December: What To Wear

 


It's been a confusing weather week when it comes to what to wear.

Yesterday was my office holiday party as well as a team holiday lunch.  That calls for ugly sweaters right?  Well yesterday it hit 60 degrees!  It was also foggy  .,(really foggy...I actually took a later bus because I was afraid the driver wouldn't be able to see me, that's how foggy it was) and rainy.  Not conducive to a warm holiday sweater.

Thankfully, I have a seasonal long sleeve t-shirt from Life Is Good.  With a pair of black pants, I figured it was holiday enough.  With a lined windbreaker (thanks to my thrift shop...you need an inexpensive coat, go there), bags (with my White Elephant gift exchange gift) and umbrella I made it to the office.  I will admit I was chilly in the office.  (Why is cold air ALWAYS blowing?  Doesn't matter what the season is, cold air.  And this is why I have an unauthorized heater under my desk.  I've used it during the summer months!)

During our team lunch (where we were able to "steal" gifts from each other...I truly hope there is no retribution because I "stole" a bottle of red wine from my manager, but she came out okay snagging a Trader Joe's gift card in the end), the rain really came down.  I know a lot of us were worried about the commute home that night.  As a result many of us decided to go down a little early, grab some food and drink (just drink for me) and head out.  (I may have poured some of my wine into an empty Snapple bottle to go...no judgement right?)  My team toasted each other, filled out raffle tickets to win gift baskets (I never win these things),  and use the photo booth.  (I will NOT be sharing that video.)  Then I headed out to try and catch the bus before five.  Miraculously, I did manage to get to the bus stop and had to wait less than 10 minutes before the bus arrived.  While it was raining, it wasn't pouring (yet), so I didn't get too wet and it was still warm.  (I was HOT in my windbreaker; you don't expect that in December.)

The big challenge came when I got off the bus and had to cross the highway:  no traffic light, wind and rain.  I did manage to make it, but by the time I got home (and I only had to walk a block and a half), I was windswept and wet.  However, I was NOT cold because it was still warm (at least for the time of year.)

That is not the case this morning.  The wind was whipping all night long!  When I got up it was in the 30s (or maybe it was the 20s.)  I have to go pick up my son this morning (another fall semester is done) and then we will head to the Poconos for a couple of days.  (However, we can't stay long as my son has a part time job at our church in NJ over the winter break, so who knows where our family will be for the holidays)  While I have a couple of sweaters, I had to search for a turtleneck to wear under it to try and keep warm.

I had to run to the bank this morning and the question was what coat to wear?  It was tempting to wear my mink coat (passed down from my husband's late aunt), but instead went with my old winter wool varsity jacket.  (Yes, band members got coats back in the day...maybe they still do?).  Yes, it still fits, but it is a little snug.  (To be honest it was a little snug when I first got it...since then I've learned to go a little larger than necessary with coats as the clothes you have underneath bulks things up.)  I couldn't really zip it up. (Not that it was too tight to do so, but the zipper was really stiff and so difficult to work with that I gave up.  I guess that's what you get when you keep a coat in your family's basement for 40 years!  Ouch!  It hurts to type that!)  It did keep me warm as I ran to the bank ATM.  (I'll admit the newly installed machine confuddled me a bit.  That makes me old, doesn't it?)  It did keep me warm when I went to our local bagel shop for a bagel and coffee.  What it didn't keep warm was my coffee.  You know it's cold when you use your coffee to keep your hands warm on the walk from the store to the car and by the time you get home (less than a 10 minute drive), the coffee is cold.  

The question remains what to wear on the drive to get my son.  Since the car will be warm, I'm thinking my heavy sweat jacket would work.  (It is surprisingly warm.)  Then what do I wear when we go out to dinner tonight.  (We're having an early holiday/celebrating the end of the semester meal at Skytop.)  Temperatures will be in the teens tonight in the Poconos.  (So glad my mother-in-law gifted us with comforters.  We are all going to need them tonight.)  First world problems right?  (I know how lucky I am to have multiple coat choices. )

Winter may officially be 9 days away, but it seems to me that it's here now.  And I think it's going to be around for a while.  (If there's a lot of snow in the northeast this winter, you can blame me.  I'm the one who decided to buy a house in the mountains!)

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