Spirit Of Christmas

The holidays are all about traditions, so why not make this the year you start a new design-led one?

- Fiona Mccarthy

DO you remember those wonderful little things you looked forward to in the run-up to Christmas as a child? Going to meet Santa Claus, spending a day out in town, pressing your nose against shop windows to marvel at glamorous, glittering decorations, and convincing your parents to sneak in a hot chocolate, preferably somewhere a bit ‘posh’, as an extra treat?

This Christmas comes at the end of a crazy, topsy-turvy year. So why not rediscover a little bit of that youthful yuletide spirit and create a new festive ritual? It might be a visit to one of London’s Grande Dame hotels, such as Claridge’s. As you wander into the cosseting confines of its Art Deco lobby, there is nothing more transporting than the sparkle of its annual, often fantastical, show-stopper Christmas tree.