christmas trees and creches

on our way home to palo alto from carmel, mom and i stopped at a christmas tree farm in the santa cruz mountains to chop one down for my house. i’ve selected and sawed a tree from this place every december since i moved to the bay area. i loooooooove this tradition, and it was so fun to have my mom with me this year! {last year / year before / year before that}

after some deliberation, mom helped me settle on a gorgeous 8 ft incense cedar. generally, i have a pretty tough time making decisions (especially ones as important as a christmas tree!) but once i’ve decided, i think my choice is for sure the best. yep – i chose the most beautiful christmas tree in the world.

after my tree was safely in its stand in my living room window, i took mom as my date to my ward (church congregation) christmas party. it was great to introduce her to some of my dear friends and giver her a glimpse into my social life. we had really fantastic meetings at church the next day, and after church we went to the palo alto christmas creche exhibit. i’ve loved going to this event each christmas – it’s truly incredible. the church building is transformed into a beautiful gallery showcasing hundreds of nativity scenes from all over the world, of all different styles, made from all kinds of different materials. there are live musicians and air thick with the sweet, true spirit of christmas. i adored sharing this experience with my mom.

yayyyyyy christmastime!!! also. isn’t my mom just the cutest ever?!

carmel with my mama

the friday after i got home from the east coast, my sweet mom came to visit me. we had such a dreamy weekend together. i can’t even believe how blessed i am to be this woman’s daughter. she is the most amazing human being i know. to have her all to myself for nearly two and a half days!

mom came straight from the airport to my school on friday afternoon and it was so fun to give her a tour and introduce her to some of the kids. then, we set off for carmel-by-the-sea, which is just simply the darlingest and charmingest town that could possibly exist. we had such a grand time exploring!

we enjoyed outdoor dining on the most lovely patio with heat lamps and a fire (and yummmy ahi tuna salad):

we strolled down ocean avenue and admiring the enchanting christmas window displays:

we ate sea salt caramel fudge and peppermint bark while discovering hidden passageways:
 
we cozied into our little room at the fireplace inn and stayed up late talking:

we woke up to the garden outside our room:
 
we went for a walk along scenic road and marveled at the gorgeous coastline and the adorable cottages:

it rained on us a tiny bit; just enough for heaven to give us a rainbow!:

we explored more around downtown carmel, which is just the sweetest:
   
we popped into some galleries (and fell in love with these painted-cut-and-swirled canvas creations – tidal pool and autumn light):

and into shops selling all kinds of beautiful, unique things, like technicolored tapestry boots:

delicious sweets:

outrageous christmas decor:

and all kinds of pretty baubles and treasures:
 
we went to lunch at the tuck box, this super cute cottage-turned-cafe:
 
and made another stop at the cottage of sweets:

i mean, really, surroundings just couldn’t stand to be darlinger or charminger. carmel-by-the-sea was a perfect spot for a special mother-daughter day. we loved every nook of it!

snapshots of the {christmasy and chilly} big apple

day-after-thanksgiving exploring and merriment in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of... (i love new york city. i love it so so so so much. every time i go, i feel determined to move there.)
  
^^can you spot lady liberty?^^
   
^^we stole the window seat at the donut plant in chelsea to wash down all that thanksgiving turkey!^^

^^looooove those pop-up christmas tree shops on nyc street corners!^^
 
^^everyone else had already been to the 9/11 memorial, so i had a little solo adventure downtown. i feel like visiting the memorial was a great day-after-thanksgiving activity. i felt so humbled and grateful.^^

^^we went to fifth avenue to experience all the chaotic christmas cheer. it was sooo crowded in fao schwartz and all the way down the road to the {yet un-lit} rockefeller tree. it was also very cold and both my camera and phone battery were dead. but. it was magical nonetheless. nothing, nothing like fifth avenue at christmastime.^^

and then my whirlwind east coast tour was over and it was back to real life! super glad i made the trip. so grateful for so much - including siblings that live in the best places!