaned against the desk.
Speaker 1 Alfie had fallen asleep
Speaker 1 in the small chair,
Speaker 1 and his tail was hanging over the arm.
Speaker 1 Twinkle lights were reflected in the puddles on the street,
Speaker 1 and the wind whistled through the cracks in the old building.
Speaker 1 I smiled,
Speaker 1 thinking of my customers to morrow,
Speaker 1 standing out on the sidewalk,
Speaker 1 following along
Speaker 1 with the story in the window,
Speaker 1 then
Speaker 1 stepping in
Speaker 1 out of the cold
Speaker 1 to find it on the shelf.
Speaker 1 Sweet dreams.
