Three more sleeps ’til Christmas!
Michael and I started our celebrations early today with an extended family get-together. Things were frantic two hours until our scheduled start time when our family learned that the community center we usually rent had been double-booked; despite the short notice, my great-aunt pulled through and hosted all 32 of us at her home. I think we all enjoyed the party that much more, having to weave in and out of the kitchen and finding extra seats to squish in together. Without picture-perfect decorations, everyone instead had the chance to focus on spending time with each other and learning about things that have happened in the past year.
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We’ll spend Sunday and Monday at home, baking cookies and finishing Christmas preparations in our usual quiet way, and Tuesday will be a busy, loud day filled with family and food. On Wednesday we take off for Asheville, North Carolina, for several days in the mountains to ski, eat, and drink our way through the mountains.
I’ve spent a lot of time getting ready for the busy holiday and travel schedule, but there have been a few things I’ve read online this week that stuck with me. Let’s take a look!
Travel
I usually balk when someone mentions they’re concerned for our safety when we travel; I do so much research before we leave that we don’t typically find ourselves in situations more dangerous than any we’d encounter in our hometown. However, with the heightened stress of the holidays, it’s probably good to have a refresher course in travel safety.
It’s funny until someone in your row does it…
A fascinating look into the world of hotel theft.
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Food
I always look forward to reading about the creative bûche de Noël cakes that emerge each year (though I tend to keep my version pretty classic).
Honestly, if we don’t get back to Mexico City soon, I’m going to start making this dish daily.
This Israeli restaurant is serving up the best cross-cultural mashup ever: falafel waffles.
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Life + Style
What happens when you have the best of everything?
I honestly cannot believe these are back in style.
Instagram Influencers are faking brand collabs. Wait, what?
This genius way of pranking and catching the thieves who steal your packages.
Here are the 25 biggest fashion moments of the year – is anything missing from the list?
Things I bought this week
Nothing for myself, yay! I already finished my Christmas shopping for my family, but we still had to tackle getting gifts for Michael’s family. His siblings and their significant others agreed to simply exchange gifts with a price of $20 or less (which, to be honest, is so nice). We picked up this perfume for his younger sister, which is pretty funny as orange blossom is her husband’s favorite scent. For his older, stationery-loving sister we picked up a set of journals and a meal-planning pad from Rifle Paper Co., which coincidentally is a hyper-local gift for her.
What are your holiday plans? How do you divide time between different branches of your family?
