I never know if I love or hate December. I love the snow dusting the trees and the twinkle lights and the togetherness, but I hate the mad-rush-to-the-finish when it comes to work and obligations, the way I somehow am always still shopping for gifts at the last minute and when I have to scrape the ice off my windshield.
I’m actively trying to be a bit more mindful and live more slowly this December. To take a step back and enjoy the small things. To cook some recipes I’ve wanted to try, to walk through the stores just to see the holiday decorations. It’s hard for me, and I think it’s annoying the people who are used to me always being available and always getting things done quickly. But I just feel like it is so, so necessary for my well-being as this year comes to a close.
It has been a crazy year for me. I was so sick in the beginning, to the point where some days I couldn’t even get out of bed. That feeling was slowly replaced with gratitude for my family and friends and joy for my wedding – the best, most meaningful day of my tiny life – and a whole host of other things. It has been a year of heavy emotions.
Whether we care about fashion or not, we can’t deny that our clothes are entwined with who we are and how we see ourselves. As much as my closet journey is about my clothes, it also has a lot more to do with how I feel about myself and how I want to live my life (that is, with a lot less stress and a lot more presence). It’s a response to how I’ve felt this year, a rebellion from always trying to live up to what I think other people want me to be, and a welcoming of simplicity. I’ve never been more aware of the power of how we present ourselves to the world and what we choose to adorn ourselves with.
My goals for December, leading from all of this, are as follows:
- To try three new recipes – progress is slow, but I already picked a soup recipe for this weekend! I just want to be in the moment in my cozy home.
- To go to bed before midnight during weeknights – doing mostly okay at this.
- To simplify my gift giving – success! Tried not to overthink it and just buy the things that struck me as beautiful or practical.
- To not look at my phone when Matt is talking to me – admittedly, need to do better here.
- To not allow people to rush me to do things faster than I feel I can do them – doing okay, could probably be a bit more assertive. But trying not to beat myself up over it.
In other news, here is an outfit I put together that I really like. Not thinking of my clothing as disposable has me finding new ways to pair things and pulling older items out of the depths of my wardrobe. I honestly forgot this long sleeved shirt existed before I started cleaning my closet.
It has been so much easier than I thought to start wearing older pieces again, especially now that I care more about how I feel in an outfit, rather than what everyone else thinks about how I might look. I also really love this knit top, even though when I bought it (on Poshmark) I didn’t realize it was quite so cropped with such low armholes…but I actually love it on!
I think in general, my outfits also feel better when my hair is done (as in, not in a topknot), and especially when I blow it out – but I just find it so time consuming and exhausting! Any tips? Helpful tutorials to get better at drying my hair?
Long sleeved tee, J.Crew, old; Sweater, Zara, thrifted; Jeans, Abercrombie & Fitch, old; Belt, Madewell, purchased this year; Boots, Softwalk, purchased this year in Norway when I packed inappropriately for the weather (ha!); Gold and Black Diamond Pin, Vrai & Oro, last year’s Black Friday piece (I actually won it, which was cool); Watch, Berg + Betts, purchased this year.
How are you ending your year? Using it as a time to tie up the loose ends, or slowing down and embracing a little bit of the chaos? (They’re both okay).
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