The Christmas Windows of NYC

My Mom and I took a fantastic trip to NYC at the beginning of December.

The agenda: to fall face-first into all things NYC and Christmas!!

My Mom is also a Christmas fanatic… and no doubt has influenced and encouraged my own Christmas fanaticism. So it seemed only fitting that we head to NYC this Holiday season and soak up all that is Christmassy in that great city!  I have been to New York on many occasions and for many reasons (work, visiting friends… shopping)  but have never really done any sightseeing or touristy things there before. So I let go of my own disdain for American tourists in America and planned a trip full of NYC touristy goodness! We did it all! Rock Center, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, FAO Schwarz, and the Macy’s flagship… we even saw the Rockettes perform in the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall! Which was kinda cheesy, but really spectacular nonetheless.

But… my favorite activity of all was the Christmas Window Walking Tour! It was pretty great! You start in Midtown at the Macy’s Flagship and walk north up 5th to Central Park, seeing all of the amazing window displays along the way. You also pass Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the New York Public Library. You can walk it in about 2 hours or more depending on how much of it you want to soak in! Here are some pictures of my favorite windows!

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MACY’S

Macy's Make a Wish window theme

Another Macy's window.

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LORD & TAYLOR

Lord & Taylor was pretty great with their 'old school' Christmas scenes. These were my Mom's favorite... and also the favorite of all of the kids in the crowd!

Lord & Taylor skiing duo!

More Lord & Taylor!

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SAKS 5TH AVE.

Saks 5th and a darling Stella McCartney dress.

Saks mom and daughter!

More Saks! Cutest kid's clothing!

Beautiful greenery and lights outside of Saks 5th Ave!

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LOUIS VUITTON

Louis V! LOVE!

Amazing!

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BARNEY’S NEW YORK

All of the Barney's windows were Lady Gaga themed to coincide with their collaboration this year. I'm not a huge fan of Gaga, but the windows were still a site to see!

More Gaga X Barney's

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and last but not least… my favorite of the ‘tour’…

BERGDORF GOODMAN

Winter feathered fantasy!

Sparkle!

I loved their 'Carnival of the Animals' theme

My ultimate favorite! Beautiful in Winter White!

If you ever find yourself in New York City during the Holidays I highly recommend bundling up, getting a hot coffee and some roasted almonds from a street food cart and walking these windows! It will be just as spectacular next year, I am sure!

Happy New Year!

- patrese

there are Christmas cards, and then there are CHRISTMAS cards!

I love to get Christmas cards!! What can be better than a little bit of Christmas joy waiting for you when you get home from work each day? One of my favorite things to do is to pack the cards away at the end of each season with all of my ornaments so that when I open my Christmas boxes the following year, I can re-read each card and remember the Christmas before.

Now this year I got some really special cards, but 2 of them really stood out! ONE… because it was handmade with care by my sweet friend Amy.

Too CUTE! Thanks Amy!

 

The OTHER because it just…. well… words can not express.  This one is from our friends Sam and Liz… sorta.

This made me pee my holiday pants!

 

Thank you to EVERYONE who sent a card this year! They brighten my day! I dropped the ball on Christmas card sending this year, but these inspired me to plan ahead next year and get a ton of cards out!

xoxo and mistletoe!

 

If you were here right now, I would wrap you!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE wrapping gifts! Here are a few from this year that I am working on now!

Gift for my little niece and nephew! I love this paper for kids! My niece's has a little wooden clutching toy on top. As soon as I saw it I knew it would make a great gift topper!

 

I love this new paper! And you know I love these deer gift tags from Art School Girl.

 

My new favorite ribbon! Red velvet ribbon, with tiny glass ornaments!

“It’s Christmas”, because Matt ROAN says it is!

I had to share this with all of you! My friend Matt made a kick ass Christmas mix for us all to enjoy! 47 minutes of Christmas madness!

Thanks Matt!

dj_matt_roan_its_christmas

((Pictures from my NYC Christmas extravaganza… coming soon!))

For maximum Holiday performance…

My boyfriend’s company comes out with the best Holiday video every year! This year’s video does not disappoint!

