I just read an email reminding me I forgot to share pics of my kids in their holiday wear. Oh dear! Somewhere among making gifts, prepping for Alt Summit and moving to France, I completely forgot. So here’s a peek for those of you who are curious.
We had fun with this year’s selections. Instead of sticking with traditional reds or plaids, we tried to achieve festive feel with hints of glitter and shiny fabrics. Even fabulous gold moccasins for June! The clothes are still looking totally appropriate in mid February, so I feel like we did good. In fact, Olive wore her cozy sweater (above) to her first day of school today.
Sidenote: I think we took 50 or 60 group shots over a couple of different days and not a single one turned out. Hah! You win some. You lose some.
We kind of had a color scheme going on. We kind of didn’t. We used navy, burgundy and gold. But added in other colors here and there.
Ralph is sure a handsome kid. He said that here in France, the boys wear sweaters like this to school, so he wants to to step it up a bit.
We found these boots for Oscar at the Gap. We love them because they don’t tie.
The gold headband was lost like five minutes after this and never found. But it sure looks cute here. So do Olive’s freckles.
Maude’s outfit this year included legwarmers and a drop waist dress. Hello flashback. Hello sophisticated.
We experimented with a fedora for Oscar. But in the end decided thumbs down. Clearly, he’s too cool for fedoras.
Sweet Baby June’s dress was originally worn as a holiday dress by baby Olive. It’s reversible. I added the blue ribbon this year.
Betty has worn this dress for a couple of years. I absolutely adore it. I adore Betty too.
What about you guys? What did you do for holiday wear? Do your kids wear their Christmas clothes beyond December?
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
So cute- all of them! I love your colors and how they match/ but don’t! The legwarmers are perfect! I bought myself a pair of charcoal gray ones this year-
Love the zebra print flats!
of course I only know you from pictures and after you posted the cool pics of you and your husband it is amazing how some of your kids have your expressions or better i can really see you (i.e. pic of the cute girl and her guitar) and other totally Ben Blair (i.e. Betty)…
me thinking this from seeing your family on my screen :)
Legwarmers! Oscar’s amazing boots! All the kids look fabulous even if the group shot didn’t work this year. Thanks for sharing. As for my holiday wears – no kids yet but I look forward to color coordinating with little ones some day.
My girls had that reversible dress from The Gap, red and purply plaid on the reverse right? Oh, I loved that dress. June looks so sweet in it. Actually the whole crew look amazing. I love how Ralph is wearing a tie, but has on a sweater too.
my goodness, what stylish, beautiful children! love those gap boots.
Such BEAUTIFUL children, and the clothes enhance the natural, family sparkle! Many thanks for sharing! Love hand-me downs! etc, etc!
Your kids are adorable, and so are their outfits! Love that you share them with us, and so happy you all are having fun adjusting to life in France!
Your kids have the coolest style. They totally rock!
As always, your family looks so amazingly stylish. I must ask though, do you pick their clothes out at the stores or do they? I have a 6 and 3 year old and I have not been able to purchase clothes for them without them present. On occasion I find a gem but unless I want the items sitting in their closets never to be worn, they insist on picking their own. What’s your secret? :)
What an excellent idea! Holiday clothes that go beyond the holiday! We buy (or I make) our grand daughter’s Christmas dress each year but that’s just what it is. A fancy dress she wears on Christmas day and for the parties. Our children wore their Christmas outfits every Sunday in December and for parties. I love your idea of having the holiday clothes going beyond December. I’m already planning next Christmas in my head!! Perhaps my DIL will even let us dress the boys with this idea!
Oh…and I have to say…your children look fabulous!
Your kids are always looking so good. You should be sponsored by the Gap if you are not already haha. I work there as a sales associate. Great outfits without being too matchy.
Oh my gosh what a good looking family! Great style! Reminds me of books I read as a girl – there is a timelessness.
And so unlike my own cutie. Yesterday we went to Old Navy to shop. Conversation went something like this:
Me: How about this? It has your favorite colors.
T: No. ….Can I have this mommy?
Me: No. … How about this?
T: When can I have it? … No
Me: How about this?
T: Ohhhhkayyyyy. I want this.
Me: No way.
