2019-12-01_Red_UK

5

December 2019 | REDONLINE.CO.UK

Editor’s letter

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How much Christmas is too much

Christmas? This is the question I’ve

been asking myself. Happily,

I’ve decided there’s no such thing

as too much Christmas! So, this

month, we’ve gone unashamedly

all-out festive. We’re celebrating

the most magical time of the year

in many ways, from our twinkly

Scandi-inspired decorations on

page 132, to our classic-with-a-twist Christmas menu

(turkey infused with maple and clementine) on page 154,

to elegant-but-easy wrapping ideas on page 144.

But there’s so much more, too! Garlands (they’re the new

tinsel), wreaths, baubles, cheeseboards (what’s Christmas

without a cheeseboard?), snowy escapes, the best ballets,

smokey eyes and claret lips, Craig David’s Yuletide plans

(spoiler: he spends it with his mum) and a gift guide so

glorious it will take all the stress out of your shopping.

We have fashion director Oonagh Brennan’s perfect

black party dresses on page 100, Debbie Harry’s fondest

festive memories on page 68 and, in the last of her

year of columns for Red, some well-timed words of

wisdom from the gorgeous Fearne Cotton on page 51.

Even our cover star, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, got the

memo, donning a profusion of tulle and climbing

up a stepladder to pose beside a Christmas tree for

us. Despite being impressive in many other ways

(22 years in the music industry, five kids, etc), she

totally won my affections when I heard how

she spends the Big Day, ‘We always do a conga

round the house chanting, “Here comes the

Christmas pudding,” to the tune of For He’s

a Jolly-Good Fellow,’ she tells Laura Craik

on page 54. If that’s not getting into the

festive spirit, I don’t know what is!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Editor Sarah Tomczak

Looking

for the perfect

present? Treat

a loved one to a

red subscription.

go to page 128 for

our great

offer

CLOCKWISE (FROM LEFT):

Chic present ideas; festive

biscuits; Sophie Ellis-Bextor gets

wrapping; Sarah in Needle

& Thread last Christmas

Jingle all

the way

My Christmas wish list

LAURA FANTACCI X

TILLY SVEAAS HEART

BRACELET, £350,

tillysveaas.co.uk

BOTANY BAY

CANDLE, £55,

haeckels.co.uk

VINTAGE ITALIAN

SHELL LAMP, £1,150,

theedition94.com

ORGANZA FLORAL

DRESS, £650,

caramel-shop.co.uk

ROUGE ALLURE

IN PIRATE, £31,

Chanel

‘Pleasingly

chunky but so

pretty, too.’

‘The scent of my

childhood beach.’

‘A girl can dream, right?’

‘A forever dress.’

‘A definitive,

iconic,

irresistible

shade

of red.’