IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

all the holbrook news that's fit to type, coming right up! 

it's full-blown christmas time over at our house and we could not be giddier about it. the city's turned cold and festive, the crowds at rockefeller are intense, we've already watched elf twice. and i already feel like it's over, is the weird thing. it's going so fast. emotionally i'm already in january. i'm trying really hard to stay in the moment and soak it all up, this time of year is so precious. i've taken the full month off from writing so i can sit and cross stitch homemade ornaments into the night or spend two full hours throwing tinsel on a tree without guilt, and i've been buying up used vinyl of my favorite christmas albums on the street like a loon. the original carpenters christmas album last week, score! it feels like food for the soul, this christmas. so, here's some junk and things, photo essay style.

the christmas markets are up! huck and i make it a point to get lunch at the christmas markets at least twice a week while they're up. this year sigmund's pretzels are missing from the line up and look, sig. i've been looking forward to you all year and that is not cool. 

we enjoyed the heck out of the remaining bits of fall last week. the leaves really hung on this year, and walking through central park has been such a treat. huck and his best buddies spent a warm thursday afternoon playing in this enormous pile of leaves on a play school field trip last week, and i tried really hard not to think about how many park dwellers of various species have peed in there.

karen carpenter told me she wanted some tinsel. i told her she was a genius. brandon found probably the only three boxes of tinsel in the entire city and then i stayed up later than i will admit to get it all on there just right. tinsel! tinsel is an art and it was hard. i'm so happy with her. she twinkles at me so magically now, i can tell she's grateful. (bee tee dubs, keep on tagging your trees on instagram with #heynataliejeanxmastrees so i can do a big old post on the blog! tag EVERY TREE  ON YA FEEDS for me while your'e at it! ;)

on sunday night the city up and snowed on us. the three of us threw on as many layers as we could find in thirty seconds and raced over to the lincoln center to watch it fall. should you ever find yourself in the city during a freak snow fall, get yourself to lincoln center. holy magic! huck made his very first snow angel on the rim of the lincoln center fountain like a boss. we played until we were freezing, then came home and plopped the kid in a warm bath. (i posted an instagram video of the snow falling HERE. not my most solid camera work, but you know. i tried not to shiver too hard.)

on a tip from a friend, huck and i walked over to fifth avenue last week to check out the santa at the plaza. it was such a good tip! no lines, and the most gorgeous santa i've ever seen. at first huck wasn't too into it. he had his beanie pulled down over his face and was clinging to me like a sloth on a tree, it was pretty dramatic. but once i explained to him that he could ask santa for anything he wanted for christmas, and that santa would bring it on christmas morning, a look of brilliant mischief crossed his face and he sat up straight, pulled up his hat, squirreled down my leg and marched himself right over to the big guy. he asked for a narwhal. what am i supposed to do with that?

i'm off to solve a massive bridesmaid dress dilemma, and i have about six felt ornaments to whip up before we fly to utah, so i gotta run! i'm on a deadline! but i can't wipe this stupid grin off my face. so far this holiday season is making up for the bum of a year 2013 has been for us holbrooks, and i can't thank it enough. we hope you're feeling all the kwanzmaskahsolstice cheer in the world this year too, where ever you happen to be.

xo!

TEN DATES // 04 A SCAVENGER HUNT IN THE VILLAGE

on saturday afternoon a few weekends back, brandon and i snuck away for a scavenger hunt date in the west village. it was such a great time.

we booked the date through HowAboutWe for Couples, our sponsor for the year, who plan curated dates for couples and are helping us celebrate our tenth year of marriage by sending us on ten of their tailored date nights, or in this case, date afternoons. and this was actually one of the free dates they offer to their members once a month. just because they're free doesn't mean they're any less fun or special. we had so much fun on this one, though admittedly i'm a US history nerd a self-proclaimed master of list checker-offing, so stuff like this really gets me going anyway.

the scavenger hunt is an app made by stray boots, a company that sets up walking tours of major US cities (and 3 UK cities) as scavenger hunts. basically you download the app to your smartphone, pick a city, pick an area of your city (there are 14 tours in NYC alone, and i seriously want to take them all!), and then they give you a starting point and a question, you get points for answering correctly (exciting), you get to wander all over the place, and you get to learn things about your city you probably never knew. for example... did you know that 20,000 bodies are buried under washington square park? i didn't. it used to be a public burial ground. i know. it's rad.

and really, i think dates on a saturday afternoon are where it's at. both satur-daytime dates we've been on have been my favorites, i think because it feels so very special and out of the ordinary to go out in the middle of the day, while the sun is up and you're full of pep. going out at night when you've been working hard all day... sometimes it's hard to rally, you know? on a saturday afternoon i feel like brandon gets the best of me and i get the best of him, and it's just so much fun to explore the city with him like we did in the old days. 

and now, highlights from our scavenger hunt, via pop quiz (and a fun giveaway too for our A students!). get your number two pencils sharpened!

