What I Received for Christmas 2017

Sadly, as we unwrapped Christmas gifts, the season itself wrapped up. I'm sad to say that we have to wait eleven months for Christmas music to play again and soon will have to take down our trees and wreaths. There are two good things about the post-holiday season and that's sales and "what I got for Christmas" hauls. I'm not super speedy and didn't feel the need to share at 10am on Christmas morning, but nonetheless, I am happy to share with you what I was given for Christmas.

Christmas in the Smith house has transferred from a quick morning of unwrapping to a lazy late morning of brunch and laughter. We started off the morning with a fabulous and delicious brunch of way too many carbs. Casserole, bacon, biscuits, cinnamon buns, eggs, and mimosas was just what we needed to get the Savior's birthday started. It was so relaxing sitting down as a family around the table, something we haven't done in a while. We are all always so busy or in so many different places, getting us all together is really tough sometimes. Now that we all have jobs and most of us don't live at home anymore, it's these moments that we cherish most in the Smith house.

After we stuffed ourselves, we took our stocking and moved to the living room to pass out gifts and open. We all sit in a circle and each open one at a time. Some gifts have a story, and others are funny to watch people receive. It makes the morning last. Once everything has been unwrapped we clean up and spend the early afternoon napping, watching Christmas movies, and drinking coffee and tea.

I received a few sweaters and tops for Christmas. I was gifted a $50 J. Crew gift card which gave me an excuse to go shopping yesterday morning. I love getting gift cards when it comes to shopping for clothing because somethings fit differently than others and exchanging things is one of my most hated things to do. I was really happy with my final decisions of this wrap front v-neck sweatshirt, this velvet bow sweater, and this boiled wool ruffle front sweater. I loved the last thing so much that I ended up purchasing another one in ballet slipper. My mom hunted down the mock neck white bow sweater from J. Crew last year and I was so thrilled to see that with my name on it. I hunted everywhere for it last January and they sold out so quickly

I also was generously gifted an Urban Outfitters gift card for Christmas from my father's college roommate who's family visits our UVA tailgates on the weekends. I normally am not one to shop at Urban but I jumped at the opportunity to explore the store. They have such cute stuff there, I think I'm going to have to spend some time going through their website. When I went to shop to spend my gift card, I knew I wanted something that I would remember was a gift. I fell in love with these Old Skool Vans in gold glitter as soon as I laid eyes on them. They were $65 so I only paid a couple of bucks out of pocket for the shoes, the rest went on the gift card. They will be so fun to wear with a pair of jeans and a cute tee from Madewell or a slouchy sweater for a casual day to class. They will also match perfectly with the diamond socks my sister, Lisa, gave me. The story behind the socks goes along with my sorority. ADPi's symbol is a diamond so these socks are perfect for BidDay and Greek Sing in the Spring. I can't wait to wear them to philanthropy events too!

I received a couple of fun beauty a lifestyle gifts too! I am never one for lip color just because it scares me a little so my sister, Leslie, gave me the Stila liquid lipstick kit with mini tubes. I can try out different shades and see which ones I like best! Mom also hunted down one of the new Lilly Pulitzer S'Well bottles. I love this pink and green one! It will be perfect to motivate me to get my butt to the gym in 2018! Another very unique Lilly item to share is the mens pocket square in Guac and Roll. I know it's a little weird to receive a mens pocket square but it does fit around my neck with a button up to make a super chic and casual outfit and it fits around my ponytail as a hair ribbon for the summertime.

My big gift was my Series 3 Apple Watch. I am obsessed with this little gadget. The rose gold matches pretty much my entire life along with my jewelry. I can't wait to explore it a little more and see all it can offer me. From the fitness to the organization apps seriously the Apple Watch is incredible. It syncs right up to my phone too. I am already seeing an increase in productivity as well as a decrease in checking my phone -- a win win if you ask me.

My final gift which, some might not count as a gift but I totally do is a trip to watch JMU play in the football national championship next week. My dad is taking Lisa and I to the championship to watch our Dukes fight for the title of FCS champions. Leslie will drive over from Austin with her boyfriend to enjoy the game as well. This trip includes plane tickets, game tickets, dinners out, and a hotel room. It's not a cheap trip to take, even for a few days, so it's an extremely generous gift from Dad. I cannot wait to spend the weekend in Texas before returning to JMU for second semester.

For christmas I also received some great gift cards to places like Starbucks, McDonalds, and Tropical Smoothie. I love a good gift card to get food. My apartment is actually right behind a McDonalds and Tropical Smoothie so if I ever need to grab a quick pick me up or a mid afternoon pick me up I can use those gift cards!

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