Eat, drink and be merry!

This holiday season is going to look a lot different for so many of us. I for one will be spending Christmas in Paris for the first time in the eight years since I moved here. And this is only the third time in my life that I won’t be spending Christmas at my mum’s in South East England. Thankfully I will not be alone, but it will certainly be a big change to my usual traditional Christmas. Either way, I’m determined to make the most of it and bought a huge tree as soon as they went on sale, I’ve decorated my space with flowers, I’m lighting candles daily and I’ve filled my fridge with my favourite festive food. So I thought I’d put together a few things that I plan on doing over the next few days to make the most of it, to inspire you to make the most of yours!

Set the scene

If you have a shelving unit, side board or buffet (as we call them in France), or even your table, create a little festive scene as I’ve done in my photos with a beautiful bouquet, bowl of clementines, candle and a bottle of champagne - it will add warm, colour and cheer to your space.

Create a festive bouquet

Since the second confinement started at the beginning of October, I’ve been buying fresh flowers on a weekly basis. Today I picked up three different bunches, holly, berries and a bouquet of white flowers which I don’t know the name of, but they look pretty, and I made my own. There’s something incredibly calming and meditative creating a flower arrangement and it’s a little ritual which brightens my day. I hope one day to do a workshop and learn the names of more flowers, but until then I will continue to improvise. Also often your local florist will be selling offcuts of holly and christmas trees, which can also be incorporated.

drink champagne

There’s is always something to celebrate - whether your day has been dramatically reduced in terms of numbers to two or even one - plan a zoom with family and friends, wear something nice and pour yourself a glass of champagne. Just because times are hard, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make the most of the season and celebrate.

Use your best dinnerware & glassware

Forget saving things for best. If anything this year has shown us to make the most of moments at home. If something gets damaged or broken, don’t sweat it - at least it was enjoyed!

Play Games

They will be five of us for lunch on Christmas day (plus a dog) and we’re planning on playing Cards Against Humanity (although I feel this should be re-named to ‘Cards Against Covid’) and Trivial Pursuit, which I recently started playing again this year during holidays with friends. It’s also easily played over zoom. I recently had a few friends over for dinner just as the confinement was ending and the curfew was beginning.. and we played trivial pursuit, with two of the players on the phone.

Light candles

There is something about the ritual of lighting candles. I’ve been doing this almost every evening while I’ve been at home. They add a beautiful warm glow to my space.

Watch a heart-warming festive film

A few faves are: Love Actually, Elf, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Die Hard (actually yes), The Goonies (not festive, but so good), Sleepless in Seattle (basically anything with Meg Ryan, including When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail and French Kiss, Four Weddings & A Funeral, Notting Hill, The Family Stone (I watch this every year), Last Christmas, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Home Alone and The Grinch.

curl up with a good good book

If your plans have been cancelled, then there’s no better time than now to curl up with a good book! A few faves: On Beauty, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, Normal People by Sally Rooney (the series is also a must-see), When in French: Love in Second Language by Lauren Collins, Saturday by Ian McEwan, Kate Mosse series and anything by Kate Atkinson, Paul Auster and Margaret Atwood.

And finally, I’m wishing you a very merry holiday season, wherever you are and however you are celebrating! Lots of love from Paris, Marissa xx