Country Living UK December 2018

In this issue of Country Living, we have everything you need to create the perfect Christmas, from festive food (page 146) and a comprehensive gift guide (page 9) to decorating ideas (page 28), great craft makes to give your home an original touch (pages 40 and 54) and a round-up of the best markets (page 117). Then, as you’d expect, there are a number of more unusual features that celebrate the season in all its guises: we follow in the footsteps of two pilgrims on their spiritual journey across southern England (page 102), enjoy the tradition of sledging (page 51) and meet a family who harvest mistletoe from their ancient apple trees (page 94). We also get an insight into other people’s Christmases – Michael Morpurgo talks about his love…

ARTS & crafts Quirky kits and decorative pieces for keen creatives and artists *RECEIVE TEN PER CENT OFF BY QUOTING ‘COUNTRYLIVING’ UNTIL 4 DECEMBER 2018 HOME comforts Useful and beautiful items to inspire and delight *DUE TO THE PATTERN REPEAT, THE DESIGN MAY DIFFER TO THIS SHOWN SMALL wonders Colourful and charming toys and special surprises for children on Christmas morning THE GREAT outdoors Practical essentials for gardeners and nature-lovers LIFE’S LITTLE luxuries Natural beauty products, handmade jewellery and pretty accessories EXTRA treats Perfect stocking fillers for £15 and under For stockists, see Where to Buy PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCKY IF SHARP. PRICES AND AVAILABILITY CORRECT AT TIME OF GOING TO PRESS. DELIVERY COSTS ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE…

TAKE PART IN TREE DRESSING DAY Trees were focal points for celebrations long before the Victorians adopted the Germanic tradition of bringing a pine indoors and decorating it with candles. Ancient Celts, for example, would tie cloth dipped in holy well water to a ‘clootie tree’, while in Japan, blossomy boughs are still decorated with wishes written on paper. Reviving this tradition of celebrating our leafy companions, Tree Dressing Day takes place on the first weekend of December. Gather friends and family around a favourite oak, alder, buckthorn or beech and bedeck its branches with coloured cloth, yarn or paper. Visit commonground.org.uk for more details. Look out for fascinating ferns IN AN OTHERWISE MONOCHROME LANDSCAPE, evergreen ferns (Dryopteris marginalis) offer respite with splashes of vivid green. Having evolved more than 300 million years…

There are so many people in the house for Christmas that my husband (the Lawyer) and I have been relegated to the granny annexe – The Barn, as my parents have taken to calling it. They can label it with whatever country-chic moniker they want – it will always be ‘Granny’s House’ to me. Some of the guests have come from America, so they need to be as near as possible to all the central heating outlets and not have to suffer the indignity of having to step out of their rooms in pyjamas. Others are coming from their hot London houses and, even though we’ve expressly said ‘bring your warms’, the message will be lost on them because they simply can’t comprehend how cold Georgian cottages can get. So…

Add extra sparkle with gleaming centrepieces ADVENT TREE Create this alternative to a traditional advent calendar using branches strung together with twine. Hide the gifts inside envelopes made from giftwrap, sealed with numbered stickers. WOODLAND PLACE SETTINGS Add rustic decoration to your table by writing guests’ names on gift tags decorated with stamps, coloured inks and ribbon. Slide the tags into cut pieces of wood for an informal look. NATURAL PRESENT DECORATIONS Add sprigs of evergreen foliage, acorns, larch cones or seed heads, sprayed white, to small boxed presents wrapped in plain metallic papers and finished with ribbon. DOVE PAPER CHAINS You can make your own decorative chains and garlands quickly by drawing a simple bird shape onto a concertina of folded white paper. Make sure the design touches in several places on the folds. Cut out and…

THIS MONTH: THE FESTIVE SEASON SPONGE-STAMPED GIFT TAGS This is a simple and effective printing technique for making your own wrapping essentials and greetings cards. YOU WILL NEED PencilCream scalloped circle tags (available from hobbycraft.co.uk)PaperScissors or craft knife and cutting matNewspaper or magazineAcrylic paint – I used red, green and turquoise, mixed with a little whiteOld plate for mixing paintWide-area brushFelt tip penMagic eraser sponge (such as Doktor Power)Acrylic gel retarderBristle paintbrushTwine or ribbon 1 Draw simple bird shapes, including doves and robins, and other festive motifs to fit the diameter of a tag (inside the scallop edge) onto paper. Draw and cut out several shapes, folding the paper to cut more than one at a time.2 Cover the top of a flat surface with newspaper. Alternatively, use the pages of a magazine and simply…