Holidazzle

When I was six, I convinced myself (and tried my vehement best to convince my aunts, uncles, grandmother and grandfather, and parents) that I had seen Santa.  I don’t know whether it was a dream that I in turn believed had actually happened or whether I wanted to see him so badly that I made it up and then tricked myself into believing it, but I remember squinting out of the window of the old stone house that I grew up in, which looked out onto a circular drive, our garage, and a sturdy old apple blossom tree.  I remember seeing footsteps and reindeer hoof prints in the faint dusting of snow on the driveway, as though the sleigh had just landed there a bit ago and had pulled around the side of the house so that I couldn’t see it anymore — but I saw Santa hustling around the corner, out of sight.  He had a sort of jolly, slouchy, old-man walk — almost a limp — and I thought I heard him chuckling to himself.

The next morning, I proudly alerted my siblings to the Santa sighting, and of course my little sisters took the bait — hook, line, and sinker.  There we were, huddled at the top of the stairs in our matching plaid flannel pajamas, waiting impatiently for my father to set up the tripod video camera downstairs and for my mother to call up to us so that we could stampede downstairs to our gifts.  My little sisters believed every word I told them and asked important questions like whether Rudolf actually had a red nose, how big Santa’s bag was, and whether he was eating one of the cookies we’d left for him.

I love that this happened.  I love it because it really showcases the magic of Christmas — the faith and belief that I had in Santa, the excitement of potentially spotting him, the eagerness of sharing that with my sisters.  EEE!  I still get that jittery feeling around the holidays, and this year is no different.

Things I want to wear…a full, cherry red skirt ($525) with a white sweater ($79) and a big pearl-and-crystal necklace ($195):

Finish with these fab crystal-studded heels ($350):

Or, how about a plaid skirt ($648 — and also available in black watch tartan) with a white blouse  ($163) or — if you’re going very J. Crew — a denim shirt ($98) and a collar necklace ($135):

Finish with black tights and those slick booties I mentioned yesterday ($297):

Super high end pick?  This red-trim peplum top from Prabal Gurung ($1220) with a pencil skirt ($318) and some gold bow studs (the ones below are a vintage pair I own from Kenneth Jay Lane, found on eBay!):

Seal the deal with — you guessed it! — Valentino Rockstuds ($895) -HOMIGOD.

Glam.  For something a bit more dressed down but still festive, I like a jean button down ($98) with a cute metallic-thread skirt ($38) and a glam statement necklace ($89):

Finish with black tights and some black boots with glossy gold accents (on sale for $367)

What are you wearing for the holidays?!