Here's something to distract you from the cold weather and budget day woes - Blogger Brid Warsop from Pretty Far West (who let us look inside her beautiful home in our current issue) is back to give House and Home readers some expert Christmas advice. For more great interiors advice and inspiration, check out Brid's blog.
A reader asks: got any good Christmas tips?
Well, Virginia, let's consider some old reliables and see.
Create festive set pieces rather than decorating every room
A seasonally decorated house soon looks cluttered, so I'm in favour of corralling the sparkle. My enthusiasm runs to a jolly, old-fashioned tree, although in practice the children will want to transform a chair here and a fridge-freezer there into a winter wonderland. There's no stopping that! Take it easy and create ambiance with intangibles such as the smell of mulled wine or the incidental sound of tunes from another room.
Make your own presents
The defining theme of Christmas 2010: don't buy. Hurrah for that. My mother’s crochet blanket, elderflower wine from a kind neighbour, a friend’s début fruitcake... I remember these long after I've forgotten who gave me the parfums and stationery sets. A jar of homemade sweets, a pot of jam, a tablecloth or a painted wooden stool makes a perfect present. A Hèrmes handbag versus your red onion marmalade? ‘Marmalade, please!’ she valiantly said.
Remember that family gifts will have to find a place in your house
The shops ply us with throwaway gizmos For Him, ill-conceived gifts-sets For Her and shrieking plastic toys For The Little Ones. Will they clash with your cushions? Resist them and let this be the year of the non-gift gift: clothes-pegs, a light bulb, a Victorian adventure story, a Ceadogán rug. OK, I’m thinking of myself with the rug.
Have extra food ready to offer to unexpected guests
Pity the unexpected guest, trudging wearily from extra food to extra food. A Christmas cocktail will do, along with a homemade morsel (given to you by someone who was paying attention earlier).
So, Virginia, there you go. Pour yourself another glass of mulled wine (you’re testing your recipe, right?) and there’ll be truth in it all. Keep warm!
