5 Holiday Things To Do in Baltimore

 Sweater | Denim | Hijab | Bag | Boots | Scarf | Lipstick

'Tis the season!! All of the holiday lights are up, the trees are lit, and there are a ton of activities going on in Charm City! Today I'm rounding my favorite events and things to do in Baltimore during the month of December!

1. German Christmas Village //until December 24

The German Christmas Village is located at Inner Harbor. The Christmas Village is a combination of an indoor and outdoor holiday market. There is food, shopping, entertainment, and so much to do!! My favorite thing is the hot cocoa and German pretzels! Be sure to check the hours and visit the village before it closes on Christmas Eve!

2. Pandora's Ice Rink // until January 15

The Ice Rink is located at Inner Harbor. I'm not a Olympic figure skater but I can manage to ice skate once a year during the holidays! It's on elf my favorite winter activities. I live so close to Inner Harbor that I can walk by and see the rink every night. It's open late and will be on display well into the New Year!

3. Dollar Days // December 9 & 10

Dollar Days weekend is when Baltimore attractions open their doors for free or $1 admission. This includes my personal favorites National Aquarium, American Visionary Art Museum, Christmas Village, Top of the World, and many more! See the full list here. 

4. The Miracle on 34th Street Light Display // until New Year's Day

This beautiful light display is located in Hampden. If you are into festive holiday lights - who isn't - be sure to make your way out to Hampden on 34th Street (between Keswick Road and Chestnut Avenue) to see the marvelous light display! You have the option of driving by or walking the block to take in all the festive holiday lights.

5. Monument Lighting // Thursday December 7 from 5pm to 8pm

This event takes place in Mount Vernon. At the event there is food, music, holiday activities, and fireworks. The lighting of the Monument is followed by spectacular fireworks display. I mostly go for all the yummy food from local vendors!!! Be sure to bring cash as many of the booths only take cash and not credit card! This event will be in 2 days so mark your calendars and don't miss out!

Holiday Gift Guide | The Office

Holiday Card Set | Coffee Mug | Merci Chocolate | Gift Bag

Today I'm sharing a few gift ideas for the office all under $30! I just had my holiday party at the office and for the white elephant gift our budget was $10! I went with this Coffee Mug for less than five bucks and a $5 Starbucks gift card - it was a total hit!

My favorite gift to give coworkers is this sparkly monogrammed holiday mug from Anthropolgie, everyone loves it! For the baker or chef at work I recommend these cute measuring cups. For the traveler there is this awesome travel book and travel steamer that will for sure come in handy on trips!

I've linked a few more gift options below! Thanks for stopping by and happy hump day!

Holiday Gift Guide | Subscription Box

The Holidays are in full swing! Everyone is in a frenzy to find the perfect gift and check all their loved ones off their list. I'm here to help and share a few of my favorite subscription boxes to gift! I've recently become a fan of gifting subscription boxes to friends and family members because its a gift that keeps on giving! Many services offer 3 month, 6 month, or even yearly subscriptions. Today I'm sharing a few of my favorite subscription boxes that I have tried and tested and truly enjoy!

For the Beauty Obsessed -  Birchbox

I have been a BB subscriber for about 4 years now! BB is one my first subscription services to join and my all time favorite. If you haven't heard of Birchbox, it is a monthly beauty subscription box that delivers five samples a month to your house ranging from skin, hair, and beauty products. I personally enjoy it because BB offers access to beauty brands from around the world that I would never have a chance to try or know about by walking into a store. Also BB has one of the best customer services department I have ever dealt with! They really spoil their customers. Here is the link to gift a subscription! It really is the prefect gift for any beauty obsessed gal!

For the Caffeine Lover - c/o Drift Away Coffee

I am huge coffee drinker. Therefore when I heard there was a subscription box for coffee I was immediately on board! My tasting kit included four types of coffee from Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Brazil. My favorite was definitely the medium roast from Nicaragua and the dark roast from Papua New Guinea. The concept behind Drift Away Coffee is simple yet genius, great coffee from trusted sources delivered to your door! Gift a subscription here.

For the Food Enthusiast - c/o Raw Spice Bar

Raw Spice Bar is a great gift for the foodie lover in the family or a friend who is just starting out in the kitchen! Each month 3 packets of spices from a specific region are sent to your door. Each package includes recipe cards with detail instructions and pictures for cooking inspiration. I personally love trying new recipes and cuisine, aside from Persian food, and this is a perfect way to whip together a meal. You can sign up for their quarterly subscription here. Raw Spice is offering ADITL readers $5 off a 6 or 12 month gift or subscription using code: FLAVOR6.

Check back again on the blog all this week for more holiday gift guides and inspiration!

Basket of Love | Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! Finding the perfect gift might be daunting. I personally love gifting gift baskets - it's always better to receive several gifts instead of just one - right?! After a Pinterest search of "Valentine's Day Gift Baskets" I found this adorable Valentine's Basket as Inspiration for the Basket of Love. You can print the cheeky tags here. The basket is filled with yummy treats, goodies, and sweet messages that will surely bring a smile to your sweethearts day!

Have a lovely day!

