MUSIC: 10 christmas songs definitely getting you in the mood for the holiday season.

to celebrate the holiday season and to get in the mood for christmas, what is better than listening to the perfect christmas soundtrack?

here are my personal fab 10 christmas carol playlist definitely being able to getting you in the mood!

how do you like my playlist
do you have a favourite christmas song?

1. oh holy night - my favourite version is from ella fitzgerald. brings tears to my eyes every time i listen to it. it's so full of devotion, hope, and also a bit of melancholy. also the favourite christmas carol of david garrett.
2. my favourite things - from the sound of music. for me the perfect christmas song because it talks of so many things brightening up the beautiful holiday season.
3. 12 days of christmas - fiiiive goooolden riiiiings! i must admit that first i didn't like the song because it annoyed me. no joke! but after some listenings i embosomed it and have loved it from this moment on. my favourite version is sung by kathleen battle and frederica von stade from a carnegie hall christmas concert.
4. walking in the air - from the snowman. no matter if sung or solely the piano instrumental: both versions are so beautiful, no matter if you have watched the movie or not. the overwhelmingly beautiful harmonies in a minor key will bring tears in your eyes and the lyrics are wonderfully touching.
5. hark! the herald angels sing - a christmas carol classic. this song shouldn't be missed out on a traditional holiday season playlist.
6. maria durch ein dornwald ging - once sung in my choir when i was in my young teenage tears, this carol never let me go anymore. i love the ancient medieval harmonies which are most beautiful and touching when sung by a childrens choir of soprano and tenor voices. when i heard this song for the very first time, i imagined holy mary wandering through the gardens of thorns, which miraculously turned into beautiful blossoms. this is the wonder of faith - it can move mountains and turn thorns into flowers ... and give hope, where there seems nothing to hope anymore.
7. ave maria - by johann sebastian bach and gounod. wonderfully soothing harmonies. magical, with or without the lyrics. a beautiful homage to holy mary. and a genuine evidence that bach's music is perfused with feeling and not aseptic and cold, as many people like to state. 
8. in the bleak midwinter - a wonderful christmas carol. the lyrics are based upon a poem written by christina rossetti. in 1906 gustav holst (composer of 'jupiter, bringer of jollity') set the beautiful poem to music - what a beautiful unification! so devout and soothing. my favourite version is sung by sissel, the wonderful soprano singer from norway, who has also sung my favourite poem by lord gordon byron, 'she walks in beauty like the night' as set in music in the phantastic movie 'vanity fair', starring reese witherspoon.
9. last christmas - by wham. a favourite of mine, every year, since the day i have heard it for the very first time when i was still in my young teenage years.
10. the christmas song - my favourite version is sung by nat king cole. such a must-listen-to ... 

'although it's been said many times, many ways: 

merry christmas to you'

have a wonderful holiday season.

don't forget to participate in the best of the blogs competition for january 2015!

         

GIFT GUIDE: christmas gift guide for mum & dad, him & her.

if you still don't know which gifts to buy for your beloved once and still need some christmas shopping inspiration, i want to share a little gift guide with you in today's post. here you can find inspiration what to buy as a christmas gift, wether it is a little something for mum & dad, your best female friend, your sister, brother, cousin, or boyfriend.

what do you think of my little christmas gift inspiration?

did you already buy all of your christmas gifts?

1# michael kors - selma large top zip satchel fuchsia, seen here: click / 2# drachelfels design - flammeninferno, seen here: click / 3# alexa chung - it, seen here: click / 4# D&G - DG4180 sunglasses, seen here: click / 5# christian louboutin - pumps suspendo sling, seen here: click / 6# nach bijoux - porcelain cheetah earrings, seen here: click / 7# gucci - gucci by gucci perfume, seen here: click / 8# veuve clicquot - ice jacket edition, seen here: click


1# daniel hope - escape to paradise, seen here: click / la mer - crème de la mer, seen here: click / 2# john lewis: cognac amber decorative drop earrings amber, seen here: click / 3# krug vintage champagne, seen here: click / 4# roeckl - classic cashmere, seen here: click / 5# saint laurent - rouge pur couture lipstick belle de rose, seen here: click / 6# chanel - no.5, seen here: click / 7# howard schatz - h2o, seen here: click


1# bozzetto, seen here: click / 2# fossil - men's watch grant leather, seen here: click / 3# coffee-table book, seen here: click / 4# fossil - watch box, seen here: click / 5# ludovico einaudi - stanze, seen here: click / 6# baldessarini - strictly private, seen here: click / 7# cardenal mendoza solera gran reserva, seen here: click


1# swiss kubik by bornemann - watch winder, seen here: click / apple - ipad, seen here: click /  2# slyrs bavarian single malt whisky, seen here: click / 3# fossil - george peacoat, seen here: click / 4# gribani - iphone case tanned, seen here: click / 5# philips - shaver series 9000, seen here: click / 6# paco rabanne - one million for men, seen here: click

don't forget to participate in the best of the blogs competition for january 2015!

         

OUTFIT: they call it night, and I call it mine.

this could somewhat be regarded as a throwback outfit, because it was photographed last year (when i was still in my old flat and not knew that i would be featured in the last episode of season 17 of schloss einstein and haven't started my new glass of jam jar moments for 2014 yet). 

but i still like it, though. i love the subtle hunter green silk and velvet ganni pants (so extremely elegant and comfortable), my hoss intropia nude coloured and 100% silk blouse, the vintage jewellery of my mum and the unbelievably comfy black heels from H&M. the only reason i haven't posted it earlier was that i simply forgot it. so sorry XD 

i have found it some days ago when i browsed through my ready-made blog post drafts not yet published. and there i found some nice blog posts, including this one.

what do you think of my outfit?

pants: ganni / blouse: hoss intropia / shoes: H&M / bag: gucci / bracelets: vintage, H&M / earrings: via ebay.de

don't forget to participate in the best of the blogs competition for january 2015!