Christmas In New York

What are the three most important aspects of Christmas...?

Family, giving and food right?

Well I was spending my first ever Christmas away from my family. This was a little odd to say the least. I come from such a close family and this time of year especially, we don't spend a moment away from one another. Yes bickering is inevitable but it wouldn't be Christmas without the odd tiff right? 

But let's face it, I wasn't spending Christmas alone eating Chinese take out in front of the TV weeping into my chicken chow mein. This year I was spending Christmas with some of my closest friends in this fantastic city. 

With my friends not flying in from Miami till late Christmas Eve, it was my job to go Christmas food shopping. Now, as you all know eating is perhaps one of my favourite past times, but shopping for food may be even better. With no Waitrose or M&S to elbow my way through the isles to grab that glorious turkey, I opted for Whole Foods Market. Now Whole Foods isn't any old grocery store. Specialising in every cuisine imaginable and stocking all types of foods I couldn't wait to dive straight in to tick off my rather long list for our Christmas dinner. 

Now, I am used to a family feast. At least 18 dishes cooked by the whole family, and let's face it, I'm usually on 'laying the table' duty. This meant I had to call on the resident family culinary expert. With Daddy on FaceTime we tottered around the store together picking up everything from cheeses for our cheese platter, brussel sprouts, 3kgs of potatoes - yeah I was planning on cooking enough to feed the whole upper east side. But better to much than too little right?

Several bags later and much needed help getting into the taxi/apartment I got prepping. Chopping veggies all evening long whilst skyping my sister in Australia (it was already Christmas for her) and of course the family back in London just to make sure I was preparing everything to the family standard. 

Greeting my gorgeously sun kissed friends at the door they were all extremely pleased that all was prepared meaning that minimal time could actually be spent in the kitchen on Christmas Day.

Waking up bright and early Christmas morning with the sun streaming in through my window and blasting my all time favourite Christmas tune 'Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time'. 

After a deliciously traditional Dutch Christmas breakfast we all got suited and booted and headed off to Central Park for a Christmas Walk.

We were totally astonished by the ridiculous amount of runners in the park, who were spending part of their day working out rather than eating. Mind-boggling!

Admiring the view on the beautifully cloudless morning, and taking a million photos as only the foreigners do. We continued on our stroll through the park as any effort to warm up in the absolutely freezing temperatures.

Yeah, -6° meant it was too cold for that coveted white Christmas, but plenty of icy patches for Claudine to skate over to her hearts content. 

For those of you who have been to Central Park and specifically the boating pond. You'll know that it is never empty. As a matter of fact, no matter what time of day you go, there are always people around and especially tourists taking photos with Alice. But on Christmas this seemed to be a little different. Seeing the statue with no people at all around we seized the opportunity. Unfortunately none of us had brought gloves so climbing the brass structure was pretty damn freezing and near impossible.

But… we made it. 

The whole of Central Park was dressed up in their Christmas best.

Even the pooches!

Hopping in a cab to save ourselves from the absolutely freezing weather, we popped home to watch my favourite Christmas movie of all time, It's A Wonderful Life before starting on our Christmas feast.

Going a rather non-traditional route in terms of starters this year we opted for Bruschetta. Which was not only super easy to prepare, but catered for our resident veggie too - which is often rather difficult to do on Christmas.

Click here to check out the recipe for my Three Cheese Articoke dip.

Et Voila, our table was complete… Roast chicken, roast potatoes, mash potatoes, roasted vegetables, cauliflower cheese, brussel sprouts and of course gravy. Let the feasting commence.

A fantastic celebration with a wonderful posse. A little different from my traditional Christmas' (click here), but none the less an absolutely wonderful day.

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

First Snowfall

Photos by Salvatore Spaltro

What I'm Wearing: Canada Goose Jacket via Otte, Aritzia Nueva York Tee, Topshop Leigh Jeans & Boots.

The first snowfall in New York. I literally couldn't be more excited. I know it make look as thought there is little almost no snow, but for a girl who comes from a country where even a light dusting shuts down entire train systems, well this is totally awesome. I couldn't be more thankful for my new super snugly Canada Goose jacket from Otte, literally the only thing that keeps me warm in these ridiculous temperatures. 

On the Subway this morning I was reading a wonderful book leant to me by a friend when I came across the most apt quote,

"…there is something nice about working in an office with a candle burning. It's like seeing snow falling outside the window or having a dog snoozing on the carpet beside you"

The super cosy comforts that just make you feel all warm inside. Feeling a little under the weather this weekend, just watching the snow fall outside the window whilst tucked under a blanket watching Christmas movies was just the perfect remedy. 

Click here to get your copy of The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Highline

What I'm Wearing: Artizia Silk Cap, Missguided Swing Vest, Zara Wool Coat, Vintage Levi's & Gap Leopard Sneakers

The Highline is one of my absolute favourite spots in the city. A small tranquil route, elevated one story above the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. Only New York would use an old historical freight rail line and transform it into the cutest of public parks. Hopping on right by my apartment and wondering all the way down to Chelsea market, its like a breath of fresh air. Artwork, sculptures, greenery and flowers line the track - which are all pretty sparse in the city. A recommended visit for all those visiting New York, grab a coffee and wonder on down for the perfect getaway without actually getting away at all.

Marooned on Malibu Island

I love London. It’s my home. But the one thing where New York wins, hands down, over London is the lack of judgement of fellow New Yorker's. No matter your creed, class, colour or cultural background, they're still happy to chat, make friends and generally watch each other’s back - for lack of a slightly less American term. 

Hold on a sec? This may seem like I'm rambling out of nowhere. So let me explain. Last weekend I was invited to a private event held at Roseland Ballroom with my friend Kiera who was unbelievably lucky to win tickets. Naturally an event of this nature did entail a little bit of queueing in order to guarantee a good spot and to make sure you actually got into the event. Rocking up a slight 2 hours before the doors opened, furs and Starbucks intact, to keep us motivated, we claimed our spot in the ever increasing line. 

So finally the doors were opened and we flooded in to see none other than… wait for it…. the one and only worlds sexist man, Adam Levine. Sigh, Swoon, Weak at the knees. Yeah you get the gist. I have always been a huge fan of Maroon 5, combine that with delicious cocktails by Malibu -all night long - and I was in my absolute element. Topped off with an instant Photo Booth by Bosco and yeah, I knew this was going to be a good'un. 

Now I don't want to bamboozle you with event photos as I always believe that it’s not quite the same to try and share your experiences with those who didn't attend the same event. But, then I thought wouldn't you want to see photos of the deliciously handsome Adam Levine. As you can imagine all the girls in the audience (obviously including me) were going nuts when he came on stage, but when he started prancing around0 Mick Jagger style the majority of us were crying - I managed to hold it together, oh but when he stared singing 'She Will Be Loved' acoustic, yeah well that was a different story.

An absolutely fantastic evening. And yes Adam, you truly deserve the title of People's Sexiest Man - just saying'.