remembering the holidays: new year’s
we started the week remembering Thanksgiving with a guest post from my daughter-in-law Kelly. my oldest son remembered Christmas. what an outpouring of love we’ve received: you’ve made both Kelly and my oldest feel most welcome over here on the blog. we end our holiday memory week with New Year’s holiday memories as told by, well, me.
we’re bringing you a new addition of fashion flash this week. make sure to check it out above and leave a comment telling us what you’re favorite outfit is.
outfit of the day
i’ve saved my most fun outfit this week for today. how cute are these plaid ankle pants paired with this turtleneck sweater? i’ve paired them with two pairs of shoes today, starting with these pumps from Banana Republic. i’ve shown off several faux suede moto jackets this fall.
make sure to catch our latest episode of the list to catch up on the top fall and winter coats this year.
turtleneck sweater | faux suede moto jacket | plaid ankle pant | leather hobo bag | lug-sole loafers | pumps
New Year’s holiday memories
well, when you reach the age of 61, there are lots of memories floating around in your mind. some are crystal clear. and some need to be dusted off. but new year’s eve memories are fresh in mind and for well over twenty years went something like this. you see mr. style was in the hospitality industry for forty years.
and running a hotel, whether it’s 1,000 rooms or 300, is somewhat akin to running a family. the size really doesn’t matter. and when you’re in charge, there’s a responsibility to make certain everything runs smoothly.
turtleneck sweater | faux suede moto jacket | plaid ankle pant | leather hobo bag | lug-sole loafers | pumps
so mr. style’s new year’s eve was always booked as he wandered the hallways, kitchens, ballrooms, and specialty restaurants making certain his staff and guests were happy campers. every year the boys and i would pack a suitcase and traipse along to the hotel with mr. style. sometimes we headed straight to the presidential suite, ordered room service, and movies and settled down for the evening.
if my mother was in town for a visit she’d tag along and order a vodka tonic or two. i always brought along a stack of magazines to flip through. mostly home decor magazines because january was always the time of year to refresh my home. but other times we would join mr. style for a delightful dinner then head up to the presidential suite for what was certain to be a quiet evening.
when we lived in Guam, there was always a fireworks show at the stroke of midnight on Tumon Bay with the ocean as the backdrop. other hotels had live bands playing, or dj’s spinning their tunes, and the new year would be ushered in the traditional way with auld lang syne playing in the background. but no matter if we lived stateside or overseas i always looked forward to the low key djalali new year’s eve tradition.
tomorrow i’ll dust off a memory and share how i celebrated new year’s day while growing up. since i lived in cornhusker country, it always involved football!
paint it plaid
for those of you that have been following closely the past few weeks, i’ve modeled these lug-sole loafers several times. i’ve said it before, and i’ll say it again, they’re comfortable and go with just about anything. make sure to pick up a pair.
turtleneck sweater | faux suede moto jacket | plaid ankle pant | leather hobo bag | lug-sole loafers | pumps
headed into the holidays
we’re heading straight into the holidays. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and before you know it, we’ll be welcoming in a new decade. how quickly time passes. (i wonder what New Year’s 1919 felt like.)
we hope you’ve enjoyed our tour through the holidays and my new year’s holiday memories. how are you celebrating the holidays this year? let us know in the comments below.
turtleneck sweater | faux suede moto jacket | plaid ankle pant | leather hobo bag | lug-sole loafers | pumps
Lots of your pieces are very expensive!!!
$325 for a pair of shoes one of them!
Feel very sorry for your loss for this holiday but that older picture shows a very handsome family and your boys are very handsome also!!!
i absolutely believe in shopping high end, low end or in between. but style is never about a pricetag as you can easily replicate the outfit according to your budget. for me, if i pro-rate certain items in my closet that cost a fortune to how often i wear it and how many years it lasts it’s really pennies to the dollar. but we each have our comfort zone.
I have only been following your channel for a bit over a yr, but I love it & find it brilliant.
I love the new direction, taking in info about your interesting life & family.
Your loss touches us & how you are coping is amazing. It is very hard.
I have enjoyed this week’s holiday memories and of course, al the lovely outfits.
xo
thanks for reading, deirdre!
