Holiday Playlist: Thanksgiving

I love music.

I am one of those people who, amid chaos and pure disorder, will always have music playing in the background.

As the Holidays approach, music will be on double time in my house. You see, as soon as I catch wind of an upcoming party or gathering of any sort, or maybe I am simply planning a Saturday cleaning day, you can count on me to create a playlist for the event. This may seem silly, but I am quite fond of music. Cooking the thanksgiving turkey, baking Christmas cookies, whatever I find myself doing, I will certainly have a playlist on that I've created for that specific occasion. 

Speaking of Holidays, the Thanksgiving-Christmas season is quite special when it comes to tunes.

It is a time when classics surface and are listened to with the same fervor as ever. 

At the same time, each year many artists and musician release new Christmas albums.

This Holiday season is the time when oldies and newbies truly combine to make one beautiful cacophony.

As Thanksgiving day is only two days away, I have combined my favorite music that I feel captures the essence of the season perfectly.

Be sure, these songs will be playing as family arrives, as the turkey is removed from the oven at last, mealtime, and everything in between.

Take a look, give a listen, comment with your favorite songs for the holiday.

Enjoy!

1. Cousins - Vampire Weekend 

Image credit: http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=503523

2. Autumn in New York - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Image credit: http://www.head-fi.org/t/105249/best-ella-fitzgerald-album/15

3. Pencil Full of Lead - Paolo Nutini 

Image credit: http://www.amazon.com/Sunny-Side-Up-Paolo-Nutini/dp/B0026JWDQW 

4. Count Your Blessings - Bing Crosby 

Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Crosby:_The_Voice_of_Christmas

5. Love and Nuts and Noodles - Rosemary Clark

Image credit: http://www.rosemaryclooney.com/discography.html

6. Need the Sun to Break - James Bay 

Image credit: http://noisetrade.com/jamesbay/the-dark-of-the-morning-ep

7. Riptide - Vance Joy

Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Your_Life_Away

8. Resolution - Matt Corby

Image credit: http://www.elektra.com/news/matt-corbys-live-resolution-tour-ep-out-now-70906

9. Pennies From Heaven - Louis Prima

Image credit: http://www.israbox.com/1146397436-louis-prima-jump-jive-an-wail-the-essential-2007.html

10. Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald 

Image credit: http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/F/Fitzgerald/ella_fitzgerald_christmas.html

11. You Make Me Feel So Young - Frank Sinatra

Image credit: http://www.israbox.com/2008/03/20/frank-sinatra-ive-got-you-under-my-skin.html

12. Winter Song - The Head and the Heart 

Image Credit: https://www.subpop.com/releases/the_head_and_the_heart/the_head_and_the_heart

13. I'm Coming Home - Holley Maher 

Image credit: https://myspace.com/holleymaher/music/album/music-city-unsigned-s-family-christmas-17131175

Once again, I hope you enjoy and have a holiday season filled with warmth and love!

Journal of a Vagabond: Introductions

Fashion is my passion, in all honesty.

Though amid the love for the color pink, or more humorously, a love for the way mica powders smell, and an obsession for any book authored by Sophie Kinsella, I love traveling.
 If you are like myself, you love to hear the stories of a well-traveled individual. Intriguing, inspiring, and often amusing are the stories of those who have experienced the world.

While I haven't traveled outside of North America, I realize that my opportunities are unique and specific to my life; for that, I am grateful. Sadly, many people with whom I have conversed never visited the ocean till they were in their twenties. What's even more shocking is the conversations in which I am told that the speaker has never been outside the state of Ohio (my home state). 

I have certainly had to rein myself in from judging too harshly; many people are kept in place by the fault of financial reasons, which is unfortunate, yet often unavoidable. 

It is those souls that have no desire to travel, to experience, to really live... those are the ones who I unleash the full wrath of my judgement upon. 

Alright, maybe that was slightly melodramatic.

Let me help you understand.

In my opinion, there is an amazing world out there, one I am free to explore, one I have the duty to explore.
Thus, I am beginning a new blog series in which I will document my travels and random escapades.
My goal is that my stories inspire you to have your own adventures, whether it be a journey somewhere distant or simply seeing your own city through newfound, adventurous eyes.

I will leave you with a favorite photograph of mine. I snapped this while driving through New York City, a city I can hardly wait to return to. If you were to ask me if I believe in love at first site, I would show you a picture of some far-off place and say, "of course."

With our eyes, we should set off to discover everything we've overlooked to this point.
Our world harbors countless surprises, and to begin finding them, we must start looking.

Fashion VS. Style

In a day and age where we are told what we should think, wear, and do, it is essential to know how to formulate our own person. Who do we want to be and how do we want to portray ourselves? 

While there is more to a person than their outward appearance, attire can make or break an individual. Truthfully, your appearance plays a huge role in first impressions; your confidence, or lack of, can very well be evident through your clothing. 

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Oscar de la Renta was asked his opinion on the differences between fashion and style. To the interviewer's inquiry he responded, "Fashion is about dressing according to what's fashionable. Style is more about being yourself... To be well dressed you must be well naked." 

Spot on, Mr. De la Renta! 

While there are numerous styles, your style is, essentially, what you feel confident wearing; what makes you feel alluring, and glamorous. The goal should not be to do away with all trends, because the chances of discovering one you like is quite high. Instead, the objective should be to create your own style, conceive your own ideas, and have fun wearing clothes because they delight you.
I believe in doing away with all fashion rules that limit your self expression. Silly rules such as no white after Labor Day, or the widely known myth that brown, black, and blue don't match. Construct your own set of rules, wear what appeals to you, have fun, and use your attire to show others who you are and who you wish to be.
Bottom line: of course you can follow trends that catch your eye, just as long as at the end of the day you are your own, unique person; and that is the key to being timeless, classy, and beautiful!