December 2025 was a wonderful month for me! I enjoyed ALLLL of the holiday cheer that this month brings to us all. Whether it be a cozy night in watching a Christmas movie with a glass of wine or a night on the town enjoying some festive fun, December 2025 was truly one for the books! 

The Life of Katie – December 2025

Moving forward with The Life of Katie content, I plan to share it monthly in a more concise format. The posts will be formatted by Week Recaps, Highs/Lows, and On the Blog.

Week Recaps

• December 1-7 – December kicked off with Papa decorating the outside of our house for the holidays and we enjoyed our first holiday snow that weekend. The first week of December was pretty lowkey, cozy, and close to home with many work from home days. That weekend, I enjoyed attending my *first-ever* Scottish Walk in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, where I got to see so many adorable dog breeds that are of Scottish heritage, families who are descendants of Scottish clans proudly sport their family’s tartans, and admire the holiday-filled cobblestone streets of the historic district. I went with my college friends Stephanie and Ashley! After the Scottish Walk, we enjoyed lunch at Barca as their pier was revamped in December as a holiday pop-up, which was ADORABLE! I *of course* enjoyed a holiday cocktail mulled wine!! That Sunday, my childhood friend Sarah and I went to the Gaylord at National Harbor to take in the holiday-filled ICE! Christmas display that was The Polar Express-themed and *of course* checked out the Gaylord’s gingerbread displays!

• December 8-14 – The second week of December was *very* Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and holiday-filled! My DAR Chapter had our annual Holiday Party where I found myself on Metro with 3 bottles of wine and, thanks to my Scout tote, I successfully carried home without much issue!!! The next night, the Daughters of the American Revolution hosted their annual Holiday Open House at Constitution Hall, which I enjoyed attending with some of my fellow DAR Chapter friends and members as well as seeing some DC area friends from the community there, too. Afterwords, I visited the National Christmas Tree beautifully lit up and then headed over to The Willard Intercontinental Hotel to admire their gorgeous Christmas tree and Gingerbread display! That Friday, I put together a Christmas tablescape to prep for my 3rd annual Christmas party that Sunday. Saturday, Haley and I embarked on Year 2 of volunteering at Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery and devoured a delicious brunch at the recently opened Homegrown in Old Town Alexandria. Saturday night, I baked M&M cookies and awaited for more snow! Sunday, my annual Christmas Party was a lovely gathering with several Christmas cookies, wine, cheer, and Spode champagne flutes GALORE. 

• December 15-21 – I took the week off of from my 9-5, which was such a nice way to recharge before the holidays season (and a lot of changes to come in 2026). I spent part of the week at home resting with a daytime visit to the Downtown DC Holiday Market and my favorite Christmas tree in Washington, DC at Riggs Hotel, which was designed by David Laport this season with my friend Brittany and the other part of the week having a solo long weekend in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I enjoyed a lovely time in Philadelphia, where I had a wonderful girl’s evening with my childhood friend Amanda enjoying pasta on the town before heading off to Philadelphia’s Christmas Village. Papa and I also enjoyed an evening stroll to Marshall Pond Christmas Village – a local Christmas tacky lights display in Burke, Virginia. 

• December 22-31 – The 10 days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve truly felt like a BLUR! My Papa and Aunt Amy and I enjoyed our annual Christmas Eve Eve dinner on the town at Mike’s American Grill, I gifted a custom painted portrait of my dog Rosie to Papa, and enjoyed a weekend in Bethany Beach, Delaware with my Dad and Step Mom. For New Year’s Eve, my friend Haley and I enjoyed a lovely Italian dinner at D’Rocco’s in Occoquan which was delicious!

Highs/Lows

Highs

• Christmas time is truly one of my favorite times of the year! I LOVE lighting my Christmas tree in the mornings and shutting it off at night. The cozy nights in by the tree were so wonderful, relaxing, and cheerful. Truly, Christmas time is the most wonderful time of the year!!!!
• I love the slower pace in my 9-5 as the holidays are our slow time to recharge a bit while of course still being on the clock. 
• I really enjoyed my time in Philadelphia visiting Amanda but also tons of solo time to recharge away from home, too!
• I didn’t experience too much burnout this December 2025which I am *very* proud of, as compared to years’ past!
• I had the opportunity to work with multiple amazing brands that reached out to me in December 2025 (and into January 2026!). 

Lows

• To be completely honest and 100000% authentic, actual Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and the gatherings that follow REALLY overwhelm me with all the family dynamics and things. While I love my family, these days aren’t actually my favorite.
• I feel really sad at the end of December that Christmas time is over and I knew I had to take down the tree and all the cheerful decorations in the next 7 days or else I never would …

On The Blog

What’s New

8 Chic Storage Solutions That Keep Your Home Organized and Stylish

How To Plan The Perfect Lisbon To Sintra Day Trip Without A Car

The Life of Katie – November 2025

What I Wore Out Of Office – November 2025

What I Wore To Work – November 2025

Your Guide To A Philadelphia City Hall Tour

Your Guide To Visiting The Royal Palace of Madrid

What’s Trending 

When Is The Lilly Pulitzer Sunshine Sale?

Christmas In Washington, DC Travel Guide

Casanel Vineyards & Winery Review

Milken Center For Advancing The American Dream Guide

ICE! At Gaylord National Harbor Travel Guide

Wrap-Up

To wrap up December 2025 with a bow, I found myself feeling tons of gratitude to end 2025. 2025 was not an easy year for many of us, but I feel lucky to have ended the year on such a good note. Honestly, December 2024 was a really tough month for me, having ended with me experiencing the most severe burnout I’d ever experienced. So, I feel extremely grateful to have had a great end to 2025, although it was a rough year overall.

XOXO – Katie <3