Do you wear your shoes without any type of sock or have you found a no-show sock that really works?
Love your memory too Beth! You all look so nice in the photo. Wishing you a very nice Thanksgiving with New Memories.
I have enjoyed your Holiday posts. Always a mixed basket of feelings for me, holidays do tend to come faster each year!. I am 71 now but keep up with as much as possible. Our extended family used to always come to my home for every holiday. Yes, every single holiday. It was great fun and a great deal of work. Now there are only a few of us left. Losing my dear Son a few years ago has left me to struggle with finding balance at this time of year. Hearing happy stories reminds us that the losses are Hallmarks in the cycle of life. I hope that you will find great memories of your beloved at this time. It sounds like you lived a very exciting life, many good times.
I really enjoyed the holiday memories this week. Thanks for sharing. And, of course, the beautiful outfits!
What fun it’s been to read your memories!
We’ll have a full house for Christmas this year, the last time in this home before we move to France. Several of us head to Italy right after celebrating, to enjoy our New Year’s Jazz in Italy tour which is always a blast!
Hope your holidays are filled with unexpected blessings and joy from heaven, even in the midst of loss.
You look great–nice pops of color.
And what a lovely photo of your “tribe.” Your New Year’s celebration in presidential suites sounds like a great tradition. I was a single parent for most of my life, so my son and I would start every new year with a jar that we kept on a bookshelf, and in it, throughout the year, we’d both put in little pieces of paper with things we’d done, or that happened during the year, so on New Year’s eve, we’d open the jar and take turns reading over the slips of paper–some were hilarious, some were just interesting things that had happened that we’d kind of forgotten about, and others were bittersweet events, etc. Kind of made the year moving for us and let us realize how much really had transpired all year long.
What’s that quote: “enjoy the little things, because one day, you’ll look back and realize they were the big things…” xoxo
New Years is always one of my faves. Growing up, our house and 3 of the neighbours (was in the UK) would all get together, with additional friends too. Every dining table was laden with buffet food – vol-au-vents (was the 80’s), cheese and cocktail onions on toothpicks, sausage rolls etc. Kitchen counters covered with bottles and cans. We’d move round all the houses, and stay up till 4.00 or sometimes even 6.00am! So much fun!
Now in the US, I still celebrate British New Year. Here in CA, it’s at 4.00pm with the 8 hour time difference. We have the neighbors in for champagne, cheese board, hors d’oeuvres etc, and do the big count-down, balloon drop, the works. Everyone is gone by about 7.00pm, then we change into soft pants, have a cozy dinner, afterwards we watch the latest Kennedy Center Honors which is always such a great show. Repeat watch the London fireworks at midnight here (they’re the best, though admittedly I’m biased!).
Hugs for the holidays Beth. The first season without such a special loved one is always hard. I hope you can all continue to share your memories, have just a few tears and then lots of laughter as the stories come out.
I love all the outfits! I really love the pink turtle neck and black plaid pants with heels! Those pants are sold out already! Thanks for the spark you put in my life!!
I keep going back to the loafers and I do think they are fabulous. Wondering if the fit and size are true? They look wider than a medium. Should they be tried on for a proper fit or are they running true to size and ordering them online works?
Christmas is a wonderful season, but it does come and go too fast, each year.
It is wonderful to spend it with family if you have one that “loves you and wants you around”! We don’t all have that.
Your three boys seem very close to you and caring, they would be taking you under their wings over Christmas, as it is the that time of the year that one needs that extra love and care. It will be very sad for you all that your devoted husband and life time companion will not be at your side this Thanks giving and Christmas. You will have your wonderful memories to keep you company.
And lots of time to reflect and remember all those good times! Cheers, you are an amazing person Beth, and a true inspiration to us all.
Beth, thank you for sharing your holiday memories! I love the family picture! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family! ❤
Beth, you look fabulous in the fuchsia sweater! Wear that color more often!
Beth, thanks for sharing and the inspiration to live life with style and grace. This Holiday season we are doing something wonderfully different. Our son and his wife have invited us all to join them in Lake Tahoe. There will be babies, skiing, card playing and lots of laughter. Wishing you and your family a joyous Christmas.