Cheryl Shops

Full disclosure: I love the holidays. I love the lights and the decor. I love that everyone is in a joyful, celebratory mood. I love spending time with people I love. And I especially love getting all dressed up in something brighter, fancier, and/or more sparkly than what I normally wear. For the holidays, that tends to translate into the color red and a bunch of sequined things, sometimes at the same time. Not every holiday occasion is a super-dressy one, however. Nor do you need to buy an entirely new outfit for everything. Over the years, I've built up a small but effective collection of pieces I tend to wear only a few times during the holiday season, and that's ok—you don't have to wear everything in your wardrobe all the time! Things you wear infrequently, like sequins, can last years, and the best part is that you don't have to spend a fortune on them (keep reading for more on affordable sequined things). Here are my favorite ways to dress festively, whether you want to show a little holiday spirit or a lot.  

Now that Halloween is over, can we talk about the holidays? I am really looking forward to celebrating them this year, because last year ended up being a big bummer. I'm not going to rehash the events of late 2020 because I'm sure most of us would rather forget them and whoops, I'm already being overdramatic about what was, in the end, a fairly minor inconvenience. That said, I'm planning on accepting every social invitation that comes my way over the next two months, so that means I'll need a lot of outfits to wear. I decided to take one for a trial run last weekend, and I feel like it was a hit. Here's how it came together.

I knew several months ago that, for the first time in my 42 years, I wouldn't be spending Christmas in Chicago with my mom. We had instead made plans to drive down to L.A., rent a house in Venice Beach, and have an outdoor, socially distant Christmas with Sean's family. But earlier this week, after realizing that restaurants are closed for outdoor dining, parks and beaches may be next, hospital ICUs are at capacity, and the governor's orders basically prevent interacting with anyone outside of your immediate household, we decided to postpone our trip to February or March. I had been looking forward to our trip for many reasons—a change of scenery, seeing friends and family, traveling somewheres, anywhere—and I'm surprised I'm not more upset about having to cancel it, but I know that it's the right thing to do, and that this is hopefully a one-time-only concession. This year has definitely had its share of disappointments, but I'm trying to look on the bright side. For one, we don't have to deal with jacked up travel expenses, crowded airports, novice travelers, awkward conversations with relatives who have opposing political viewpoints, and so on. For another, it's an opportunity to create our own new traditions. I'm thinking we'll order extravagant takeout from a local restaurant for Christmas Eve dinner, then open a nice bottle of wine and open presents. And as for what I'll be wearing, it will probably be much more low-key than my usual, but (hopefully) still somewhat festive. Here are some ideas, from dressiest to most casualest. 

Well, friends, we've (almost) made it to Thanksgiving, which means we have slightly over a month left of this godforsaken year, and for that, I'm thankful. I am also thankful that in spite of the global Covid pandemic, Sean and I are getting out of town (alone!) for a few days; while I am thankful for my beautiful apartment, I really need a break from it. And while our Thanksgiving celebration will look much, much different than normal, I am nonetheless thankful that we are healthy and safe, and that we can afford to put food on the table. Speaking of food, I am wrapping up a three-week detox as we speak, so I am going to go to town on Thanksgiving dinner. Coupled with the fact that this year's event will be a little more casual than in years past, I am planning on dressing down for the occasion. This year, the holidays are about leggings (stretchy!), sweater tunics (camouflage!), and boots (what are heels?). So here's what I'll be wearing. 

The older I get, the fewer holiday parties I seem to have. I remember being in my 20s and having multiple events per night in the weekends leading up to Christmas; now I’m just an introvert with no friends. I’m kidding! I still have lots of friends, but we don’t throw parties like we used to, probably because we’re too stressed out this time of year. Still kidding! Well, maybe not. Anyway, while my social calendar isn’t as full as it once was, I do have some festivities to attend, and thus I decided to treat myself to a fun new skirt on Black Friday. Here’s what I’ll be wearing to this year’s holiday celebrations.