The Nice List
Your guide to mastering the holidays
Clare’s Christmas
Like everyone else, the organising starts well before December. This year, I’ve kicked off the planning by sorting my gift wrap first, which is custom wrapping paper based on the pattern of our Embroidered Maxi Skirt. I’ll be taking it a step further by sending the paper out to everyone we’ll be hosting, because, as a perfectionist with a vision, I’ve been burnt before by a mismatch of decor under the tree.
You can break up the key stages of Christmas Day proper through my outfits. Since it will be Christmas at home in the Cotswolds, you can expect a bit of a heritage twist, and I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I’ll be wearing ME+EM. As a stepmum, it means we essentially have two Christmasses to make sure we get to spend time with every branch of the family, but whichever one it is, the day always starts with stockings. Thankfully, I no longer have to get up at the crack of dawn since the children are older, but I still want something I can throw on that’s quick and effortless. The new Palazzo Pant is coming in December with a wider leg shape to give them a more elevated look, so I’ll definitely be starting with them. Completing the look with our Winter Tee and a cashmere hoodie, finishing it off with our Boot Socks.
After the excitement of stockings, everyone needs to blow off some steam and build up an appetite for Christmas dinner, dogs included. So we’re getting everyone out of the house for a dog walk through the fields. Since I’m in the countryside, I’m doubling up on heritage style with the Houndstooth Overcoat and the Argyle Jumper underneath. The Clever Jean is my ultimate comfy denim option, and of course, I’ll complete the look with a sturdy boot like our Chunky Ankle Boot pair.
On to the food. The whole festive period is spent between London and the Cotswolds, and wherever we are, we try to make it a local affair when it comes to the Christmas stockpile. In London, we always use the five-generation family-owned Lidgate Butchers in Holland Park, and in the Cotswolds, we source as much of the Christmas dinner food as we can directly from the farms, which are quite literally on our doorstep. I like getting dressed up for Christmas dinner, so we’ll start with my favourite thing: trousers, specifically the Ultra-Wide Leg Trouser. We’ve got a jacket coming in December that is absolutely perfect for the occasion. All I’ll say for now is it’s a slightly metallic tweed, and we spent a long time getting this silhouette exactly right, which means it will still keep the perfect shape when you’re sitting at the table pulling crackers and reaching for more gravy.
Merry Christmas,
Clare x
Food + Dining
What’s more festive than a cosy pub? An open fire, chaotic yet charming decorations, and a glass of something mulled, and you’ve got the perfect formula that even the biggest Scrooge can’t resist.
The Hart in Marylebone is part of London’s great pub resurgence. Come for a pint and a perfectly constructed pork pie in the downstairs bar, stay for the reclaimed wood floors and considered menu of the upstairs dining room. Next, we’re escaping the city to The Crown & Punchbowl in the Cambridge countryside. Real fire log burner? Check. Incredibly quaint Grade II-listed inside and out? Check. Cask ales and modern British food? Check, check.
Heading up north to the Lake District. The King’s Arms is a recently restored 17th-century family-owned free house with all the traditional trimmings you can imagine: leather-bound chairs, beamed ceilings and Cumberland sausages. Crossing the Channel to Paris, who knew you could get a Brit-approved sausage roll in the Marais? Well, you can, and it’s at The Cambridge Public House, where Parisian bohéme meets classic English pub.
There’s a clear all-American winner when it comes to cosy Christmas vibes in NYC. Have yourselves a merry little Ralph Lauren Christmas at The Polo Bar. Bookings are goldust (we Londoners can empathise), but there’s usually space at the bar to enjoy a festive tipple and a bite
Book Review
Christmas is all about getting in some R+R: rest and reading. If you’re racing to complete your Goodreads goal before the end of the year, or you’re facing inanimate judgment from the paperback you bought with good intentions but is now gathering dust on your bedside table, then start fresh with one of our festive reads.
If this time of year makes you want to embrace warm and fuzzy reflection, then Laurie Lee’s Village Christmas: And Other Notes On The English Year is just the ticket. A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote is a collection of semi-autobiographical Christmas tales that’s bittersweet, familiar, and at times unsettling, in true Capote style. The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories includes short stories by Truman Capote and Laurie Lee, as well as Angela Carter, Daphne du Maurier, and Hans Christian Anderson. For those looking to wrangle kids into a moment of quiet, the British Library’s A Children’s Literary Christmas: An Anthology has something for little ones of all ages.
