A belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, dear readers. We’re currently en route back from a weeklong holiday vacay with the fam in Texas. It was restful and fantastic and really great to unplug for the week. I hope you all have had a fabulous holiday vacation and are gearing up for New Year’s. What a wonderful year it’s been, I feel very lucky and grateful. Here’s to taking some time to celebrate the year and ring in the next. What I’m Drinking:  Lots and lots of bubbly! ‘Tis the season, right? I’m digging pink bubbles at the moment[…]

  

On a recent action-packed trip to NYC (no work and all play- hooray), I managed to squeeze in a little pre-Christmas party prep with one of my best girls, Meghan Frank. It was the first time I had visited her in her fab Park Slope abode with her hubby and we had such fun catching up and prepping for her annual birthchristmukkah party. Her birthday is around the holidays- Happy Birthday Meg!- so she always throws a big blowout. I couldn’t stay for the party (sniff) but making these pretzel treats with her was maybe just as fun. Meghan’s become[…]

  

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks… well, you know how it goes. I gave myself 20 minutes to soak up the holiday cheer on NYC’s 5th Avenue yesterday. Midtown is a bit bonkers this time of year so I don’t like to spend lots of time on that part of the island, but I always have to at least step foot on the Avenue with all that holiday glow. Just a few snaps of the holiday spirit- the Cartier building (my favorite- that bow!), the snowflake on 57th, the rink at Rockefeller, the windows at Saks, the toy soldier on guard outside the St.[…]

  

A few lovely things to stuff in one’s stocking. 1. A return stamp in the shape of the sender’s home state. I absolutely love this. It won’t make it in time to be stuffed in a stocking, but a print out of this stamp will do just fine. Home State Personalized Return Stamp, $65 2. I don’t know if a Nutcracker is really a necessity these days, but this one’s pretty great looking. Normann Copenhagen Nutcracker, $56 3. I love a giant initial. Monogram Sweater, $30 (take 20% off with LASTCHANCE) 4. Because with the advent of the smartphone, everybody’s[…]

  

A few last minute ideas for the wino in your life- what we really want. Forget the fancy decanters- real winos know we can just use a well-shaped flower vase- and don’t even think about buying us one of those ridiculous Jurassic-sized wine openers, wine keys only please. 1. A dated wine stopper, so we know exactly how long that bottle’s been in the fridge. $60 2. A beautiful champagne bucket. Faceted and rose gold elements don’t hurt. $235 3. A stylish wine tote. Double bottle please. Not only do we never show up empty-handed, but we usually can’t choose between bottles. Two is[…]

  

A few last minute ideas for the gal who loves her baubles. It’s always nice to find a sparkly surprise in your stocking, isn’t it! 1. Signature Necklace by Brevity -for the gal who loves an uber-personalized gift, this one won’t make it in time for Christmas but it’s worth the wait 2. Birds of Paradise Necklace by Lizzie Fortunato -not for the faint of heart, this one’s great if you’ve got the bucks and your lady really has somewhere to go 3. Green Studs by Kate Spade -sparkly and versatile, I wore the light pink version to the White House 4. Rosey Earrings by Moorea Seal -statement studs[…]

  

I’m a sucker for letters. I love the look of a singular letter and thought it would be a great way to personalize my Christmas presents this year. I really like the way these pretty presents turned out. This is a Kelly-proof DIY which means it’s easy, painless and fun- a must for me these days. Here’s What You Need:  1. A cute roll of metallic wrapping paper (I picked up these faux bois and polka dot numbers at Target) 2. A colorful pop of ribbon and maybe a black and white striped one too (found at Paper Source) 3.[…]

  

As promised, here are my thoughts on the Volver ’11 Single Vineyard Tempranillo that I partook of over the weekend. Good. Honestly and solidly good, and especially good for a $12 bottle of wine. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this wine and in fact there’s a lot that’s quite right about it. Perfect with any hearty winter dish, it’s dusty and hot (but not too hot) just like the region it’s grown in, La Mancha, Spain- yes that La Mancha of Don Quixote lore. Sipping this dusty, dark berry-filled wine makes you feel like you’re out on the Spanish plains[…]

  

Happy Weekend dear readers. It’s Santa Lucia Day! Cue my annual viewing of one of the most fantastic and hilarious holiday movies ever- The Ref, of course. Have you seen it? If you haven’t, you will not believe it’s taken you so long to see this little masterpiece. It’s seriously unbelievably funny with a killer cast- Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis and Denis Leary, not to mention the hilarious Christine Baranski (“slipper socks… medium”- my favorite line of the movie). The script is flawless. If you don’t mind a little profanity and uncomfortable family gatherings in your holiday movies (just the way I[…]

  

My talented friend Alana Stone has done it again. She and her husband Stefan Horn have just published the three latest editions to their Analogue Guide travel series- Barcelona (where they currently reside with their young daughter), Berlin and Los Angeles, folks. If you’re headed east or west anytime soon, you must pick up one of these little lovelies to accompany you. Alana is my go-to girl for all things la dolce vita and especially all things done with a crafted and detailed hand. The maps in their guidebooks are impeccable and the photos, beautiful. Little gems. The New York[…]