How Does Advent in Zagreb Look During COVID Times?

December has finally come and we can all agree that this is definitely the strangest holiday season we have ever experienced. I'm not sure how is the most wonderful time of the year looking in your city but around here in Zagreb is looking a lot different. 

Advent in Zagreb has won for three years in a row the prize of Best Christmas Market in Europe and I was able to experience the magic for the last two years since I have moved here. It is something that I love and I look forward to every year.

Unfortunately, we are in some sort of lockdown at the moment until December 21st. That means that coffee places, restaurants are all closed and big social gatherings are not allowed so, there aren't any events for Advent this year. Stores and shopping centers are thankfully open and we are able to do some Christmas shopping according to the established measures of social distance.

It's a very weird mix feeling you get because the city is all beautifully decorated just like every other year but it's lacking the main ingredient of the holiday season which is the social aspect. Meeting with your friends to enjoy some mulled wine and sweet treats from the Christmas market,  the sound of the music from the different concerts playing around town and of course the entire happy and relaxed atmosphere is missing.

But apart from all these things that are different and missing this year because of the pandemic, there is one thing that we have got this year in Zagreb which wasn't present in the previous two years I have been here and that was snow! Last week we had a full day of snow and that turned the city into a fairytale. I went outside after work to get some pictures and to enjoy the snow with my two closest friends and it was so magical. It gave me a lot of hope and it made me realize that there is still a lot of things to be grateful for during this holiday season. 

Maybe some of our favorite Christmas traditions are not going to be present this year, or maybe not in the same way but that doesn't mean that there is no place for gratitude, for love, and for some Christmas magic. How is everything looking around your area? Are the Christmas markets openes? Let me know in the comments ;)

How I fell back in love with sending cards?

I remember when I was a child I used to love received cards from my birthday. I loved receiving nice words from my friends and being able to re-read them again whenever I felt like it. For some reason, that habit was somehow lost. People in my home country Argentina are not so keen on writing and sending cards anymore for birthdays, weddings or Christmas and I really feel like it's a very nice thing to do. To take the time to write something nice to the people we love, to tell them how thankful we are for having them in our lives. Sometimes only that is a gift on itself. 

When I moved last year to Croatia, I have noticed that people here a little bit more formal than Argentinians, so it's very common that your friends write cards for you whenever they have the opportunity. So since I have come here, I have fallen back in love with writing cards and to send them to my family back home. This is my way to be present with them as well regardless of the distance. 

Christmas is definitely the perfect time to reflect upon all the nice people we have in our lives and it's also the perfect chance to express our love and gratitude to them. It doesn't matter if it's for a friend, for our family, our partner or a very thoughtful coworker, it's always a nice exercise to share some positivity, light, and love in this holiday period. 

I feel like printed cards are a very nice detail nowadays when everything is digitalized but in this globalized world in which we are living, sometimes we would need to send cards to different corners of the planet, which is definitely my case. So I found it very convenient that a service like Paperless Post exists because it has helped me a lot in sending all my Christmas cards to my friends and family in a very fast and practical way. 

Also, I really like that their concept is a little bit different from the regular e-cards we can find online. You can find cards with incredibly beautiful and chic designs by world-famous designers and with the benefit that you can send them through the web. Something that I find very practical when you perhaps don't know the physical address of all your friends but you have an email address for sure ;) Their idea is that you have the same experience of receiving a printed card but in a digital form, something I find very smart and innovative. 

In addition, this is a very eco-friendly option because there is no paper involved and you don't have to worry that your cards get lost in the mail, which is something that may happen sometimes with the regular mail service.

So I would like to invite you all to express yourself during this holiday season, to be thankful for those amazing people we are lucky to have in our lives and tell them how much they mean to us with a very nice Christmas card.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!!! I hope you had spent a beautiful time with your family and loved ones! :) I wanted to do a quick post just to tell you this and to thank you for all your support throughout the year!! It means a lot to me! 
Apart from that, I would like to share with you some snaps from my Christmas Eve, I had a nice and pleasant time with my parents and my dog. We enjoyed pasta for dinner and then some delicious nuts, sweets, and pastries.

In regards to my outfit, I wore something casual because I was staying at home so I decided to wear my favorite jeans from Zara, with a top I have had for quite a long time but I really love it. It's from a brand called Rapsodia and I picked it because of the red color which I think looked perfect for this festive occasion.On my feet I wore my favorite black sandals from H&M, they are so comfortable and stylish and I thought they looked perfect with the rest of the outfit. 

