Christmas Bliss: Gathering 'Round the Family Table

Raluca Harabagiu -

Christmas is, beyond all else, about doing good, being good, spending moments together, laughing, living in the present, and creating memories.

Gifts play their role in this equation, and they are more than welcome if they are made from the heart, rather than just to check a box on a traditional task.

Regarding the enchantment of Christmas, you are already aware of my praise for Romanian-made goods since I have shared my list of gift ideas with my community. So when The Yellow Creators, Maria and Patricia, asked me to be a part of their special project, The Yellow Synergy, my heart skipped a beat!

It was the ideal project that aligned perfectly with my principles and beliefs. Supporting small companies and local brands while having fun with fascinating and motivating people. The icing on the cake was doing all of this while my 5-year-old daughter, Rita, was right there with me. This domain is full of creativity and beauty, and I am glad she can witness it.

This is not a paid project (though it would not have been a problem or changed my opinion about a product), but rather a group of people helping each other spread the joy and good they do every day in their businesses. Thank you, Maria and Patricia, for coming up with such a brilliant idea. Chapeau bas!

So I really want to present to you these lovely businesses I had the opportunity to work with for this Yellow Synergy Project.

  1. The Yellow Creators: Maria and Patricia—these two girls were responsible for the amazing photos and, of course, like I've said, for the whole concept.
  2. AIRE Official: The exquisite outfits Rita and I are wearing are AIRE. Raluca Niţu, owner of AIRE, was also in charge of the fitting.
  3. Iona Jewelry: Oh, Rita was very impressed with the jewellery she wore during this photoshoot. Me too, as you can see in the photos.
  1. Andrada Falcoi was responsible for our beautiful makeup. Rita was super excited about this part of the journey. And I adored the makeup that Andrada put on my face. I really have a love-hate relationship with cosmetics and makeup goods, but when I'm looking at these photos, I kind of love the way I look.
  2. La Fleur Boheme was in charge of the sublime decor. I cannot get enough of the lovely decorations.
  3. And this splendid decor created by La Fleur Boheme fitted perfectly at Philocaly, one of my must-visit places in Bucharest, owned by one of my muses, Anca Dumitrescu.
  1. Liviu Dragomir cooked some delicious meals. OMG! They were perfection, I swear it!
  2. Speaking of perfection, so were the sweets made by Rapsodia Cake. Rita and I are literally foodies, so you can't joke on this matter.
  3. I can't not mention Crama de Matei. I only tested two out of three sortiments—the white and the red wines—but I was very surprised. I don't drink alcohol—personal reasons and huge traumas related to this issue—but these flavours were just fine for my taste. I can have a sip or two sometimes.