I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, as Patrick and I did! We spent a non-traditional Christmas vacation soaking up the wonderful weather here in Malibu. It was such a relaxing time to spend with each other, our new puppy, and family. 

We stayed in a cute cabin at the top of the Malibu mountains where you could see the entire skyline. There are so many Airbnbs to choose from to escape the city. We took Finley on walks to basque in the beauty of the serene view of the mountains and ocean in front of us. It was truly a humbling sight and was the perfect ingredient for a relaxing holiday. 

We spent the morning horseback riding through windy trails on the Malibu mountains. It was such a unique experience to see the ocean and nature on horseback rather than just hiking. Would highly recommend as a date, family outing, or birthday bash! We then went to a wine tasting and lunch to complete the most perfect day. 

I wore this comfortable tan sweater with a high neck and detail ties on the sides. It was perfect for a warmish winter day exploring Malibu. I choose these black jeans to mix it up a bit from my go-to jean look. Paired with these adorable ankle riding boots, and I was ready to ride. 

Christmas time is my favorite time of the year, I love finding that perfect gift for everyone on my list. It is pure joy for me to anticipate that person opening their gift and truly enjoying it! What I would give to see the smiles on their faces this year, since Patrick and I are spending our first Christmas in LA. 

I absolutely love that song! And it's fitting for this year's gift wrapping them! I decided to keep with the theme of my blue Christmas (as seen in this post here). I chose a simple brown Kraft wrapping paper and found this lovely blue, velvet ribbon. The only thing left is trimming off a branch from our live Christmas tree as extra decoration. 

My husband's parents are flying in tomorrow to spend Christmas in LA with us. We are both very excited to spend the holidays with family and cannot wait to have my parents visit this spring (since my brother won this year of getting to see my parents over the holidays, eye roll. We all know I'm the favorite child ha!). Stay tuned for more fun and photos of how we spend our holiday break!

I love decorating for the holidays and being super festive (Patrick hates it sometimes, but oh well I love it!) So this year was no exception! Patrick and I went to pick out our first Christmas tree as a married the weekend after Thanksgiving. We drove to Mr. Jingle's to pick out the perfect tree. We did not think about how we were going to get this tree home so we ended up praying that when we finally got home that every branch would still be covered with pines after the windy drive on the freeway. 

I blasted Christmas music and started decorating the tree. This year I wanted to decorate with multiple shades of blues, silver, and a brassy gold. Target had the cheapest and best selection of multicolored ornament balls. I also mixed and matched with different sizes and textures (sparkly, shiny, and matte). This instantly gave my tree more dimension and created a unique look rather than just being uniform. The topper is the perfect wood toned complement to not only the tree but our entire apartment which is mid-century modern style. And to my surprise, my mom sent us this sweet little ornament as an early Christmas gift to celebrate our first married Christmas together! 

I also have a slight confession to make.. It is now less than a week away from Christmas and I noticed the other day that our tree was looking a bit muted in color and the ornaments were starting to sag a bit. Well... forgetful me did not water our tree enough so I think it is officially dead :( But we have given it plenty of water now hoping it will rejuvenate just in time for Christmas morning. It is still hanging in there, but next year, we will not forget to water it!!