CHRISTMAS KINDNESS

I made out like a bandit this year!  Everyone did such a fab job Christmas shopping...here some of the gifts I received!  

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Notes:

1 - Perfect for stacking with the bracelet I got last year from my sister!  {Thanks to M's aunt}

2 - I actually got this gorgeous coat in retro jade like I'd wanted but after trying it on, I decided I wanted something a bit shorter and less dressy so I'm swapping for this trench version.  {Thanks Mom & Dad}

3 - {Thanks M's mom}

4 - Are these animals freakin' adorable or what? {Thanks Mom & Dad}

5 - Ugh...I have gone through so much anxiety over these.  Couldn't figure out if I liked them on me or not.  Mom also ordered the classics from L.L. Bean and let me pick which one I wanted to keep.  The L.L. Bean boots were too wide for my narrow foot and didn't have the shearling lining.  I pinned a few inspiration looks and am gonna just step out of my box in these!  {Thanks Mom & Dad}

6 - SO warm and SO lightweight!  {Thanks Mom & Dad}

I got a few other goodies but these were the standouts for me!  What did you get this year?

-Sarah

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

Merry Christmas Eve!

It's here!  It's here!  M and I will be changing some of our traditions this year...it's the first year we're sharing holidays.  Most of our favorites aren't going to be compromised though, thank goodness.   Here's the shakedown:

Christmas Eve afternoon - Church with M's family

Christmas Eve night - Party with M's family friends.  I'll be wearing this red lace Madewell dress over black tights  to both events.  I'll pair it with heels to church and boots to the party.  

Christmas morning - Gifts at M's house with his family followed by a brunch with friends and more family.  I'll wear this J.Crew combo {shirt and sweater} with jeans and Tory flats.  

Christmas afternoon - Hop in the car and head back to my parents' in Knoxville.  My sister, bro-in-law and niece {she's crawling!!!} will meet us there.  Then we have my favorite tradition - a Christmas fiesta!  Homemade enchiladas, quesadillas, salsa, and of course the MARGARITAS!  Dad has been perfecting his recipe all year so I can't wait to try it.  We'll do gifts after dinner and sometimes a game or watch a movie.  

What are your favorite traditions? -Sarah

CHRISTMAS FOR HUSBAND

Even though it's not Christmas yet, I shall reveal M's Christmas gifts.  :)  We are currently house-hunting so we decided to forego traditional gifts and just do stockings with a $50 limit.  Here is what I came up with:

J.Crew Boxers - $14.99 - 30% = $10.49

This is always a go-to when shopping for husband for any holiday!  I just love picking out a fun design <-- nerd comment.  There were others that I liked much more but this was the only one available in his size.  

Darn Tough Vermont Socks via J.Crew - $17 - 30% = $11.90

M travels to Montreal, Canada often so wool socks are just plain practical.

Griffin  iPhone Car Charger - $6.97
Husband broek mine so I ordered two - one for me and one for him!

StickyGram Instagram Magents - $14.99

This is an awesome website!  You pick out 9 Instagram photos and the send you a sheet of magnets.  This is almost a gift more for me than him...haha.  I included pictures of a couple of our travels but mostly of Max!

*First person to use code FRIENDGSSH gets $2 off!

Grand total:  $44.35 before tax!  Perhaps I will also grab a $5 giftcard somewhere.  :)

Nothing groundbreaking here but I think they will be fun!  

What are you getting for your loved ones?  -Sarah

CHRISTMAS LIST

There aren't a ton of things that I asked for this year.  I always like to ask for more than I know I will get so that there is still a surprise.  :)  Here are some of the things on my list this year:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Notes:

I don't want two coats, down jackets or pairs of boots.  I like to give options for the whole surprise thing.  

3 - This item inspired by this adorable look!

8 - Don't really need one...my 4 is still in good shape but I really want Siri!!!

And as always....anything from J.Crew!

What's on your list? - Sarah

CHRISTMAS CARDS

This was our first Christmas as a married couple so the card had to be fabulous!  Duh.  I found a fabulous card that I ordered from Tiny Prints.  I think they were having some sort of sale, but I don't remember what it was now.  

I went with this design in black, with rounded corners and red envelopes.  I was very impressed with the thickness of the envelopes, the timely delivery and the quality of printing!

Sadly, there were no matching address labels so I went with something similar.  

One thing that I didn't love about TP was that you can't move the text around on the picture.  There were some designs that I loved, but the text was printed at the bottom and that would've covered up my dress.   After ordering, I saw a couple of cards from Minted and think I will look into this site next year.  They are a bit more expensive but have more designs that I liked and more options for personalization.

What do your cards look like? -Sarah