l
l Christmas Spirit by Sophie Fitzjohn.
The true spirit of Christmas
The evenings are drawing in sooner, the landscape has changed to golden hues and the drop in temperature calls for winter woollens. This can only mean one thing…Christmas is around the corner!
As soon as December arrives the festivities begin! But what is the real meaning of Christmas?
Is it the beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree, the glistening lights in the windows, the cards in the mail, turkey dinners with family and friends, snow in the garden, stockings hanging from the fireplace, and shouts of “Merry Christmas” to those who pass us in the streets? Is this really Christmas?
When you think of this so called magical time of year, it’s easy to relate it to all the topics above; however for many people, Christmas is also a time of reflection. Christmas is known as a time where families congregate and celebrate. However many don’t feel so much joy at this time of year; when they think of their loved ones who aren’t able to come home for various reasons to celebrate with them. Also it can be a struggle for those who don’t
Sophie says.....
Christmas
have the funds to buy presents for their children, family, and friends. Turkey dinners with all the trimmings aren’t always a reality for some at Christmas.
The meaning of Christmas time unwrapped by Sophie Fitzjohn.
Yet, many try to make the best out of the festive season as Christmas can be a season of great joy. Traditionally it is known as a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. Christmas is when we celebrate the birth of the Jesus Christ. His birth brought great joy to the world. Shepherds, wise men, and angels all shared in the excitement of knowing about this great event. This is the traditional and historic meaning behind Christmas, which is recreated in Nativity plays in schools all around the world during the festive period, to remind everyone of its rich religious roots.
However you don’t have to be religious to celebrate this time of year, as lots of the values of Christmas resonate with many.
Merrily on high
Love, joy hope, togetherness, the list goes on! However as the modern world advances so much, are we at risk of losing the true meaning of Christmas altogether?
Christmas is a celebration which is hugely commercialised these days and a vast amount of attention goes into giving and receiving the ‘perfect’ gift. The real reason is to show appreciate and love to those around you, however is scarily becoming a time of competition, money making and a show of status.
For me Christmas is all about enjoying the cold hibernation months with friends and family, enjoy good food and good company and reflecting back on the past year; remembering major highs and achievement throughout the year, as well as difficult phases which pass by too. It’s a time for gratitude, and remembering Christmas’s it’s true meaning really helps to keep your feet firmly on the frost covered ground.
Quotes - Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. Calvin Coolidge
That’s the true spirit of Christmas; people being helped by people other than me. Jerry Seinfeld.
Donald the 2nd
Round two for the President Elect -Dawn 2025.
The second presidency of Donald Trump is set to begin on January 20, 2025, when Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States. Trump, who previously served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021, is scheduled to take office following his victory over Democratic incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, winning both the popular and the electoral college vote. Upon taking office, he will become the second president in U.S. history to serve non-consecutive terms after Grover Cleveland in 1893, the oldest individual to assume the presidency, the first to take office after having been impeached, and the first convicted felon to take office. His administration will also have a trifecta, with both houses of Congress under Republican control.
Cases dropped
The two federal felony criminal cases against
president-elect Donald Trump are being dropped. Special counsel Jack Smith filed motions today to end the case, charging Trump with illegally holding classified documents and the other for his efforts to unlawfully overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Smith defended the evidence in both cases and the decision to prosecute, but said today’s expected move hinged on a longstanding Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot face criminal prosecution. Smith left open the possibility the cases could be reopened when Trump leaves office.
Trump lauded the move, writing, the cases were - quote - “empty and lawless.”
Quote
“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Trump told an ecstatic crowd in West Palm Beach, Florida. He summed up his approach to a second term as such: “I will govern by a simple motto: Promises made, promises kept.”
Presidential note: Trump, who previously served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021, is scheduled to take office following his victory over Democratic incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, winning both the popular and the electoral college vote.
The former president also seems eager to reward those who supported him - like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Chanel Christmas
Treat a loved one to Chanel personalised gifts.
The House of Chanel (Chanel
S.A.) originated in 1909 when Gabrielle Chanel opened a millinery shop at 160 Boulevard Malesherbes, the ground floor of the Parisian flat of the socialite and textile businessman Étienne Balsan, of whom she was the mistress. Because the Balsan flat also was a salon for the French hunting and sporting élite, Chanel had the opportunity to meet their demi-mondaine mistresses, who, as such,
were women of fashion, upon whom the rich men displayed their wealth - as ornate clothes, jewelry, and hats.
Iconic
These days Chanel is a symbol of iconic fashion staying power. More so for the late Karl Lagerfeld’s epic creative influence, and propulsion of a brand that is imprinted in people’s minds as name with fashionable assurance. One way to make an impression when choosing a gift is to opt for a luxury brand that says opulent integrity. Chanel’s festive holiday make up line will puncuate the season for seasonal colour and eye catching packaging while the accessories will inspire a paunch for the classic and timeless. The perfume line like many offers new editions, giving you greater choice.
Historic
“Coco” Chanel, the founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with liberating women from the constraints of the “corseted silhouette” and popularizing a sporty, casual chic as the feminine standard of style. www.chanel.com
Perfume note
The success of the No. 5 encouraged Coco Chanel to expand perfume sales beyond France and Europe and to develop other perfumes . Did you know? Chanel
owns the wineries Château Rauzan-Ségla, Château Canon, and St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery.
