This Festive Season, More is More - December 2024 Vol. Nº15
‘Tis the season for jovial gatherings, cozy nights in and little traditions that illuminate the darkest days of winter.
Romanticizing December with all of its trimmings and trappings comes with such a gentle ease for me. From the glow of twinkling lights to the scent of cinnamon and mulled wine, it is a month filled with crackling fires and cups of hot cocoa juxtaposed with glittering festive parties and the hustle and bustle of Santa’s helpers. A cozy, glimmering time of year that I cannot help but to fall madly in love with. With the tender nostalgia and the spectacle of it all, there is something for everyone to cherish during the festive season. Sometimes you are swept away by the traditional Christmas soirée where you laugh and sip champagne the night away and sometimes you are in love with a simple favorite dinner for one on Christmas Eve with the glow of a Christmas tree warming your apartment.
Through the picturesque visions that dance in my head, I am settled into my own winter wonderland with my own little traditions that make this time of year so special. And as always, I am so thrilled to share with you, a bit of my creative madness to spark some inspiration for your own festive hosting. However you celebrate this year, I hope you find love and joy and wonder within even the smallest of moments during this beautiful holiday season. Xx
Get Inspired
More is more this Christmas. With glittering tinsel and a wonderland of jello moulds, this year is an absolute retro dream. From Watergate salad to grandma’s cocktail that will leave you perplexed and delighted all at once, it’s a holiday party to end all holiday parties.
Easy and wonderfully tasteful, this take on holiday hosting is the perfect way to celebrate Christmas without the stress and hassles of a traditional dinner party.
The chicest of chic bar setups imaginable plus fries and caviar. Ciao 2024.
A lovely little personal tradition… A cozy Christmas Eve dinner of butter and carbs.
“Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance—each beautiful, unique, and gone too soon.”
“The best way to celebrate the holidays is with great food and even better company.”
Be inspired by a collection of Christmases past.
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A perfectly nostalgic and festive mini fête. Who knew that making an absolute mess with frosting and sprinkles and torching marshmallows for hot cocoa could spark so much joy.
Caviar Tarts - a Perfectly Chic (and easy) New Year’s Eve Treat. Perfect for a fancy Christmas Eve or a glittering New Year’s Eve affair, caviar bites are about to be your go-to festive appetizer.
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Christmas Eve Fettuccine. A cozy little tradition proving that the littlest things sometimes have the biggest influence. May your petite traditions, no matter how simple and small, forever hold a special place in your heart. Xx
The December edition of Le Supper Club is the glittering final pages of a year gone by. A time to gather and feast and indulge in little traditions. May you find inspiration for your own holiday fête or be encouraged to indulge in a little xmas eve dinner to hold close to your heart. From filthy martinis to holiday feast inspired finger sandwiches, the final edition of the year is one full of recipes, musings, concepts and most importantly… Imagination!
For many years I struggled with my Christmastime identity. I felt pulled in a few too many directions. Loving Victorian Christmas aesthetics thanks to my childhood, while also feeling the pressures to have a clean white light Christmas influenced by modern day norms and yet knowing in my heart that I am, without a doubt, an electric holiday mashup. Maybe it is a funny reflection of life in general, my struggles to find my christmas voice. I have often experienced an internal tug-o-war with my eclectic style and love of leopard, a feeling that I should possibly be a bit more ‘normal’ and expected and less vibrant and bold. Worrying about being too much and trying, at times, to fit myself into an accepted mould that simply was not me, has meant that for a few years, I strayed away from who my true Christmas self was meant to be. But as I have settled more and more into who I am and what I want my life to look like, I have been able to embrace the Christmas that is fundamentally and unapologetically moi.
I have a deep affinity for all things antique and English. I love the traditions, the formality, the history – From Victorian elements to the customs of an afternoon tea, I am constantly looking to the past to inspire my present. There is so much beauty and care in the way things were done a century ago. And I cannot help but fall in love with bits and pieces of those time honored traditions.
This year, I found my inspiration for a Christmas tea within the notorious poem, The Night Before Christmas. Written in 1822, its appearance was about a decade before the start of the Victorian Era and yet remains a staple of Christmas cheer. With lines that will forever be ingrained in our hearts, the poem is one that I have had memorized since before I could read.
Christmas Eve pasta is a little tradition that took shape in the unforgettable mess that was 2020. ‘Twas the year that I unexpectedly got stuck in Los Angeles for Christmas and found myself alone for the first time in my life for the holiday. Being who I am, I was determined to make it special for myself, setting out to dream up something easy and comforting yet full of cozy elegance. Inspired by the Christmas fettucini that is featured in the lovely rom-com that is The Holiday, I adopted the idea for myself, creating an extra special, homemade xmas eve pasta for one. Since then, it has become a little tradition that I love to indulge in, making it more and more my own with each execution.
A chic and artsy New Years Eve celebration without any of the restaurant madness and impossible to get surging ride shares. Going out for New Years has never been my thing. I prefer to dress up and stay in, ringing in the new year with loved ones and a great, glitzy spread. This year I wanted to bring to life a filthy martini. Focusing on all that is glorious about the iconic cocktail, I knew it needed to be icy, there had to be olives and an elegant element was an absolute must. Combine all of those ingredients, and my New Years Eve filthy martini tablescape became a twinkle in my eye. Featuring an amateur ice sculpture, piles of blue cheese stuffed olives, a handful of oysters and an antique silver butlers tray piled high with fries, my vision became a reality! Top it all off with a sexy garnish of ROE caviar and potato chip and you have yourself the chicest mini New Years Eve fête imaginable. Who needs a loud bar packed with drunken strangers when you can have an intimate evening with loved ones and a perfectly crafted filthy martini served with a side of fries.
“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”
Santa approved treats.
Sugar Plums
50g pecans
90g almonds
30g dried cherries
40g dates
80g prunes
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp cardamom
2 tablespoons plum jam
Sanding sugar (I used a light purple color)
Chop and toast nuts at 350ºF for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool fully. Chop all dried fruits and add with nuts, spices and jam to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture begins to stick together. Scoop about a tablespoon and roll into a ball, placing on a small tray lined with wax or parchment paper. Repeat until all of the mixture is used. Pour sanding sugar into a small bowl or dish and roll each sugar plum into the sugar, coating well. Place on the lined tray again, once all sugar plums are coated, store in an airtight container lined with wax or parchment paper in the refrigerator. Xx
1 box rice Chex
1 box corn Chex
2 cups cashews
1 cup almonds
1 14oz bag gluten free pretzels
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cups Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powered
2-3 teaspoons Espelette pepper powder depending on taste (or you can omit if you like)
Pre heat oven to 220°F. Add all dry ingredients to a large roasting pan. In a small pot, melt butter and add in Worcestershire sauce. Pour butter/Worcestershire sauce over the dry ingredients in the roasting pan and mix well with a spatula, In a small bowl combine all spices and sprinkle one tablespoon at a time over Chex mix mixing well between additions. Roast for about 2 hours mixing the Chex mix every 20 minutes until toasty and a deep golden brown.
*Bonus - Your home is about to smell amazing!
