Holiday Happenings

The holidays are full of traditions. Some old and some new. Attending the yearly boat parade for Christmas is one of my new holiday tradition "acquisitions" to add to all of the others I've collected over the years. When I moved out here from New York the idea of people being out on the water mid-December, let alone parading around on decorated boats festooned with lights was a completely foreign concept. No one would dare go near the frigid, frozen water back East. Luckily, the balmy California weather allows for just such a ritual. Since my husband's family has a place on the water we can sit back and watch the decorated boats pass by on the deck, all while sipping a glass of wine, which is exactly what I did this past weekend.

Even though the weather here is much warmer than other parts of the country, as many of you know, it has been rather chilly in California. In preparation for this I bundled up for the boat parade in this long "Symphony" coat from J. Crew. In the spirit of being preppy and looking like I just stepped forth from a Tommy Hilfiger ad (sans the cute basset hound) I also donned a new plaid skirt from Tommy Hilfiger that was quite festive for the season and the parade.

Below you will find just a few pictures from the boat parade. Since it was dark it was a little hard to capture all of the festivities, but luckily there were ample Christmas lights around to shed some light on the parade and my photos.

What are some of you favorite holiday traditions this time of year?

Coat: J. Crew "Symphony" Coat (similar here)

Skirt: Tommy Hilfiger A-line plaid print skirt (here)

Shoes: J. Crew Viv Flats with Bow

Belt: Target/Merona 

Bag/Clutch: Vince Camuto "Louise" (here)

Watch: Kate Spade Carlyle 

Bracelet: J. Crew Factory gold and crystal link bracelet