Favourite Things- Christmas Style (From Atmosphere To What To Wear)

I know that that there has been an overload of Christmas post over the past few weeks...I promise they won't last much longer...but here's another one. I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favourite things that I incorporate into the holidays.

Accessorizing: On a daily basis, I keep my jewelery simple (necklace, ring and maybe earrings) and the holidays are no exception. I have so much stuff that I take with me everywhere, so it's essential that I have a tote bag. But, for Christmas, I down size to a clutch; I alternate between a classic black, festive gold and sparkle purple. 

 

What To Wear:  As a practicing Catholic, we always went to Church Christmas morning. Whatever I wear to Church is what I wear all day. I love wearing sweaters, they are so comfortable and cozy (not to mention warm!), plus nice enough for Church, formal dinner, etc. Red, green, silver and blue are popular sweater colour choices for me for Christmas.

Tabletop: For our big Christmas meal, we place a candy cane at each place setting and use a Christmas cracker as a place card. Our family members are good sports about popping the crackers, wearing the crowns and reading aloud our jokes. 

Decorating: Each year, my sister and I decorate a gingerbread house, which becomes the centre piece of our home. It travels to the different rooms in our house, depending on which room our family and guests are in. 

Atmosphere: My mom insists on lighting candles, which does create an intimate mood. I prefer scented wax melts/tarts. Yankee Candle has so many choices that are perfect for Christmas; a personal favourite is North Pole.

 

O Christmas Tree: I love our tree! It's not perfect, it's not real, it doesn't have a theme and the ornaments don't match. We use coloured lights, different garlands, the ornaments were made by siblings and me or gifted to us over the years, the angel on top of the tree I made when I was 4 and is held together by duct tape. And our tree is COVERED in tinsel. My favourite tradition around our tree is that it doesn't get decorated until everyone is home, which is usually Christmas Eve, so we can decorate it together. 

 

Gift Giving: I do a lot of my Christmas shopping online. Not only do I avoid the crowds, but I can have items shipped directly to my parents place. This way, I don't have to worry about transporting gifts from point A to point B or about accidentally leaving a gift in my apartment. I like to have a couple of extra gifts on hand, just in case. While these are generic gifts that can be given to anyone, I like to make them personal to me; chocolate from the city I live in (the city is known for these chocolates), wine from the Niagara Region (where I grew up) or something from the Alzheimer Society (they always have something different during the holidays that they sell as a fundraiser. This year is hand made pottery mugs with a forget-me-not flower on them).

Finishing Touches: Christmas music! I love Christmas and I think it's the perfect way to tie everything together. It adds to the atmosphere and puts everyone in a festive mood. When it's just my parents, siblings and I, I usually just find the holiday channel on tv. When our extended family (and friends) arrive, I play either Harry Connick Jr or Michael Buble's Christmas albums. Towards the end of the day, it's the holiday playlist on my iPod set to shuffle; Luke Bryan, Mariah Carey, Barenaked Ladies, Pentatonix, Frank Sinatra and everyone in between can be found on the playlist.