QUESTION 01 // which famous building can you see between the arches at washington square? (you guys, it was really sunny out.) (this one's a freebie.)

QUESTION 02 // what do nyu students throw at the garibaldi statue at the start of each new school year? and how handsome is my husband mimicking garibaldi's at-the-ready stance? (extra credit, you don't have to answer that one.)

QUESTION 03 // which member of the beatles once lived on bank street?

QUESTION 04 // this is the northern dispensary, where which famous writer was treated for a head cold? 

we found this tiny little hidden garden on hudson street, with a single solitary rose blooming like crazy in the middle of all the dying foliage. it was really sweet.

QUESTION 05 // how long has mcnulty's been in business? (this one was fairly easy to figure out...)

QUESTION 06 // how many buildings are in this ultra private, gated cul de sac?

BONUS GIVEAWAY QUESTION: grove court is one of the quaintest and most expensive apartment complexes in manhattan. in 2011, a one-bedroom home sold for what record-setting price? (five lucky commenters with correct answers will win free 6-month memberships to HowAboutWe! check the bottom of this post for details.)

no question for this one, it was just the most amazing marionette show i've ever seen.

aaaaand a chair in a tree.

the afternoon was so much fun. along the way we stopped for our favorite snacks--a slice of pizza at joe's and a falafel at mamoun's--and it was just a really great afternoon of learning nerdy stuff about our city's history and being goofy all over the west village. i'm really excited too that we have something fun and new to do with my family when they come for a visit and don't feel like seeing all the same old stuff we always see. and it turns out, this scavenger hunt date was part of a family friendly collection of dates thoughtfully curated by HowAboutWe with new and expecting parents in mind. so there you go! we'd gotten a sitter for the afternoon, but brandon pointed out halfway through that huck would have really enjoyed tagging along with us, and we'd have enjoyed the afternoon just the same. family dates! i'm telling you. that's genius. 

this post was sponsored by HowAboutWe. right now you can get $50 off your first date by clicking HERE! we highly recommend that you do. we are having a blast.

p.s.

ANSWERS

01 // the empire state building! hello.

02 // pennies!

03 // lennon (he moved to the dakota after his place was robbed)

04 // edgar allen poe

05 // um, 1895

06 // six

leave a comment with your best guess at the bonus giveaway question. five winners will be chosen from the pool of correct answers on sunday night and contacted privately. good luck and happy commenting!

GET ME DRESSED // 003

who doesn't love jeans and a sweatshirt! except these aren't jeans, they're leggings. at this point everybody loves leggings, but i have real passionate feelings about them. i love these Chino Leggings from No nonsense too. they have the look of traditional pants, with faux pockets and everything, but the comfortable stretchy fabric is all legging. it's good to mix it up a bit with color too, stray from the traditional black and try a good pop of red, especially around the holidays. and these are a great warm red. do you remember back when celebrities started wearing leggings and everyone was all, "leggings aren't pants! you can't leave the house in just leggings as pants!" ?? and aren't you glad that's all over and we can all wear leggings as pants now in peace and quiet? american freedoms and such? 

one of the first things you'll notice about new york in the winter is all the leggings and riding boots. all the girls wear leggings and riding boots. it's practically a required uniform. the leggings keep you warm, they're comfortable, and the boots dress it up a bit but let's be honest, who cares? i just feel like, especially as a mom in the city, when you're running around and pushing your stroller and lugging  the groceries and then carrying it all up the subway stairs when the elevators are out, you just need the most comfortable clothing that exists in the world but that doesn't look like yoga pants and a tee shirt. being a mom in the city is a work out. so, chino leggings and a sweatshirt. you can even get them at Walmart or the drugstore while you're out running your errands. genius. add some ass-kicker boots and a really great watch and you're ready for whatever.

p.s. my watch is made of bamboo and it essentially weighs two pounds less than nothing. it's enormous and i love it.

p.p.s. it was really windy out.

this post was sponsored by No nonsense. follow No nonsense on facebook and twitter for the latest news and updates on their stylish and affordable legwear.

on me:

sweatshirt: isabel marant for h&m

leggings: c/o No nonsense

shoes: h by hudson

watch: c/o NFNT

on huck:

hoodie: american apparel

leggings: c/o thief and bandit

shoes: c/o ugg australia

THE HOLBROOKS PICK A CHRISTMAS TREE

picking out a christmas tree is just the type of satisfying decision-making that i really excel at. don't ask me to decide what i want for dinner or where we should go on a saturday afternoon, that stuff stresses me out, but put me in front of a stack of douglas firs, and i'll tell you what's what. 

every year i approach our family christmas tree with a kind of weird, spiritual mumbo jumbo, anne shirley type of determination. it's an emotional decision, you know? brandon's learned to nod his head patiently and say things like "whatever you want, honey!" and "yeah, i see what you mean," because too many years with me and you start to learn these things already. there are just some areas of life, you know? 

