Cheryl Shops

Mid-December is the time of year when I start to get all introspective—and retrospective. I started 2024 by trying Dry January for the first time; I lasted 18 days, which I was proud of, and caved as soon as I set foot in NYC, which in spite of being cold AF, was a great trip. I also traveled to New Orleans, Vegas, Chicago, and, of course, Italy. Sean got a new job; the book I co-wrote finally came out. I saw a lot of great concerts and movies, had a lot of quality friend time, did a No-Buy July, discovered the joy that is ResortPass, and started doing yoga again. It was not all sunshine and rainbows—I had a few really bad viruses, I got stuck with a ridiculous medical bill after a totally unnecessary (and stressful) procedure, and the presidential election didn't go the way I had hoped, to put it mildly—but I prefer to focus on the positive. Working on this blog is always a bright spot in my life, and I hope 2025 is my best year yet. But first, here's a look back at 2024. 

I really liked this outfit and didn't promote it enough, so here it is again!

Full disclosure: I love the holidays. I love the lights and the decor. I love that everyone is in a joyful, celebratory mood. I love spending time with people I love. And I especially love getting all dressed up in something brighter, fancier, and/or more sparkly than what I normally wear. For the holidays, that tends to translate into the color red and a bunch of sequined things, sometimes at the same time. Not every holiday occasion is a super-dressy one, however. Nor do you need to buy an entirely new outfit for everything. Over the years, I've built up a small but effective collection of pieces I tend to wear only a few times during the holiday season, and that's ok—you don't have to wear everything in your wardrobe all the time! Things you wear infrequently, like sequins, can last years, and the best part is that you don't have to spend a fortune on them (keep reading for more on affordable sequined things). Here are my favorite ways to dress festively, whether you want to show a little holiday spirit or a lot.