Winter White

I buy very little white. I’m really messy and I don’t think it looks good on me. But I’m giving this thrifted, open-weave tunic a chance. I have to admit that I love the way white looks with red. And now I’m thinking about pairing it with my white, faux fur vest (also thrifted) for a “white out” look.


Jacket, Chaps. Scarf, gift. Tunic, thrifted. Boots, Steve Madden. Sunglasses, Coco Sunglasses. Pins, Disney. Bag, Rebecca Minkoff.

Reindeer Treats

You’d probably come to an agility event and think, “Oh, these are a bunch of boring, old, grandmas” (and the odd gay man). But you’d be wrong. These bitches know how to party!


Sweater, Chaps. Tunic, Forever 21. Leggings, Express. Boots, Steve Madden.


The annual WAG (Western Agility Group) holiday party is an easy six (6!) hours long. The highlight is the big box game. We take turns rolling the dice for our turn to done oven mitts, a hat, and a scarf to try to open layers of wrapped (and often duct-taped) boxes for the prizes within. It gets pretty cutthroat when a second lady rolls a qualifying number right after the first, denying the first woman a chance to attack the packages. I didn’t get lucky with the dice many times this year, but I did win a toy that Jasper destroyed within 30 minutes of my return home.


The big box game - just getting started.
Don't even get me started on the gift exchange. It's Dirty Santa, but the goal seems to be to outdo everyone else and bring the gift that is stolen the most. Who cares what you steal, as long as everyone coveted what you brought.

And, finally, the food. THE FOOD!!! Despite my best intentions, I always forget my diet resolutions and eat way too much dessert.

Polka

There aren’t many polka-dotted things in my closet. So, of course, I had to wear the few dotty things I do own, together.


Kimono, Carole Little (thrifted). Dress, Jovovich Hawk for Target. Leggings, Express. Boots, Steve Madden. Sunglasses, Coco Sunglasses. Earrings, Article. Bag, Rebecca Minkoff.


I wore this to our Toastmasters holiday party. The group has come to expect my pattern mixing hijinks and my insistence that we do at least one “crazy” pose in our group photos.

Casual Holiday Party Wear

I don’t have any fancy holiday plans, this year. I attended my Toastmasters annual party in sweats (albeit STAR WARS sweats). For the Western Agility Group party, I knew to wear sturdy, comfortable clothing. No dogs are invited, but the Big Box Game requires comfy shoes and freedom of movement.


Jacket, BCBG Max Azria (consignment). Shirt, Salt Valley (consignment). Tunic, Urban Behavior (swap). Leggings, Allen B. Boots, Style & Co (thrifted)


The Big Box is actually a dozen wrapped and sealed boxes nested inside one another. Prizes are slipped between each layer and the grand prize, a gift certificate to WAG, is hidden inside the final box. To play, the participants line up and file past the Big Box, rolling a pair of dice on each pass. A seven or twelve gives one a chance at the Big Box! The lucky roller dons oven mitts, a Santa hat, and scarf and attempts to open as many layers as possible (and claim the prizes revealed) before the next participant rolls a seven or twelve. I got three chances at the Big Box and documented two of them, but the video doesn’t even begin to capture the frenzy of the game. You can see, though, why I dressed sensibly for the event.

Cocktail Flats

At our final agility class of the year, Jasper and I were notified that we’d be graduated to Beginner 2. However, the instructor asked that I wear appropriate footwear so that I could keep up with my dog. (I’d been wearing boots once the weather cooled off. They wanted me in sneakers.)

With that advice in mind, I chose flats for the WAG holiday party. No dogs were invited, but I was glad of the sensible shoes when circling the room for an hour playing the “box game.”


Blazer, Diane von Furstenberg (consignment). Dress, City Triangles (thrifted). Tights, We Love Colors. Shoes, Chelsea Crew. Necklace, Serket Jewelry.

So . . . the “box game.” We lined up and circled the room, rolling giant dice when we reached the front, for a chance to work on opening a sequence of boxes while wearing a Santa hat, scarf, and mittens. The final box contained a gift certificate to the agility center. Each box was gift wrapped, taped, and sometimes nestled inside another wrapped and taped box. No teeth or stiletto heels were allowed. Elbows and the corner of a table proved to be the tools of choice. Once the next player rolled a seven or twelve, your turn was up and it was time to return to the queue. There were some motivated players and at least one broken gift.

Business Cocktail

It’s the holidays, so I figure folks will forgive me for wearing my evening party outfit all day long. I won’t have to change after work and I get pics in the daylight. Everybody wins.


Coat, Lilli Ann (vintage). Sweater, vintage consignment. Dress, Jovovich Hawk for Target. Tights, We Love Colors. Boots, Joe’s. Sunglasses, Girlprops.


My “winnings” from the gift exchange: a Santa glass and cherry cordials.


(Let’s pretend that bit of pet hair was on the lens, not the chocolate. Let’s also pretend that I noticed the hair before I ate the candy, not afterwards, when I was editing the picture.)