When I was young, my mom used to wake us up at around 5am on Christmas Day so we can begin the traditional opening of gifts waiting under our fake Christmas tree (we were living in the tropics then thus the absence of real fir trees).
It's different now. Now, my family normally does not celebrate holidays. It's not like we do not believe in them anymore. We still do. It's just that my parents stopped caring about, well, tradition. They'd rather spend their money on stuff that they need and want rather than on Halloween costumes, Christmas decorations, a party for the New Year, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Instead, we started our own tradition. During the holidays, more often than not and if our schedules permit, we travel.
This Thanksgiving we spent up north in San Francisco. Traveling with family isn't always as much fun as when you're with friends but it was okay. We were all in dire need of a vacation, anyways. And we still had our traditional turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffings, mashed potatoes, pies, and wine.
Outfit: Gray Cardigan from H&M, Purple Plaid Skirt from Macy's, Black Tights from Hue, Black Bag from H&M, Bootie Pumps from Charlotte Russe
More important than Thanksgiving Day, however, is the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) when shops open as early as 12 midnight to offer us, the shop-crazed consumers, doorbuster (figuratively and literally) deals and dirt-cheap prices on the dresses or the pairs of shoes or the mp3 players we have laid in bed for hours longing for.
Fortunately, we were staying at the Hilton San Francisco on O'Farrell and Mason in downtown Frisco. Aside from the friendly and helpful staff and the fairly nice rooms, this hotel is about location, location, location!
Hilton San Francisco. Photo from hilton.com.
We were practically in the middle of Frisco's shopping district, what with H&M, Macy's, UO, Forever21, and Victoria's Secret a block or two away and Westfield San Francisco and the San Francisco Shopping Center on Market Street, just 15 minutes away on foot. Definitely a hotel to stay in when you're in the area.
Photo 1 Outfit: Plaid Shirt Dres from a vintage shop, Leggings from Hue, Pumps from Charlotte Russe
Photo 2 Outfit: Casual Black Dress from Billabong, Gray Cardi from H&M, Black Wool Coat from Victoria's Secret
Unfortunately for me, I was so tired from walking around San Francisco in heels the day before (I forgot to bring a more comfortable pair of shoes) and I had a bit of wine that night that I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed when H&M opened their doors at 12 midnight. Not surprisingly, the store was still full of people by the time I got there at around 7am. There wasn't much left that I liked but I did get this fabulous lace party dress for 20% less.
