Letter from the Editor
IT’S CHRISTMAS! This is one of the most fun issues to work on, and we start gathering inspiration early. On some of the steamiest July days this summer, the House Beautiful team were tasting mince pies and viewing trees laden with the latest shimmering baubles and sparkling fairy lights, to bring you fabulous decorating ideas to make your Christmas a success.
Thinking about Christmas so early has become the norm for us, which is apt as this is a time of tradition for so many of our readers. Of course, some customs are more welcome than others. Cathrina, whose home on the edge of a snowy forest features on p56, has trouble convincing her family to enjoy the festive food she grew up eating in Norway. Meanwhile, Amanda, who lives in a remote farmhouse high in the Yorkshire Dales, loves the special moment her children file out under a starry sky into the barn to visit their animals on Christmas Eve – read her story on p80.
I usually return to Scotland with my husband and daughters to celebrate with our family. Christmas Day often starts with a church service, followed by bubbles and a big cooked breakfast, and then lots of tea and cake to keep us going until dinner is served around 5 o’clock. When my niece is the cook, she struggles to cater for her vegetarian guests, including me. One year, my nut roast was served with Bombay potatoes, hastily heated up from a packet, because she hadn’t considered that the potatoes roasted in goose fat weren’t suitable for vegetarians! Perhaps this year I’ll leave a copy of House Beautiful open at p156, featuring Tanya Burr’s Christmas feast with a mouthwatering recipe for Mushroom, Spinach, Pine Nut and Blue Cheese Wellington.
However you’ll be celebrating, have a joyous time. From the House Beautiful team, Merry Christmas!