The Xmas That Was

My family spends Christmas pretty much the same way most every year. On Christmas Eve, we gather at my husband's grandparent's house (about an hour's drive from our house). We have an early dinner with his family & my parents. Then on Christmas morning, my parents & his two sets of parents, plus his sister if she's in town (she lives in Italy), all come over to our house where we host brunch & open gifts. We give each other just a few homemade, locally produced, &/or charity gifts. By 2pm, everyone has left, & my husband & I have the house to ourselves with the cats to relax & enjoy some peace & quiet & eat some of the vast amount of goodies that have accumulated.

This year was no different, & I'm just fine with that! One little tweak was that I made brunch mostly gluten-free & dairy-free for my sister-in-law's new diet. And that worked out great, just made a few substitutions in recipes.

The gift I made for people was a hot pack covered in faux fur. It's filled with flax seeds & rice, you heat it in the microwave for a few minutes. The fur made it a touch luxurious. But my mom outdid us all (as usual! she's super-crafty) by crocheting gorgeous afghan blankets for each couple. We got a beautiful deep burgundy one that is sooooo soft.

On Xmas eve, I wore a black & grey dress (Macy's) with a black & white cardigan (White House, Black Market), burgundy boots (DSW), black tights (Calvin Klein), black/silver/crystal necklace, & a burgundy flower in my hair. My earrings were a burgundy pearl drop from Designs by Victoria with a real pearl stud & real diamond stud, the later two are gifts from my stepfather.

I also took a few minutes before Xmas eve to do my nails -- I used Sally Hansen nail decals in a red with black lace pattern. I've used these before & they're so fun! Faster than painting my nails since there's no drying time. Not much tidier than painting, but that's just user-error. Still, pretty cool.

On Xmas day, I wanted to be comfy while still looking good. This outfit was perfect.  Red & black striped maxi dress (Target), layered over a black long-sleeved shirt (Old Navy), black tights (Calvin Klein), black crochet long cardigan (Coldwater Creek), & black flats.