usually we go for the spindly types, but this year i wanted something bushy and a little bit rugged. but who am i kidding? only one type of tree seems to make it to manhattan, and that would be the pricey triangle type. so i did the best i could, you understand.

can i tell you though? walking through all these christmas tree lots every few blocks is just about THE most soul edifying experience in the world.

every year huck picks out his own tree because that's the sort of extravagance we're into. two trees in a tiny apartment that barely has room for one! my home is a forest! anyway, a kid shouldn't be subjected to his mother's idea of christmas cheer, and a woman's christmas tree is her castle, something like that.

blurry shot of the three of us?

nailed it.

so brandon's out of town this week on a business trip and so it's been on me to get the trees gussied up in his absence. and really, this is pretty silly, this christmas... brandon's gone this week, next week we're in utah for my sister's wedding (IT'S BACK ON), then we're all home for a week, and then we're off to portland for christmas day. we'll be home together all of two weeks this month so probably we don't even need a tree at all, but look! i'm too invested to go without a christmas tree by now! we're past that point! this is not a discussion! 

so, right.

the big girl by day...

...and by night.

huck's tree:

huck is so so so good these days. this year is going to be the most magical christmas! when i ask huck what he wants for christmas he always says a christmas tree. (when i ask him what we should get for his dad he always says, "work." :) i took him to the drugstore last week so he could pick out his very own special christmas tree star, and oh man. it was an epic night for henry holbrook. all week long when we've been out and about he'll stop to remind me. "hey mom! bemember my christmas star?" 

oh, i bemember it, huck. 

welcome, christmas! us holbrooks are ready for you!

p.s. we're doing christmas trees again this year! please share yours on instagram or twitter (or on your blogs) with the hash tag #heynataliejeanxmastrees. i'd love to share a few on the blog later this month! this is one of my favorite parts of christmas, i just really love looking through all the trees each night before bed. thank you so so much to those who share! (last year there were a few menorahs tagged in there too, and do you even know how much i love that!?!?)

p.p.s. on me:

allsaints coat

swedish hasbeens found on super clearance at my neighborhood shoe store

madewell tote (it looks like it's sold out, but these two are similar)

american apparel beanie

and on huck:

(huck is dressing himself these days, and i have to say, the man has style.)

american apparel sweatshirt and beanie

zara kids coat and jeans (last year)

vintage cowboy boots from my favorite antique shop in idaho

bow tie c/o colin's closet

HAPPY THANKSGIVING BACK

ah, rose. that is a great name.

so, we had a really beautiful thanksgiving weekend. the whole thing was just spectacular from start to finish. i kept getting all those cheesy grin vibes from it, you know what i mean? when things are just so good and you're all tingly? i liked this weekend. and i'm already sad at the dwindling leftovers situation. i take my leftovers really seriously. leftovers are the reason for the season. quote me on it.

we started the morning at landmarc in time warner center for brunch with friends and watching the parade out the window. it was so fun to see so many of our friends there--easily five tables of us--all coming and going at different times. one of my girlfriends had been there since 7:15 AM, so. i mean, that's dedication. 

that evening we had dinner at one of brandon's firm's partner's homes (?? no matter how i write that, it looks weird). talk about old school! we took the train out to long island and let me tell you, this family. it was the kind of family from a christmas movie, all crazy and wonderful and perfect, they were just perfect. dinner was amazing. by the end of the night we'd basically been adopted in and look, i'm thrilled. these people! huck has an east coast grandma now, and a hand-me-down stuffed banana. it's good stuff.  

the first thing i did upon crossing the threshold of our home that night was dispatch myself to the kitchen to make us an entire thanksgiving dinner. sides and all, and i was up until 3 AM, yes, that's what i did. because i take my leftovers really seriously. because i make seriously amazing leftovers turkey sandwiches. and also because there's something really wonderful about being in the kitchen and working on all the dishes my mom always made, and my grandma always made, and my great grandma always made... it always feels like spending a few hours with them, even when i'm in there all by my lonesome. 

really that sandwich is worth it.

ohhh, thanksgiving. seriously it's one of the best holidays of the year, don't we all think so? top two, easy. and anyway, there's a poetry series on a few of the trains we take around town a lot, and one in particular i love to read and savor whenever i see it. it's called Ragtime, it's by Kevin Young, and it goes like this:

like hot food

i love you

like warm

bread & cold

cuts, butter

sammiches

or, days later, after

thanksgiving

when i want 

whatever's left

i hope your thanksgivings were wonderful. i hope your stuffing was the perfect consistency, i hope your yams were covered with mini marshmallows, and i hope all your pumpkin pies came out just the way you hoped. with lots of whipped cream on top.

let's do this, christmas!