Now… clearly I can not relate to the disorder noted in this commercial, but for those of you who need a little Holiday ‘pick-me-up’, here you go…

– p.s., my basement and house play a supporting role in the video –

If you, or someone you know needs Holiday cheer, see your doctor or visit:

http://www.festivex-rx.com/

Its beginning to look a lot like… Chicago!

It’s now December and the Christmas decorations are in full effect!! I love it! Chicago really knows how to do it up right for the Holiday season! There seems to be a hint of Christmas everywhere you look, whether intentional or not. Here are some of my recent Christmas sightings!

Where else to begin but on Michigan Ave? Every year they adorn every tree with the most perfectly applied white lights!

Going to work at 5 AM is a little less difficult with all of this Christmas cheer around!

Speaking of Michigan Ave... they do amazing things with the flower beds along the Avenue each month, but it is especially nice during the winter! The fresh evergreen smells so wonderful!

More fresh evergreen, holly berries, eucalyptus and twigs!

More cuteness in the Michigan Ave. flowerbeds! Little treeees!!

Nothin' wrong with a little Cartier storefront! How could this not look perfect with their signature red boxes and the building's dark green exterior.

Chicago loves Christmas so much, that even the Congress Theatre was in the Holiday spirit back in October! Ok.. this may have been unintentional, but STILL!

I love these tinsel decorations! They pop up every year attached to street lights everywhere in Chicago. You can see them in the shape of xmas trees, silver bells, snowflakes and pretty much any holiday shape you can think of!! These snowflake are so cute, lining the streets of Wicker Park and Bucktown!

And last, but not least... I love the moment when all of Chicago's street-side pumpkin patch lots turn into Christmas tree lots! It makes Christmas feel like it is officially here! I pass this one in Logan Square every day

merry christmas, chicago!

Happy Christmas, London.

I was introduced to this amazing Christmas commercial by my great friend who is currently living in London. It is an advertisment for British retailer John Lewis.

Oh wait!

Did I mention that it merges two of my most favorite things in the universe….?

CHRISTMAS AND THE SMITHS!!!!!

Aside from the the fact that this is a lovely combo of all that I love, it is also holds the sweetest little sentiment. I love it!! Thanks Nicole for sharing!

Just in case you aren’t familar with the original song… here you go!

Happy Christmas (as the Brits say)!

Christmas on Etsy!

I am in major anticipation of Christmas. In the meantime, I am all over the internet and in stores scoping out exciting new decorations and decorating ideas! One of the places I look at the most for Christmas ideas and potential decor purchases is on Etsy! I am an Etsy addict and for the last couple of months, my daily Etsy perusing has shifted from vintage skirts, boots and handbags to vintage CHRISTMAS!! The most important thing you need to remember when searching for Christmas items on Etsy is to be specific. My favorite thing to search for on Etsy is vintage or antique Christmas items, but if I simply search for “Christmas” in the Vintage category you get over 60,000 items.

Yikes! 60,382!

So, be specific and make sure you also select the correct category, whether it be “vintage” or “handmade”. Here are a few things I’ve found (mostly vintage and a few handmade), that I think would be great additions to anyone’s Christmas decor!

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• I love brass decorations at Christmastime! I’m sure this is an influence from my Mom. She always has brass candle stick holders throughout the house and I love the way they look!  I have a few brass holiday pieces including a pair of brass reindeer similar to these. Figurines like these are ALL over Etsy so be sure to scope out the best looking and best priced option.

My deer, displayed in my kitchen last year!

a mini version!

I 'heart' this modern pair!

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• These simple paper trees would look really cool and modern placed near some flickering candles or on a mantle!

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• I love this burlap wreath! I love the unconventional and unexpected use of the material. Its a little unusual but I think that’s why I like it. It definitely needs some sort of big bow added. You may be seeing this in my house this year!

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• These cute cartoon reindeer stockings are really not my style, but would be really great in a child’s room for the holidays!

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• And last but not least; ceramic light up Christmas trees! I’ve talked about these before and I love them. To me its a nostalgic love. My grandma always had one when I was little and I remember staring at it on Christmas Day when we would go to her house. Knowing how much I love the memory of these trees, my boyfriend has bought me 2 similar trees. Last year I received the most special gift when my Aunt gave me my late Grandma’s ceramic tree- the one I loved as a child!  Hopefully these trees hold a special place in your memories as well…. just beware when looking for these on Etsy. Some sellers charge a ridiculous amount of money for these! This one is only $25.00 and is in great condition, but some sellers try to sell these for $100 and more! Yikes!

