Christmas in LA - Part One

Me, wearing vintage, with a beautiful polar bear who met an unfortunate fate long ago...

This Christmas will be the first without my father. He passed away in March. We always said when it came to Christmas he was the biggest kid of them all! It would be easy to curl up in a ball and ignore everything the season has to offer. Instead I'm going to savor every moment. So be warned! Prepare to be assaulted with a barrage of seasonal photos in the coming weeks. My father wouldn't have it any other way...

Bag Pipes at a holiday party in Bel Air

He was once so majestic - and now he's just decoration...

At least he has company...?

And then there's this s-t-r-a-n-g-e creature - my bf!

I put up the Christmas tree yesterday. I used to do a Noble Fir every year but for the last couple years I've been keeping it "simple" with this retro silver tree. It's perched atop a light box and loaded with all my favorite ornaments.

I love my felted ornaments mixed with my more dazzling ornaments...

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..." in hopes that Saint Nick would not attempt to go down this chimney which has been sealed for decades!

I spent the better part of the day glittering everything that didn't move! My girlfriend who took a little nap on my couch was lucky she didn't get glittered in the process!

She would have looked something like this - as seen backstage at Fendi SS/2012

This wreath from Trader Joe's is much more festive with a litta' glitta' - don't you agree?

Old fashioned peppermint sticks are decorative AND tasty in this vintage Lusterware sugar cup.

The best glitter for the job is by Martha Stewart. Fine, delicate, and in the most beautiful shades of semi-precious stones like peridot and garnet.

 Collected seed pods are also transformed with glitter...

Pine cones, pods, an antler, and gilded deer head are nestled together in a luster-glazed bowl from Italy.

Christmas is all about childhood memories and nothing brings them flooding back to me like this wax figure from Avon. It dates back to the 70's and remarkably - it still has the "Christmas" scent after all these years! The carolers themselves look a little worse for the wear with their melted noses - but it happens to be my most treasured Christmas decoration because I am instantly transported back to the land of Barbies and "Grease" bell bottom jeans!

And last but not least - my beautiful nieces Aria (3) and Talia (2). I've been trying to teach Aria to sit like a lady in a dress... last year it was Talia with the raised skirt! At least Talia isn't crying in the photo this year! Christmas through their eyes is the most special of all...

Tell me about your preparations  thus far. I can't wait to see your tree my friends!