On the Fifth Day of a Feminine Christmas

The pink-frosted lipstick, the ballet-pink bouclé coat, the bejeweled buttons—each whispers Christmas, with a softer, more feminine key. I have always loved pink, and at this time of year it feels especially enchanting, a gentle alternative to the familiar blaze of traditional red.

These frosty rose hues call to mind crystalline evenings and star-strewn skies, nights that seem to shimmer just a little more brightly during the holidays, inviting quiet wonder and even romance.

This season, I have a new pink cashmere sweater, a birthday gift. It’s a candy pink—likely a shade I might have passed by on my own—but once I slipped it on, I felt unmistakably festive, in a way that black or even red could never have offered.  It’s soft as a secret and very suited to the small ballet I will attend with my granddaughter tomorrow.  My unexpected pink sweater will be a perfect Christmas accompaniment to a night of music and grace.

However, my frosted pink lipstick days have been over for decades.  Instead I will most likely reach for Revlon’s Pink in the Afternoon, a very subtle rose hue with a bit of “lift”.  Or I will try a pale coral lipgloss.  Whatever I decide to wear on my lips, I know that this Christmas, pink can be just right…