Fab Collab Celebrates Christmas at 40 Plus

It’s that time again when the ladies from JTouchofStyle join me in a Fab Collab. Over the coming week we’ll be celebrating Christmas together by sharing holiday memories and clothing we wore for the occasion.

My story kickstarts the celebration, but I hope you’ll come back to see Jodie’s, Nancy’s, and Charlotte’s stories too. As many of you know, each of us was born in a different decade: Charlotte is in her 70s, Nancy is in her 60s, Jodie is in her 50s, and I am in my 40s. As a result, our memories offer quite a range of fashion history! Our stories don’t end there, however. We also share our ideas for how we style Christmas outfits for today.

I hope you’ll check in each day to join the party! And be sure to share your own Christmas fashion memories—the good and the bad—in the comments below or on our Facebook pages. Pictures welcome! 🙂

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Casual Christmas

We are not a fancy people, my family. We come from coal miners, farmers, and rugged immigrants who got their hands dirty doing jobs and dealing with things I can’t imagine today.

Perhaps it was a tradition born out of that humble background that made our Christmases less formal. Or perhaps it was a simple matter of practicality — wear comfy clothes so as not to explode after eating Grandma’s Christmas dinner.

Whatever the reason, my memories of Christmas are less about what we wore and more about the happy music, a glittering tree, and you guessed it, the massive amounts of food.

My Special Guests

As a Christmas treat, I invited two very special guests to join me for this Christmas Fab Collab–my parents. They helped set the tone and traditions for our family Christmases, so it seemed only right to include them here. If you’ve read this far in the article, you’ve already met my parents as they were in the past. Now I’d like to introduce them as they are today. For these photos, I asked them to dress as they would be for a Christmas party.

And don’t forget their sweet pup!
He’s their little “silver bullet”–a Chiweenie that runs like the wind.

My mom and sister love their Christmas sweaters. They sparkle and shine and sometimes jingle! Mom says the sweater she’s wearing is about 12 years old.

Maybe I should get her a new one for Christmas? Nordstrom has quite the selection!

They even have some for the guys!

Speaking of the guys, my dad looks pretty sharp in his red button-down shirt. He, my mom, and my mother-in-law just performed a Christmas concert with their choral group and all the men wore these red shirts, minus the vest, with black bowties. They looked pretty spiffy!

I’m not sure where Dad got his shirt, but this time of year they’re readily available in department stores. Nordstrom Rack has a red slim-fit dress shirt by Isaac Mizrahi that is under $20. Macy’s also has a couple of options in regular fit, available here and here.

Christmas in my Head

Even though Christmas has always been informal in my family, I don’t think of v-neck sweaters, flannel, or denim when I think about Christmas style. The images that come to my mind are something out of a Bing Crosby movie.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a sequined bathing suit I would feel comfortable wearing out in public.

Okay. Truth: I don’t have a sequined bathing suit at all.

What I do have is a red plaid maxi skirt that evokes the idea of a wintery night in a horse-drawn sleigh.

I paired it with a crisp white shirt and a dramatic bow. I’m pretty sure that bow is made of the same stuff Bing Crosby movies were made of. It’s bold and flashy and makes me want to break out in song.

I’ll spare you the awkwardness of listening to me sing.
Let’s move on, shall we?

I bought the skirt years ago from Talbots. They seem to offer a similar style every year in Petite, Regular, Women’s, and Women’s Petite sizes. This year, it’s more of a midi length and is in buffalo plaid, which is red and black check. When I visited the website, this skirt was on sale. Click on the photo or click here to check it out.

My favorite Etsy shop, Vintage by Suzanne, is owned and operated by one of my favorite fashion bloggers as well — Suzanne Carillo. She also has some very Christmas-worthy plaid skirts in her shop at prices that are hard to beat. Click the photos below for more!

The blouse is by Frame. I bought it earlier in the year at Nordstrom. Fortunately, at the time of this writing, it’s still available online and it is on sale! Click here to get your own “Bing Blouse.” (That’s my nickname for it.)

To continue the Christmas sleigh theme, I layered on a black faux fur vest. It adds warmth and a little bit of shine, thanks to the sheeny glory that is nylon faux fur.

Would you believe I bought it secondhand at Thredup.com?
Of course you would!
You read my blog enough to know how much I shop there!

Now that it’s too cold to wear my denim jacket everywhere, this little vest has become my default layering piece. I throw it over almost anything in my wardrobe to add a layer of warmth and it also makes it easy to complete the outfit as a “third piece.”

Since I thrifted this vest, the original is no longer available, but Thredup has quite a selection of black faux fur vests available for your perusal. Click here to see what they’ve got on tap.

If, however, you’re not into thrift shopping or you can’t find your size, here’s a similar one to the one I’m wearing. It’s available at Nordstrom. Click here to explore further.

 

My family may never dress for Christmas in sequined bathing suits (thank goodness) or dance like Fred Astaire (too bad), but we will always have our Christmas sweaters, stretchy denim, and lots and lots of laughs.

May you have the happiest of holidays
and a new year filled with joy, kindness, and possibility.

 Christmas Playlist

What’s a Christmas Fab Collab without Christmas music? Here’s a tiny selection of old and (somewhat) new favorites.

Affiliate link disclaimer: Please note, some of the items linked may be affiliated with companies I am associated with, like Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. By clicking the affiliated links and purchasing from those stores, I might receive a small commission. By purchasing from these stores, you support the work I do here and I greatly appreciate your support!