five things: for me

Two years ago Mike and I officially opted out of exchanging gifts for Christmas. Holidays are already loco, I know you agree, at our house we kick things off with Momo’s birthday on the 23rd and from there thru the 26th it is FULL ON. 

Over the years I have felt a lot of pressure getting Mike something special. Neither of us are ‘expert gift givers’. But when I do give gifts I want them to have some meaning or significance. This was getting harder and harder each year. 

In 2014, the year Mario was born (nearly two weeks early on December 23rd) we both naturally opted out of gift giving. Momo’s early arrival really effed up our usual last minute shopping plans.  We came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve and after a couple hours Mike walked down the street to the bookstore to get a few things for us to ceremoniously open together the next morning. In the moment I thought it was super sweet. Looking back on it I realize how silly it was.

Since mutually agreeing to no longer swap gifts we get a little bit of a free pass when it comes to our own personal shopping come December. This year I scooped up a few things while out shopping for family that I nonchalantly excused as ‘Christmas gifts’ for me from me. 

Today is a round up the things I got (myself) for Christmas as well as a bonus of something gifted to us this year from my parents. 

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1) PJS For the longest time I was put off by the brand PJ Salvage simply because of the font on their label. Is that normal? While at Nords in mid December I was initially looking at undies but grazed these on the rack with my finger tips. They were so so soft and lightweight. The pattern was playful and spoke to me. I absolutely love them. If you follow me on IG you will have seen these A LOT over my winter break.

2) PINK SHOES I was eyeing these shoes over the summer when I was looking for a ‘wedding shoe’ something comfortable and fun that I could wear to a handful of weddings we had on deck. I opted out because of the price tag but was very happy to see these at 60% off the same day I picked up the above pjs. They are MINE and they are beautiful! Can’t wait for dryer weather so I can throw these into rotation more often.

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3) A NEW HOODIE I am a major fan girl of Who What Wear collection at Target and I scooped this hoodie right up at Target right after New Year’s eve. It is soft, chic & dare I say sophisticated (for a hoodie).

4) A NEW BAGGU I have been looking for a new carryon for a while now and discovered the ‘Travel Cloud Bag’. It is GIANT yet somehow still fits/works as a carry-on. It is so giant in fact that I think I could fit in it. I scooped this up a couple days before we took off for LA and was pleasantly surprised that EVERYTHING fit into it and that it was a delight to carry. I scooped it up in the terracotta color but looks like it is currently only available in black.

5) NYTIMES My dad is super thoughtful and must have made a mental note over the summer when I was asking him about his Sunday Times subscription. The Sunday before Christmas (12/23) I was eating breakfast in our dining room facing the front porch and noticed a bag with a rolled up newspaper in it. I walked out into the cold and was so pleased to scoop up my very own Sunday times. IK look forward to it now each Sunday morning.

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What was on your wishlist? What was your favorite thing you gave or received this year?

xx ly