My Christmas - Pip Lincolne

image; retro christmas pic of pip lincolne ( i can say retro, as we are from the same era!) - pip says, 'this image is of me in 1973. i am pulling my (coral polyester) dress down. santa thinks i am a tiny trollop. i am proving that even a cardigan can not make me demure. i think my dress was scratchy actually.

I know that many people really get into the Christmas spirit on the first day of December (including moi!), so I think there is no better person to share their Christmas with us on this inauspicious day than Ms. Goddess of Craftiness, Pip Lincolne. Pip and her partner, Cam, run the adorable Meet Me at Mike's and she delights us with her whimsical, off-beat look at life on her blog....I dare you to read it once and not crack a smile.
Let's welcome sweet Pip to Femme De Montmartre. As always, she has gone above and beyond even supplying us with additional Christmas ideas at the end of her text.....thanks so much, Pip - the mojitas advice has been taken onboard, I'll see how the Petits feel about wearing dresses (I realise it is optional) on Christmas Day!!!


Christmas for me is decorating the tree on Christmas Eve, from a big suitcase full of dinky Christmas decorations. There are lambs and deer and little santas and angels with big eyes. It's so nice to do this once the retail year has finished for us, that way we can launch into our own doors-closed Christmas! We shut the shop on Christmas Eve Eve so that we can have one day to prepare and regroup and decorate and drink fancy drinks.

Christmas is all about nice food and nice family in our house (unless you are 13 and under, then it's all about gifts, family AND food!) We always always go to the Vic Market to pick up supplies at the crack of dawn on the last shopping day. We have eskies on standby because not everything will fit in the fridge.

We have cold cuts and fresh bread and cheese and fruit and prosecco for Xmas breakfast. We usually have a few friends round in the morning. Then we make a big pot of coffee and get started on cooking some things for lunch. It's all about simple salads and seafood and whole fillets of beef for our family lunch. Home made mayonnaise, home made tomato sauce, home made mustard. Then pear tart, pudding and Elizabeth David's flourless chocolate cake too! We travel 40 minutes East to Cam's family for lunch with all the rellies on his side (mine are all interstate). It's such a lovely day. Everyone brings delicious food. The cousins are there and they have High School Musical Hair and nice sun tans. We have Fitzroy hair and have not seen the sun for 12 months. It's heaps of fun and the kids go wild. Last year our car broke down and we had to jumpstart it with a coat-hanger. Tres dangerous. Let's hope that's not your Christmas. Yikes.

We always have lots of food left over for Christmas supper - which is back at our house with just us and the kidlets. We put the telly on and continue to graze and sip without worrying about DUI. Nice. Boxing Day is my very favourite day, though. The kafuffle of Christmas Day has passed and we can open up the doors and windows and relax for a few days. Ahhh. I really do love Christmas. I love the ritual of celebrating family and friends and home. Because I think we are very lucky to have all of those things. I hope your Christmas is wonderful and you do not spend any part of the day sleeping. Because that is not on. No sleeping the day away, people, unless it's after 6pm. Get amongst it. Be festive, would you?!

Happy Christmas to you! May your Mojitos bubble over and your sticky-tape ends be easy to find. (I think those two things are closely related, actually) xx

Christmas Gifts :: buy Australian on Etsy.com :: click the shop local tab http://www.etsy.com/shop_local.php?ref=fp_nav_local or buy from local independent retailers :: check out The Melbourne Design Guide and Handmade in Melbourne for tips on where to shop. Or take the vintage tack and buy second hand :: your gifts will be unique and collectable and MUCH more personal! Or if you are totally ace you could make some of the things you are giving this year :: check my website under 'things you can make'.

Christmas Decorations :: I really like daggy old decorations, and Savers and the Salvos usually have them by the bag. Get some of those. Paper chains and paper dolls are also lovely. Paper snowmen and paper Christmas trees would be ace too. Make them with your kids whilst sipping hot chocolate. Or make them with your boyfriend whilst sipping mojitos. It helps a lot. Trust me.

Christmas Food :: you can't beat good quality ingredients prepared simply - avoid the big chain supermarkets and opt for your local Fresh Food or Farmers Market - perhaps make one whizz-bang impressive dessert like a croque em bouche (a teeny bit of showing off is good!) Try to start some Christmas Food traditions - because it will make things memorable and lovely for your kids and family. Maybe a few special things that you only make for Christmas? Be it glazed ham, fancy punch or totally amazing egg and bacon pies for brekkie.

Christmas Inspiration :: be sure to borrow a swag of Christmassy movies to watch with your nearest and dearest (the cheesier the better!) :: download some vintage Christmas tunes to facilitate dancing under the mistletoe :: make mulled wine or egg-nog or poinsettia cocktails (v. important!) :: make sure you have some Christmas carols to play in the car if you have to drive a long way on the big day :: you must wear a nice dress on Christmas Day (optional if you are a boy).