Merry Christmas!

After a rollercoaster year, today is my last working day of 2021. But before I put on my out of office and take a couple of weeks off, I want to share a peek at my final Christmas decorations – the tree, which I’ve dressed in grey, white, silver and earthy brown to match the decor of the living room, and my homemade wreath. My mum and I got together to craft our own wreaths over sloe gin last weekend, and my effort has now taken pride of place on the front door. I’m really pleased with it, and both it and the tree are getting plenty of water in a bid to keep them alive for as long as possible!

I also want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for reading These Four Walls over the past twelve months, and for your support and encouragement both here and on social media. It’s been a very tough time for us all, and every page visit, comment and follow really does mean a lot. And to my wonderful clients: thank you for putting your trust in me. Whether I’ve worked with you on room designs, photography, writing or styling, I hope I’ve done your home or products justice.

I’ll still be popping up on Instagram every now and then, but otherwise the next fortnight will mostly be spent:

• Baking (and eating!) lots of delicious treats from this festive recipe ebooklet, written by Louise of Nordic Kitchen Stories
• Enjoying lazy morning coffees and breakfasts in bed
• Marking the winter solstice with a cosy meal and lots of candlelight
• Celebrating with family (pandemic allowing). We always have our main festive meal on Christmas Eve, with a relaxed brunch on Christmas Day; both my parents also have birthdays coming up in the next couple of weeks
• Meeting friends in the local park for some socially distanced mulled wine and gingerbread
• Trying to convince Loki the cat to wear his Christmas bow-tie collar without getting too many scratches in the process
• Going for long, frosty walks – some of my favourites, for those also based in the West Country, are Woodchester Park in Gloucestershire, Stockhill Wood and Priddy Pools in Somerset, and the canal path between Bath and Bradford on Avon
• Hosting a Zoom family Christmas quiz with my brother in Canada
• Keeping my fingers crossed for some snow (we’ve had none in Bristol so far). This beautiful blog post by Emma of Field & Nest has me longing for wintry weather, as does this book, which I’ve just ordered and which I can’t wait to dive into
• Playing board games while listening to festive tunes
• Spending some time weaving – a new hobby taken up during lockdown, and a brilliantly mindful and relaxing thing to do

Whatever your plans, I’d like to wish you a very merry Christmas (if you celebrate it) and a happy New Year. See you in January!

All photography by Abi Dare