Model-turned-actress, fashion designer and co-host of Top Chef Canada, Lisa Ray gave us a sneak-peek into her favourite holiday traditions and some great tips on how to plan a fabulous holiday party.
What is your favourite holiday memory?
Celebrating Christmas in Bombay. I used to live in Bandra, which has a strong Catholic community and my parents would fly down to spend the winter with me in India. The Christmas decorations and nativity scenes are so vibrant in that part of Bombay. Christmas in Bandra was full of festivities and the mass would be open air culminating with dance, drink and food!
The weather would also be refreshingly cool for Bombay just a week of sweater weather in the entire year!
Who is the easiest/hardest person on your list to shop for?
My Canadian girlfriends. Having quizzed them, I've concluded that we're all in search for the perfect Holiday sweater, one that is cozy but with personality and pop. My sweater pick from LOFT captures that elusive quality between casual and elegant.
What is your favourite holiday recipe or drink?
I have so many. My mother-in-law's Middle Eastern turkey offering –which is traditional turkey buried under fried almonds.
Traditionally, I try to bake my favourite German spice cookies for the holiday season, Pfeffernusse. Since I can't pronounce it, I use my own translation: spicy delicious!
Do you have any unique or interesting holiday traditions?
My polish grandmother would bring Op?atki wafers from Poland, which are embossed with Christmas related religious images, varying from the nativity scene, especially Virgin Mary with baby Jesus, to the Star of Bethlehem.
Each of us would break off a small piece of the Christmas wafer and pass it along with a blessing and special wish. I used to love the taste of the wafer, and break off extra-large pieces…
How do you go about choosing a gift?
The best gifts are personalized and handmade, but with my schedule it isn't always possible, so I include handwritten notes.
I like to match an item to an experience, like quirky baking gloves with a lust-worthy Momofuku Milkbar cookbook…or this fab sweater from LOFT with a gift certificate for a talented, up and coming caterer, which together spells a fun evening of hosting friends and family.
Lisa's tips on how to plan a holiday party
1. Lighting sets the tone. Besides festive lights, scented candles create intimacy and can trigger memories. Choose a scent that puts everyone in a celebratory mood. I love using pretty platters to display the candles and decorate with natural elements like green sprigs, stones, acorns and other found objects.
2. I love mixing tradition with the modern. Choose a tone, like green and use it as your base palette while keeping everything classic and simple. I even like doing this with fashion over the holidays. For example, this sweater from LOFT offers the comfort and warmth that I love during the holiday season, while mixing in a bit of modern glamour with a fun print and unexpected colour combination!
3. Find out about everyone's food allergies and restrictions. Be sensitive to them. Keep snacks light and healthy, gluten free and save the feasting for the main, sit down affair.
4. I love getting guests and family involved in preparing food. While the turkey bakes, it's fun to chop, sift and stir in plain view and inviting participation. I'm also a fan of serving family style dishes where everyone needs to reach over each other in a way which creates instant rapport and occasional gravy stains.
Keep lots of tonic water on hand for attacking those stains. I also like to keep things informal by providing slippers and throws for guests in the palette of choice of course!
5. Let go of an idealised version of the Holidays. Our everyday lives are so demanding, we don't need the holidays to add to our list of stresses. I also recommend creating a small ritual to grace the occasion of getting all your loved ones together in one place.
My grandmother used to make each of us make a wish and take a bite of wafer to start the meal. I plan on toasting with my favourite liqueur and inviting each guest to share one aspiration they achieved in the last year and one they plan on setting for themself. Oh yes, and if all else fails, board games!
Hope you enjoy these tips. Let us know about your holiday tradition and things you love the most about holidays. Share your photos and tips with us.
Source & Feature Image: Edelman
Image 1: http://www.chow.com/
Image2:http://upload.wikimedia.org
Image3:Loft.com
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