Monday with Matt Double Feature

Happy Holidays,

The Best Gift Box!

If you've followed my blog for a while it will come as no surprise that I love PopSugar Must Have boxes. It's so great coming home to a box of fun treats on the front porch each month and I genuinely look forward to it. This month there are three boxes you can indulge in: the regular December box, the Holiday Box and the coveted Neiman Marcus box!

I splurged on this annual box of goodies because for what you get it's too good of a deal to pass up! To be completely honest this year is probably the best one I've bought so far. It's honestly such an amazing gift or you can buy one box and give seven gifts for WAY less than what you would normally spend.

What's your favorite piece in the box?

Happy Holidays,

Manly Gifts!

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Yesterday was all about gifts for the women on your list, so today we are looking at stuff for the guys. I never know what to get the guys on my list because they are so much harder to shop for, but I'm hoping this will help with my struggles and yours.

Who's on your shopping list this year?

Happy Holidays,

Santa's Belly Blaster Workout

Don't ask me why, but I love a good ab workout! It's probably my favorite thing to focus on even though it's the hardest place for me to see results. I gain muscle everywhere else in my body so quickly, but my abs are just more stubborn. Regardless, I trudge on and do my best.

With all the cardio in the last two weeks (here & here) we figured it would be could to focus on some strength training. Plus, with all the indulgent choices at Christmas time there's just something great about an ab workout to make you feel less guilty.

Let us know in the comments which video you'd like to see next week! Your choices are a relaxing yoga routine to calm your holiday nerves or the HIIT 12 days of Christmas routine (try last year's). We'll be filming both, but you get to pick what comes first!

Happy Holidays,

My workout look:

Gifts for Her!

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Let's just say that Blogmas went off the rails last week. Work got to be WAY too much and there was no blogging time. So this week the tentative plan is to post twice a day to catch up. We will see if this works, but nevertheless that's the plan. I hope everyone is having a chance to relax a little bit this holiday season! 

I know many of you are probably finished with your shopping, but let's just say I am notorious for waiting until the last minute to finalize my list. I live for the rush of Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve! So for all of you who've been too busy to shop or love the last minute shopping adventure here are a few ideas for the women in your life!

I know how hard it is to shop for the woman who has it all or the friend you have to impress, but hopefully with this list you can find something they love based on what they love.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Jumper Workout!

Holy internet troubles!! Everything is hooked back up and finally after what felt like forever running smooth. Seriously, you have no idea how addicted to the Internet you are until it's not working. 

It's Christmas time and we are jumping for joy. We're REALLY jumping... like a lot.

It might look cute to wear your holiday sweater to the gym to show your Christmas spirit,  but I reccommend opting for cute 'ugly' tank. This sweater go so hot while we were jumping around! Make sure to drink some water in between these sets because you're gonna need it.

Happy Holidays!

My workout look: 

Stocking Stuffers for Him!

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As promised earlier, here is the stocking stuffer guide for the men in your life! To be completely honest some of these are quite a bit more expensive and could be used as a small gift, too. Just wrap it up in a separate box and then put it inside the stocking. Last year I put together a bar cart for my boyfriend, so I used his stocking for some of the smaller pieces. It was stuffed with wine openers, bottle openers, whiskey rocks and more! It really tied his whole present together! 

For all the men I shop for I like to follow a simple rule: Give gadgets that they love and a few fashion items that I think will suit them well. It creates a great combination for them to open on Christmas — a little fun and a little serious. These iPhone lenses are such a cool gift especially on a holiday since we all take so many photos! Your guy can switch out the lenses for wider family shots and switch them out again for goofy selfies. I also love the idea of this reindeer tie. Throw it in his stocking and then he can wear it to Christmas dinner!

If you missed my Stocking Stuffers for Her post, check it out here!

Happy Holidays!

Stocking Stuffers For Her!

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I love giving gifts! Searching out the perfect thing for everyone on your list is so much fun for me. My favorite part of gift giving, though, isn't the big presents under the tree or the brown paper packages tied up with string — it's the stocking.

Curating a stocking full of your loved ones favorite things is such a personal way to give a gift! I've talked on my blog before about making gift bags full of a bunch of small gifts and I think that's always spurred from my love of building stockings at Christmas! You could definitely do a stocking in lieu of a big gift and they make brilliant Secret Santa or hostess gifts.

I love color coordinating the contents (this pink shade is huge right now) or following a theme (a stocking for coffee lovers is always a hit!). It helps make the stocking and the gifts more cohesive and definitely makes it easier to shop for while sifting through all the stuff in stores right now. Of course, you can go totally eclectic, too! I love this brightly colored stocking and would love to fill it with a bunch of whimsical, colorful gifts!

Basically, the opportunities are endless, but the outcome will always be the perfect, personalized gift!

Check here for Stocking Stuffers for Him!

Happy Holidays!

Evergreen Christmas

Vince Camuto Top, similar || Steve Madden Coat || Joe's Jeans ||

Stuart Weitzman Highway Boots || J. Crew Factory Necklace, similar ||

Diamond Studs || Target Tote, similar || Butter Nail Lacquer in Flat out Fabulous ||

Last night I walked out of a meeting and stumbled upon a Christmas tree lot and if it had started to snow it would have been fate. Sadly no snow, but it was starting to get dark and they flipped on the strands of lights over head creating the most perfect way to end the day. The air was cold and the smell of the trees was so strong that I had to go walk around even though I had no intention of getting a tree just yet. To be honest, leaving without a tree wasn't by choice, but more of an issue with getting it home on top of my car.

After getting back from Texas and complaining about the heat I am pretty sure I've been cursed with cold weather, which is fine by me because now I can wear all of the coats I've been collecting! This green number caught my eye back in September when it was on sale. I ordered it and it's been waiting in the coat closet for it's debut ever since. I love this rich fabric and the green is a fun way to add some winter flair to a more neutral outfit. I think it looks so luxe with these black pants, but you could put a cream sweater dress underneath or winter white pants for a lighter palette  I think it would be a fun piece to wear over a little metallic cocktail dress for your holiday parties, too!

So I know the 'Highland' boots are everywhere, but this is the 'Highway' style and I love them! The back is a stretchy fabric rather than suede, so you just pull them on. I don't think they are as high up on the leg, but for a more professional outing I like not having the tie-back. Stuart Weitzman boots are incredibly expensive, but shop around (I got mine for a huge discount) and prepare to invest. The suede is so soft and the comfort and craftsmanship are worth the money.

Happy Holidays!

More ways to get the look:

Christmas Advent!

Happy December 1st, loves!! I am so happy to officially be diving into all things Christmas! So not only will I be cranking up the Christmas station in my car, but I'm going to try to accomplish everything on this list! Last year I posted a movie advent to tackle leading up to the big day, but I wanted to challenge everyone this year to get out and enjoy some holiday cheer!

A few of these have been inspired by some of my family's traditions over the years and some are just things that I really want to do to get even more in a Christmas-y mood. I am dying to go ice skating in Union Square so hopefully that happens this weekend! And on a less active note, I can't wait to curl up with some hot chocolate and watch some of my favorite Christmas movies. Also, I just bought a pair of new Hunter boots (a Black Friday find) and once they're here I will be on my way to the Christmas tree lot to pick the perfect tree! So that's basically four things of the list already!

This post is also the start of Blogmas 2016! So get ready for a ton of DIYs, holiday outfits, gift guides and more! I have so much planned for this year that I hope I have time to squeeze it all in. November flew by and I really want to be able to savor the whole month of December.

What are some of the things you love to do this time of year? There's always room for a few more activities on the list!

Happy Holidays,