The holidays have always been one of my favorite times of the year. With New Year’s, Christmas and my birthday all wrapped up into the month of December, I always find myself celebrating and surrounded by my family and friends. With things slowly but surely getting back to “normal,” this past holiday season seemed to be much more special than those before.

Last month, I spent a lot of time attending holiday parties, dinners and get-togethers that have been postponed time and time again due to COVID-19. There’s nothing that puts you in the holiday spirit more than getting dressed up, drinking some wine and exchanging fun gifts with your loved ones. I found myself becoming increasingly grateful after each and every one of these events, more so than usual. This seemed to be the first Christmas season in almost two years that felt somewhat normal, and I was feeling on top of the world.

I’m a stickler for holiday traditions, and I made sure that all of these were back in action for 2021. My aunt makes the most remarkable hot chocolate every Christmas Eve for dessert, and I truly annoyed her until she finally relented and made a double batch for our entire family. My best friend and I continued our tradition of swapping gifts and driving around looking at Christmas lights in our Long Island neighborhood. My cousins and I (all 14 of us) did our annual Secret Santa gift exchange in person and via Zoom. And finally, my 94-year-old grandfather answered the phone in Boston with his normal Christmas greeting, “bah-humbug.” These traditions might seem strange to some of you, but they are the things that make my holidays special every year. I’m extremely happy that we were able to get back into the groove of things and continue with all of my favorite Christmas activities. 

So, some of you may be asking, what exactly does this have to do with eyewear? And truthfully, my column this month has absolutely nothing to do with eyewear. Sorry to disappoint you all, but I wanted to simply write about my experience this holiday season and what the past two years since the start of the pandemic has taught me. I hope you all were able to experience some joy and keep up those holiday traditions with your loved ones. If you really need your fix of eyewear (because who doesn’t?), flip through our January issue where we’ve rounded up some of our favorite picks for 2022. Here’s to hoping the New Year brings us amazing new eyewear styles and even better life experiences. Cheers!

• Victoria Garcia
Fashion Editor
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