The year of Whimsy
Written By : Grace Weidenhamer
By now we’ve all heard that 2026 is the year of whimsy. When I think of the word, I picture ✨✨
spinning around a garden while little fairies dance in your hair, but maybe I’m just reading too many fantasy books. Whimsy is defined as, “playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor,” (Oxford Languages) but has been adapted by modern culture to mean playful, quirky, or finding magic in everyday things.
So if 2026 is the year of whimsy, what does that actually look like? I’ve done a bit of whimsical research to answer this very question (sparkly pens and all) and discovered a few practical ways that even the most cynical of us can add a bit of whimsy to our everyday lives.
Shop second hand
I love being a girl. By that I mean I love loving everything girls love - claw clips, Rhode skincare, pilates classes, matching sets. However, being just like everyone else, wearing and doing the same thing everyone else does, doesn’t add much whimsy to your life. You don’t have to rebel against the world to be a little unique. Go to an antique store to find a pendant necklace instead of buying one off someone's Amazon storefront. Buy some thrift store fabric to make a new pillow cover instead of buying the overpriced Target one. If baggy jeans are in, look for a pair of well-worn 90’s Levis at a consignment store. You can still accomplish the same vibe while adding a little whimsy. Not to mention, thrifting is, in and of itself, whimsical.
Stop the Sunday reset
I used to think that Sunday resets were essential for warding off the Sunday scaries. I was metaphorically sageing my space by wiping down counters, doing laundry, exfoliating every inch of my body, and meal prepping for the apocalypse. The Sunday reset is great in theory, until you start dreading your Sundays just as much as you were dreading Mondays! I’ve started implementing a Friday reset. After my work is done, I channel my weekend excitement into prepping my home and myself. Maybe I’m not grocery shopping, but I’ll write out my list. I’ll let my hair marinate in a hair mask while sweeping my floors. I’ll have a glass of wine while washing my sheets. I’m not reserving all the boring chores for Sunday. I’m setting myself up for a fun, actually enjoyable weekend. Instead of scrambling on Sundays, try making them your special day. Spend your day of rest actually resting, not rotting or stressing. Make an itinerary of your “dream day” and try to replicate that, whether on one Sunday or over multiple weeks. Make the day something you look forward to, not dread.
Reminders of happiness
It’s the new year, so many of us have already made our vision boards, but instead of hanging up a board full of things you lack, why not remind ourselves of everything we have? I’m not saying to throw out your goals for the year and never look back, but we spend so much of our time thinking about the things we don’t have, instead of remembering what we do. Print out pictures of things in your life that bring you joy. This could be your pet, a trip you recently went on, your favorite breakfast dish, the people you love, or your new favorite hobby. Remind yourself daily of what you currently have that brings you joy, while getting excited by the opportunity to chase your dreams. The journey is the best part of going after your goals, but let’s not forget the
people, places, and things that helped us get to this point; the ones who keep us going every day.
Get artsy
You don’t have to be good at art to make it. You also don’t have to go out and buy a canvas and brushes to start creating. Art doesn’t have to be on a physical medium. You could make a collage on Pinterest, sing to yourself on your drive to work, or take pictures on your morning walk. If you think you don’t have time to set aside for creating, doodle in your notebook in-between meetings, try making latte art in your morning coffee, take a stab at nail art during your monthly manicure, or make up a poem in the shower. This type of art isn’t for people to see, and it’s definitely not to make a profit off (if anyone wants to buy my art, they have issues). The purpose of adding art into your life is to simply create. Sure, you may “create” things all day on your excel spreadsheet or in what you make for dinner every night, but that’s different from being creative just for the sake of being creative. Our society focused on the purpose behind each behavior. You have free time? Work on your side-hussle. You want to write? Post it online and hope it goes viral. Just because you make something, doesn’t mean it has to mean something. The joy of creating shouldn’t be for anyone else other than yourself.
Before this article gets too long, I wanted to make sure I listed a few more things you can realistically add to your life to make it more whimsical. Take what you want, leave what you don’t. This isn’t a checklist, it’s a sampler menu just for you.
● Play dress up with clothes you haven’t worn in months (or years)
● Blindly choose a book from a bookstore and read it
● Make a scrapbook page or collage from random things you find around the house
● Make a snack plate using every color of the rainbow
● Use a glitter gel pen (or any fun pen for that matter) to do your homework or write
meeting notes
● Make a morning soundtrack that you play while you get ready and pretend you’re in a
movie
● Upcycle knick-knacks around your house that take up space and turn them into
something useful or pretty
● Spend all day in your pajamas and make a pillow fort
● Try wearing a new color eyeshadow or a new shade of lip stick
● Write notes to yourself and hide them to find later