Good in Every Day.

It was the 12th of December and we had been weeks without snow.

As Christmas decor decked the halls, and holiday tunes plagued you wherever you went, Christmas had theoretically arrived and yet there still remained one missing component critical to Alaskan winters:

Snow.

I nonetheless dressed the spirited part, wrapped my presents, and sent my Christmas cards, patient in understanding that Snow was taking her time.

Well today, she arrived in style.

Big, fat, wet, flakes fell from the sky from morning till night and for the first time, it felt like Christmas was truly here at last.

Snow’s fashionably late arrival made me think of a little quote visible on one of Soldotna’s small business’s marquees.

Every day may not be a good day, but there is good in every day.

Nearly every December, I’m reminded of how fast the month flies by. Somewhere between my transition from kid to adult, time sped up and whilst December used to go by at a snails pace, it now comes and goes before I have time to really appreciate this special time of year.

When it snows, time, for me, slows down. There’s a blissful peacefulness that settles everywhere as the mute flakes fall from the sky and today, it made me stop and really think about time.

When we went those 12 days of December without snow, I focused so much on what Christmas was missing instead of looking around and realizing that the spirit of Christmas was all around me and it took a new pair of eyes to see that.

There was good in every day of December, despite not having snow. And I have to remember to slow down and really appreciate all the good parts about Christmas, whether we have snow or not.

And it looks like we just might have snow…

Holly Golightly.

Did I ever tell you how divinely and utterly happy I am?

There’s something inherently marvelous about Holly Golightly. She’s classy, stylish, independent, and we all know she throws simply the best parties around.

Well last night, I got to dress like her.

Correction: I got to dress like “Holly” Golightly, which in Elan’s world translates to dressing like the famous screen star but instead of diamonds in her hair (of course, personally, I think It’d be tacky to wear diamonds before I’m forty), she wore holly.

Get it? Holly Golightly?

Please, hold the applause.

It was a generic, average, run of the mill Wednesday night and I had spent the whole day working on playlists, which featured a lot of Henry Mancini, which brought me to dressing like Audrey’s iconic character in Breakfast At Tiffany’s.  

There was no occasion, no party, no date, no people over to share congenial conversation with. It was just me, my (fake) ciggy, and jazz music playing all around.  

If you don’t know by now, I like to dress up, regardless if there’s an occasion or not.  

Dressing up, to me, makes me feel good. And I’ve always believed that you create the occasion to dress up, not the other way around.  

Living in a casual and outdoorsy place like Alaska has taught me that style truly does come from within, not from outside influences. Look where I live! I’m surrounded by Carhartts and Extra Tuffs and I somehow came out wearing a red dress and diamonds.  

Living in Alaska has also allowed me to express my individuality and despite standing out even more here than in San Francisco, London, or even Los Angeles, I feel more comfortable and confident with who I am and how I present that to the world. 

Like Holly Golightly, there’s more to the surface that meets the eye. Both of us use style to represent who we are on the inside and while her goal is to find a place that makes her feel like Tiffany’s, my goal is to find a place that makes me feel as good as being home does.

Which is where I am now.

Looks like we both found a place where we can buy some furniture and give the cat a name.

Still waiting on my Paul Varjak though…