Every meal in December is a celebration, and there is no better way to relax with friends and family than a Christmas brunch.
The venue for this Christmas brunch was a mid-century Japanese-inspired dwelling high up in the Hollywood Hills, where just a few minutes out of the city, the ambiance is more tea house than sleek condo.
More is always more with Christmas table decorating! For the color scheme of the table I stuck with traditional shades of red, green and white with lots of textural elements – pine cones, pomegranates, brass candlesticks, silver napkin rings, embroidered napkins and the fabulous flower centerpieces.
The floral displays combined white anemones, white roses, red berries, fanal, eucalyptus and a smattering of mistletoe berries. The flowers were arranged in five separate vases to facilitate easy variation of the flower heights, easy incorporation of the candlesticks into the middle of the flowers and means they can be dispersed around the house afterwards.
For table linens, I paired the Lobster Italian linen tablecloth with white linen napkins with a red hemstitch. All the white accents in the napkins, plates, candles and flowers give a bright, fresh look that plays beautifully off the deep reds and greens in the tablecloth and flowers.
The house cocktail was a classic bellini – fresh puréed peach in champagne – which we served with canapes of smoked salmon and bacon-wrapped dates, and of course a Huddleson linen cocktail napkin in petrol green.
The main course was a vegetarian baked frittata; spinach, cranberry, walnut and feta salad; and olive bread.
For dessert we served traditional British Christmas pudding outside (which is not what Americans understand a pudding to be, but rather a dense, rich fruit cake – delicious!)
Wishing you all a very merry festive season, during which I hope you enjoy at least one fabulous Christmas brunch!