a very dreamy christmas

I’m really an old soul at heart,

and especially love all the special traditions of Christmas.

One of my favorite things to do is to turn out all the lights 
and let the twinkle lights on the tree illuminate the whole room.

It feels so cozy, doesn’t it? 

A Christmas movie night is a must!

Of course, Christmas movies are so sentimental and there are so many great ones.

One of my favorites is “Christmas in Connecticut”.* I just discovered this classic movie a few years ago, and it’s so fun! In the movie, Barbara Stanwyck writes a newspaper column called “Diary of a Housewife” and she plays sort of a 1940’s perfect-homemaker, Martha Stewart-type character. 

Well, her whole lifestyle turns out to be a sham, and she has to somehow pretend to be this persona she’s created throughout the holidays. It’s sweet, and of course has a nice feel-good ending.  

*If you want to DVR it, it’s on TCM on December 17.  

And, “Elf” is definitely a family fave around here!

Son of a nutcracker!

You really can’t beat Will Farrell’s sense of humor. 

I just love the silhouette of a beautiful Christmas tree!

And these quaint little villages remind me of my snowy childhood in upstate New York.

I also love the smell of fresh gingerbread cookies and this year 

I may even tackle making a gingerbread house from scratch.  

Today was the day for making spritz cookies. 

It just wouldn’t seem like Christmas around here 

without these cute little treats.

(Recipe on the blog tomorrow)

This is the sweetest little ornament that I’ve seen all year!

Available from Lauren Conrad for Kohl's.

And I love Lauren’s simple ideas for wrapping, too.

I miss those days gone by of sharing the wonder of Christmas with my sweet little babies.

This vignette from Downton Abbey captures the preciousness of those faraway days.

Panettone is essential for our family every year

and my absolute favorite is the chocolate chip variety,

especially when enjoyed along with a yummy cappuccino.

The name literally means large cake. 

It’s always fun to make bread pudding with these Italian cakes too!

These days you see Panettone everywhere, so 

how do you feel about this Christmas treat?

ciao! fabiana

photo credit:  1. & 2. Christmas-Winter Tumblr  3.  Dreamy Whites  

4. Ciao Newport Beach  5. Pop & Soda  6. & 7. Lauren Conrad

8. Downton Abbey  9. Laura Adani