Christmas Party Fun

Every year, family friends of mine throw an amazing Christmas party. It's kind of the event that my group of friends looks forward to throughout the holiday season. 

I wore this red shift dress from JCrew, which I bought a few halloweens ago when I dressed up as a ladybug. It's perfect for holiday parties though! And it has pockets... Which is so handy at parties because I can just slip my phone or lipstick in them and then have my hands free for shaking hands and holding champagne glasses. 

This Kate Spade necklace added just the right amount of zazzle to the plain dress. I kept everything else relatively simple, wearing little "T" stud earrings from Tory Burch, and put my hair up in a ballerina bun, mostly so it wouldn't get tangled in my necklace all night long! My makeup stayed pretty low key, as well, with just an exaggerated cat eye, because I thought my standard red lip would clash with my red dress. 

These JCrew patent leather pumps are some of my go-to party shoes. They go with everything, and you never need to polish patent leather so they are always ready to go! They are a little high though, as heels go, so you definitely need a cocktail or two to take the pain out of wearing them sometime! 

This is the tree at the Christmas party. It's the dad's pride and joy, and every year he has to show all of us all of the different light settings. It's so cute. Along with this amazing tree, the family puts out the most delicious spread of food. They really take party planning to another level, with food for red meat lovers, vegetarians, and everything in between, as well as Christmas treats like rich egg nog and gingerbread, of course! 

In light of that, I think it's always important to bring a hostess gift to any kind of gathering. Usually I think it's appropriate to bring a bottle of wine or scotch, or maybe a nice bouquet of flowers. However, a hostess usually doesn't want to have to fuss with a vase when she's greeting guests, and if you're going to a party where you know there will be a plethora of wine or food, those options can seem redundant. So I like to bring a nice breakfast treat. No one wants to worry about cooking the day after a party when they're already worried about cleaning up, so I think it's nice to take something off of their mind after they've opened up their home to you. Regardless though, I think it's important to never show up empty handed - Jackie O. probably never would have! 

Until next time,

xo

T