Warm holiday wishes from the chilly Midwest

There’s something magical about visiting the Midwest at Christmastime. The snow, the bare trees, and the brick houses with generous front lawns and twinkling holiday lights all give me a certain peace of mind. So does having a temporary media fast. Mostly I’ve been going on chilly walks with Mr. Wallet Mouth, eating lots of toast, hanging out with family, and mentally preparing to become a parent.

The in-laws were excited to show us the new village-style mall built on the site of the old depressing one near their house. I never really thought one mall could be that much better than another, but I was wrong. This one is actually pretty pleasant and has more of a sense of community than the malls of my youth.

It also has an Alterra coffeehouse, Alterra being a locally owned mini-chain in the Milwaukee area. I was delighted to see that it offers a bevy of organic and fair-trade coffees—and not only that, but they cost no more (in fact, sometimes less!) than the noncertified varieties.

The in-laws’ old fave cafe, Stone Creek, also offers certified coffee, but it’s a certification I’ve never heard of: Socially Responsible Coffee. The cups say, “Many of our coffees are fairly traded and certified as socially responsible.” However, a Google search turns up nothing. Fair-washing or just poor marketing? Consumers need to know.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas!