Merry Christmas!!! It’s my favorite day of the year. While we make preparations to roast a pig and gorge ourselves on Cuban food with about 30 other loud Cuban relatives, you are probably enjoying a quiet moment reading blogs before the madness begins at your house. We have an expert on beautiful living for our guest today. Claudia of the blog Paris Apartment is also the author of the book by the same name. You may also visit her website to learn more about how she has made a living from, well, beautiful living. Claudia now resides, like me, in South Florida, and unlike me, she makes frequent trips to Paris. {I wish! Must do something about that…}

Enjoy her lovely list and we hope that you have a wonderful holiday!

{Flowers}
I have a firm belief that flowers were put on earth just to make us happy. Whenever I need a lift, I’ll grab a small bouquet. Otherwise a tiny bud or just a whiff will do the trick!

{Love letters and keepsakes}
One of my favorite things in the world are trinkets from the past. Just having tiny mementos that were so thoughtfully written and crafted with such detail brings a beauty to daily life that modern technology and mass production just can’t match.

{Bedding}
There’s nothing as beautiful as fresh sheets and pillowcases on down pillows. It’s one of life’s simple pleasures and if they’ve been pressed, well, that’s pure bliss.

{Family}
Life is more beautiful when shared with the ones we love. Family means everything to me and I don’t know where I would be without any single one of them.

{Lounging around}
Nothing makes me happier than spending time relaxing, reading and having absolutely no agenda. It’s only when I have time to myself that I can appreciate the beauty in the little things, like breathing and daydreaming.

{Fantasizing}
I love to imagine what it would be like to fix up an apartment in Paris. It’s wonderful to imagine creating a beautiful life in the city with all the trimmings. Everything starts with those daydreams!

{The Ocean}
Nothing is more beautiful than nature. At the ocean time stands still, and the only things that matter are earth, air, fire and water. It’s one of the few places to get to infinity and beyond!

{Travel}
Traversing this glorious planet is my obsession. There is not an inch of it I wouldn’t love to see from the castles to the caves.

{New Shoes}
They put a spring in your step that nothing else can quite match. Especially if they’re Chanel.

{Old books}
Being in the presence of old books; their smell, their feel, their energy…it’s a way to be transported to another time and place. They’re so constant and quietly beautiful.

{The future}
Looking to the future I see a beautiful world developing that’s clean, efficient, friendly and hopeful. A world where we use the power of nature to make sure every person on earth has water, food and shelter.

{Security}
My life is only beautiful because of the selflessness of others who have and still fight for my freedom. I don’t have the words to express my gratitude to these perfect strangers who live and die so that I might have the opportunity to indulge in any of these dreams, but grateful I am!