What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Image by TealCheeseCake.

How are you spending this special evening?

For the longest time I dreaded the pressure of this evening. New Year's Eve seemed like a big to-do, which often ended in disappointment. Over the past few years, however, I began to love it again by spending quiet evenings with people I cared about.

This week I spent a lot of time with some dear friends and family, a perfect end to 2011. Tonight, Alex and I are having a quiet evening in. Given our track records, perhaps neither will make it to midnight. So, last night, a friend of mine suggested celebrating New Year's on St. John's time. (This would be at 10:30 pm.) Given that Alex is part Newfoundlander, it seems appropriate.

Check out this gallery of vintage New Year's party photographs from Life Magazine:

Also, a great new version of the classic song What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Plus, a new song by one of my favourite artists.

Androgynous Chic

Sometimes, I just love to dress like a dude. I decided to go formal last night and wear a tie to dinner.

Last winter I really got into the androgynous chic look. It's so much fun to bend gender fashion boundaries. There is something so sensual and powerful about wearing a man's silk tie against your skin.

More recently I found this great blog Tomboy Style which describes the style so perfectly: "(...) although the tomboy is often identified by clothing, what makes her wholly so is an inherent sense of confidence, rebelliousness, and adventure".

A Christmas Story

We celebrated Christmas Day at my aunt's this year. Alex made a gingerbread house, helped everyone open presents, and ate lots of goodies. It was very cozy and laid back. (Nobody got upset when Al grabbed the drumstick from the main turkey platter, took a bite, and set it back.)

A lovely house. Check out these gingerbread masterpieces in New York City.

Helping her auntie open a present. (They're knives, hence the concerned look.)

We are who we are.

I love my sister's creative flair...

...and her sense of humour.

It looks as though I'm being seductive, but I'm just sleepy. (A frequent mistake, which is usually followed with an awkward conversation.)

Some of us fizzled out. 

Not this one....

...and never this one.

Visit!

We've had lovely visitors from Halifax, Nova Scotia all week. Here are some pictures of Alex and her beautiful Auntie at a restaurant in the Junction.

The Longest Night

I wish everyone is having a cozy winter solstice. There is so much fascinating history and culture surrounding this day. In a sense doesn't it all seem a little romantic? It seems like the perfect evening to cuddle under a warm blanket with a glass of red wine, a book, and someone you love. Or to just catch up on some much needed sleep.

Have a good, long night. 

Image from Brahms Saint Mount. 

Santa Baby

Are you all ready for Santa? This one is, whether I am or not!

Office Gifting: Do or Don't?

Image from On Common Ground. 

Since I have a slight obsession with etiquette, and since it’s the holiday season, I’m bringing up gift giving etiquette for the office place. Should you give your colleagues gifts? That could certainly get pricey. It could also get selective. What if you're closer with some than others? Could that be awkward? Do you get your boss something?

Are you stressed out yet?

Here are a few pointers:

• It’s better to under spend than over. Especially when it comes to the boss. A gift could be easily misread. It could also be awkward for an unprepared recipient to receive some extravagant.

• Have a stash of small gifts and/or cards in your desk drawer, just so you’re not caught off guard by a generous office elf. A coffee gift card is always an acceptable.

• If your team is closer, perhaps an organized Secret Santa or gift exchange could alleviate some of the pressure. (Just as long as everyone’s on board and make sure that people can opt out if they want.)

• It is okay to gift someone who doesn’t observe Christmas. Just skip all the Christmas paper.

Here are a few articles that will help out as well:

From Quint Careers: Office Gifts Dos and Don'ts

Ladies Home Journal: Office Gift Giving Etiquette

Wise Geek: What Should I Consider When Giving Gifts at Work

OMG Check out THIS Tannenbaum

A colleague of mine posted this on Facebook this morning. Just to get me excited. I had to share it with you. A Christmas tree made out of books!

Book tree via Morning of the Magicians.

O Tannenbaum

It feels a little bit more like Christmas now that the tree is up. We went Thursday night to pick out a real tree. While Alex opted to watch Beauty and the Beast, while the tree was going up, she did help out a bit with the decorations.

Decorating the tree can be so nostalgic. I am always excited to open my box of ornaments that I've collected over the years.  Every year my grandparents, hand made a wooden ornament for my sister and me. The clock just right of Alex's head in the first picture is my first ornament, from Christmas 1981.

Music and Lyrics

I found this on There's Hope For All of Us. It drew me in because I recently had this conversation with someone, about how I was a lyrics person and how they were a music person. A music person can just  catch a good rhythm and away they go, lost in the moment. The lyrics people need more. They need to know the meaning.

Which one are you?

 

The Lives They Lead

I found this during some late night browsing.

Found on Journal of a Nobody.