Have you ever wondered how a magazine editor decorates for Christmas? This year, Home Beautiful Editor-In-Chief Elle Lovelock is letting us take a peek inside her home at Christmas, as well as sharing her favourite Christmas traditions and hosting tips and tricks.
A Christmas Q&A with Elle Lovelock
Christmas tradition in your house is… “To bake Dutch spiced biscuits and gingerbread men. The whole house smells incredible! We make extras to package up as gifts.”
Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? “Christmas Eve! I love the anticipation and magic. My son gets so excited about hanging his Christmas stocking and leaving a treat for Santa and the reindeer. After he goes to bed, my husband and I have a dinner of champagne, stinky cheese and oat cakes. With mince pies for dessert.”
Formal or no fuss? “I prefer formal. A beautifully-laid table full of the crystal, silver and china I’ve collected for the past 20 years, ‘best’ clothes, candles and classical Christmas music. These days, there are so few occasions where you can really go to town, so I love to make the most of it.”
Your best Christmas dinnerware is… “A set of Wedgwood white china with platinum Christmas motifs. Plus, my favourite Waterford crystal stemware, which we received as an engagement gift. It’s the Jasper Conran ‘Eternal’ design and is out of production, so when I see pieces pop up on eBay, I buy them!”
Your go-to host gift is… “My homemade Christmas chutney. It’s a Mary Berry recipe (if you know, you know).”
What’s your best advice for a stress-free Christmas day? “Choose recipes with prepare-in-advance elements and practise them in the lead up. Set the table the night before.”
What’s your decorating style? “Perhaps it’s my northern European heritage, but I love using red berries. They’re in my tree, on door wreaths, around candles and as garlands attached to the pendant light above my dining table.”
What is your favourite tree decoration? “The French Blue velvet tree ribbon from Balsam Hill. It’s divine.”
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