Merry Merry: Christmas Favorites

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Merry Christmas Eve, y'all! I hope everyone is gearing up for a relaxing, fun, delicious holiday. It's pouring rain and nearing 70 degrees here in Virginia, but I'm pretending that it's snowing.

I'm excited to not be spending hours in the car this year (last year we logged close to 30!). Todd and I had our own little celebration in Richmond last night, sharing oysters, champagne, and crab legs at Pearl Raw Bar before exchanging gifts. I'm thinking that might need to be a new Christmas Eve Eve tradition.

Here are a few Christmasy things I'm liking this year:

• I love a good Bûche de Noël.
• An introvert's guide to surviving holiday madness.
• Related: This recipe for bourbon milk punch (just as tasty with spiced rum).
• I love the idea of gifting British-style Christmas hampers.
• An underrated Christmas movie. 
• Listen to David Sedaris read his classic story "The Santaland Diaries."
• Crazy gift-wrapping hack.
• This Christmas Story-inspired dinner party.
• Cute free printable gift tags.

Friday Favorites: Twentysomething Edition

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To ring in the big 3-0, Todd and I are heading up to D.C. for the weekend. The weather's looking rather dismal on Saturday, but I'm still excited to stroll around Georgetown, see the National Christmas Tree, and eat some good food (reservations here and here).  Here are a few other things I'm liking during my last few hours as a 20-something.

• The renovation of this Brooklyn townhouse is pretty perfect. 
• I love all the end-of-year best book lists coming out now. Time to load up the ol' Kindle!
• The New York Times wrote about one of my favorite Richmond neighborhoods, Church Hill.
• I would love to do this with River. He's already grown so much!
• We're having a few people over for a holiday open house and I definitely plan to do this.
• Christmas is making me feel extra crafty. Love this gold DIY garland.
• This garlic cheddar beer bread was a big hit — and super easy to make.

Etsy Gift Guide 2014

When it comes to thoughtful, unique gifts, Etsy is one of the best resources online, but I'll be honest — sometimes you have to sift through a lot of crap to find the gems. My best advice is to find a few shops you love, and then look at who they follow. Before you know it, you'll have tons of favorite shops, and plenty of gift ideas for everyone on your list. Here are a few of my recent Etsy favorites!

Sparkvites makes affordable customized rubber stamps as well as cute stationery. Imagine how cool this would be stamped on your Christmas cards!

Sweet Peony Press has some really fun little prints starting at just $10. I like the idea of the His and Hers prints hanging in the bathroom.

Blackbird Tees is based in Richmond, and though their tea towels are a tad pricey, they're undoubtedly adorable. 

Remember I wrote about Finkelstein's Center for Charleston magazine awhile back? Michelle has an Etsy shop filled with dozens of animals who need a loving home. These Finks aren't just for kids, either. I'd love to have one for myself.

You've never seen cross stitch like the cross stitch from Bananya Stand. Choose your favorite pop culture reference or ask her to customize something just for you.

Of course, if you love vintage anything — books, blankets, clothing, brass figures — Etsy has it all. I especially love it for glassware.

You can see more of my favorites here and here! What are yours?