Let your heart be light

I am happy to report that my Christmas eve was spent in the company of loved ones, their loved ones, and a huge feast we all chipped in with in the kitchen.

Introducing new guests into the family dinner table circle is always going to feel a bit antsy, i think, but above all I am completely grateful and glad for the evening and its players. I’m a shy singer but I found myself humming out loud, realised a split second later that I wasn’t the only one, and let myself enjoy the carols and jazzy finger snaps over the sharp shuffle of mahjong tiles. A candlelit cloud of an evening laced with the scents of cranberry, peppermint and portobello, the walls of my living room echoing laughter, dave koz & friends, and the click of my camera shutter.

Wherever you found yourself this year, I hope your Christmas was very merry, and send you the warmest wishes for 2012 :)

Finally, OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS in the same country after five years of dating! We have been blessed with so much love, patience, and countless crazy experiences, and my Christmas wish is that these will continue to grow and multiply, because I can’t wait to spend the following years finding out exactly how.

You can barely see them in this photo, but we’re wearing our gifts for each other here — earrings for me, and this pocket square from Vanda Fine Clothing for him. I’ll need to snap a better photo of that soon, because the vintage kimono silk used for the pocket square is nothing short of fabulous.

My family isn’t in the habit of exchanging gifts, especially if our thoughts can be better expressed by a warm hug instead of a token gift. This year, however, my sisters and I put in the effort to shop for and wrap presents, and it was thrilling to see the collection of presents under the tree grow daily.

Sam’s very dapper knit tie which he just found at a market in Australia, and wore to dinner.

Alexandra was the brains behind these adorable Christmas menus, and I helped produce them on photoshop. We hand-coloured those lights (?! so free) and spent some time making the items on the menu sound extra fancy/silly. Some stars: Really Roasted Beefy Beef, Ice Cream on Stick (ie. little magnum minis).

A movie popcorn freebie toy that Alexandra converted into an ornament. We all think this looks like her because she wears purple glasses and just bought a purple skater dress not too far off from this one..

Snowflakes on the piano (and me in my plaid pj shorts ;)

Hope your holidays were filled with warmth, love and good things :)