Playing Joy Bingo

A happiness game for the new year

The end of the year always leads to a lot of reflection for me as it also coincides with my birthday on January 2. This year felt extra special—not just a new year, but the start of a new decade in my life.

As part of my usual year-end review, I spend a lot of time thinking about intentionality, a yearly motto and goals for the year ahead. But this year, I also wanted to focus on something lighter—how to bring more joy into my everyday life. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in my comics and professional goals that I sometimes forget to step back, try new things, and prioritize activities that refill my cup.

To change that, I decided to create something fun and simple: a Joy Bingo Game for the winter season. It’s a playful way to keep joy and happiness front and center. Let’s see how many times I get to yell, Bingo!

How to Create Your Own Joy Bingo Game

1. Make a 5 x 5 grid on a piece of paper.

2. Fill in the squares with activities that bring you happiness—things you might not do often but always love when you make the effort.

3. Put the grid somewhere visible to keep it top of mind.

4. Mark off squares as you complete them. For example, I kicked things off by going to a sauna and cold plunge club with friends on my birthday—it was such a fun way to start the year! See how many Bingos you can complete, or perhaps even fill in the whole board.

What about you?

What activity do you know you’d include on your Joy Bingo card? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

A Trio of Cozy Illustrations and a Lesson

I’ve really leaned into the coziness this holiday season spent in chilly Minnesota. First, I illustrated our holiday card with this hedgehog based on a trinket we have:

Next, I illustrated and watercolored this cozy cabin for a holiday card commission for my literary agent, Sara Crowe Literary. I embraced all the cozy vibes, featuring woodland creatures snuggled up and reading in a book-filled cabin nestled in the snowy woods:

And finally, I made this contour line illustration on Christmas Eve of our living room which later I colored in with watercolor:

While I like all three of these illustrations, I like the third the best. It was the fastest and loosest to make and just best captures the emotion of the moment. It’s the lesson I have to learn again and again that spending more time on something doesn’t necessary lead to art that I prefer more.

Leif Love

Leif’s been working hard with canicross and skijoring, however he also likes to get cozy and snuggle up and even relax occasionally.

Take care and keep creating!

-Katharine