Wishing everyone a very Happy Holidays with this Jaunty sparkly post! This Bird is in full Christmas mode, listening to Burl Ives' Holly Jolly Christmas, along with my whole playlist of seasonal music that as a rule, I only bust out as of December 1st. Take that, retailers who are decking the halls in October! 

This year, I made it a point to not go completely off the rails for the holidays, taking on too many projects and not getting a chance to really enjoy the season. I wasn't burning the midnight oil on workstuff, I took time to visit with friends and see people I hadn't seen in forever. You get to the point where the holidays aren't about stuff wrapped in boxes and tied with bows, you want the gift of time, to reconnect and let the people in your life know how much they mean to you, whether it's over coffee, dinner or a cocktail or three. Martinis are full of love, don't you know? 

And a new tradition of breaking tradition continued into this year -- last year I was so busy, I didn't have time to put up a tree. It broke my heart a little, as I always felt like it wasn't Christmas without a tree, but I was exhausted. The holidays were still plenty special and it was yet another reminder that the holidays are a state of mind.  I didn't decorate a tree again this year. I knew if I didn't have that thing up by the first week of December, it wasn't going to happen. But I was going to be okay with that because I didn't need one tree, I had all the trees of Seattle and her surrounding cities. I made it a point to visit and admire as many decorated trees around the area as possible. The multiple trees of Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, downtown Bellevue's many trees in all their main squares, Kirkland's brightly-lit (and carol-singing) tree along the waterfront, Seattle's many trees in Westlake Center and Pike Place Market, even a beautifully chic Tiffany and Co tree decorated in just what Eartha Kitt purred about in Santa Baby. 

And along the way of admiring trees, I didn't skimp on the extras -- the madness of the nightly marching band of Snowflake Lane, gingerbread villages in Seattle and Bellevue, holiday shopping through Pike Market's specialty shops, even a peppermint mocha with whipped cream and sprinkles. I'm redefining what Christmas means to me as an adult, which is less things, more experiences and immersing oneself in the sights, smells and yummy flavors of this festive time of year. We'll regret all those Chia Pets, Snuggies and Pajama Jeans six months from now, but enjoying a decorated town square on a chilly winter night will never lose its luster, at least not in my eyes. 

And so this is my Christmas post -- it's what the holiday means to me, along with taking time when I have it. So in honor of that promise to myself, I'll leave this up from now until the new year. Because even a blogger needs a winter holiday, right? But fear not, the Magpie is all ready to return bright-eyed for 2013. Until then, please take the time to spend with your loved ones. The holidays are the one time of year where it feels a little easier to tell someone they're important to you, that you love them, and how thankful you are to have them in your life. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Jaunty Fine Print: Photos by Denise Sakaki

Winter's official first day was December 21st, but after the holidays, when the Christmas trees start disappearing and the holiday lights start coming down (unless you're one of those who leave 'em up till March -- you know who you are!), the gloomy days of Winter seem more apparent. Over the holidays, the Birdy had this talk with friends, right on Christmas Day, funny enough, and we all agreed that even the most dreary of days don't seem as bad when you're surrounded by the glow of holiday lights and sparkle all around. But once it's all put away, it's hard to keep a cheery spirit, especially when the sun disappears by five and it's dark as pitch out there. At least, that's how it is up here in the Pacific Northwest.

So I turn to the holiday gifts from friends and family to add some brightness to the gloomy days -- there were some particularly sparkly items that pair so nicely with an icy chill. While they can't warm my feet like a pair of wooly socks, they do warm my spirit and soul, when the days are short and the nights are long. You need a little sparkle to shine through the dreary days, no?

To pair with some winter sparkle, here's an exerpt from a poem by Thomas Campion, reminding us of the cozy comforts of winter, which is something not to be forgotten:

Now winter nights enlarge
This number of their hours;
And clouds their storms discharge
Upon the airy towers.
Let now the chimneys blaze
And cups o'erflow with wine,
Let well-tuned words amaze
With harmony divine.
Now yellow waxen lights
Shall wait on honey love
While youthful revels, masques, and courtly sights
Sleep's leaden spells remove.

Jaunty Fine Print: photos by Denise Sakaki, gifts by wonderful sweet friends and family - thank you! xoxo

This Bird has really done it now... Just booked a flight out to Sin City at the most insane time of year, the ridiculous heat of August! But it's for a good reason -- meeting up with family who will be there for a weekend and visiting my best friend who lives in the area. Less party, more of a weekend to unplug from the world. I've been out to Las Vegas before, on trips with friends to live it up for a weekend and have an excuse to wear sparkly, exciting things that would just never fly in the casual, relaxed land of the Northwest. And even though I'm not much of a high-roller, what with local gambling spots and internet casinos available wherever you have a computer, nothing beats the excitement of such a bling-bling city like Las Vegas.

This trip put me in a bit of a glitzy, bedazzled Mood, challenging my Jaunty eye to find some of the most sparkly, Sin City-glamorous things, but keeping in mind not to go overboard and dress like a showgirl. Let's face it, when people go to Vegas, aside from it being the most rowdy and obnoxious plane ride over, it's like someone pressed the "overexcessive" button and couldn't stop. Vegas does not have to mean tacky. Go for a bit of shimmer or bronzing powder for an evening sheen -- don't look like you went overboard in the tanning salon and rolled in glitter afterwards. All the sparkly baubles shown above certainly caught my eye, but this in no way constitutes a Jaunty Outfit -- pick one thing! A menswear-inspired tuxedo suit with the peekaboo surprise of shorts, paired with heels surrounded by feathers is a great play on masculine/feminine details. If one thing is outrageously sparkly, then the Bird gives her nod of Jaunty approval and says, "You're good, now get out there and strut your stuff."

Of course this is a fantasy dream, were I to have an endless bank account or a big casino bonus win at my disposal, but a Magpie with a sparkle in her eye can always dream, can't she? These were the goodies I couldn't help but share for my Vegas-inspired Mood board: {1} Make the First Mauve, Only Gold for Me, Sparkle Me Silver nail colors by OPI from Sephora, {2} Habibi minaudiere by Judith Leiber, {3} Two-tone beaded dress by Mandalay from Neiman Marcus, {4} Black feather strap shoes by Givenchy on StyleCaster, {5} Tuxedo suit by Yves Saint Laurent on Elle, {6} Glitters body shimmer by Make Up For Ever from Sephora, {7} Jewel-tone one-shoulder draped dress by Ali Ro from Neiman Marcus, {8} Gold plated ring with crystal detail from Kate Spade New York on Elle, {9} Humbee II in light gold glitter by Badgley Mischka from Piperlime, {10} Sparklicity gold shimmer dust by Tarina Tarantino from Sephora


Jaunty Fine Print:  images from shops/designers listed above