Alright friends, this will be the last Joy Just Because newsletter before the new year. I’m taking a holiday hiatus, not because writing feels like a job but simply because I lose track of what day it is through the holidays and I know myself better than to pretend otherwise.
Before I wish you a beautiful, peaceful, delicious, restful holiday I want to tell you about the first of several projects I’m launching in 2026. (This first one I actually started a couple weeks ago because I couldn’t wait any longer.)
Motherhood has been the centre of my being this past year, and having teenagers is more all-encompassing than I could have ever imagined. I am loving being so involved with and invested in my kids right now, and as you can imagine it has seeped into all the different ways I make and think about art and music. So, this next year (and beyond) I am putting together a few different projects inspired by motherhood. The first, which you can find on YouTube, is a fun little series I’m calling #momshorts.
What are mom shorts? They’re short and sweet ukulele covers recorded in my car while I’m waiting for my son at his violin lessons. I will not be wearing shorts of any kind, don’t you fret.
Why mom shorts? Because I was struggling to find time for my own creativity and, as parents everywhere know all too well, I had become a chauffeur more than anything else. One day I realized I could bring along a teeny tiny instrument - a ukulele - on one of my chauffeur “jobs,” and I’d have a magical 45 minutes of uninterrupted, silly creative time.
So if you’re in the mood for a weekly mini-cover from yours truly, check out the Shorts section of my YouTube page. You can Subscribe, which I don’t think does anything annoying to you but does help me out. Or you can just listen and send me requests for future covers. (Or if you’re local and a singer or player of small instruments, maybe you can be a guest star!)
Wishing you the coziest, tastiest, sleepiest holiday season imaginable,
Shannon
Featured Song - ‘Tis the Season (from the Muppets Christmas Carol) featuring my sister Angie Ross!
And the OG version: