If the sequence of beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes means nothing to you– then I am truly sorry!

Take the next :57 to bask in this electric moment of Thanksgiving Black History.

Because baby, we are about to name it all for the upcoming holiday weekend– what I’m eyeing, buying and styling for home and closet! I walked through a few of my favorite local haunts and the sheer volume of incoming Christmas cheer has me in a tizzy. One boutique had Merry Christmas Memphis emblazoned across its storefront, and I swear, I nearly crashed the car! We have talked about this before, but I am all about this season.

So, let’s give Thanksgiving, our sweet holiday amuse bouche, its due respect before Kris Kringle komes krashing in!

Home:

• I am hosting a Merry Mahjong dinner party in early December, so I am starting with all things home right now. It’s officially Thanksgiving week, so I am now fully locked the f in– this is not a game, people! I am now in the purging/organizing stage, to avoid decorating on top of mess. My to-do list this week: schedule the next two house-cleanings, call landscaper for leaves clean-up, price Christmas light installs, get on Salvation Army donation pick-up calendar, and start sorting linens and dishes. I have a tough row to hoe, but I was literally built for this shit!
• Holiday decor sprinkles. During the pandemic, my mom and I started going full Christmas the week of Thanksgiving, and it brought us such immeasurable joy, I have kept it up the past five years. This year, I’m leaning more winter-forward than straight Noel– pinecones in clear vases, fresh magnolia leaves, a striking red amaryllis, and a reindeer plant holder begging for white poinsettias.
• Speaking of decor, what I am shopping for once I fully let ‘er rip: this garland is too fun; I am prepared to bankrupt myself for these pendant lights; I go Pavlov’s dog for this scent; a Mahjong cocktail napkin hates to see me coming; please forgive me when I go fucking buck wild at the Potterybarn/William Sonoma outlet next week; ditto for Anthropologie and any local vintage shop. She has the shopppppies!
• Keep the kitchen closed. If I have said one thing over and over all year, it’s that my ass is tired of cooooooking! There’s definitely an emotional block related to some bs from 2024, but here we are, with me still in the kitchen minimally. To clarify, I cook something for myself almost every day, but the non-stop dinner party hosting has come to a screeching halt. And in an effort to save me from going straight mental from Nov 27-Dec 31, I am relishing in casual meals out and pick-up from my favorite local spots. I work out enough for two, so guess what, I can eat for one! My favorite this week was a perfectly crispy half veggie/half buffalo chicken pie from Memphis Pizza Cafe. Yummo!

Fashion:

• Some important closet purging has been happening in slow-motion the past several…months. As of 9 am Sunday morning, I kicked it all the way up a notch and made a nice dent. A ruthless donate, consign, hold session will commence next week and I will be ready to roll! I have so much special occasion vintage and hand-me-downs from my grandmothers, so if anyone has recommendations on how to manage, please comment below. I need ya!
• I am desperate for a new 100% wool coat. Edit: 100% wool coat that is not $1k. Like what in the overpriced, poly-blend are we even talking about? I took two decades-old Banana coats to the cleaners for a refresh and visited one of my fave local vintage spots in search of pre-owned. This BR version has caught my eye, but I know I can do better– on price and composition!
• Where I cannot possibly do any better? This $84 Staud bag that is just waiting for me to press go on! The inky black beading against the flirty florals will be outstanding for those b2b nights when I’m not drinking, then drinking. Get ready for a black crop top, mini skirt, tall boots and fur!
• The GAP barrel denim is as good as they say! Just got a pair for $30. It’s a LOVE for me ♥️
• So much good red! During my recent outlet store jaunt, I picked up an absolutely irresistible tomato red s/s cable sweater from Ralph Lauren. It pairs so wonderfully with brown. Lots of RL cable on eBay if you don’t have an outlet nearby. Again, this Amazon knit in maraschino cherry. My nails have not been without OPI’s Como Se Llama? in six weeks! Last but not least, my red leather skirts are red-y and waiting (y’all, I had to :) )
• Beauty alert! I took advantage of that pittance of a Sephora “sALe” and bought the Saie glowy super gel mini trio— you know how I feel about a mini! At first application, I was kinda like meh. Then I blended the starglow + sunglow and it was lights, camera, action! All three hues pair perfectly with my tinted sunscreen and Merit blush trio, so the lesson is sometimes you just have to let it unfold. My routine– this sunscreen mixed with glow gel, warm-up with NARS cream bronzer, a chaotic blend of cream/powder blush, Anastasia on brows and Benefit’s FanFest mascara. I finish with my Frankenstein lip which is too all over the place to even walk through again.

Health + Movement: The parties are already ramping up, and I love it! I have been out most nights the last couple weeks, and it all felt very 2019. My protocol below for how to stay holiday lit without burning out (ya see what I did there?)

• Get out of bed still sleepy! I have been making it a habit to shimmy from under the covers still a little half-dead, stumbling straight to the nearest window for the first hint of sunshine. I slam some water and go straight to coffee, rather than rolling over for my phone. Waking up should be a full-body experience.
• Walk every single day, sometimes twice a day! I was gone for most of Sept/Oct, so my daily step count was way down. Well, I’m back, y’all, and walking up a storm. I hit 17,000 steps last Wednesday– just think, 1 mile can take you as little time as 18 minutes!
• Hydrate like a lunatic. For my recent birthday, my cousin gifted me the most obnoxious tumbler that is about as tall as a toddler and is emblazoned with an annoying Mahjong pun! I have been filling that sucker with cold H20 non-stop and I can tell a huge difference in my hydration.
• Don’t drink consecutive days. This is obvi for my fellow nearly 40 yr old baddies, but I have decided alcohol on back-to-back nights is not going to be my vibe for holiday 2025. I can handle a baby hangover, but not the Mama! My current formula is < 2 glasses of wine/margarita/vodka or gin-rocks or very minimal champagne and zero dark liquor. And that big, tacky-ass water cup as soon as I get home!
• Double duty workouts. We have talked about this at length, but getting active twice a day saves me mentally and physically! Again, I pair lo-fi with something more intense so I’m complimenting my fitness, not running myself ragged. Currently, I’m seeing my trainer 2x/week, doing Pilates or Tracy Anderson at home, getting in some spinning sprints and walking 500 miles. It’s so fun, join me!

Ok, babydolls— I am ever grateful for these moments to gab about shopping, beauty and the small things getting us by. Happy Thanksgiving Xx

**images from top: via Tory Burch’s ingenious holiday campaign, HRH Naomi x Burberry and VB absolutely killing 2000’s cold weather active styling!