“What should we speak of
When we are old as you? when we shall hear
The rain and wind beat dark December? how,
In this our pinching cave, shall we discourse
The freezing hours away?…”
~William Shakespeare, Cymbeline 

There are two great themes to this month’s favorites and they are diametrically opposed: comfort and glam. So be it. It’s December when we vacillate between parties and hibernation, effort and laziness, being extra and being tired. So here is the list of things that got me through all the slings and arrows of the holiday season!

Flannel Pajama Bottoms
It’s the time of year that requires comfy and warm loungewear. A couple of years ago I wore out and ripped a trusty pair of flannel pajama bottoms and I simply never got around to replacing them. More fool me. I finally got another pair this winter and I believe that last winter I suffered unnecessarily without them. Joules has some excellent options for those inclined to traditional and British styles.

Estee Lauder x Victoria Beckham Cheek Cream in Blonde Mink
Ok, ok so I technically said I wasn’t going to buy anything from this collection. I caved, I was weak, sue me. And I actually regret nothing because I’ve been wearing this stuff every day for over a month now and I absolutely adore it. Late to the game as always, I am discovering only in my 30s why so many women wear brown or nude blushes rather than more vivid colors. It’s a great idea. I may not have Posh’s cut glass features, but this stuff allows me to pretend like I do and that’s quite enough!

& Other Stories Wrap Dress
I haven’t needed much less bought a party dress in ages, but this year it turned out that I had quite a few December bashes to attend. It was an excellent excuse for a new frock! This dress from & Other Stories is an absolute beauty and made this short girl look like she has legs for days. As a bonus, it also feels like a decent substitute for this completely gorgeous and completely out of all mere mortalss price range Ganni dress which I also feel in love with earlier this year. Perfect! I expect this dress to live in my closet for several years to come, goodness knows it’s already earning its keep.

Abel & Cole
2017 was the year I discovered grocery delivery services and I will never, ever look back. I don’t regret our loss of car one whit since moving to London, but it would be a lie to say that it wouldn’t make some things simpler. Like grocery shopping. If we were better organised, more disciplined, or frankly didn’t work some ridiculous hours, we might try to do more frequent smaller shopping trips…but as none of those things are the case, we tend to still do big shops and end up with a bit more to carry home than we’d often like. Meaning that the ability to order my groceries online and have a helpful and friendly delivery person cart them straight to my door has been downright revolutionary, if occasionally pricey. This month, though, I feel like I found the healthy medium. I signed up for weekly delivery of a box of seasonal produce and a box of fish/meat. With the big things auto scheduled for me the occasional store run is now a much smaller and less heavy proposition.

Patch
This year I was determined to have an actual, proper Christmas tree for the first time in nearly a decade of married life. We’ve been the lucky recipients of family members’ generosity for almost every holiday season but one, and for that I got a tiny little fir in a pot to make due. Not this year, I wanted a British style Christmas tree and nothing was going to dissuade me. Like unto groceries, I wanted easy so I used Patch to order our Christmas tree, including a stand, and also schedule a handy collection after the holiday so we don’t have to drag a full sized tree down the road to the rubbish bins. Patch is a online garden shop specializing in plants for the urban dweller and were I not poor, they would take a lot more of my money. I have grand ambitions for them in the new year, however, as our front room continues to come together!