A Merry Little Christmas

There are so many things I could tell you about our family celebrations - dressing up to attend the Christmas Eve church service; waking up on Christmas morning to the pleasing sounds of rain on the roof; opening thoughtfully chosen & artfully arranged presents beneath or beside the lovingly decorated tree; devouring the delicious roast turkey dinner followed by cool, smooth trifle for dessert; singing carols & spinning records; playing board games & watching festive films like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation & It's A Wonderful Life while consuming cold turkey leftovers & copious amounts of nibblies including Rocky Road, White Christmas, Apricot Balls & Rum Balls - but the most important is this: we were together, delighting in each other's company as we celebrated the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, in the little town of Bethlehem more than two thousand years ago.

Scroll down to see our Merry Little Christmas...

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jersey & brocade

Sandals: Novo leather & lace-up

Clutch: Tree of Life patchwork

Bangle: Lillee Fashion, Yamanto brass, semi-precious stones & diamantes

Wrap: Figure 8 Fashion, Ipswich silk & wool

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Headed off to the Christmas Eve Carols Service in a stunning brocade fit-to-flare dress by Anthea Crawford with intelligently placed "soft boning" for shape & a v-neck, draped jersey neckline to show off my decolletage. Rather than donning a pair of sky-high stilettos with this rather "dressy" look, I chose black lace-up sandals from Novo with laser-cut leather side panels for a bit of a rocker edge. 

Avid readers of this blog will know about my penchant for pattern-mixing & this look was no exception - I carried a sari scrap patchwork Indian envelope clutch that I picked up at my local Tree of Life store during their pre-Christmas sale for added visual interest & wrapped a photo-printed floral silk & wool wrap (with fringing) from Figure 8 Fashion around my shoulders to ward off the chilly night air.

When it came to jewellery, less was definitely more. This chunky bronze bangle with oversized 3D flower - made from semi-precious stones & diamantes - discovered at a little boutique called Lillee Fashion was all that was required to make a statement on such a special evening. Check it out in detail below:

Keep scrolling to see how the evening unfolded - singing our praises to the Lord before heading back to my younger brother's place to open a few presents underneath his own Christmas Tree...

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given & the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

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Dress: Anthea Crawford jacquard

Heels: Novo suede & lace-up

Bangles: Gift, vintage rose gold

Ring: Gift, vintage rose gold

Headpiece: Tree of Life rose gold

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Although we may have been celebrating with a quiet family Christmas at home, I still dressed up (owing to the significance of the day) in a shiny, floral & fern print jacquard dress from Anthea Crawford with slight v-neckline, pleated waist detail & below-the-knee hemline mixed with a pair of funky dove-grey suede lace-up heels from Novo for added height.

When it came to jewellery, I decided to go with these divine rose gold pieces, many of them given to me as a Christmas present by a dear friend who is currently tripping around overseas - a pair of chunky moulded "open" bangles with lizard heads on each end & a large cocktail ring covered in tribal sun designs. My own addition was the stunning headpiece from Tree of Life that sat perfectly atop my blunt brunette bob. Each piece is pictured in detail below:

Now that the fashion is taken care of, keep going for peek at the Penny Family festivities...

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Thank you for following my fashion exploits on Franny Gets Frocked this year & also through my Instagram account. Your support is both humbling & very much appreciated. 

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