T: Why not?
Me: It’s ugly.
T: When can I have an ugly shirt?
Me: Never (or at least not a really ugly shirt, I will relent a little if you love it and there is some sort of cool factor going on, or it is really, really inexpensive.)
We came away with 2 pair of skinny jeans, 1 plaid short, 1 striped T, and one Star Wars T…. Now he is badgering for Sketchers like *all* his friends have. Bleh.
i’m not a green and red kinda’ girl. i like the kids to be able to wear the clothes again and again, without it screaming *CHRISTMAS*, you know? i love plaids and navy for the boys….but now that they have so many opinions of their own….it’s all about the compromise. that’s good too. your children are darling, no matter what they wear. :)
Such sweet kids! The clothes are wonderful! Festive, but not over the top.
This last year I had my kids (all girls) dress in old Victorian style dresses. I had to make them, but boy did they stand out amongst all the other children. So worth the effort when all the compliments started rolling in.
Are you sure that’s Olive? I thought it was Grace Kelly! : )
And I agree – I’m all about subtle, classic styled Holiday clothes. I actually never took holiday photos this year. I just wasn’t up to the fight. Unless you include our annual Christmas morning, pj’s, stockings, and tree shot.
We too tried for the family photo and it never happened. Oh well there is always next year!
They look totally adorable. Love Ralph’s desire to be more stylish… it will probably benefit him for years (decades?) to come… my little bro is very American in his constant get up of t-shirts and shorts… he’s 23!
Wondered – what are you doing about Maude’s braces while you’re in France? Did you find an orthodontist there?
We usually try to coordinate, but with pieces that are more everyday wear. This year the look was black and white and most of us had a touch of maroon. We ended up getting a photographer friend to come to our house so that our black and white dog could be in the shots too. Luckily the toddler and the dog were both willing to pose for scraps of Christmas ham!
awesome looks! My kids wore black, gray and red!
Your kids are darling. I can tell from photos that they are so sweet, caring, and mature. I’m sure that has everything to do with the two people that raise them! :)
beautiful, I love them all!
I bought my girls dresses that would last all winter.
They promptly outgrew them. Somewhere around December 6th. Right after I took off the “Do Not Remove” tags because I thought I was safe.
The kids look downright adorable! And wow, they all look more mature and grown from the last set of pictures you shared!
I love that Ralph commented on how boys wear sweaters to school. It seems a bit classier than we’re used to here in the states.
And Olive’s freckles! So beautiful. I hope she loves them forever!
I’m a new reader (found you through your sister) and I must say you have some stylin’ kids. They are gorgeous and I absolutely adore their names!
I know that exact dress that June is wearing and love it too! Both my girls have worn it. I’d forgotten about it, but now I can’t wait for this holiday when it should fit our new baby. Thank heavens it’s another girl. This reminds me that I still need to get out and wash all he baby clothes… less than 2 months till D-day. YIKES!
i love what your kids are wearing.
and i want to know about that beautiful light blue leather couch/chair. gorgeous!
Oh my gosh, your beautiful kids.
By “Christmas clothes” I assume you mean sweats and pj pants? Because that constitutes “Christmas clothes” chez Smirnov. Once again I am humbled by you (sigh).
What a beautiful family, Maude looks just like you!
You have a beautiful family, Gabby. We do dress up for the holidays but I have a really big crew (of 9 kids) as well, so yes, the clothes do have to be worn for more than just one occasion or it would be too expensive to dress them! My son recently returned from a foreign exchange year in Germany, and like Ralph, he decided to up his game when it came to dressing and forego the American standard jeans-and-T for everyday wear.
Ralph’s sweater/tie combo makes him look like a kid out of the 1950s… in a good, timeless way, not in an outdated way. Nicely done!
Seeing all your gorgeous kiddos makes me lament having starting my family too late to have. Such a. bundle…sigh…swoon!
Psssst! Psssst! Mon cherie, the headband is dropped between the cushions. When you need something very especially much, like the remote control when you are doente, it is always dropped behind the cushions. Sempre.
Your kiddos are so hip and adorable. Love how you used a mix of colors and looks.
Those faces! Your kids are just gorgeous. Loved this post!