Gifting
The Gardener
The phrase ‘winners of 29 gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show’ might not turn many heads in a crowd, but if you said it in the garden centre, it would be raptures. A David Austin Bare Root Rose is the cream of the crop of gardening gifts to the green-thumbed people in your life. On the topic of planting, anything from Milli Proust, from pastel secateurs and softening hand soaps to prettily packaged seeds would go down a treat. Sturdy slip-on and off shoes are a gardener’s essentials, and luckily, it’s very easy to wrap up a shoebox, so look to the collaboration between Tretorn and Kassl Editions.
The Foodie
You can’t go wrong with The Complete Cheese Pairing Cookbook by Morgan McGynn Carr. It does exactly what it says on the cover: takes you through the A-Z of cheese, crackers, and everything else you need for a fromage-filled evening. Devon-based family-run ceramicists Feldspar have an entire edit dedicated to foodie gifts, including a particularly elegant and festive Nutcracker and hand-painted fine bone china serveware. For the friend who is the consummate host, return the favour with something they can indulge in themselves, like a hamper from Coombeshead Farm Hamper in Cornwall.
For Him
When the men in your life say, ‘just get me anything,’ it doesn’t make it easier for us. A little bit of direction goes a long way. Let us help. The tagline for Sébline shirts is: ‘a shirt collection for men, likely to be stolen by women’, so you needn’t feel guilty about choosing the one you like the most. F. Hammann’s Shaving Kit is ideal for the frequent traveller; it’s housed in a compact, carry-on-friendly leather box handcrafted in Germany. Lovers of architecture can enjoy a calm moment in the buzzy festive period with architect William Smalley’s Quiet Spaces book. And because it wouldn’t be a Christmas list without socks, make sure you choose chic ones. Scottish label Pairs don’t see socks as an afterthought, and we agree.
For You
If you haven’t had time to sit down and make a list in between planning, buying and wrapping gifts for everyone else, then don’t worry, we’ve gathered some inspiration for you, starting with cashmere. You can never have too much; from an AM-PM Shrunken Baby Tee to the weekend hero Sunday Jumper. For the ultimate at-home self-care moment, look to the DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro Mask by Dr Dennis Gross. Staying aboard the self-care train, Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis range has something for every time allowance, from a 15-minute sheet mask to the powerhouse Ultimate Glow Set. On the topic of glowing skin, add a little extra shimmer for the party season with Trinny London’s creamy and buildable Sheer Shimmer Pots for lips and cheeks. And because we know you’ve been really good this year, let’s finish the list off with a bang, or a sparkle, courtesy of the Havana Diamond Drop Earrings by sixth-generation family jewellers, Pragnell.
Home + Interiors
First things first, stockings. Go traditional Fortnum & Mason, or go ultra-chic with Oliva Von Halle’s olive-green satin style - the matching sleepwear and accessories also make great stocking fillers. We love a sentimental bauble as much as the next person, but we might place them in a slightly more hidden-from-view spot this year in favour of showcasing these mouth-blown mushroom clip-on decorations. For your carefully considered giftwrap, champion British crafting and the lost art of letter writing with Katie Leamon’s greetings cards, plus the wrapping paper and ribbon to match. Realistically, most of your tablescape will have to be moved to make room for the turkey and trimmings, so let’s stick with the essentials: crackers. Why not get ones with prizes you’ll actually use - no nail clippers or springy egg cups here. Ancient & Brave’s wellness crackers include True Hydration and True Nightcap sachets to aid with rest and replenishment. Maybe we should crack these open early before the Christmas Eve pub trip? For a traditional option, look to The Newt In Somerset’s handmade-in-England, plastic-free crackers, filled with the classics: gift, crown, and joke.
Health + Wellness
It’s easy to get snowed under during the holiday season, maybe literally, maybe figuratively. No one wants festive burnout, so take a breather. VERDEN Breathwork app ‘develops positive breathwork and connection with nature - both proven to transform physical and mental health.’ Registered acupuncturist Ross J Barr has turned his calming expertise to at-home remedies with these cult-favourite Calming Patches infused with herbs and essential oils that are said to elicit a deeply relaxing olfactory experience. Keep the zen energy with Dreem Distillery’s The Z’s Bath Salts, a luxury blend infused with magnesium, CBD and a calming scent. If you need something stronger than a relaxing bath to recoup after your hosting endeavours, then book in at Formula Fig in LA for a luxurious facial or microneedling appointment, or look to their curated skincare edit for some serious stocking filler options.
Happy Holidays,
ME+EM x
Wow, custom wrapping paper is so chic
Great fashion tips. Thanks. I buy a lot from MeandEm too