Christmas Outfits

I love dressing festive! As soon as December 1 comes around, it's time to pull out all the red and green! I've decided I don't want to wait until I'm an old lady to wear all the fun, tacky Christmas outfits. Unfortunately we've had mostly hot weather this month, so I didn't get to wear my sweaters as much as I wanted, but I did my best to dress festive anyway. Here are some of my Christmas outfits!

My candy cane sweater unfortunately made too few appearances this Christmas, but I still love it!

sweater: thrifted

skirt: Old from Forever 21

I made this Christmas tree skirt two years ago and get compliments on it every time I wear it! Worn with thrifted top and shoes.

Thrifted top, me-made skirt, and... sandals. Sigh. Christmas in Louisiana. (It was hot that night.)

Love this thrifted sweater! (It's even better because my name is Joy.)

This is probably my favorite Christmas look this year. Sweater and plaid skirt are thrifted and the hat was my mom's--it's vintage now.

Me-made gingerbread apron! My kitchen gets decked out in gingerbread for the Christmas season, so I couldn't help but pick up this fabric to make a festive apron.

Thrifted Star Wars Christmas t-shirt (if next year's Christmas is anything like this year's, I need to thrift more Christmas t-shirts) and me-made skirt. I wore those antlers to many events--they're much cooler than the hot Santa hat! Unfortunately they broke at the Christmas parade when someone on a float threw Mardi Gras beads to me. (Because Christmas parades in South Louisiana are include people throwing candy and beads and plastic cups and end with Santa being pulled by a tractor.)

My mom bought me this beautiful green dress from Dainty Jewell's. I love that I can wear it any time of year but the color is quite festive for December. Worn with cute boots that I thrifted for a few bucks.

My Christmas day outfit featuring the birthday cake I made for Jesus! The top is secondhand (I can't remember if I thrifted it or if a friend gave it to me) and the skirt was made by me out of a thrifted tablecloth.

Things I Love - Christmas!

Christmas China | My grandmother gave me four sets of her Country Rose Christmas china several years ago (along with four sets of normal Country Rose china) and I LOVE to pull it out at Christmastime. We use the plates for every dinner and I enjoy many cups of hot tea in the tea cups.

Dressing Festive | You know those cute little old ladies who are always decked out for each season? I've decided I don't want to wait until I'm an old lady to dress festive. My goal is to wear a festive outfit every day this month! Whether it's one of the Christmas skirts I've made or pulling out the red and green clothes in my closet (it was 75 degrees the other day so I had to wear my red gingham summer dress), I'm embracing Christmas in my closet.

Community Festivities | Last week our town had "Movie in the Park" and we grabbed our folding chairs and headed to the park to watch "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" on a huge projector screen. It's one of my least favorite Christmas movies, but it was actually cold outside and we got some hot chocolate, so it was still a lovely time. We are looking forward to more upcoming festivities in our area! Sweet Treats On Main Street (we're selling Christmas cookies to raise funds for our next missions trip), the Christmas parade, the Christmas Farmers Market, and our church's pancake breakfast are coming up and we're excited to go!

Christmas Decor | I love decorating the house for Christmas and my husband loves it too. We decorate in November, before Thanksgiving, and he's cool with me leaving the decor up through January if I feel like it. There's nothing like a sparkling Christmas tree. Casey loves those little villages, so we've been thrifting pieces and he enjoys setting them up. And I love adding gingerbread decor in the kitchen!

Christmas Movies | Despite the fact that I don't like a lot of "classic" Christmas movies, I DO love Christmas movies. My fave is White Christmas. And honestly, I LOVE cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. Yes, I know how they are going to end, but there is something so comforting about knowing everything is going to end up happily ever after.

My Plan to Tackle Winter Blues

It's that time of year where it turns dark at like, 5:00, and I am NOT here for it. I like my long, sunny days! I'm very grateful that I am blessed to work from home, so I do, in fact, get to enjoy the sunshine streaming through the windows during the day, plus I find myself outside several times a day with the dogs. Short, winter days were the worst when I worked a typical eight-to-five job, so I'm definitely counting my blessings. Still, I do not like this getting-dark-early business. 

How to combat the winter blues? I'm trying to romanticize coziness in my home. Here's my plan of attack!

• A cozy glow | Come evening, we do not turn on the overhead lights in the living room or our bedroom, but rather we just light a few lamps for a cozy glow. Once the Christmas tree is up, the lights will just add to the cozy feel! I also love to light candles. Truly, setting the atmosphere with lights makes a huge difference.
• Cozy blankets and quilts | While the blankets and quilts live on the blanket ladder all year, it's during the cold months that they truly get utilized. There's nothing better than curling up on the couch in a fuzzy blanket or lovely quilt. 
• Hot drinks | We have ingredients for hot apple cider AND hot chocolate and I've been enjoying both frequently since temperatures have started dropping. I'm sure I'll soon find myself on a hot tea kick again, too.
• Faux fireplace | We do not have a fireplace, but I love putting a fireplace recording on the TV! Even though it's not real, I love hearing the crackling and it adds to the cozy lights.
• Comfy jammies | I've been in SUCH a cozy jammies mood in the last few months and have acquired a few new pair. I just love to put on warm jammies and socks and read under a blanket before bedtime.

Christmas Eve Traditions

Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve Eve are almost just as good as (and maybe even better than) Christmas day. 

Christmas Eve Eve is, of course, December 23 (the eve of Christmas Eve), and Eloise is the one who brought it to my attention. I love Eloise, as do my mom and Auntie. So it is only appropriate to watch Eloise at Christmastime on Christmas Eve Eve, which we did last night. It is adorable and features Julie Andrews as Nanny, so it is a favorite!

And now it is Christmas Eve. I'm currently sitting in my mom's chair, which is the ultimate. She has carefully crafted the perfect relaxation chair, and anything I could possibly need is in reach. Chapstick, Kleenex, mini fan, pens, emery board, scissors, lotion, charging station, remote, trashcan, salt. If I stretch really far I can also reach an orange. And, probably most important, she has a picture of the two of us.

I've always loved Christmas Eve because my mommy has always let me open up an early present--my Christmas pajamas. When I was little, she always got me a matching top and bottom, then as I got older and decided I didn't like the matching set, she let me pick out my own. 

In just a little while, we're heading out to hear my best friend Julianne sing in a choir for a 10:30 service (the grandma in me is cringing at the late hour), so I asked if I could open my PJs before we left. "The thing is..." my aunt started, "is that we forgot to mark which present is your pajamas." So we knew that my pajamas were in a shirt box, and that all of the presents wrapped in Minnie Mouse paper were mine. Third time's a charm, so after opening up a box of leggings and one containing a collector's edition magazine featuring The Hunger Games cast (I like to buy magazines about the current "in" thing to one day give my future daughter), I found my PJs! 

Then I gave mommy her PJs, but I'm not allowed to post any photos because her hair was in rollers. And then I gave Auntie some fuzzy socks, and Auntie let me open a present--a super cute headband! And then we let Oxford open a present, and then I put the bow on Oxford. All in all, a successful Christmas Eve, and it's not over yet!