Merry Christmas Eve-Eve, everyone! With my holiday shopping finally completed and my gift wrapping, well, sort of done?- I’m ready to ease into the next few days of good food, masked and socially distanced company/present exchanges, cozy pajamas and hot chocolate while I watch some of my favorite holiday movies and prepare to countdown to the New Year before it’s time to take my oddity of a little Christmas tree down again.
I’ll be taking the rest of this week off from e-mails and blogging to focus on my family and myself during tis most unusual of holiday seasons- but before I go- I had wanted to share a few of my favorite things from December (and I’m only just now realizing that this is my last “Favorite Things” post of 2020!) Given how busy this month was- and usually tends to be- there’s only a handful of items and miscellaneous odds and ends, but they’re all beloved and appreciated nonetheless.
And they’re all quite festive, if I do say so myself. I think with the pandemic having so many of us feeling down and depressed- especially this time of year- I tried to overcompensate by being as joyful and jolly as possible. The result? An amazing Christmas sweater and a pair of leggings I’ve owned for years and still adore.
Let’s take a look!
I honestly don’t remember where exactly I bought these fleece-lined leggings- but I do know that it was for some sort of company Christmas party a few years ago and when I couldn’t find an ugly sweater that spoke to me- I opted for something with ugly sweater-print, instead.
Fast-forward to now- and they’re still a great investment that I wear time and time again every holiday season. Not only because they’re ridiculously comfortable and stretchy- but also because I can mix and match them with anything. Whether I’m wearing an ugly Christmas sweater with them for an over-the-top party with friends, making a sweater dress a little more fun during more laid-back visits with my family- or in the case of a more isolated, less crowded 2020- just running errands. I love these- and I’m sure they’ll be making a comeback again in 2021.
Every Winter I have a habit of buying a new pom hat- even though I have no less than 30 in my current collection. It’s not that I don’t wear past purchases anymore. I do- and often- but I just like to have something new to make me feel a little less glum about the temperatures suddenly dipping into the single digits and a warm, cozy hat always seem to lift my spirits.
Lifted spirits were especially needed this Winter, and earlier this month I bought this blush-colored pom hat from Victoria’s Secret on a whim while picking out some slippers for a gift I was putting together for a friend who is in need of some rest and relaxation x 1,000. Super soft and covered with sparkles- this just screamed “me!” when I saw it- and I’ve been wearing it outside ever since.
It’s especially come in handy with all the snow and flurries we’ve been getting lately.
And finally- I am obsessed with “The Mandalorian,” and the recent season 2 finale nearly broke me (in a good way- but I’m just so eager to see what happens next.) Obviously, I think Baby Yoda/The Child/Grogu is the cutest thing ever- so when I saw this light-up “ugly” Christmas sweater in Kohl’s a few weeks ago- I knew I had to have it.
The sweater has a little switch at the bottom (that’s easy enough to hide) and when pressed- multi-colored lights blink and flash in different rhythms. I had put up a short post on my Instagram – HERE – where you can see it in action.
I’m a little bummed that I couldn’t sport this in the office this year- but there’s always 2021, and season 3- to look forward to!
And, as always- a couple of other things made the list as well!
– Movies/Music/Television –
“The RiffTrax Yule Log” – I’m a big fan of MST3K and RiffTrax, so having their 2+ hour holiday “yule log” episode (which includes a bunch of clips of the gang reacting to different low-budget holiday movies/specials) readily available to watch on Amazon Prime Video has made my gift-wrapping sessions a lot more enjoyable this year because every once in a while I can take a break and just laugh at the bizarre, often confusing scenes/shorts while still feeling festive.
Taylor Swift – “Evermore” – Leave it to Taylor Swift to release another album to get us through the final stretch of this difficult year. Serving as a sister-album to “Folklore” (released back in July)– “Evermore” delivers more moody, broody songs about love and loss that provide a perfect soundtrack for these frigid, dark-way-too-early New England days. I’m a big fan of it- and have been listening to it a lot while I work from home during the mornings.
And that’s about it for my favorites for December (and 2020!) I’m going to be back next week for a look back on this past year as a whole before we welcome the New Year- so be sure to check in!
Until then, though- for all of you celebrating- I hope you have a very Merry Christmas. I know it’s not going to be like the ones we’ve grown accustomed to in the past- but I hope your day is still filled with some joy, happiness, love and a little optimism!
We’re going to get through this together.
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 