The Holiday Film List

Greetings, dear readers, and a warm welcome to December! I trust your Thanksgiving was wonderful and hopefully brimming with delicious food and good company. I loved being home at my dad’s in Maryland. It was such a cold week and certainly felt festive having a good reason to huddle cozily inside by a crackling fire, with nothing to do! However, I did brace the freezing temps for small Saturday roaming around downtown Frederick. The lights were twinkling in the trees and all the shops were decorated so beautifully. I also scored the most chic Armani down feather coat in our favorite antique shop—I can’t wait to wear it all winter long. A good day.

Now I’m heading southward to Vero Beach, where I’ll bask in Florida’s golden sun for a couple of weeks. We’re planning to usher in an early Christmas at the condo with my mom and brothers. Though the festive spirit feels uniquely different from the wintry charm of Washington, DC, I’m leaning wholeheartedly into the Christmas season. Our home will be fully decorated (thanks mom!), we'll delight in The Nutcracker in Palm Beach this weekend, and we’re planning to fill some evenings with our favorite holiday films.

So now, as December unfurls, it feels only fitting to share my annual holiday film list—a beloved tradition I hope brings you as much joy as it does me. Happy watching!

Download the Holiday Film List

On a Personal Note—Ringing In the New Year

Happy New Year, friends! Seems that every year I think the same thing, time just flies and I cannot believe another year has come to an end. But I’m pleasantly surprised to say that I’m always quite ready to leave one year behind and look ahead toward the next. Nothing feels quite as good as a bit of a reset and I do love that fresh January feeling that quietly arrives on the 1st.

This was the first New Years Eve that I spent alone. Party plans with friends ultimately fell through due to covid, and after hosting my college roommates this week, I came home from dropping them at the airport Saturday feeling exhausted and wanted nothing more than to stay in. So, instead of my alternate plan of going home to family, I just lit all my candles and cozied in with a Harry Potter marathon and my favorite pizza, plus some champagne and intention setting. New Years has never been a holiday I’ve enjoyed, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve cared less and less about the pressure of celebrating. And though I was a bit nervous about feeling completely lonely or having fomo, it was perfectly fine and felt so nice to relax and wake up feeling amazing on January 1.

It’s been nice taking a break from posting for the month, but I’m very happy to be back. You may see that things are a bit different here, especially if you’re on desktop. I’ve finally updated to my platform’s newer version and it’s nice to tweak every now and then! Certainly has given me a new boost of inspiration. Still working out some of the kinks, but almost there! On another (but similar) note, I’ve been thinking about what I want to bring to this space in the year ahead as I set intentions. Sometimes it feels like I’m talking to no one, but you all still seem to come back to visit my little corner of the internet over and over—thank you for that! I can’t say enough how much I enjoy designing posts for this space and curating finds that I love to share. This site always feels like a warm hug to me. A visual journal that truly evokes a feel-good moment. And I’m so happy that so many of you love it too. I hope to bring you all the inspiration in the new year!

This year was wonderfully filled with friends and family, exploring the city, some travel and weekend jaunts, work opportunities and a raise, lots of books and storytelling, apartment updates, entertaining at home with delicious meals and wine around the table, weddings and reunions, cozy nights in, a little apartment feature in Washington Post, and finishing a personal passion project for my family. Nothing major happened, but a perfectly good year—and I already have so much to look forward to in 2023. I don’t take much stock in resolutions or making big changes at the start of every year. I’m all about small, but noteworthy intentions that I can easily commit to. Plus it’s nice to have a few little things to keep in mind and move me forward.

Intentions for the Year Head

More

- Living slowly, romanticizing my life, and appreciating the ordinary moments
- Community, engagement, phone calls, and time with friends
- Dinner parties, table decorating, and cooking at home
- Traveling to new places and long weekend jaunts
- Laughter, smile lines, and dancing
- Handsome men with British accents
- Fresh flowers in the apartment
- Daily walks and exercise I actually enjoy
- Taking myself to the theater and on dates
- Reading and learning and creating offline
- Getting dressed and refining my wardrobe
- Investing and savings
- Confidence in dating and finding love
- Pasta

Less

- Anxiety over getting older and timelines
- Comparison to others and feeling bad about it
- Time on social media and in front of the tv
- Squeezing into uncomfortable jeans that don’t fit
- Self-loathing
- Takeout, deliveries, and wasting food
- Saying “no” to going out
- Spending… on everything
- Forcing myself to enjoy alcohol when I don’t want it
- Fear of taking on new work opportunities

So, there you have it! A little peek into my personal thoughts for the year ahead. Always love a good more and less list and recommend everyone make their own. Wishing you all the most wonderful start the year! And thank you, thank you, thank you for being part of my blogging journey.