It seems like October went by in a blink and just like that, it’s time to talk Turkey with relatives.

If your parenting life is anything life mine, go ahead and get ready for the Holiday custody shuffle. Prep those overnight bags a week in advance and buy duplicates of holiday Jammies, trust me the original pair isn’t going to make it back home so you might as well prep the replacements now.

For every other parent — thank god you don’t have to plan ahead for custody swaps and get your trigger fingers ready to book photos with Santa, seriously — I don’t know if it’s just me but it seems like booking a photo slot with Santa at Herald square is almost as difficult as checking out a Brandon Blackwood bag the day of a new drop.

Also the foliage is really giving it’s best colors and for everyone looking to get in annual fall photos, I heavily suggest prospect park or just taking a trip uptown to the NYBG — not to shade any other parks in the city, but lets be honest it’s also tourist season and central park is a hot mess location if you’re not interested in editing strangers out for hours.

Also this upcoming weekend kicks off the start of winter activities for most of us and I just want to send support and prayer to all the winter sports parents, especially those running the snack tables and pee-wee boosters, you guys are gods strongest soldiers.

As I get back into the swing of sharing more, rather than just writing research papers, I promise to share NYC events, Holiday outings lists and all the fun things to do in the city this season.

– – All the best always, Essence