Suzanne Carillo

What are your favourite memories of Christmas past?

For most of us that will involve some kind of food.

It is one of those very rare times of the year when you are not only encouraged, but basically expected to overeat.

High five!

One of my favourite memories is of my Grandma’s wreath.

It was no ordinary wreath, this one was made up of chocolates! I think it came straight from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  She only had them when I was very young then one year she said she wasn’t able to find them anymore.  Cue very unhappy kid face here.

There is a fortune waiting to be made on wreaths chocked full of individually wrapped chocolates people! Wouldn’t you like one? I would. For my bedroom.  You know, some nice light 2 am snacking.

We always had to make a day’s long drive to see my Grandparents and the first thing we did upon arrival was run downstairs and find that sweet candy wreath.

Often I’d have to get a stool to help me reach the wreath as it was always just out of my reach and then on my tippy tippy toes I’d grab as many of those delectable chocolates as my little hands could hold.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

My Grandma also had a magic chip bowl which I’ve written about before.

This was a few years after that incredible chocolate wreath was no more.

As soon as we got in the door I would run straight to the best spot in front of that chip bowl and eat Sour Cream and Onion Old Dutch potato chips with onion dip until my lips turned blue.  That magic bowl was never empty.  Just as it started getting low Grandma would appear out of nowhere, having accessed her hidden stash of chips and dump two fresh bags into the bowl.  It was a Christmas miracle!

My other Grandma had a cold room in her basement where she stored all of her homemade treats.

She made everything herself. There were German cookies, shortbread cookies, gingerbread men, cakes and squares. It was sugar and butter nirvana in that dark little cold room.

As soon as we arrived at her place we said a quick hello and then it was a quick bee-line to the cold room, often times my Dad in the lead each of us hoping to get there first to find where the best cookies were hidden.

Grandma would yell down,

“Don’t go in the cold room and eat everything! You’ll spoil your appetites!”

My Dad would yell back,

“Don’t worry! We’re just looking Grandma!”

Meanwhile we’d be opening up all the ice cream buckets that held different cookies grabbing a couple of each, shoving them in our mouths and passing them around to the next kid like the sugar junkies we were. It was all so naughty and nice.

And finally, because it isn’t a personal style blog without a bit of personal style here I am wearing one of my Christmas outfits with my sister looking rather pissed.

For 99% of my life I hated having my photo taken, and you can see just how pleased I look here. I can remember being told to smile for the photo. Look at what an obedient kid I was! Ha ha!

Of course it might have something to do with those horrible home perms we were forced into that stank for days.  Or maybe it was the fact that my Grandma always sewed the exact same outfit for my sister, thus proving that I was not a unique individual with my own tastes and desires, but simply a kid that had to dress exactly like her sister because my Grandma didn’t want to waste fabric and we couldn’t afford otherwise.

At the age of eleven my family bought an ice cream shop and I began my first job scooping ice cream and selling hot dogs, popcorn, malts and milkshakes.  From that day on I’ve never worn the same thing as my sister or anyone else for that matter.  I was able to buy whatever I liked with my own money.  I’ve never looked back!

As far as outfits for Christmas this year, I may wear this dress on Christmas Eve…

It is a far cry from my pantsuit and ruffled lace blouse.

The dress is wonderfully comfortable and soft but isn’t exactly food friendly.

There will be no sitting by the chip bowl eating till my lips turn blue in this dress.

Also this dress may be a pug hair magnet as it is velvet.

What isn’t a pug hair magnet at this time of year?  It’s dry, it’s cold and my pug is shedding her weight in fur daily. I think I could make two brand new baby pugs from the fur she’s shed in the last week.

I need teflon antipughair coated clothing.

I wish this dress had long sleeves. It’s a bit chilly to go without sleeves.

It works very well with my floor length velvet duster which adds the sleeves I require at this time of year, but covers up the awesomeness of the dress.

There I am doing my best version of a statue that is trying to stand very still to avoid contamination by random pug hair.

As long as I don’t sit down anywhere in the house I should be fine.

This is another one of those great vintage pieces I’m undecided about selling. I think I need to take it out on the town at least once before it finds a new owner.

What about you? What are your favourite Christmas memories? Food or fashion wise?

I will be taking a bloggy break until after the holidays.

I will still be updating Vintage By Suzanne and posting randomly on Instagram but otherwise I will catch up with you again in the New Year.

From my heart to yours, wishing you a wonderful holiday filled with chocolate covered wreaths happiness and endless bowls of chips love.

You may also like Christmas Dress, Sparkly New Year’s Eve Dresses, Cocktail Party outfit ideas.

Linking up with Visible Monday, I Will Wear What I Like, Shoe and Tell, Turning Heads Tuesdays,

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