December officially marks the start of the silly season, despite our local supermarket stocking mince pies and Advent calendars since September, and for those hosting Christmas this year – the countdown to the big day is on. You’ve got to lock in a menu that caters to your family’s seven different dietary requirements, coordinate a round Kris Kringle, and transform your home into a festive wonderland.
To help you tick a few things off your to-do list, we have a collection of festive dishes and summery drinks on our journal now that make for an excellent holiday menu – think whole baked salmon, a seriously refreshing cherry margarita recipe, and the coconut meringue cake that is the ultimate end to any meal.
And as for decorating your home? Forget the tinsel, as we show you how to style your home, table and tree this holiday season with Bonnie and Neil.
The Tree
Every December we transform our living room into a Christmas wonderland. We bring out the fairy lights, we light the pine-scented candles, and we do not skim when it comes to decorating our Christmas tree and loading it with gifts underneath. This year no branch will be left bare as we decorate our tree with our crochet cherry ornaments .
We’ll also be giving the couch the royal treatment with a scattering of our Big Stripe and Rosetta (with its extra festive red fringe trim) cushions so we can settle in comfortably as we watch far too many Christmas movies.
The Drinks Trolley
We’ll be taking the stress out of our Christmas Day hosting duties with a beautifully styled drinks trolley (if you don’t have a trolley, any kitchen surface will do!), where guests can help themselves to pre-mixed cocktails, wine, and non-alcoholic refreshments.
To make things feel extra special, we’ll be bringing out the good glassware ( take a look here at our watercolour coupes ) and loading our speckled glass carafes with Pimm’s and Limoncello spritz
The Grazing Table
In our home, Christmas lunch rarely kicks off on time between the hellos, gifts being exchanged, drinks being poured, and trying to perfect the Christmas crackle under the grill. This is why an essential part of our hosting decor revolves around setting up a self-serve grazing table to satiate guests before the main meal is served.
This year we’re serving platters of fluffy focaccia with bowls of labne, oven roasted cherry tomatoes, a wedge of Comté and salty Sicilian olives all presented in our collection of ceramic serving bowls and platters.
The Main Event
Christmas lunch or dinner is almost incomplete without a festive tablescape. This year we’re going to lean into a subtle candy cane stripe theme with our Florence stripe tablecloth in pistachio . Then we’re going to layer it with our Ferns and Waves green printed napkins, Fantasia cutlery set in rust, colourful glassware, fresh flowers and a few of our scented candles (which also make an excellent Christmas gift) before we watch it all slowly disappear as platters of delicious food finally make their way to the table.
Photography by Martina Gemmola and Styling by Natalie Turnbull.
