Trust me, book yourself a holidate.
I think I stole holidate from a movie title.....
I had a delightful catchup dinner in the city last night with some former co-workers-turned-friends during which I got to debut my new burgundy tights (see below), exchange notes on how far along we all were with our holiday shopping, and proselytize about my newest obsession—and from this season forward a new tradition—the holidate.
As I’m sure most of you can imagine (and relate to?!), the countdown to Christmas means I’ve been endlessly reviewing my shopping list trying to figure what I’ve forgotten (and who!). And one glance at my calendar reveals little-to-no time to complete my to-do list. So, my husband and I resolved to knock out all our Christmas shopping in one go with a day dedicated to holiday fun (and zero chasing of our children). We scheduled a little holidate and let me tell you…..it was blissful.
With the kids occupied for the day we first took ourselves to the local mall. I can’t remember the last time I went to a real, live mall. But, this one is F-A-N-C-Y. It has every luxury brand store you can think of plus a bunch of more affordable places for the regular folks (aka us). Everything inside was decked out for the holidays—twinkling lights, garland, huge ornaments, and Santa’s village on display. It was a delight to mosey around visiting stores at our leisure and slowly checking gifts off our list.
After the mall we bustled over to a brand new brunch spot one town over that we’d been dying to try. It was amazing to luxuriate over our food and sip warm coffee while the wind blew outside. Especially without little ones to entertain (though we love them so dearly). The food was amazing and we got to catch up on all the little mundane things that buried in the day-to-day busyness of life.
Our last stop was another small town in our area that has a handful of gorgeous local boutiques in a very Gilmore-Girls-esque, quaint, downtown setting. We stopped by several shops and picked up goodies for our last few gift recipients before packing back up and heading home to relax for a couple hours before retrieving the kids.
It was so joyful to actually take a full day to enjoy the season together without distraction. There’s been a lot written in recent years about how the magic of the holidays is often due to the silent (hard!) work of mothers and women and that’s true in our household. It was so nice to sit back and let some of that magic make its way back to me this year.
There’s just one full week of work left before Christmas and if you can I urge you to take a personal day and enjoy the season for all its warmth and energy. Go soak up whatever it is that makes the season enjoyable for you.
Still thinking about…..
Sampled this gorgeous brut rose recently and loved it. It’s an affordable bottle that would be perfect for the holidays or New Year’s Eve.
Considering purchasing a second one of this skincare set. This brand has quickly become my go-to for plumper, clearer skin. You get two full size and one mini for the price of one regular full price product. So good!
Considering really embracing my inner old lady and ordering this cozy heating pad for my neck and shoulders.
Dying to buy this dress despite having absolutely nowhere to wear it.