A toast shared with close friends from my past and present over the weekend:

“To not relying on ‘everything happens for a reason,’ but creating the reasons and making things happen.”

Blessed to be surrounded by people who live this way. They know who they are. And just to be completely transparent, this toast culminated with the word “cheersies.”

In my last post about my partnership with American Living for the Made for 12 Days of Giving campaign, I mentioned I chose a sweater from the holiday collection for one of my colleagues at the day job.

As promised, here’s a photo of Daniel and how he wore it. In other words – this is how a preppy hipster rocks a holiday look, putting cheesy Christmas sweaters everywhere to shame. Nice work, D, and thanks for being a good sport about the santa hat…and the sparkly decorations I put on your desk…and…I guess it’s no wonder I picked you to be the recipient.

Don’t forget to check out the collection for the rest of the sweaters and other gifts. Also, to follow the other 12 days of giving picks from other bloggers, look up the hashtag #MadeForGiving on Twitter.

In case you didn’t see my post from a few days ago, as part of the American Living Made for 12 Days of Giving campaign, I get to share a gift from the holiday collection with someone it was made for.

So today, on this seventh day of giving, I’ve chosen to give a men’s holiday sweater to someone who deserves a little warmth in exchange for all the lunchtime laughs (not to mention tolerating me on a daily basis) – my colleague, good friend, and at times, the punch-line of my jokes – Daniel Oakley. In reference to the latter, I’m sure he’d tell you otherwise.

There are lots of options for sweaters, but given the festive time of year and his hipster-preppy style, I had to go for the moose. And because I’m sure you are now dying to see how someone with his sense of style would rock it, stay tuned for photos in an upcoming post.

In the meantime, browse the sweaters and other gift ideas from the collection here or at JC Penney retail locations.

Photo credits: Microsoft Office, American Living

Calling all iPhone girls. For those who haven’t already seen/heard, one of our favorite designers has a techie treat this holiday season. Rebecca Minkoff has a collection of iPhone and iPad accessories available in her eBay boutique. One of my friends has the stud case (above on left) and it looks awesome in person. There are also a couple of leather accessories at higher price points.

Go get ‘um. If not a gift for someone else, then a gift for yourself.

Photo credit: eBay

American Living is doing something special to introduce the holiday collection by partnering with a handful of bloggers, including yours truly, to host 12 Days of Giving. Each of us has been asked to select a piece from the collection and share the story of who the gift was made for on one of the 12 days. Mine is December 7.

Available exclusively at JC Penney, the collection offers gifts made for everyone in your life whether your best friend, dad, nephew or colleague.

Please note: While American Living is paying me for my time and participation in this program, all of my posts will be from my own point of view including the gift I selected and why.

That said, I’m a sucker for holiday gift giving and am excited to work with American Living again. Check back on December 7 to find out what I chose and who the gift was “made for.”