DECEMBER 2021 Favorites

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year. I enjoy hosting and creating menus of what to eat complete with fancy snacks and homemade cocktails. I love setting a beautiful festive tablescape for everyone to enjoy. I am a more is more and less is a bore kinda gal. I truly believe that you should never save anything for a special occasion. Being simply alive is the special occasion. So get out the fancy china and those crystal glasses, because life itself is worth celebrating!

Sadly the week before Christmas my other grandmother passed away. My dads mom who was a wild haired Artist from NY went to be with my grandfather. Because of this unfortunate and sad event right before Christmas my family was all over the place and the two youngest of my siblings were able to spend the holiday weekend at my home where I got to spoil them rotten while my parents were in NY. Unfortunately we did not know our grandmother all to well other than the occasional phone call here and there. She was not around during our childhood and I am sad that we did not know her better. She was one spit fire of a lady.

Despite all that we managed to make the most of our holiday by enjoying good food and relaxing. We did a family secret santa gift drawing since everyone was out of town and had the gifts delivered directly to the recipient. It was kinda funny and not sure if we will do again next year because well lets be honest boys kinda stink at it. HAHA but I got these adorable Pink Vans which I LOVE! and of course my husband got a tool lol go figures.

Here are a few snapshots of my holiday decor this year! You will never believe me but I painted those Axis Deer print chargers myself 🙂

Okay now I didn’t really get any pictures of our feast but I did manage to snap a couple photos before my Christmas day Charcuterie board was demolished.

I am the old fashioned type that still loves mailing out beautiful paper Christmas cards and gifting people a little something just for fun. Call me crazy but those email Christmas cards just don’t evoke the same feelings as opening a pretty card from a friend. I prefer the paper snail mail and I think we need to revive that old tradition. This year I made these adorable cookie gifts for friends and co-workers with my cricut machine. I was able to cover every one on my list without breaking the bank.

I will even sneak in a few of our Christmas card photos on here to share since I just love them! Photo Credit goes to my friend Mikayla – Winter Brooke Photography

Alright enough jargin and me yakin away over here lets get to the good stuff. Here are the favorites that made the cut for December! Hope you all enjoy! Links are provided in the highlighted list for you.

1. Cubavera mens Linen shirts: If you have ever heard of the style of shirt Guayabera it is known in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, guayaberas are part of the traditional wear for men and may be considered formalwear. My husband has a few custom ones from a special place in SATX called Dos Carolinas which he loves. However, I found this wonderful site that makes traditional guayabera’s at a fraction of the price. They are no comparison to a handmade real deal but these come pretty close. Plus husband doesn’t stress so much if he spills on himself which is almost inevitable. He loves the comfort of a good quality linen shirt and reaches for his guayaberas anytime we go out. They are his favorite.

2. Gucci bronzer: I am huge into contouring and using bronzer everyday. I feel like it gives your face so much depth and shape. I decided to try this one out recently and I have to say it is so soft and such a beautiful color. I ordered in shade light which is pictured here. I will say that bronzers and blushes last forever so I really don’t mind spending a little more on them since I am not buying new ones constantly. I really love that it comes in a baby pink velvet little bag to keep it in and it just adds to the touch of class and sass!

3. Gucci sheer lipstick : Gucci lipsticks and Chanel Lipglosses have become my jam lately and I am diggin the shade “The Painted Veil” in this rosewood sheer lippy. It’s the perfect pink and nude mixture thats dark enough for the cooler months and its highly moisturizing almost like a lip balm and I find myself reaching for it throughout the day not only for a retouch but it feels good on chapped lips in the insanely dry climate that I live in.

4. Wilderdog Harness: I have spent a lot of time and money trying to find the perfect harness for Lulu over the years. I am a big fan of Wilderdog the company and everything they stand for. For every single order they receive they donate 1 pound of food to different shelters. This would be my second harness from them and it’s not because it broke but rather I love them so much and Lulu is most comfortable in them that I ordered her the berry color for Christmas. She had the blue one for years and still does I just keep it in the Jeep in case I forget to bring one with me anywhere. They also sell many other awesome products which I am pretty sure we own at least one or two of everything. Great long lasting quality that is functional and cute! Highly recommend for your fur babies.

5. Lined Tights: These cozy leggings are for your coldest runs or your mountain weekend getaway. The brushed lining on the inside of them is so soft and warm but not too thick either. I have had other lined leggings which can feel constricting and too bulky to workout it. These are not that way at all. I am naturally always freezing so I try to buy as many warm things as possible and these keep me toasty! I am a XS in leggings at Athleta and I find all there clothing to run 1 to 2 sizes bigger.