One of my absolute favorite parts of the holiday season every year is the party my family hosts. Every year, for as long as I can remember, we’ve had our annual “Christmas Party” in between Christmas and New Years. When I was a kid, it was my parents inviting their friends, but as my sister and I have gotten older, the guest list has grown. Now, my sister and I both have our own group of friends to invite in addition to my parents’ friends.

It’s the one time of year that friends who have moved away do their best to be in town, so that we can all catch up on each others lives. In college, it was when we chatted about classes and sororities and new boyfriends and dorm living. Now, we talk about jobs and and life and have more and more little kids running around each year. Even though we’re technically adults now, my friends and I still all end up downstairs, in the “kid room.” Some things are tradition, and I hope they never change! The party is truly something that I look forward to each year, and I love knowing that my friends feel the same way.

Another big part of the night has always been the OUTFIT. In high school, my sister and I would go with our friends to the mall the morning of the party to try to find the absolute perfect thing to wear. Many, many texts have been sent with pictures of potential outfits. Now, I start planning a little earlier… but that doesn’t mean that any less texts are sent out.

I think I picked a winner this year – I paired two of my current favorites, velvet and leather. I know that a tank top might seem out of season, but in a packed house with the oven going for two plus hours, a tank top is actually the perfect choice! My exact top is sold out, but I’ve collected an assortment of other velvet tops below, in a variety of sleeve lengths.

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