Add some flair to your festive season with our December issue

Editor’s letter

As I write this in the damp rain-spattered, leaf-strewn days of mid-October, one of the things keeping me going is the prospect of the run-up to Christmas, sparkling just on the horizon.

It’s one of my favourite times of the year, packed full of festive get-togethers, vibrant parties and a sense of boundless joy… Even if we’re all rushed off our feet, desperately trying to buy all those presents, plan cocktails for 50 people and source an artisanal Christmas pud, there’s something invigorating about the positive vibes all around. It’s something I feel we all need, this year more than most perhaps.

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Here at ELLE Decoration, Christmas has always been slightly at odds with the modern minimalistic aesthetic the magazine has sometimes stood for, but this year we wanted to tackle the festive spirit properly, with a sense of authenticity and reality, looking at how
you can do Christmas in a contemporary and considerate way, but without thoroughly exhausting yourselves in the process.

Jeltje Janmaat/House of Pictures

Our gift guide features pieces grouped not by a target age group, sex (sooo last century) or enthusiasm for a particular hobby (who really shops like that?) and instead focuses on the materials they’re made from – very much adhering to our tenet of buy once and buy well. And, for those looking for something more mindful this season, we’ve also polled our friends for sensitive ways to gift, celebrate and entertain in a thoughtful way…

As ever, this month’s houses are sourced from around the world, some may be more festive than others, but they’re all full of warmth and heart, which resonates right now.

As Zoe Williams points out in her humorous appraisal of yuletide chaos, the search for perfection at this time of year is a futile one. So just do what you can, be realistic and, above all, enjoy yourselves…