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Oh no!! Let’s not forget about gift wrapping. You can get great things on Etsy to enhance your Christmas packages!

• These little pine cones are adorable! What a cute way to tag your best wrapped package! I love finding different items to attach to packages to make them a little bit more special!

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• I also love these graphic Christmas cards to add to a package or to send alone in the mail! They also come in red!

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• These little vintage wood ornaments would also look really special attached to a Christmas package or just placed on your Christmas tree!

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And for the biggest Etsy buzzkill of the day. These super cute knitted ornaments!

I was in love at first sight. They would be a great package detail and would be a great little gift to my nephew and niece to start their ornament collections! BUT…this Etsy seller doesn’t SELL the actual ornament! They only sell the knit pattern! Pssh! Come on now. I don’t have the patience or time to knit. Can’t I just buy this please!? But… I guess if you do knit you should check out this Etsy site. They have a lot of cute patterns!

More decorating and gift wrapping ideas to come!

Bringing it back to the ‘old school’…

I am in love with vintage Christmas cards this year! You can find hundreds on etsy most of which are un-used! This year, I am on the hunt for a special card that will suit the special people in my life!

This little one looks like my friend's baby! They also have a cat!

I love this one! Mid-century with flocked red trees and metallic gold!

This is the sweetest little Christmas deer!

Perfect for my little nephew who loves airplanes!

... and one for my niece!

I do not condone dancing with giant scissors, but I do love this card.

The un-used cards are great to send out as is, but you can also find uses for the used ones! You can cut out parts of the design to use as gift tags or you can even frame the card and add it to your Christmas decorations! Happy Christmas card hunting!

All signs are pointing to…. Christmas.

I have been thinking of Christmas for over a month now. I’m sure that goes without saying, but there it is… I said it. Now, I would think that people might find that too soon, and I’m sure people would find it strange that while placing my Halloween/Autumn decorations, I was actually thinking about what I was going to change about my Christmas decorations this year. So I have held back starting the blog again thinking that it would be too soon. Granted… I did have a very detailed conversation with my Mom in August about her Christmas tree… and I did sit around in 80 degree weather a few weeks ago and ordered some vintage Christmas decorations on etsy, but that was private insanity. I realize that my Mom and I have a Christmas illness, and not all people are ready for Christmas. So in light of that, I still refrained from posting to the blog.

Speaking of etsy Christmas purchases… here is what I bought:

Soon to make a Christmas appearance in my home: 2 vintage metal tray with winter wonderland leaping deer!

2 vintage brass deer! I'm not sure what I will use these for yet but I think they will look cute near some candles!

So yes, clearly I am thinking of the Christmas season to come. But is the blog reading world also ready? Well apparently they are! I logged into this blog the other week and much to my surprise, I have had 66 blog views since October 1st! So clearly there are other people with the same urge to get into the holiday spirit! I really feel like the world is waiting for me to get on the Christmas ball! And you know I don’t want to let the people down.

Speaking of the people, even my friends are anxious to see me get this bloggy ball rolling. The other day, my friend Amy of Art School Girl sent me a facebook message simply titled “patrese navidad!” with this song in the message! (P.S. Amy, I can’t wait to place my Christmas order this year!)

Thanks Amy! I love this Christmas song in general, but this version is especially beautiful!

So about a week later I am headed to work early in the morning and I see that even the city of Chicago is nudging me in to the Christmas spirit! Every year,  Chicago lights all of the trees along Michigan Ave. with the most beautiful white lights! It is one of my favorite parts of of working on Michigan Ave. and one of my favorite parts of Chicago at Christmastime! This usually starts right before Thanksgiving. Well  I approach my store a week ago and my co-worker and I see that they have started to apply some of the lights. They always start this early, BUT early that morning, they decided to test out only 4 of the trees…. ALL of which are located RIGHT in front of my store!! If that isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is!

LIGHTS! All if front of my store... and ONLY in front of my store!

Oh! I was so excited!! So that was the last straw! Clearly it is time for Patrese Navidad! So welcome back everyone!!! I can’t wait for this Holiday season and I am excited to share all of the Christmassy things that I see!