Ed’s letter Last-minute queen Sarah’s good Christmas intentions

CHRISTMAS CALLING

It seems to me there are two sorts of people come Christmas time: the ones who thrive on it – such as our creative director Imogene, whose annual traditions inspire this whole issue – and those like me, who leave everything to the last-minute and wake up Christmas morning exhausted (midnight gift wrapping, anyone?!). Luckily for me, I do start thinking about it a bit earlier than most, courtesy of the planning that goes into this issue. I already have my gift list sorted, thanks to our amazing guide (from page 47), and I’ve settled on a theme! Blue, gold and white with touches of nature, inspired by ‘A Magical Christmas’, from page 31. Now all I have to do is make it all happen...

In the past, I’ve found it easy to justify not going all out at Christmas, but now my kids are really starting to ‘get it’ (or my son at least), things may have to change. He’s been counting down the months since last year, and I know that it’s not just about the gifts, it’s his memory of that joyful day. He’s too young to articulate it, but the wonder of Christmas has already infiltrated his little heart, to my delight, so I’ve been forced to step up my game – a simple tree is not going to cut it this year!

There will be challenges – we are quickly outgrowing our sweet little home and I’m not the world’s best cook, as my family will attest – but I’m determined to deliver a Christmas to remember. While I won’t be hosting Christmas lunch (shout-out to everyone slogging it out in a sweltering Aussie kitchen this year), I will be attempting a few dishes from this very issue to bring to our big Burman family get-together. Like all our recipes, they are simple but with a special twist (from page 181).

I hope all of you, no matter whether you’re a host-with-the-most or just winging it, find something to inspire you but, most importantly, have a safe, happy Christmas and holiday season with those you love.