christmas around the world

This has been a great December so far.

The other day I was shopping at World Market, and I found these rather extraordinary globe ornaments. Restraining my desire to decorate an entire tree with them, I picked a single blue earth for our tree. It's the perfect addition to our ever-growing collection of ornaments, which we love to collect from each new place we travel. I absolutely adore Christmas ornaments. This tiny obsession comes directly from my dad, who has a very large obsession. His collection could probably fill 3-4 Christmas trees. It's magnificent. It's not Christmas until I can come home and hear my parents' tree, which is laden with 35 years of ornaments, including live-motion elves and villages which clink, tinker and buzz with our very unique Christmas morning soundtrack.

The new globe ornament was perfectly timed, because last night Dustin and I picked out our very first real Christmas tree together. Our basement smells incredible. It was rather thrilling picking one out for the first time! As soon as we pulled up to the striped circus tent covering the vibrant green trees and stepped out into the rainy night air, I was transported to a very long ago Christmas when I was a child. I vaguely remember getting real Christmas trees once upon a time, but over the years it became a hassle (they're messy, they dry out, they're a fire hazard) so we switched to a giant, rather glorious fake tree. I didn't really think about it again until my husband and I moved to Virginia, and we had friends who would legitimately go and chop a tree down each Christmas. That's the actual real deal right there. We don't have that kind of nature life in AZ. But it did galvanize my desire to have a real tree again.

So we dressed like it was 30 degrees (it was actually like 65), hopped in my mom's ginormous new truck with Christmas music blaring, and waltzed into the tree tent like pros, breathing in the fresh scent of fir trees. We carefully picked out our favorite tree (we immediately named him Frankie, short for Frankincense) and hopped up and down with freshly-cut Christmas spirit.

I have a secret wish to travel the world on Christmas.

Part of me knows I'll never do it, because as the song says, "there's no place like home for the holidays." I really couldn't imagine a Christmas without family.

But the wanderlusting dreamer in my heart imagines all of the magical ways the world celebrates Christmas, and longs to experience them. The Netherlands with their Sinterklaas and France with their Père Noël. Or perhaps Iceland, where Santa is replaced by 13 Yule Lads who come bearing treats the 13 days leading up to Christmas. I would love to visit Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland in London, or the Christmas Fair in Budapest to sample honey cookies and folk music. 

Wouldn't it be enchanting to do all of your holiday shopping in a Christmas market in Germany? With giant strings of stars sweeping from medieval buildings, and the smell of fresh gingerbread wafting from a nearby cart. I would love to know what it would be like for the hills of Austria to come alive with the sound of Christmas music. Or to wander through the wooden stalls of Prague's Christmas market, with their wooden toys and sparkling crystal and local animals.
What better way to celebrate the season than with a red-bridled llama?

I love Christmas in all of its wonder and worldwide reach. It is a different experience for every person, and yet it joins us together in so many ways. For me Christmas is intricately tied to my faith and to my family, and I revel in the twinkle lights and the celebration.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

christmas week!

A very merry Christmas from my little corner of the world!

This week will be full of family, fun, all things Christmas and all things jolly.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and I promise I will be back to blogging regularly in no time!

Drink lattes, pray for snow, wear fuzzy socks, listen to carols, maybe sing a few...make a fire, cuddle up, see a film, enjoy the glitter, and say I love you a whole darn lot.

Merry Christmas.

redhead

Saturday morning I rolled out of bed and threw on one of my comfiest sweaters to head downtown.
I was running late for book club, in fact I almost missed book club, which would have been a shame since I was the one to request the book this time around! (Legion by Brandon Sanderson, my favorite author).

Once a month we have book club downtown, in my once-favorite coffee shop, White Hart. It's still dear to me, but it closed its doors earlier this year and was rather miraculously reopened by a new owner. While it's still a lovely place, it has lost a lot of the charm that made it so magical before...I'm hoping in time they'll really utilize the space to return it to its former glory, but part of me knows those days are gone forever.
It's always a little sad to lose a place you love, but sometimes beautiful things are short-lived. Looking back, some of my favorite memories were in places that only last for a short while -- like my apartments in college, especially junior and senior years, which included my husband and I's first home together. It was a tiny little place that we only lived in for 5 months, but I'll cherish it always.
Maybe having a definitive beginning and end to a beloved place makes it all the more magical. It's not everlasting, but the memories are -- and the ache you feel in its place is just a reminder of its sweetness.