What do you think of my Christmas Eve look? What did you wear? I would love to know! :)

Christmas Gift Guide from Sammydress

Christmas is right around the corner so I wanted to share with you some cool gift ideas from Sammydress. This site has a lot of different items that could be great, original and useful gift options for any of your friends! 
Therefore, for today's post, I have selected my favorite items to help you out with your Christmas shopping! I haven't even started yet to buy all the presents I need but I think I will start in the following days. Anyway, doing your Christmas shopping online sounds like the perfect idea if you want to avoid the crowds and get all the presents you need from the comfort of your house.
So, let's get straight to this gift guide!

Beauty Accessories

We all have a beauty-obsessed friend that would totally love to have this acrylic makeup organizer, or who always needs a new makeup brush kit. I have also found this incredible led mirror which is absolutely perfect for any beauty lover! Not only is super useful and original but I'm sure it would also look amazing on her vanity table.

Jewelry

This is another great option for a gift! Everybody loves a new piece of jewelry and a girl can never have too many of them! I'm currently loving the trend of stacking a few different necklaces together and I have found two cute options on this website. The first one has that astrology theme I have mentioned in a previous post because of the little half moon and the other necklace has a nice marble touch which is also very chic! Another item I love is this cute gold arrow bracelet which I think looks very stylish.

A Cute Bag

The same as jewelry, a girl can never have too many bags so this is another great gift idea! I have found many lovely bags with different colors and designs, so I'm sure you will find something appropriate in this store. My favorite ones are this round brown bag with the tassel because I think it has a very interesting shape and it's easy to style because the color goes well with everything. Then I also love this beautiful black bag with a buckle detail because it looks very elegant, and it's also a classic piece that you can wear all the time. Last but not the least, I really like this pink-nude crossbody bag because the color is absolutely divine and I think it's a great option to add pink to your wardrobe. 

I hope you like these gift ideas!! Let me know which item is your favorite and I would also love to know if you have already started with your Christmas shopping.

What I got for Christmas? A Philips Bluetooth Speaker!

Today I wanted to do a quick post to show you what I got this Christmas! My parents gave me the best present ever: a Philips Bluetooth Speaker! They know me too well and they know how much I love listening to music so for me this was the perfect gift.
I must confess that I wasn't completely sure about the quality of sound of portable speakers in general but this one from Philips has really surprised me! The sound is awesome, very clear, and you can put it to the top and it still sounds great! 
I will be definitely using this speaker a lot!! I think it's perfect to listen to music while working at home or cleaning my room and it's pretty small so it's very comfortable to carry with me in case I want to take it somewhere.
I also love the desing, it's very clean and it has a really nice and soft texture. So, I'm very very happy with this Bluetooth speaker. Have you received any awesome presents this Christmas? I would love to know! ;)

My Christmas Eve Outfit

Hi everyone!! I hope you had an amazing Christmas time with your family and friends! I spent a lovely Christmas Eve and I wanted to share with you what was my outfit! As I said in a previous post, here in Buenos Aires it was very hot so I wanted to wear something nice, fresh and comfortable. I decided to wear my white shorts, which I think always look good and I paired them with a lovely top from H&M that I bought during my trip in Serbia. I really love this top, I think it has an amazing print and I love the colors. I also added my sandals from Bershka, which look super nice and they are also very comfortable. It was a really casual look but as I was staying at home I think it was a good choice :)

Merry Christmas!!

Quería hacer un breve post hoy para desearles a todos una muy Feliz Navidad! Espero que pasen un momento hermoso con sus familias y amigos!

I wanted to do a quick post today to wish you all a Merry Christmas!! Hope you have an excellent time with your family and loved ones!!

Christmas Wishlist

Se está convirtiendo en una tradición para mí el hecho de crear una wishlist de Navidad. Siempre disfruto mucho de buscar en las diferentes tiendas online aquellos ítems que me encantaría recibir o incluso autoregalarme en estas fiestas.
Así que para el post de hoy elegí mis favoritos de The Net Boutique, una tienda online argentina. Me gusta mucho esta página ya que creo que tienen una variedad muy interesante de diseñadores y marcas, y siempre encuentro cosas hermosas. Además, un plus es que te envían tu pedido en un packaging muy lindo que es ideal para un regalo de Navidad. Espero que les guste mi wishlist de Navidad y me gustaría que me cuenten qué cosas les gustaría recibir en estas fiestas?

It's becoming a tradition for me to create a Christmas Wishlist. I always enjoy checking through the different websites for those items I would love to receive or even buy for myself in this holiday season. 
So for this post, I have chosen my favourites from The Net Boutique, an online store from Argentina. I think this store has a very interesting selection of designers and brands and I always find very beautiful things here. And a plus is that they send you everything in a very nice packaging, perfect for Chistmas gifts. I hope you like my Christmas wishlist and please let me know what things would you like to receive?

Ranji

Vero Alfie

Vero Alfie

Lisa Brenan 

Vero Alfie

Sette

Vero Alfie

Infinit