12 Days of Christmas - Day 11

It's almost that time!

Picture from Timessquarenyc.org

I'm in New York for new years eve. I'm not doing the ball drop (contrary to what this picture would indicate), but I think I am going to fit in some great vintage shopping and maybe even a brewery tour. As soon as I get back to my computer (and stop bumming my friends'), I will post pictures of any good vintage finds and other New York and DC goodness.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 10

Pine cones from my parent's back yard. I love the way it smells when you sit in a bed of pine needles. I am a very visual person, but the scent of pine is one of the few scents that really trigger the feeling of the holidays for me.

PS: On a totally unrelated note, I went shopping with a friend in Georgetown this morning at Anthropologie. Their after Christmas sale is amaaaazing. Way better than what is online. My friend told me Anthro is the one store where there is more in their stores than online, and she's totally right. I looked for both the dress and blouse I got online and neither were there. If we hadn't gone to the store, I would have never found them. So if you live near an Anthro store, try to get in there asap. All the sale items are an additional 25% off. (No one even paid me to say that! That's how excited I am about the deals I got!)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 9

I'm about to go on a 4 1/2 day whirlwind trip down to DC, then up to NYC for New Years Eve, and back to Delaware by dinner time on New Years Day. It should be loads of fun, but posting will be hard because computer access will be limited. I'll be back after New Years with a more fun post that has pictures of my trip and the kittens that are still in my parent's bathroom!

Pictures of DC by me. There's a view from the W Hotel and the view from the front steps of the Portrait Gallery.

Pictures of New York by the Cherry Blossom Girl. I really need to take some good pictures in NYC this trip. I was in the city 3 times this fall, and I didn't take a single picture that did not involve me eating bbq! (Those pictures are also awesome but in a different, not-postable kind of way.)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 8

As promised, here are a few of my favorite Christmas ornaments. My mom had been collecting great ornaments for years. They come from all over the country and even some foreign countries. (The peacock and Sherlock Holmes are from London, and the Santa on the gondola and the blue ball behind him are from Venice).

This ornament was hand blown by my best friend! (Also check out the carrot in the background. It's one of my favorites. We have an eggplant too and every year I get to hang them both.)

Alf has been in the family since I can remember. He always gets 2nd place on the tree right below the angel.

This is our cardinal. We have several birds. They are suppose to be good luck. Also it is supposed to be good luck when you find a bird nest in your tree. So we must be having ultra good luck this year since our cardinal is nestled in a birds nest!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7

I got so caught up with going to the movies and playing Scrabble with my family that I completely forgot about my winter-holiday themed post of the day! I have to admit that even though there is beautiful snow outside, watching The Tourist really put me in the mood for fabulous travels around Europe in elegant designer clothes and not winter weather and snow boots. So today I will post pictures from the movie and the cities in it.

From Collider.

Shots of Paris from Pia Jane Bijerk.

From Much Music.

Shots of Venice from The Cherry Blossom Girl.

PS: If you haven't seen The Tourist, it is worth renting when it comes out on DVD. The reviews were very "meh" but I loved it. It was light, simple fun. The background, the clothes, and the actors were beautiful. The dialog was witty, and the plot was not overly contorted like a James Bond movie would have been. It is a perfect Saturday afternoon movie.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 6

Merry Christmas! My Christmas day has been eventful but fun so far. It snowed! We decided to take our dog for a walk in the snow to enjoy it. Then low and behold we found 3 kittens abandoned in the woods! So we took the kittens in. They are beyond adorable. I will post pictures later - I promise. Then a poor cardinal flew into our window and broke his wing. So we took him in. He's hanging out in a box above our cookbooks. I'm exhausted from all the excitement. I'm about to pop open a bottle of champagne and enjoy all the great DVD's that Santa brought! Enjoy the rest of your holiday!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 5

It's Christmas Eve! I know there's no forecast for snow until tomorrow (and even then there's only a 20% chance), but like every year, I will wish for snow so we can have a white Christmas. I love the snow!

The wreath at my old apartment in DC after a great snow (but not the great snow of '09-'10).

Hanneli Mustaparta at home in Norway.

My various poses with snowmen. The first one I made one day at work in DC when it was snowing! The second 2 are also in DC but from snowmagedon during '09-'10.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 4

I love being home in the cold. I can complain about the weather as much as the next person, but secretly I love it. The cold makes it feel like Christmas time and gives you a reason to come inside and have some hot cider, red wine, or a pumpkin spice latte. Plus the cold gives you the perfect excuse to wear adorable sweaters!

This is a 70s reindeer sweater that I just got at a vintage pop-up shop in LA. The owner of the shop had at least a half dozen more amazing reindeer sweaters. I wanted to buy them all. She has an online shop. There is not too much on it yet, but I am hoping it might get updated over the holidays. I'm considering splurging on one of the 1980s Abercrombie & Fitch sweaters from back when Abercrombie was a hunting goods store.

A red beauty on Keiko Lynn.

A matching cap and sweater on Alix.

And for those of us who don't mind spending loads of money on our Christmas sweaters, Net-a-Porter has some nice options. (Clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4.) If I had a few hundred extra dollars sitting around, I would definitely snap up the sweaters on the left. They are both so ski-lodge-chic!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 3

Today is all about the trees!

Beautiful trees in the wilderness from A Day That is Dessert.

My family's Christmas tree! I think it looks so mysterious with all the lights out. I'll be sure to post pictures of some of our best ornaments close up later.

Adorable little decorations on a window sill make me think of a cold day spent in bed, reading a good book, and gazing out the window every now and then. Courtesy of BrydieBrown.

A Christmas tree centerpiece with some chestnuts? walnuts? from Home Biba.

The magnificent tree in the new wing of Longwood Gardens. It must have been almost 50 feet tall!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 2

I went to the Biltmore's tree lighting ceremony this year, which was well done. Lots of free eggnog, hot cider, and hand decorated gingerbread cookies. It was also my first time in the hotel, which is lovely. It's a great way to kick off the season. I'll definitely go back next year.

The classiness of the Biltmore puts me in the mood to dress up for cocktail parties and nights on the town in sparkly outfits. This one that Alix from Cherry Blossom Girl makes me swoon.

Also the Biltmore's decorations inspired me to try harder with mine next year. The wreaths from Terrain are lovely. Maybe I will invest in one!