J Crew Daphne Wool Coat, size 22 / Lands End Lightweight Turtleneck, size 3x

I’m pleased to have been invited to join 10 wonderful women over the age of 40 in the Ageless Style Linkup. The linkup runs the first Monday of each month and features an outfit based on a single theme, with a different theme each month. Each month, one of the co-hosts invites a guest co-host to join us for the linkup.

This month’s theme, Valentine’s Day & Date Night Looks, was chosen by Kellyann of This Blonde’s Shopping Bag.

I’ve always loved holidays. I love my birthday. I love any day that is different from all the other days. One gift my parents gave me was the gift of celebrating holidays. There were always cards and gifts. There was always an appropriately-shaped cake. Some decorations. No holiday was to be ignored.

But when you’re single and live alone with no family nearby, holidays can be very solitary. Over the years I’ve come to do less and less. In a busy life, it can be hard to make the time for decorations or special food or activity when you’re the only one to experience it.

And Valentine’s Day can really be a tough one for singles. All that love and romance floating around that day and none of it coming your way (<- depressing Valentine’s poem right there).

But…it’s hard to give up altogether. I’m off from work on Valentine’s Day this year, so I think I’ll take myself out to a decadent breakfast, maybe buy myself a little gift at a favorite shop in town…some flowers…and definitely dress in Valentine’s colors!

I do love a good pink and red mash-up. This is my super soft chenille kitten paw sweater I got a few years back that I generally don’t wear out of the house because…(stay with me here)….yes, it’s SUPER soft, literally like you’re wearing velvety kitten paws next to your skin (and not in a gross way). BUT it has weird “design holes” in the knit, little peekaboo holes. That if I were wearing it to work or anywhere out in public, would not be that appropriate. So, obviously you need to wear something underneath it – tee shirt, turtleneck, whatever. But THEN you don’t feel the velvety kitten paw softness next to your skin, so what’s the point?! So I really only wear it at home where I can enjoy it.

Phew!

However, I did make an exception for today as I don’t have much pink in my winter wardrobe.

Do you have things like that – that you’ll only wear certain places or under certain circumstances? I had a friend many years ago that always told me I kept myself in a very small box. Hmm.

ANYWAY. I hope everyone has a happy Valentine’s/Galentine’s/Friday the 14th, whatever you wish to celebrate…or not!

And I hope you’ll take a look at the other ladies of the Ageless Style Linkup…I can pretty much guarantee their posts will be less depressing than mine!

P.S. Fun Fact: I’m wearing my worn-out and torn-up jeans! I’ve found no cropped length skinny jean replacement and it has really left a hole (ha ha, no pun intended) in my wardrobe! But as long as I keep my coat on you can’t see the tear, so…here I am, just living on the edge.

Amy ~ Amy’s Creative Pursuits Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest

Bettye ~ Fashion Schlub Blog, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

Daenel ~ Living outside the stacks Blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter

Debbie ~ Fashion Fairy Dust Bloglovin, Blog, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter

Jennie ~ A Pocketful of Polka Dots Blog, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Bloglovin

Jodie ~ Jodie’s Touch of Style Blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter

Julia ~ When the Girls Rule Blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram

Kellyann ~ This Blonde’s Shopping Bag Blog, Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter

Shelly ~ The Queen in Between Blog, Instagram, Bloglovin, Pinterest, Facebook

Shugunna ~ Nzuri N* Simplicity Blog, Pinterest, Instagram

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