I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! So while we didn’t have to travel ON Christmas this year, we did go to my hometown the weekend before to have early Christmas with my grandparents and cousins. With this being my first married Christmas, it was also my first one away from home and all of the traditions I grew up with. (If you’re married, I would love to hear how you’ve handled the holidays the first few years and how you make time for everyone. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!) While we were there, we took the time to go downtown and take a little walk down memory lane.
This mural is based off of a drawing that my childhood best friend did while at St. Jude at age 7. This has always held such a special place in my heart, and as you will probably learn, is one of the reasons I have such a love for St. Jude and their mission. Going back and visiting this spot was just another great reminder to be thankful this holiday season.
For our early Christmas celebration, I went with this amazing chenille sweater that I wear all. the. time. I usually don’t wear much red but this is such a rich color and I thought it was gorgeous with the texture of the chenille. Plus it’s perfect for any kind of holiday get-together. Y’all, I can’t even tell you how happy I am about the chenille trend this year. I’m obsessed. I paired the sweater with a velvet ruffled skirt (on super sale right now!) and my favorite flat over the knee boots. (So basically I was a walking trend, but I don’t even care haha.) At first I was a little leery of the over the knee boot, but I finally decided to give them a try. In my opinion, the trick to finding the right pair for you is choosing the heel height wisely. If you’re worried about looking a little too… ya know… scandalous at the office… go with a flat heel or a mid height heel. I wear these to work and think they’re super appropriate and stylish. I also prefer a pair that stays close to my legs and isn’t stiff. Kind of like a pair of leggings! These actually fit perfectly over a pair of skinny jeans or leggings so you don’t have to wear them with a skirt or dress if you don’t want to.
I’ve linked all these items below, and I’ve also provided a sale roundup in case you didn’t get everything you wanted or are looking to do a little after Christmas shopping. I hope everyone is still enjoying the holidays! I’ll be back soon with a roundup of all my amazing Christmas gifts, so be looking for that!
xo Hayley
Chenille sweater (Similar options here, here and here) | Velvet ruffled skirt | Over the knee boots | Pom CC beanie
After Christmas Sales
Free People — 40% off sale items
Anthropologie — 30% off sale items
Asos — up to 50% off sale items
Zara — everything on sale!! (don’t miss out on this!)
Nordstrom — up to 50% off sale
Dillard’s — 40% off select boots + new markdowns
Loft — 50% off everything with code WRAPITUP
Urban Outfitters — extra 30% off sale items
Madewell — extra 30% off sale with code YESPLEASE
Aerie — 60% off all clearance (in love with these velvet leggings and these sweatshirts)
Clad & Cloth — 30% off with code CHEERS
My Favorite Things of 2017 – Style Worthy
[…] Cropped Chenille Sweater — Ok, so y’all know how I feel about chenille. It’s my favorite. This was the first chenille sweater that I purchased this year, and I just love it. The color is great and you can’t tell from the image, but it has little metallic threads throughout to give it some sparkle. Who doesn’t love sparkle? I pair this with high waisted jeans or with my favorite velvet skirt from this post. […]
Amanda Butler
Combining family traditions can definitely be difficult. Jerry and I had to deal with this even when we were dating. Trying to make both families happy and yourself happy is a battle we still deal with today. 2016 was the first year I didn’t go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Jerry’s parents came for Thanksgiving and my parents came for Christmas. We both agreed it was nice not having to worry about making sure we fit everything and everyone in on a quick visit home. We are liking the idea of starting our own traditions which are a blend from both of our families. This year was especially hard because this is the first set of holidays I haven’t spent with Jerry as he is deployed. Sadly that day will probably come for you at some point during Kevin’s career and my best advice is to surround yourself with family and friends. We are planning do still celebrate Christmas when he gets home. All the decorations are still up and we are just going to pick a day and wake up and act like it is Christmas! The military definitely throws challenges are way that most people don’t have to endure or sometimes even understand. We just have to adapt and be as positive as we can and know you are not the only one struggling at times.
hayleytanous
Amanda ButlerThanks for this Amanda ❤️