After book club, a friend and I flitted over to a vintage Christmas market happening downtown, perusing the handmade goods and wishing we could buy them all.

After some more coffee and some friendly chatter, I headed back home to get ready for the law wives Christmas Tea. Which is why I'm so dressed up here! Afternoon teas demand fanciness.

Dress (remixed): Modcloth, Necklace: Anthropologie, Coat: New York & Company

I suppose this dress has become my go-to for law school events!
I wore it this past April for Barristers, although I have to say I'm enjoying it much more as a wintry holiday kind of dress. The shimmer in the fabric is gorgeous, and it's that right kind of bright to fit right into the Christmas season.

The hair, of course, is also new!
I had been pondering a new 'do for some time, although exactly what I wanted took a while to figure out.
I knew I wanted to do something a little wild, but not anything I would most likely regret terribly for years (like a pixie cut -- I'm pretty sure I would never recover, despite my occasional musings that I want to pull an Emma Watson).
The good news is, I did it, and I love it.
It has inspired me to curl my hair again on a regular basis, and I love the way it looks in a ponytail. My hair is finally getting long enough to pull off something more interesting, and I'm really excited to have this style for a while!

christmas cheer

Happy Merry Hurray Christmas!

These pictures are actually from the end of November -- before Thanksgiving, to be exact, which is why I didn't post them at first.

I imagined all the outrage from Thanksgiving purists and knew I had to postpone.

Campus went Christmassy pretty early this year (although really, it just felt that way because Thanksgiving was so late) and they put this giant Christmas tree right in front of my work building, and twisted wintery blue lights around the trunk of every tree lining the main road. It's pretty festive!

This outfit is so simple, but makes me so happy.

Polka dot dress, floral scarf, bright tights. 

There's nothing more comforting than classic and colorful in the holiday season. 

I haven't taken outfit photos in a few days, but soon I'll be doing a post about my hair -- I look very different from these pictures!

I wanted to do something a little fun and a little crazy, so I went for it.

I'm feeling the vibes of wintry goodness, and I just can't wait for the holidays to be in full swing.

Until then, I'll keep cozying up to every Christmas tree I see.

the question of velvet

Tegan Velvet Dress

Revel in the Moment Leggings

If any of you guys were born somewhere in the mid to late eighties, and spent most of your childhood in the golden era of the nineties, then it's pretty much guaranteed that you wore velvet at one time or another.
Crushed velvet, even, God forbid.
I have vivid memories of my mother finally consenting to let me dress myself on a Sunday morning (against her better judgment, but I was insisting), and I chose my favorite purple velvet dress and my black hat with leopard trim.
That outfit still haunts me to this day. Granted, it's also one of my favorite things about my younger self, that I was so in love with leopard that I added it to nearly every outfit, no matter the cost.

Nowadays, velvet gives me that kind of haunting feeling. The heebie jeebies, almost. I'm not sure if it's tied to those days of young fashion faux pas, or if I just genuinely dislike the fabric.
Whatever the reason, my first reaction to the current reappearance of velvet as a trend this winter has been quite negative. Of the oh god no variety.
However, it has also caused me to reevaluate just why I dislike it so much. The sheen? The old-timey feeling? The texture? Tacky velvet posters? I'm not sure.

I had a twitter chat with Ruche about velvet, because they have been featuring a lot of it in their new arrivals as of late -- they think I should give it another chance. And, I have to admit, the dresses they mentioned are actually quite pretty -- they're just a touch of velvet, and have intrigued me enough to consider giving it a try.

Subtle Nuance

Lady Macbeth

Nocturne Brocade

These dresses almost trick you into thinking you're not wearing velvet, until someone gives you a hug and exclaims, Oh happy Christmas! You're so soft!

Maybe I don't hate velvet. Or maybe watching Reign has just softened me up to looking like a medieval queen. Either way, I think it's safe to say that I'm not one to throw out a style without trying it -- or at least considering it.
I will never wear velvet leggings, though, and I think that's for everyone's benefit. So you're welcome.

I will also never wear a purple velvet dress with a leopard hat again.
Well, alright. No promises.