christmas
{Our Swiss Chalet}
{Joyeux Noël // Merry Christmas!}
{Cozy Up in Fair Isle}
{Holiday Plans}

{Travel Help Needed!}
{Christmas Snaps Part II}
As I mentioned Monday, we spend Christmas Eve with my side of the family. We decided not to do any gifts this Christmas as a lot of us flew in from different parts of the country (or the world!), and we figured time together would be the best gift we could get each other, anyway. We haven’t had a complete holiday, with everyone in one place, in a few years, so it made me ridiculously happy to fly back to Portland and get to experience that this year. The night was pretty low key. We ate a delicious meal, enjoyed wine and cocktails, and loved on Oscar, my sister Cristina’s new pup who she rescued few months ago. Then, we ended the night with a friendly game of poker (I actually didn’t participate, I was recovering from my food coma on the couch!)!
Christmas Snaps Part I: Emma’s First Christmas
Every year we spend Christmas Eve with my side of the family and Christmas Day with Corey’s side of the family, and this year was no exception. Christmas morning we woke up bright and early and headed (5 minutes) up the rode to Corey’s parent’s house. It was a very exciting Christmas because our niece Emma was in town from Chicago – and it was her first! She’s 10 months old, and as you’ll see from the photos, she really stole the show. I mean how could she not? She is beyond adorable. I would just sit and stare at her, smiling so much from every move and sound she made, my cheeks started to hurt! It was so special to be able to experience her first Christmas with her. Later that same day we went back to my Mom’s house to open our gifts to each other. Corey did really, really well (he stalked my Pinterst board like a good husband!) and got me some amazing gifts, including these gorgeous earrings, this beautiful J.Crew sequin sweater and noise-canceling headphones! It was a very merry Christmas for us! Hope it was for you as well!
Homemade Mulled Wine
Corey has been busy studying for finals for the last week, and I knew he was feeling super stressed, so after he finished his first final on Monday night I wanted to surprise him with a little something. I thought it would be nice to make some mulled wine for him to enjoy after hours of essay writing. When he walked in the door the house smelled amazing, candles were lit and it was the perfect way for him to unwind after his long day of work and final-taking. I used this simple and delicious recipe from fellow Amsterdam expat blogger, Jenn, and I highly recommend it!