Christmas is coming....
Here's what to do, buy and order this week, before you miss the boat. Scary, I know
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One of my first ever jobs in publishing was features writer on Good Housekeeping magazine. Good Housekeeping readers, as I soon came to learn, were bonkers for Christmas. This meant our December issue (which came out at the beginning of November) was often our best-selling issue of the year, crammed with the best gifts to buy, when to make your mince pies as well as what to book before everyone else. You get the idea..we went full-on festive.
Most traditional media behave in this way, moving into Christmas mode round about the second week in November. But, as I found out to my utter horror last year, November is far too late to do a number of Christmassy things. Christmas cakes for example need making 12 weeks ahead of the game. Christmas shopping slots with many of the major supermarkets opened weeks ago. The best beauty advent calendars have already sold out and don’t even think about trying to buy quality ‘warm white’ fairy lights come mid-December. You won’t be able to. (I also noticed noticed half the Christmas stockings at Burford Garden centre have already sold out online! Who are these people?)
So anyway, here’s what I’m getting bought or booked up this week. It seems excessive, I know. But I also know that come December I’ll be craving for everything on today’s list and will have to wait a whole other year to get my hands on them.
As ever if anyone wants any specifics just pop it in the ‘chat’ channel.
Jazzy Candles
Sure you can buy a packet of candles form the supermarket on Christmas Eve, but they won’t be red and white striped candles. And really, if we’re thinking festive, then red and white stripe anything is what you want. I saw these in the Sarah Raven catalogue this week and will be snapping them up pronto. (I noticed many of her Xmas decorations are already sold out! See, I told you…)
Paperwhites
There’s nothing that gives me greater joy than a home filled with the sweet scent of narcissi come Christmas. You can buy narcissi for a small fortune (and Scilly Flowers do the absolute best by the way) or you can grow your own from a handful of bulbs. The thing is, if you want blooms for Christmas or New Year then you need to plant then next week at the very latest. (Here is a good video about how to do this.) There are two types of paperwhites: Ziva and Inbal. Ziva has much ‘strappier’ foliage so some find it a bit messy, but it comes with the sweet scent many associate with narcissi. Inbal is neater and almost odourless and is what I have ordered this year from Farmer Gracy .(To some people paperwhites can smell like urine. My husband is one of those people.) Alternatives to paperwhites that I also grow indoors are: Cragford narcissi and Avalanche narcissi; forced hyacinths (Farmer Gracy still have some pale lemon City of Harlem ones left that I can recommend and there’s free shipping until midnight tonight) and Amaryllis. (This year I have ordered Papilio). Just remember if you want them for Christam and New Year you need to order and pot them up asap.
Door dressing
I found this adorable company, The Primitive Home, on Instagram last year. I also saw the gingham bow on a neighbour’s door some years back and it looked so smart, far better than a boring old wreath. (By the way, if you do want to do a wreath-making workshop book now, since they will be full-up by mid November. Happy to recommend some in the CHAT channel if anyone needs help. I have done SO many.) Anyway these bows are all handmade so you need to order soonish. Plus £5 from every sale towards a very special charity. I dream of the bright red one on my green front door. So Christmas!