Currently: December 2025
I was chatting with a friend about how it feels like the year is ending with the same chaos that has followed us for the last couple months. That feels very on brand for 2025. Personally, I am closing out the year with some of the same heaviness that plagued me this fall. Did you know it’s possible to do everything right and still have it derailed by circumstances beyond your control? (Of course you do.) On December 26, one of the few days when I could have been exploring a new city and completely unplugging from work, I was sitting at my computer trying to fix someone else’s big, big, big mistake. It definitely feels like the universe has quite a sense of humor when it comes allowing me any type of recuperation from work this year. I woke up the next morning feeling 200-years-old between the bed quality and the stress of the day. My goodness, it definitely felt like the princess and boulder, and there weren’t definitely weren’t 27 mattresses between the two of us. It was a futon. (IYKYK.)
But, the world keeps spinning. The sun is shining. It’s a new day. And, so it goes…
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for tours and products I love at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Celebrations:
Obviously, December is always a month of celebrations. However, we have been in overdrive for celebrations this month. At the beginning of the month, we were invited to a special dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Paris. Sacree Fleur was celebrating their 15 year anniversary, and we were honored to be included in that celebration. We ended up changing our Thanksgiving plans at the last minute to accept the invitation. It was a very, very good moment to pass with their entire staff.
My birthday is on December 6, and we were able to celebrate with some of our friends from Paris. They gifted me a French pastry cookbook entirely in French, which I’m excited to use (and improve) for both pastry and French language skills. I tried foie gras for the first time, too! I had a second birthday celebration with one of my friends, her husband, and her daughter (who just turned 21!) with a wine tasting and dinner at my favorite restaurant. We always have a great time with them, and it was the perfect way to celebrate this year.
We wanted a quiet Christmas (which I just realized is exactly what I was imagining in June this year), so I booked us 4 nights at the Meneghetti in Istria. While we tried to spend as much time as possible at the hotel and enjoying the spa, we did go out for Christmas Eve. We went to our favorite restaurant in Motovun, Konoba Mondo, for an early dinner and ended up having the restaurant to ourselves. We originally visited the restaurant on our two-week road trip through Croatia and have been back a few times. They are always extraordinarily kind. We had fuzi with white truffle, and it was insanely delicious. The perfect Christmas Eve dinner if you ask me.
We will ring in the New Year in Florence for the 7th time. It will also be our 4th Capodanno dinner at Cinghiale Bianco. (We are definitely creatures of habit, if you haven’t noticed.) Returning to Florence always feels like coming home, and we love seeing all the people we know. We’re looking forward to visiting all our favorite restaurants and wine bars in Florence.
It’s truly special to have so many people and places that we love that makes so many places feel like family. We have been truly blown away by the kindness of everyone we try to spend time getting to know.
Photo Editing:
Obviously I have done none of the blogging I was hoping to do this year. However, I’ve tried to back up my memory cards consistently, so I’ve culled a few photos along the way. These images below from Ferrara are some of my favorites I’ve taken in awhile. I feel like there is emotion and depth behind them. (There was. Oh there was emotion that night. LOL.)
I bought a converter for my lenses since I switched to mirrorless. This is the first time I’ve brought a couple different lenses on this trip. I’ve used my 17-35mm more than my primes, and I do think that I want to revaluate what my primary lens for the mirrorless will be. What I bought last year is fine, but it’s definitely a step down from what I was using, so I don’t get the same range. We’ll see, we’ll see.
At any rate, please enjoy a couple of shots from our few days in Ferrara, which I felt was the halfway point between Croatia and Florence, and an absolutely lovely place to spend some time. We had an amazing tour guide for a food tour of Ferrara and will keeping her contact information for future trips. (More on that to come.)
Health & Wellness:
While I have not done a strength or stretch workout every single day in December as I told myself I would do on my birthday a few weeks ago, I have done more workouts than I’ve done all year. I’m chalking that up to a win. I got my Peloton recap, and up until a few days ago, my most active month was October. Ironically, October was one of my hardest months work-wise, so I’m kind of impressed by that. Mediation dominated my workouts this year, but the Peloton app doesn’t capture all the walks I went on that weren’t tracked. According to my phone, my average steps per day are up this year, but it’s not where I hoped it would be. (It also only tracks if I have my phone with me, and there are times when I *gasp* go on walks without my phone.
Anyway, we spent the Christmas holidays at the Meneghetti Hotel and Spa in Istria, which means I punctuated my days swimming, sauna time, and a couple of strength workouts. I think it’s probably my favorite hotel for focusing on wellness at this point. A close second would be Borgo dei Conti in Umbria, but we haven’t been back since the renovation.
I know that one of the things I need to better establish in 2026 is an effective morning routine. Tom and I were both at our best when would start our days with consistent walks, even when we were living out of a hotel during our renovation. I want to get back to that version of myself.
Wearing:
One of the things that I always get asked is how I pack for long trips. If I’m being perfectly honest, I overpacked for this trip because I had a hard time getting my headspace organized. Generally, speaking, I pack almost the same for all seasons. While I may throw in a few extra sweaters in the winter (obsessed with the basic Neiman Marcus Cashmere Collection crewneck sweaters) and shorts in the summer, my wardrobe transitions pretty easily because I focus on classics.
One, I always pack a dress that can go from day to dinner. I love Emilia Wickstead wool crepe dresses because they don’t wrinkle. I actually ordered the Geneve dress when it went on sale and shipped it to Hotel du Louvre so it would be there when we arrived in Paris. I always, always, always pack tights and pantyhose, regardless of season. I love Spanx reversible tights in the winter. I always have a pair of Sarah Flint 60 Block sandals in my suitcase. They work on cobblestones and are comfortable all day long.
I love cute tops that can easily pair with jeans for casual wine tastings and dinners. Wolford bodysuits are perfect for tweed blazers or cozy cape moments. A crisp oxford striped shirt never steers me wrong, and Lafayette148 Gramercy pants are always comfortable.
I always have a Hill House Ellie nap dress for sleeping and spa-ing. There’s never a time when I don’t pack a modest swimsuit, mostly because you never know when you’ll need to make an emergency visit to a sauna or spa. I’m always game to pack extra skincare (or buy Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy products in situ), but if my make up doesn’t fit into my Trish McEvoy planner, it doesn’t get to come with me.
And, last but certainly not least, you’ll always find lip balm and a classic pair of sunglasses in my carry-on… for obvious reasons.
What’s to Come in 2026:
I haven’t decided what I’m going to do this year as it relates to resolutions. I used to be a religious resolution girlie. Then I realized that the things affect me the most are things I have so little control over, and the feelings of failure at the end of most things haven’t been good for me. So – for now – I am going to be patient with myself as I figure things out.
I’m going to try and focus on what’s good. What I can control. And try to get past this spiraling that I’ve experienced over past few months as so much of my work has been turned upside down. There’s a lot more to come in 2026, and I need to be able to get through it healthily. Productively.
As Sebastian said, I want to pass more good moments.
And, I hope that you can find ways to do that, too. Sending everyone love, light, and peace into the New Year.
I am super-late (and still catching up on a lot of blogs) but I wanted to say belated happy birthday and how wonderful you were able to ring in the new year overseas. You’re so lucky to be able to travel and “get away” as much as you do, although the heaviness of everything that is going on right now in this country (which is also affecting you and your job) does not go away. I am hoping for a somewhat (whatever that means!) better 2026