EDITOR’S LETTER
Among the numerous strange things this year has brought for many of us is the new experience of working at home for months on end and, even if not working, spending far more time grounded and seeing fewer people than usual. This has meant for my team and I – and for many of you – that we’ve relaxed in terms of what we wear, how much time we spend on ourselves and how we present ourselves to the wider world.
As one reader recently told me via email: ‘I feel after months and months of wearing leggings and sportswear I have lost my mojo somewhere along the way! I’m sure I’m not the only reader feeling like this.’ Another wrote to me to say: ‘I have read Good Housekeeping for the past 20 years and have never felt so grateful for it as I have done in the past six months during this pandemic. It has helped me focus on family, food, exercise and friends, and also made me not feel guilty about appreciating clothes and make-up.’
So, fuelled by these and many similar comments, we felt it only right that we should help you focus on getting back to fabulous! In this issue, you’ll find the fashion and beauty teams have brought you some really inspirational looks and ideas (page 20), while health director Julie Powell has concentrated on increasing your energy levels (page 100) and rewiring any bad habits (page 106) that may have crept in during the course of this year.
Getting back to fabulous was something our amazing cover star Monica Galetti really enjoyed on her photoshoot with us: ‘It’s been a while since I got dressed up!’ she told us. I hope you love this shoot and interview as much as I do
(page 14) – Monica is someone who I’ve long found fascinating, so it was wonderful to get to know her better and to hear about her incredible career as well as her family life.
I very much hope for Monica that, now her restaurant has reopened, she experiences a positive build-up to the festive season. And that’s something I really wish for all of you, too, even if this year it’s going to be rather different. To that end, we’re bringing you some early ideas to help you get ahead for the festive season, including delicious Christmas cake and pud recipes for Stir-up Sunday (page 164), and brilliant get-ahead gift suggestions from our experts (page 73) to inspire you. See you next month!