Here’s the truth: The holidays are supposed to be filled with joy and peace—but somehow, they often show up wrapped in a big, shiny bow of guilt and obligation. It’s like the season quietly hands us a checklist of “shoulds”: host the perfect gathering, find the perfect gift, keep up every single tradition from the last twenty years… all while staying merry and bright.

There’s a space in the home that’s often the source of both a little chaos and a lot of joy: the pantry. It’s where we stash the snacks, the ingredients for family dinners, and sometimes… those mystery cans we swear we were saving for a recipe we never actually made.

I think we can all agree on one thing: we live in a world that constantly tells us more is better. More stuff, more clothes, more gadgets—it’s everywhere. It’s on our social media feeds, popping up in ads, and woven into the algorithms that know exactly what to tempt us with. It’s a bit of a UGH moment, right? A total overload.