Holiday Travel and What to Wear With Tillys

This post is sponsored by Tillys and ShopStyle.

With the holidays just around the corner, Brennan and I have started discussing our travel plans, and I – of course – have started planning my winter wardrobe. Tillys is the best place to shop for all your holiday needs- they have comfy pieces like this coat and great gifts for all your friends and family. 

It’s so fun to think about how this is our first official holiday season as a married couple – but it’s also interesting to think about how the holidays will most likely start to change for us as time goes on. 

My hope is that sooner than later, we’ll be in a house of our own where we can start to host more big events like Thanksgiving or Christmas, and start our own new traditions as a family.

Of course – that is still ways away, but it’s still fun to daydream and mentally plan. ALSO, manifest owning our own home. 

One of the special things about Brennan is where he came from – born and raised in Minnesota, he possesses many qualities that set him apart from many other guys I know. I credit that to how his family raised him, and how many wonderful people he was surrounded by growing up in such a welcoming state. Seriously though – their tagline is “Minnesota Nice.” They’re all just so dang nice!

It’s been SO fun, challenging at times, and overall a great learning experience to be with someone from out of state.

I’m thankful that I’ve been able to travel throughout different times of the year to see what makes Minnesota so special, because the first time I ever visited it was -40 degrees with wind chill.

Lord knows ya girl was NOT made for that kind of weather. 

THANK goodness I was so in love with Brennan that the cold weather and snow couldn’t scare me away 😉

Now that we’ve made the trip every Christmas, it’s actually something I truly look forward to.

Growing up in Southern California my whole life meant that snow on Christmas was a definite not-gonna-happen, but nonetheless, I asked Santa for a white Christmas every year. Guess instead I eventually got a husband that could make that a reality for me, just took while 😉

Though I am SO grateful to live where we do, there are so many times when I just crave some actual winter weather.

When Brennan and I shot these looks from Tillys, it felt so good to be tapping into my winter wardrobe pieces. There’s nothing better than a big coat and cozy sweater. 

The temps finally dropped just a little bit this week and it got me craving some winter weather!

After some back and forth with Brennan, I thought it would be fun to outline the pros and cons of traveling for the holidays.

PROS

• NEW TRDADITIONS: it’s been so fun to be immersed in a different way of doing Christmas with a whole new group of people I’m lucky enough to call my friends and family now. It gets you out of your comfort zone and forces you to remember what the real meaning of Christmas is – celebrating with ones you love! 
• DIFFERENT CLIMATE: Snow and negative temps weren’t the easiest transition for me, and it’s still a running joke that my body shuts down in the cold, BUT I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look forward to it at this point. And to be honest, it’s truly just because of all the boots, coats, and winter accessories I get to wear. So maybe this one should actually be called winter wardrobe bc that’s really the benefit of a different climate 😉
• REMOVE YOURSELF FROM YOUR COMFORT ZONE: One of the challenges of growing up is realizing that nothing will ever stay the same / comfortable. It’s so easy as a kid to think that everything will be easy and planned out because your parents have done a great job at giving you consistency. The first year I went to Minnesota I had a ton of guilt and a little bit of sadness when I wasn’t with my family on Christmas eve doing our normal traditions. But at the same time, it was the perfect way for me to snap out of my comfort zone. Traditions are special, but there will always be a turning point in your life when it’s time to make new traditions – it’s hard at first, but gets easier each year. Then, eventually, you realize just how important change and newness is for your development. 
• MORE EXCUSES TO CELEBRATE LONGER :Our current routine is the week leading up to Christmas in Minnesota then fly back to LA on Christmas day to drive to Rancho to be with my family. Sure – it’s a bit tiring, but there’s no better feeling than loving on both families as much as possible. And since it’s just the two of us right now, traveling like crazy kids on Christmas morning is doable.

  CONS  

• DECEMBER FEELS SHORTER: We’re looking into getting our tree early this year because when we wait for December to get here, it feels like we only get 2 weeks of Christmas décor to enjoy before we head out of town for the rest of December. We also used this excuse to start Christmas music when November started lol.
• NOT HAVING OUR OWN SET TRADITIONS JUST YET: I know this time will come, but right now I do have those moments where I look forward to waking up on Christmas morning in our own house (again, gotta work on the house part haha). This isn’t necessarily a hard CON, but it is the truth! I’m just excited to see how we create Christmas memories in our future house one day ☺
• CUTTING CHRISTMAS SHORT: Not gonna lie, it does suck that we have to travel on Christmas morning and then Brennan has to get back into work on the 26th.  Right now this is just how it is, but I always brainstorm how I can just kidnap him so he doesn’t have to go back right away.
• DIFFERENT STATES: It would be a dream come true for both families to all be together to celebrate! 

Truth be told, everything depends on your outlook. My “cons” list could easily be translated into pros if you look at them from a positive mindset about the opportunity that comes from traveling for the holidays.

No matter where you are this holiday season, I hope you are surrounded by your loved ones – because at the end of the day, that’s all that matters! If you’re starting to think of what to give for gifts this year, make sure to check out Tillys and their gift guides for ideas for the whole family! Right now, they’re having their early Black Friday sale, where you can get BOGO 50% off on select styles and free shipping on orders over $20! It ends on 11/27 so hurry over and get your holiday shopping done early!

And if you’re looking for some great winter wardrobe and gift ideas, I’ll link our favorite items from Tilly’s below and make sure you check out Tillys’ curated gift guides!

ASHLEY’S PICKS

BRENNAN’S PICKS

Happy holidays and happy gifting! xx