Hi, friends! Since I have the week off work, I thought now would be a good time to pop in for a link love since it’s been a hot second. The week between Christmas and New Years is one of the weirdest of the year, I think—I have no concept of what day it actually is, I haven’t worked out in a week, and my diet has been anything but healthy.

I had a really nice Christmas—we celebrated with my dad’s family on Christmas Eve and went to North Carolina on Christmas Day to celebrate with my mom’s family. I came back to my little home in DC last night and am happy to have a few chill days here to reset before the New Year and heading back to my new job. I made myself a to-do list of things I want to get done—mostly pertaining to blogging!—so I am hoping to check some of those things off this week.

I don’t have any grand plans for NYE this year—the older I get, the more I am into low key nights with friends. I have a bottle of Clicquot in my fridge that needs an occasion and my couch has my name on it! I hope you’re enjoying this low key week and enjoying some well-deserved relaxation!

PS—the shot above is from The Mayflower Hotel here in DC! It’s an absolutely stunning historic hotel, if you ever get the chance to walk through or stop in for a drink, I’d highly recommend it!

This Week’s Links

• Payless opened a fake luxury store to see how much people would pay for $20 shoes.
• I loved this Framebridge story about the Rules of the Fort.
• The Victoria’s Secret fashion show is a marketing juggernaut with waning relevance.
• Barbara Bush has a sweet inkling of why her grandfather passed away when he did.
• Nashville’s star rises as midsize cities break into winners and losers.
• Barack Obama joins Lin-Manuel Miranda on a Hamilton remix.
• Macaulay Culkin can’t watch Home Alone the same way other people can.
• How Newport’s Gilded Age mansions are decorated for Christmas.
• The best commercial all year: Home Alone again with Google Assistant.
• Sarah Jessica Parker answers almost every question we have about The Family Stone.
• The original cast of Hamilton reunites at the Kennedy Center Honors.

What’s New on A Touch of Teal

• My top 10 moments of 2018.
• The Willard Hotel at Christmastime.
• A delicious pomegranate spritzer for the holidays.
• The best desk-to-drinks LBD.
• What I (actually) wear to work.