Friday's Simply Smitten

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“It’s a beautiful thing when someone manages to make you believe again”

-Siren

Happy Friday and Merry Christmas! I am home in Ohio to celebrate the holiday with my family. I haven’t been home in 6 months. It is so nice to be with my family, and to see my friends. I am looking forward to a wonderful holiday along with lots of relaxation.

Last weekend was filled with holiday festivities and laughter with friends. Saturday morning I went to Bergdorfs famous restaurant, BG Restaurant, for brunch with a few friends. We had a great time sipping mimosas and chatting away. After brunch we took a stroll around the ornament room at Bergdorfs where we saw Santa! Afterwards we walked down 5th avenue to look at all of the holiday window displays and the Rockefeller Christmas Tree.

Sunday I went out to brunch with another group of friends at Il Fiorista— which also acts as a floral boutique. We did a Secret Santa of little gag gifts. The gift that I purchased was a 90s music trivia game. The gift I received was a body lotion that is also a candle. You burn the wick to melt the lotion, then use it to moisturize your body. I haven’t used it yet, but am excited to test it out. The brunch was fun and it was nice to catch up with some friends I haven’t seen in a while.

The party didn’t stop there, but continued on into the week. Monday evening I attended the Guest of a Guest book club. We read The List by Yomi Adegoke. This month we went back to the Standard in East Village, but this time at their new pop-up bar Partridge. Drenched in tinsel, it was the perfect festive bar for our holiday book club gathering. Along with overflowing glasses of champagne and conversations of books, the fabulous Vicky Vee performed a few holiday songs for us! It was the merriest event and am excited for our January get together.

I somehow made it to DanceBody the following morning for my last dance class of the year. Sad to no longer do this quarter’s dances, but excited for what the new year brings!

For my last holiday shindig of the year I went to the Empire State Building’s first annual influencer party. We had the two observation decks all to ourselves while we sipped on holiday cocktails, and danced to whatever song the DJ played. The party was black tie, so I wore my new ruffle satin midi-dress. It was a very memorable evening!

Yesterday I flew into Ohio for a long weekend with my family. I got my hair cut short and some blonde highlights to liven it up for the holidays. We have also been getting ready to host everyone for Christmas day dinner.

What I am watching: I haven’t started a new show but LOVED the ending of The Gilded Age. I am SO happy the show is renewed for another season!! A wonderful early Christmas gift. I have to know what happens after the opera wars.

I did watch the new holiday movie on Netflix Family Switch with Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms. It was a lot better than I originally thought it would be. It’s a cheesy holiday movie but those are some of my favorites. There are some moments I thought were a little too silly, but overall it’s a cute movie.

What I bought: The only items I bought this past week were gifts. I also had to rebuy the black bra I bought last week because Nordstrom sent me a tank top instead…. insert eye roll. Guest of a Guest gifted us next month’s book Wine People by Michelle Wildgen– excited to dive into it when I get back.

On The Blog

Sunday Shopping: What I Want For Christmas

What to Wear to a Formal Holiday Party

What to Wear on New Year’s Eve

LTK Spotlight: New Year’s Eve party supplies and decor

Top Seller: This silver sequin skirt- on sale

This weekend I will be spending time with family and friends. Tomorrow I am going to my friend’s house for a little brunch gathering. I am so excited to see my friends and catch up! Also this weekend I am going to The Nutcracker with my mom, sister, and niece. It has become a tradition for me to go to The Nutcracker in New York, but my mom suggested taking my niece to her first ballet. So I opted out of seeing the New York City Ballet for BalletMet’s performance of The Nutcracker. The rest of the weekend will be celebrating Christmas with my family.

I will be taking some time off next week from my blog to fully enjoy being with my family, and to take some time for myself. However, I will still post Friday’s Simply Smitten next week as well as posting on my LTK page and on Instagram.

Have a wonderful and merry Christmas xo

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3. Want this fur sleeve sweater in every color- on sale

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5. Interesting read on why bows are everywhere right now

6. The most memorable runway moments of 2023

7. The true story of the new Metropolitan Opera opening night

8. Make a cookie charcuterie board this season

9. 20 thoughtful last minute gift ideas

10. All the holiday window displays in NYC

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