Don’t get me wrong. Santa Clause is great, and may he bring you and yours many handmade wood products! But the secular aspect of Christmas is only good to the extent that we don’t let it distract us from the actual purpose of the day - to shine light where we’d really, if we’re honest, not have it. And to let that light expose our ugly bits so they can be made beautiful. May the true light of the world shine on you this Christmas.

Aim small, miss small. Have great precision as your goal, and you’ll only make tiny mistakes. Whatever it is, the picture above is the result of me applying [my teacher]’s methods - a perfect fit, with no gaps. And taking the time to do this is possible because of the time I save not obsessing over the things that aren’t important.

YouTube videos will tell you how to do a lot of things, but they won’t distinguish between the good things and the best things. Which is why acquiring the most refined skills will always require learning from a teacher, face to face.

… in a situation where bulky items like rolls of tree lights can jostle delicate items like the snowflake ornament my son made in the 2nd grade, there’s a need to store the smaller items in their own protective enclosures. Shaker boxes are perfect for that.

I leave the insides of my boxes unfinished or use a food-safe finish, making them perfect for serving things like nuts, crackers, or wrapped candies (though using them as chili bowls is definitely not recommended).

There is no historic record of anyone in the 1800s using Shaker boxes to store their car keys or TV remote controls, but that doesn’t make it a bad idea.

Everybody’s got stuff, and everybody puts it somewhere. Shaker boxes have served as elegant, durable ways to store and organize items in American homes for the last two centuries.