Happy last day of 2021! The other day I shared my 2021 Recap, and today I’m sharing my December 2021 Favorites. I’m breaking away from my 2021 trend of publishing my monthly recap blog posts super late by posting December’s edition on the very last day of the current month, instead of three weeks into the next month! Here’s a look at my December 2021 Favorites!
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Draper James x Lands’ End Pajamas
I’ve been obsessed with Draper James pajamas since getting my first nightgown from the brand in 2020. This year, Draper James did a special pajama collaboration with Lands’ End. This collection includes lots of classic preppy gingham. During a Black Friday sale I ordered the green gingham flannel nightgown and navy blue gingham cotton pajama shorts. They arrived the second week of December, and I love them! I especially love how the green gingham nightgown is festive for the holiday season, but also appropriate to wear all winter long. It’s extremely soft and cozy. I ordered the XS Petite in the nightgown, and XS in the pajama shorts, and both are perfect. Draper James sleepwear runs generously, so I don’t need to size up for extra comfort like I do in other brands. Lands’ End actually manufactures this collaboration with Draper James’, and my experience with Lands’ End sizing is that it’s also generous. These pajamas are no exception. There’s still quite a few Draper James x Lands’ End pajamas available, so check them out here!
Draper James x Lands’ End Gingham Stocking
I also couldn’t resist ordering this adorable green gingham flannel stocking from the Draper James x Lands’ End collab. I don’t have a classic mantle, but I hung this stocking from the bookshelf in my bedroom to give it a little touch of Christmas, since most of my Christmas decorations are in my living room.
Christmas at the Angus Barn
A few of my close friends and I got dressed up for a festive night out at The Angus Barn one Monday in December. The Angus Barn is a well-known steakhouse in Raleigh that has the most magical Christmas decorations. It’s totally worth the trip just for the decorations. But even if you’re not a big steak eater, you can get various sides or appetizers, and they have the most delicious cheese spread with housemade crackers that they serve every table. No matter what, save room for the chocolate chess pie for dessert. I recommend getting it warmed with ice cream. This was my second time going to The Angus Barn for the Christmas season, and I plan to make it an annual tradition. For more details about Christmas at the Angus Barn, check out this post!
Saledelia Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie
Saledelia is one of my favorite local Durham restaurants, and you might remember from a previous monthly favorites post that I love their bakery items! When my friend and I went to Saladelia for lunch this December, I couldn’t resist grabbing this Christmas Tree cookie. It was almost too pretty to eat, but it was absolutely delicious too!
Christmas Girls’ Weekend
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is having a girls’ weekend with my best friend, where we have a Christmas movie marathon, eat all the Christmas sweets, and do other festive things. It was so great to resume this tradition this year after missing it in 2020. In addition to watching Christmas movies, we saw The Nutcracker ballet. It was so great to get to see a live performance of The Nutcracker again after missing out on that last year as well. We also made multiple trips to Starbucks for peppermint mochas!
2021 Hallmark Christmas Movies
They might be cheesy and predictable, but I absolutely love Hallmark Christmas movies. I didn’t see all the new 2021 Hallmark Christmas movies, but I did watch quite a few! The Nine Kittens of Christmas is definitely my favorite new Hallmark movie for this year. I squealed at all the adorable kittens in the movie. It’s a sequel to The Nine Lives of Christmas, one of my all-time favorite Hallmark Christmas movies. My other favorite new Hallmark Christmas movies are Sugar Plum Twist and A Kiss Before Christmas.
Sugar Cookie M&M’s
I tried this special edition Christmas m&m flavor for the first time this year, and loved it! The Sugar Cookie M&M’s have a crispy sugar cookie center surrounded by white chocolate. If you can find a bag on clearance, give them a try! And definitely keep them in mind for next year!
Target Wondershop Rudolph’s Trail Mix
Target’s store brands have the best trail mix, and this Christmas-themed mix I tried for the first time was no exception. Rudolph’s Trail Mix contains puppy chow covered Chex pieces, white chocolate covered cereal pieces, mini peanut butter cups, m&m’s, and mini graham squares. This will be a go-to treat for me during future holiday seasons.
BSF Secret Santa
My BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) group did a Secret Santa this December. My Secret Santa got me a Triple Feature DVD with Hallmark Christmas movies, and a coffee mug that says “This is my Hallmark Christmas movie watching mug.”
Kendra Scott Opal Cross Necklace
During Kendra Scott’s Cyber Week sale, I got this opal cross necklace for 40% off. It’s the perfect size, and the stone is absolutely gorgeous. It goes with almost everything as well! This is definitely a new favorite in my dainty pendant necklace collection, and I love that it’s a way to express my faith too!
