The girls celebrate Christmas

A couple of weekends ago I had 2 awesome holiday events with different girlfriends.

First I headed downtown to the Madarin Oriental for afternoon tea with a couple of my favorite girls.  It was really lovely.  We spent all afternoon (literally, we were there for hours) sipping champagne and tea and enjoying the wonderful spread of sweets and treats they had.

They have 16 different types of tea plus numerous coffees and martinis on the menu.  The place was full with mostly women - groups of girlfriends and families, celebrating the beautiful Sunday afternoon together.

We chatted so much, I forgot to take any pictures until it was almost too dark and they were putting everything away!  We had a great afternoon - I highly recommend the hotel for afternoon tea.  It's such a nice time away from the hustle and bustle, whether it's the holiday season or any time of the year!

After saying goodbye to the girls, I raced back to Reston for Christmas dinner with another group of girlfriends.  We went to Il Fornaio, one of my favorites in the Town Center.  We laughed and talked and ate their wonderful food.  We also did a white elephant gift exchange, which was very fun.  And I came home with a big box of Godiva chocolates!

The holidays can be stressful and hectic, but it's so important to take time out to celebrate with friends and family.

Did you do any fun things this month with your girlfriends?