according to my mother, november 13th is the official start of the holiday season. so while most of you continued to countdown to roasted turkey and cranberry sauce this weekend, i wrapped 15 ft tall conifer trees in tiny twinkling lights.

however, to my amazement, we weren't the only over-zealous clan bedazzling the front yard before turkey day. about 30 min after pitching the ladder, the neighbors across the street surfaced for a friendly game of, Christmas Lights Show-Down. my disinterest for clipping over sized bulbs to a gutter immediately vanished as my internal need for victory focused my eyes on one thing, squashing the competition. they had us in numbers. me, my mom and my dad versus a parent duo plus four. but they were no match for our skill and organization. we faked our friendly hello's and settled in for a marathon light-show battle to the death. 5 wrapped trees, and one sparkling house later, we declared victory over their sad display of a few jumbo candy canes stabbed carelessly into the grass. as we stepped back to survey our work, we soaked in the sweet aroma of success and took a moment to remember what the holidays are truly about. crushing your opponents and winning at all costs.

Shorts: H&M Shirt: JCrew Sweater: Moth Boots: Banana Republic Bag: Dooney and Bourke