Holiday goodness

This holiday season was family through and through. Both mine and T's family have been through a lot of heartache in the last year, some of it still very raw, and togetherness was really all that anyone wanted. Santa delivered in abundance.

Please note these phenomenal hats. Mine says "Merry Christmas, Eh!" and was discovered by T's dad in a Connecticut (not Canadian, shockingly) drugstore. T's is covered in sequins, naturally.

T's mom passed down her father's silver martini shaker to us, given to T's grandfather on his wedding day by a groomsman. It's inscribed with his grandparents' initials and their wedding date, and the sound of ice clinking in this huge vessel sent his mom right back to her childhood. This heirloom makes a lot of martinis, and set the tone for our Connecticut Christmas right away. We had so much fun celebrating together.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, we had huge news to celebrate: my brother is engaged! He and his fiancee (!) Nicole are the parents to my precocious niece Taylor, and their untraditional love story makes me so happy I could burst. I can't wait to call Nicole my sister-in-law, finally. Let the wedding planning begin!

 

Speaking of adorable offspring, how cute are my niece and nephews all decked out in their Christmas finest?

 

Did I mention the SNOW?! A White Christmas (okay, White Night of Christmas/Day After Christmas) is a huge deal 'round these parts. A family snowball fight was exactly what we all needed.

 

And the scenery! A total Winter Wonderland. Santa's present, just for us.

(Or so it felt!)

Going into the New Year, I'm feeling so blessed. A tad overwhelmed by some huge decisions facing us (see this, for example), but totally, completely blessed all the same. Having champagne toasts in Connecticut and North Carolina, after a year like this tough one, is the best way I know to move forward.

So cheers! From me to you, to your families, and to mine.

 

xoxoxo