Nowruz 2015 [1394]

Happy Nowruz! Today marks the official first day of spring. Persians and many other countries celebrate this joyous day as a welcoming of spring and the renewal of nature. The UN has recognized today as International Day of Nowruz. There are many traditions and rituals that take place leading up to Nowruz and following it. The exact time of new year is known as "Tahvil" and its marked by the exact moment when the vernal equinox occurs. Therefore the new year doesn't always occur at the same time every year - as opposed to NYE when the clock strikes midnight. 

The most significant tradition - and my favorite - of Nowruz is the traditional new year table known has "Haft Seen." The Haft Seen translates to the Seven S's. [Check out last year's Nowruz Haft Seen post here.] This table consists of seven items that symbolize various things. These items include: 

Sumaq [Sumac] symbolizing the color of sunrise

Senjed [Wild Olives] symbolizing love

Serkeh [Vinegar] symbolizing old age and patience 

Sib [Apple] symbolizing beauty

Seer [Garlic] symbolizing medicine

Samanu [Wheat sprout pudding] symbolizing affluence 

Sabzeh [Wheat, barley, or lentil sprouts growing in a dish] symbolizing rebirth

In addition to these items it is customary to include other symbolic items depending on the tradition of the family. These items include: Sonbol [Hyacinth] symbolizing fragrance, Sekkeh [Coins] symbolizing wealth, a gold fish to mark the the passage from Pisces to Aries, a mirror to reflect the light of wisdom and creation, candles to symbolize holy fire, decorated eggs to represent fertility, and a copy of the Quran or religious text to signify prayers.

In my family I eagerly volunteer as tribute to set-up the Haft Seen every year. This year I declared the Haft Seen colors as Turquoise & Gold. There is no particular reason to choosing these colors other than Persians love tturquoise and gold. Majority of these items are from my mom's collection. In addition to the Haft Seen I set up a traditional "Sonaty" area with all my mom's trinkets from the motherland she has collected over the years. This makes for a great photo backdrop and all the hundreds of pictures we will be taking.

I wish everyone a year of good health, happiness, and lots of love!

"Nowruz reminds us of the values and aspirations we all share for peace through tolerance, respect and mutual understanding." -UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

Nowruz Party Favor Cookies

Golreezan Iran Cookie Cutter & Golreezan "Eideh Shoma Mobarak" Stickers

Nowruz is a time of lots of festivities. During the days and weeks following Nowruz it is customary for people to visit each other's homes and welcome the new year. As party favors for guest when they come to visit our home during the Nowruz (New Year) celebrations I baked these delicious sugar cookies and added some festive Nowruz flair courtesy of these Golreezan Nowruz products. 
I always use the delicious Corilynn Sugar Cookie Recipe  - seriously best recipe ever! This recipe yielded 32 cookies using the Golreezan Iran Cookie Cutter. Once the cookies were baked and cooled down I placed a cookie in the loot bag - which I got from the dollar store. I decorated the bag with these adorable Golreezan Nowruz Stickers and topped it off with some ribbon. 
Now I just need to keep these favors hidden from my family in order for our guests to enjoy them!
Happy almost Nowruz! 

Festival of Fire [Chahar-Shanbeh Suri]

 Jacket: NIMANY | Sweater: The Limited (old) | Jeans: The Limited | Scarf: Vela | Shoes: Converse | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff | Watch: Michael Kors | Sunnies: Cole Haan | Flash Tattoos: Zahra | Lips: YSL #17

On the eve of the last Wednesday of the year it is Persian custom to celebrate by lighting bonfires and jumping over fire. This tradition is known as "Chahar-shanbe Suri" which translates to Red Wednesday. The tradition includes jumping over fire and chanting: 

"Sorkhi-ye Toh Az Man, Zardi-ye Man Az Toh." 

This phrase translates to "Give me your beautiful red color, and take back my sickly pallor!" The significance of the phrase is that you want the fire to take your problems and sickness and in turn give you warmth and energy in the new year. The festival is celebrated on Tuesday night to make sure all the bad spirits are chased away.

Happy fire jumping!

Photos Taken By: Sameeraa SZ

Nowruz 2014 [1393]

Happy Nowruz! Nowruz is my favorite Persian holiday!!! I embrace all the traditions and love celebrating and spending time with family and friends. Nowruz literally translates to "new day" which marks the beginning of the new year in Iran and many other countries. Nowruz is celebrated on the first day of spring which is March 20. 

With the celebration of the New Year comes many traditions. One of these traditions is the Haft Seen table. Haft Seen translates to The Seven S's. The Haft Seen table includes items that begin with the letter S and symbolize various things. The traditional Haft Seen includes:

Sib [Apple] symbolizing beauty

Sonbol [Hyacinth] symbolizing fragrance

Serkeh [Vinegar] symbolizing old age and patience 

Senjed [Wild Olives] symbolizing love

Seer [Garlic] symbolizing medicine

Samanu [Wheat sprout pudding] symbolizing affluence 

Sekkeh [Coins] symbolizing wealth

Sumaq [Sumac] symbolizing the color of sunrise

Other symbolic items placed on the table are:

Sabzeh [Wheat, barley, or lentil sprouts growing in a dish] symbolizing rebirth

A gold fish to mark the the passage from Pisces to Aries 

A mirror to reflect the light of wisdom and creation

Candles to symbolize holy fire

Decorated eggs to represent fertility

A copy of the Quran or religious text to signify prayers