Christmas Hosting: 3 Tips for Going the Extra Mile

Christmas Hosting: 3 Tips for Going the Extra Mile

“You have a very Christmassy home.” Is there any better compliment at this time of year than that? When you’ve spent the better part of a day peeling potatoes, basting and re-basting, making up guest beds, simmering orange peel and cardamom for the perfect waft of festive cheer, and working up your nerve to flambé the Christmas pudding – will anyone even eat it when it’s finished smouldering? – the only thing more welcome than that bottle under the next guest’s arm is the ultimate in festive compliments.

Some homes are just inherently Christmassy and seem to whip out an extra dose of fa-la-la-la-la as soon as the 1st of December hits the calendar. But how?

While the quintessentially British cottage certainly has a head start in that race thanks to its roaring fire, heart-of-the-home kitchen and cosy, thick walls, that doesn’t mean we can’t invoke the same Christmas-y vibes elsewhere.

Here are five of the best ways to ensure that visitors literally step into Christmas the moment they pass your front step.

Good bedding always wins

Christmas is wonderful, but it’s also exhausting. Mentally, emotionally, physically…retreating to the bedroom after a long and sociable wine and cheese evening, a raucous Christmas do, or the big day itself feels like a return to the cave for a bear on the brink of hibernation. Nursing a too-happy tummy, a throat sore from laughing, and a head that’s taken on a few too many bubbles all call for one thing: a sublime cloud of a bed ready to send inhabitants off into a deep and undisturbed sleep.

This really is the best way to go down as the host with the most. Soft lighting, thick and lined curtains that fend off the early morning glare bolstered on the snow, and a relaxing scent – lavender, or a refreshing rosemary – all go a long way. Combine those with well-layered bedding that envelops any and all who fall into it – crisp cottons and soft, breathable linen are best – and your guests will struggle to leave all that tranquillity in the morning.

Embrace the squeeze

One of the easiest ways to feel daunted at Christmas is to think about the amount of space you have available to you, versus the amount of space you need. Usually, there’s too little of one and too much of the other – and, before long, it’s all too easy for logistics to derail an otherwise splendid Christmas period.

But a squeeze at Christmas is part of what the season is all about, and there are plenty of practical ways to make catering for an (over) abundance of guests perfectly manageable.

Fiona McKenzie Johnson offers some valuable tips in this article, including reorganising the infinitely more adaptable toddlers and pre-teens into snugs, TV rooms, playrooms – anywhere where the novelty of a night on the floor will take over – and make-shifting a few extra seating options in the living room.

The more relaxed and ‘come what may’ you can be about fitting in a few extra bodies, the better your hosting will be. Christmas in Exeter Street taught us that a home bursting at the seams with happy guests really is a string to your bow at Christmas, not a setback.

Tablescaping will cover all manner of sins

Speaking of embracing a tight (festive) squeeze, it is often necessary to expand the dining table beyond its usual scope with the help of the larger nesting tables, a foldable workbench from the shed…anything that elongates or widens and accommodates an overabundance of guests or serving dishes.

Tablecloths go a long way to masking the improvised layout, but embracing tablescaping will mean that you no longer see a jerry-rigged jumble every time you walk past the dining room. What’s more, it really takes the scene from ‘family dinner’ to ‘Christmas blowout’, provided you don’t add so many elements that the serving dishes are relegated to the kitchen work surface.

There really are no hard and fast rules when it comes to effective tablescaping. Christmas is a great time to bring out all the beautiful linens and mismatched bought-for-beauty tableware that spends most of its time as decor. With so many traditions and overlapping memories, that eclectic, curated look is a great way to rouse some emotions from guests and achieve a really singular look at your table.

And, the more eclectic you are with your tablescape, the less you have to worry about mismatched dining chairs, cutlery, and strangely shaped arrangements of tables that bend around the tree just to ensure everyone has a seat.