bonanza!: Christmas

Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

12/29/11

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

'Tis true... especially as I am back on home soil, enjoying the holidays at my parent's lovely house in Philadelphia until I can find myself a new shoe box to live in in NYC! Home now looks SO different since being away for so long - I feel like I'm looking at things like I never have before. This post contains photos of how my family does Philly during the holidays: something that is so familiar to me yet could be so different to anyone else who is not from here. I realized you don't usually think about that kind of thing until you have to. Moral of the story? Perspective is everything!

Wannamaker's Christmas Light Show - a Philadelphia tradition since 1956

Annual Christmas village (this year located in LOVE park)

little sister :)

day trip to Intercourse, PA (i had to)

little brother :)

dad preparing a deli tray for lox & bagel brunch... can't forget the Jewish side haha (Christmas is really the only day of the year my mum couldn't give up)

Cheers, and Happy New Year!

12/21/11

Camden Market

One of my favorite places in the world is Camden Market in London. Especially the Camden Horse Stables, London's old police force horse stables converted into a piece of the market... each stall houses a different vendor. There you will find some of the craziest people, the coolest variety of stuff for sale (vintage, recycled, new and confusing, food, etc.), and the liveliest atmosphere. I try to make a trip here every time I come to England, and luckily the tradition wasn't broken this time around! Unfortunately I couldn't take more photos due to the rain, go figure, but it was still a good time nonetheless. I even finished my present shopping! And on that note... happy holidays everyone :)

12/26/10

English Christmas

For the holidays this year my family and I are in none other than my mum's hometown: Hertfordshire, England. Needless to say it's beautiful here, and there is something about it that makes the Christmas season come even more alive. Perhaps it's the cozy and appropriately decorated pubs, the stronger desire to indulge in alcohol and sweets, or the thick layer of snow and ice covering the winding (and dangerously small!) back lanes. But of course I'm biased as my mum's entire side of the family still resides here, which is a large family due to my Nana's seven brothers and sisters.

The thing that I love most about being in England, though, is the laid back simplicity and practicality of their style. I think many things contribute to it; their proximity yet separation from the rest of Europe, their extensive and respectable history, and their value for things such as family and leisure. All of these things together make for a unique yet signature style for the English. Unfortunately I haven't had much of a chance to photograph individual examples because we've been busy preparing for Christmas - luckily I'm here for another week!

On a side note - I apologize for my lack of posts the past month but I was incredibly busy finishing up finals, preparing for my trips (next one's to Pittsburgh, PA!), and scouring the overwhelming NYC at Christmas-time shopping scene for gifts! Back to my point, below I've selected a handful of photos from my trip so far that I really feel embody the feeling of an English Christmas. Hope everyone's holidays are wonderful and filled with as much fun and happiness as mine have been so far!