BLACK FRIDAY / CYBER WEEKEND SALES 2020

    It's finally my favorite shopping day of the year! Happy Black Friday!! I haven't missed a Black Friday of shopping in-person since I was 13... that's 13 consecutive years I think?! But things will look a bit different for me this year. 

     Instead of waking up bright and early and rushing to the stores, I'm waiting until late afternoon or evening to go out and just hit a couple places. I'll be wearing not only my mask, but also my face shield! And if there are crowds at the places I'm planning to visit later, I'm planning to just leave and come back home. Safety first. 😓But thankfully online Black Friday shopping and Cyber Weekend deals are not cancelled in 2020! 

Midweek Ramblings.

 

{One of my favorite Charlottesville views at Reynard-Florence Winery this weekend! Follow me on Instagram @miss_alk}

How to Enjoy The Holidays When You're Alone.

      You don't need me to tell you that the holiday season in 2020 will be looking very different for a lot of people. This might be the very first time that you aren't able to travel to or host family and loved ones for special celebrations. In some ways, I consider myself a little bit of an expert on spending holidays away from home, since I've lived out-of-state since 2012. But with that said- this year will still look different even for me because of the changes with COVID, I thought it might be helpful as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach to still share some of my tips for having a great holiday even when you aren't traveling/hosting or being with loved ones!

2020 Gift Guides: BOOKS FOR HER

     Wrapping up (ha- pun not intended!) Gift Guide Week with one dedicated to one of my very favorite things to both give and receive: books! I think giving a book to a friend, family member or significant other is always a wonderful choice. 

     Typically, I think a non-fiction book or cookbook is the best way to go for a gift, versus fiction. I tend to read 99% of my fiction from the library or a cheap local used bookstore, it's rare that I buy a fiction book brand new at full price. But I have been lucky with fiction and read some truly wonderful novels in the past couple years, so I did include two of them that I think would appeal to a lot of readers in this guide.

2020 Gift Guides: FOR HIM

     Gift Guide Week continues today- let's chat gifts for all the guys! Dads, brothers and brothers-in-law, guy friends, and boyfriends.  For today- I did want to share a mix of a few things that I've bought my dad in past years, and a few fun items that I'd buy for a significant other if I was seeing someone right now.      

     So funny story about today's guide. For the past few years, I haven't done a dedicated men's guide. Why you ask? Well- I don't feel very qualified to do so! 😂 I've only bought a Christmas gift for a romantic interest for once in my life. (One Christmas out of 26 of them... yes that's sad I know! #ForeverSingle) I don't have any brothers or brother-in-laws, and my guy friends and I don't typically do Christmas gifts. So that just leaves my dad! And he's an interesting one to buy for. He's not a fan of any sports (for real), and also isn't into some of the typical guy pastimes like hunting or fishing. So I always have to get a little more creative when thinking of what to get my dad. Some of my favorite gifts I've bought him have actually been experience gifts- I'll have a separate blog post on those ideas coming soon.