Cairenn & Kerry’s Christmas tips

1 GET A REAL TREE

Not only does it smell wonderful, but it looks great and can be recycled afterwards. Make sure it lasts by keeping it well watered, ideally with a stand that has a builtin water bucket, and keep the heating off or low in that room.

2 DECK THE HALLS

Go natural, advises Kerry, and rope the children in to help gather branches, cones and berries on walks. Use leftover pine branches from the tree; add glitter to oranges and pine cones; use mistletoe and ivy. Spray them or leave them natural. They look beautiful and most of them are compostable or can be burnt in the stove afterwards.

3 THEN ADD SPARKLE

“More is always more with fairy lights,” says Cairenn.

The secret is to start from the top, use two bunches and have someone else on hand. She likes soft white lights, at least two lengths of them. “Technique is important, otherwise you end up with a cluster of lights in the middle like a belt. The trick is to get someone else up a ladder and badger them until it’s right.”

“It’s nice to put fairy lights in random spots around the house and in the garden, so when you look out you see them at night,” says Kerry.

4 INVITE FRIENDS AND FAMILY

But keep it mellow and low stress. “I have a big platter that is whipped out when I have people over for drinks,” says Cairenn. “It doesn’t involve any baking or cooking and I pile it with nibbles — cheeses, nuts, olives, bread — and just present it really nicely. Then it’s about being a good host and making sure everyone’s glass is full.”

“We’re very sociable and have people around all the time,” says Kerry, whose husband Pat is known as Party Pat — “he is the best host.” Serve a signature drink, she says, “it makes it more like a celebration.” Her tipple is ‘Reindeer fuel’, Prosecco with a swirl of Campari and orange rind. “It looks so Christmassy.”