BaubleBar Dainty Mickey Necklace
I purchased my first-ever piece of BaubleBar jewelry during their Cyber Week sale. This dainty pendant necklace with a sideways Mickey-shaped pendant and a tiny cubic Zirconia stone was on sale for only $15! Although I have a couple Minnie Mouse necklaces I love, this Mickey necklace is even more versatile because it is all gold in color. There aren’t any red or pink accents for Minnie’s bow. Unfortunately, this particular necklace is sold out, but you can shop other BaubleBar Disney items here. Also, BaubleBar has amazing customer service. The original necklace they sent me had an issue with the clasp. I sent them a picture of it, and they immediately got a replacement shipped out to me at no extra charge!
Love Hard Netflix Christmas Movie
I have to highlight another new for 2021 Christmas movie I enjoyed-Love Hard. This is a Netflix original movie, and was one that my best friend and I watched during our Christmas festivities weekend. It’s about a girl who decides to fly across the country to surprise the guy she’s been chatting with on a dating app, only to find out she’s been catfished! This guy then promises to introduce her to his more attractive friend (the guy she thought she was talking to) if she sticks around and pretends to be his girlfriend for Christmas.
I won’t give away any spoilers, but Love Hard has some great real life lessons about dating and relationships: that looks aren’t everything and to always be yourself. Luckily I wasn’t catfished when I did dating apps for the first time this year. But having experience with dating apps definitely made Love Hard even more entertaining.
Starbucks Disney World Holiday Tumbler
Back in May I bought the Epcot Disney World Starbucks ceramic travel tumbler and love it! So when I saw that the 2021 edition of the Starbucks ceramic Disney World Holiday Tumbler was available on shopDisney, I had to grab it! Luckily it arrived just in time for me to enjoy sipping coffee while watching the Disney Parks Christmas Parade on Christmas morning. I’ve been drinking out of it this last week of December as well, and will probably still use it for the first few days in January before putting it up until next Christmas. As a nod to Disney World’s 25th Anniversary, the design featuring Mickey & Minnie in festive wear has a vintage feel.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios 2021 Starbucks Tumbler
I also got the 2021 Disney’s Hollywood Studios Starbucks ceramic travel tumbler. Out of all the 2021 Disney World designs, the Hollywood Studios one is my favorite because it prominently features Sorcerer Mickey. There’s also the Tower of Terror, which is one of my favorite rides! It also has Goofy on Mickey’s Runaway Railway. Although I haven’t been to Disney World since that ride opened, I did enjoy collecting the McDonald’s Happy Meal toys themed from it over the past year! This tumbler is even prettier in person than it was on the stock photos on shopDisney.
Delicious Disney Book
When I ordered my Starbucks tumblers from ShopDisney, I also got the Delicious Disney Walt Disney World coffee table book. Disney published it in honor of Disney World’s 50th anniversary. It includes recipes from restaurants at Disney World, stories and pictures from restaurants around Disney World, and concept art from the planning stages of Disney World restaurants. It’s out of stock on shopDisney at the moment, but available for pre-order on Amazon.
Lilly Pulitzer G’Day Mate Pajama Pants
As you probably know by now if you’ve been following along for awhile, I love Lilly Pulitzer pajama pants. I got another pair in the adorable new koala print called G’Day Mate. The koalas are super cute, but I also really like how this particular print has a different color scheme from some of my other Lilly pajama pants!
Lilly Pulitzer Pajama Shorts in Fruity Flamingo
I had a $20 off Lilly Pulitzer coupon to use before the end of the year, so I got these Lilly pajama shorts in the Fruity Flamingo print. I love how vibrant they are in person. Lilly pajamas don’t necessarily run small, but they aren’t cut as generously as Draper James, I like to size up so they are a little more roomy.
Christmas 2021 Decor & Celebrations
Everything Christmas is a highlight of every December. My apartment decor for Christmas 2021 is my favorite yet. This was my first Christmas with my new entertainment center (featured in my January 2021 Favorites), so my living room looked extra full and cozy! I was also able to hang my Lilly stocking from the entertainment center.
Then I was thankful to have several days off from work surrounding Christmas, so enjoyed some time at my parent’s place with my brother and Blizzard (our 17 year-old tuxedo cat). We had a low key and relaxing Christmas with some of our favorite finger foods, like sliders and cheeseball.
Pura Vida World Wildlife Fund Stickers
When Pura Vida had free shipping during Cyber Weekend, I ordered a cute pack of wildlife stickers featuring a panda, elephant, and koala, and an individual tiger sticker.
Hope you enjoyed reading my December 2021 Favorites! Looking forward to sharing more of my monthly favorites throughout 2022, hopefully in a more timely fashion. Have a Happy New Year!
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-xoxo Liz
