without a doubt, the holidays are my favorite time of year. the memories come rushing back, and with them, the urge to create brand new moments with the people that really matter. this year, i won't be going home, but that doesn't mean the festive season won't be amazing as always. i teamed up with my friends at lucky brand to give you guys an inside look at a few of the things that make these weeks so special to me—check it out. -j
wearing: lucky brand fifth avenue car coat, full zip mock-neck sweater, saturday stretch workwear shirt, 121 slim jeans, and hodge boots.
do you hear what i hear?
in my family, the holidays begin as soon as the clock strikes midnight after thanksgiving. my sister and i immediately begin blasting christmas music, my mother starts thinking about trees and pulling out the festive decor, and my dad just sits back and enjoys it all. for me, specifically, it's not official until I play vanessa williams's star bright christmas album—it's been my absolute favorite since i was a boy and it's always the first record i look for year after year.
wearing: lucky brand leather moto jacket.
sharing christmas.
this past year, i've really made it a point to stay connected to my family and friends as much as i can—whether that requires a plane ticket, a subway ride, or extra-long phone calls night after night. the holidays always meant so much to me back in the day—not because of the gifts or music or great food, but rather the people around me. with that said, i'm always eager to bring those old feelings back to life in whatever new ways i can and create even more special memories to hold onto with the folks who matter most. i'll be in the big city this time around, but my closest friends are here to share the good times with (and thankfully, they're pretty awesome company).
these are a few of my favorite things.
when it comes to winter dressing, there a certain go-to's that you can't deny: a strong puffer coat, a dashing shearling, and a sweet pair of boots, of course. but i think my favorite piece of all would be the henley sweater. it's such a cozy and stylish staple for this time of year, and the fact that you can dress it up or dress down as you please makes it all the better.
rockin' around the tv screen.
fun fact: my best friend and i are total nostalgia freaks, and we've never really gotten over our obsession with '90s nickelodeon. every year, we hop on the phone (if we're not in the same city) and binge-watch all of the holiday episodes of our favorite cartoons—doug, rugrats, hey arnold, you name it—and work on our new year's resolutions together (we usually have a list of like 10 things each). it's my favorite holiday tradition, and it just feels so amazing to wind down the year and look toward the new one ahead with my closet friend of over 20 years. plus, after making my first vision board last year (yeah, some people say it's cheesy, but mine is lit af), i'm so pumped for us to start getting set for 2018.
...and a happy new year.
speaking of the new year, i really want to get to know myself better. yeah, that sounds strange, but sometimes i look around at my amazing friends and think about their passions and journeys and i'm like, "wow, what do you care about like that? what do you fight for or light up over?" being so caught up in the day-to-day rush of work and social media and this and that all the time, i don't always take the opportunity to actively meditate over those topics and i really want to focus on jovel and his dreams and desires in a more intimate way moving forward.
wearing: lucky brand lakewood denim sherpa jacket, ls double knit henley, 121 heritage slim jeans, give me freedom hat, and hodge boots.
follow @luckybrand on instagram to catch more from my festive little story, and, sincerely from the bottom of their hearts and mine, happy holidays!