Believe it or not, when this post goes live there will only be 20 days left until Christmas…
THE STORY
…No pressure or anything, but how goes the Christmas shopping? As we speak, I have multiple windows open on the computer; shop a little, blog a little, shop a little more… I wish that I was one of those people who gets their shopping all done months ahead of time, but alas…I’m not. And if I’m not by this point in my life, it just ain’t happening.
I do usually pick up one or two things here and there during September and October. Then when it comes time for Christmas I’ve either forgotten that I bought the items or I’ve forgotten where I stashed them. Hey, I never claimed that organization was my strong suit! And besides, that’s how I justify in my mind not getting my shopping done ahead of time.
I try not to get too overly stressed about it though. Typically I try to pay attention throughout the year to things that my favorite humans either really want or maybe don’t know that they want, but need, and then give at least one gift that’s really special. Sometimes these special gifts might be slightly out of the ordinary, but they are typically the crowd favorites.
For example, I’ve mentioned before that watching Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer is a major tradition at our house. When my son was but a wee one, he was obsessed with the cowboy on an ostrich. His little heart felt so sad for the cowboy because no one wanted him, so one year Santa brought him that very cowboy. I will remember his excited little face for as long as I live. He kept it with him for years and years, but once he outgrew it I quietly tucked it away in the attic where I keep all of the special things from my babies’ childhoods.
Last year prior to Christmas he asked if it was still around. I knew full well exactly where it was, but I said, “I don’t know. I honestly haven’t seen it for years.” He was disappointed, but you all know where I’m going with this, right? Of course I wrapped that cowboy up for Christmas Round Two. And I’m pretty sure my boy was almost as excited as he was the first time around.
How do all of you do your shopping? Were you done last year by December 31st? Do you “gift graze” and shop throughout the year? Or are you like me…you have some idea the direction you’re headed, but cram shop in November and December?
THE OUTFIT
Speaking of the holidays, of course this month’s Ageless Style Link Up theme is “Holiday Style”as it should be. Since my beautiful friends/co-hosts and I are all different in regard to style and lifestyle we decided that each of us would interpret the theme to work for us; casual or dressy. Since I don’t live in a world that includes a lot of holiday parties or dressing up super fancy (why do you think I wear sequins to teach middle school?), of course I went the more casual route.
While it’s true that I wear plaid all year ’round, this plaid dress is made for the holidays. As I said, I kept it super casual with a moto jacket and ankle boots (although the dotted tights provide a nod to fancy). But if you think about it, this dress could be magically transformed to dressy with the simple addition of some beautiful red suede ankle strap pumps or these sassy black glitter pumps. It could also be layered over a tulle skirt to give it some extra flounce and va-va-voom.
THE TIP
Holiday style, like every day style, is a very personal thing. Whether you’re the type who’s a no holds barred Christmas party beast who lives for weeks on end of sequins, tulle, feathers and all things fabulous, or you’re the girl who’s idea of holiday style is a cozy pair of flannel Christmas pj’s it doesn’t matter. Dress to make yourself happy. Dress to make yourself feel good. Dress to make holiday style your style.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND LINK UP WITH MYSELF AND MY LOVELY CO-HOSTS FOR THIS MONTHS AGELESS STYLE LINK UP!!
Dress: Red Closet Shop (Similar); Jacket: Blank NYC via Nordstrom (Similar); Tights: Similar Boots: Similar
Cathy ~ Cathy V Style blog, instagram, facebook, pinterest, twitter
Daenel ~ Living outside the stacks blog, instagram, pinterest, twitter
Debbie ~ Fashion Fairy Dust bloglovin, blog, instagram, pinterest, facebook, twitter
Jennie ~ A Pocketful of Polka Dots blog, instagram, twitter, bloglovin
Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style blog, facebook, instagram, pinterest, bloglovin, twitter
Paula ~ Dimples on my What blog, facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, twitter
Shelly ~ The Queen in Between blog, instagram, bloglovin, Pinterest, facebook