Fall into Yves Saint Lauren 2024
Men
Made in heavy flannels, with nipped waists and full trousers, the suits looked like they could have been pulled out of the YSL archive hours before. But this Yves Saint Laurent cosplay didn’t look at all dated. Mr. Saint Laurent’s personal style, which turned the double-breasted blazer and high-collar shirt into emblems of creative genius, was timeless. And today, the big, pleated, thinly-cuffed trousers he wore feel fresh, especially from a house like Saint Laurent that is synonymous with razor-sharp skinny cuts. Backstage, describing his intent this season, Vaccarello used the phrase “classicism to the maximum.”
Women
Saint Laurent’s Fall Winter 2024-2025 collection, under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello, captivated audiences with a daring exploration of sheer textiles. Against the backdrop of the “Transparencies” exhibition at the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Paris, which celebrates the couturier’s iconic work with see-through fabrics, Vaccarello’s runway presentation exuded a raw allure that defied convention. The collection unfolds like a nocturnal reverie, with Vaccarello crafting nearly every garment from flimsy silk hosiery fabrics, pushing the boundaries of fragility and femininity.
After fixating on singular silhouettes and moods for the last few seasons, particularly in regard to the flight suits in his last collection that strayed away from cotton twills, he turned his attention inward to quite literally bare all.
Femme note: Anthony Vaccarello of Saint Laurent has an idea.
Fashion
YSL Women
The
rarely veers from the formula: a
a
or
silhouette
top enveloped in
wrapped tank
blouse and pencil skirt combo. The colours range from tan, to hunter green (the color of the season), to iris, to midnight blue, to maroon, to heather grey, to nude, light nude, and deep nude.
Fashion
YSL Men
The range puts a bold spin on the classic Saint Laurent identity, building on previous seasons with 1980s power suiting for influential men everywhere.
Cool classic lines.
Nissan future Concept
The new Nissan Hyper Adventure concept is an electric 4x4 aimed at enabling outdoor adventures, previewing new technologies set to feature on the firm’s upcoming EVs.
Nissan
NISSAN has unveiled its Hyper Tourer, the third in its series of advanced electric-vehicle concepts. This all-electric minivan focuses on ‘nurturing and reinforcing’ the bond between people as they journey together. Nissan says the Hyper Tourer concept is geared toward individuals who appreciate the finer things in life and enjoy the company of friends and associates whether on a road trip or business outing.
Ambience
The ambient lighting comes chiefly from a light pattern on the roof, a depiction of traditional Japanese patterns. The floor made entirely out of LEDs displaying images of riverbeds and the sky.
Transfer
Its V2X technology is also seen on the Hyper Urban and Hyper Adventure concepts and allows it to supply electricity via its solid-state battery to homes, to offices and while travelling.
The Hyper Tourer gets front seats that swivel 360deg to allow the front and rear passengers to face each other when the car is driving autonomously. Passengers in the rear can also wear a display much like a virtual-reality headset that allows them to operate the infotainment screen up front.
Development
Nissan claims that AI will be used to monitor several aspects of the passenger’s health - such as their heart rate, breathing and perspiration.
Design lines.
The aero-optimised exterior design affords it a rather featureless, flat-sided body with sharp lines and deep, chiselled front and rear bumpers.
Conception
The automaker also teases the Hyper Adventure and Hyper Urban concepts.
Cédric Grolet London
The French pastry scene in London has risen to new heights, partly thanks to saying bonjour to 37 year old pastry phenom Cédric
Grolet, who’s won accolades as “best pastry chef in the world.”
Lux Bakery
The aesthetics of his new pastry “lab” designed by fellow Frenchman, interior designer Remi Tessier, is like something out of the future with gleaming polished stainless steel, sleek white stone counters and a gold leaf gilded ceiling.
Grolet’s pastries focus on fruits and the reinterpretation of traditional French desserts. He is known for creating desserts that have a likeness to the fruits from which they’re made.
Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley Wilton PI, London SW1X 7RL.
With the world’s glitterati DMing him for personal commissions and an obsessive global fanbase (2.2 million and counting on Instagram).
Grolet’s most famous creations are his fruits and flower cakes, which are offered together for the very first time in London.
Christmas. We’re here again and it’s time to get your party on. In this article, I have selected three of my favourite cocktails that aren’t too Christmas cliché or pumped full of mulled wine and/or spirits. I’m sure you can make your Christmas very merry indeed with these drinks!
But first...
Cocktails are all about balance: a cocktail that is too acidic will taste sour and harsh; whereas a cocktail that is too sweet will be clawing and sickly. The key is to strike a balance between four components: acidity, sugar, flavour and alcohol. Think of it as the freshness (the acids), palatability (sugar and flavours) and body (the alcohol) of a cocktail.
All the cocktails below use an ingredient called sugar syrup. To make this, dissolve 100g of sugar in 100ml in to a pan of boiling water and allow to cool. Bottle the syrup up into a squeeze-y bottle and your ready to go.
Ready? Let’s get cocktail making!
Disaronno Sour
The key to this cocktail is creating an irresistible harmony between the sweet and sour flavours of the almond-flavoured liqueur and the lemon juice.
You will need – Disaronno or similar amaretto (50ml), freshly squeezed lemon juice (½ lemon), sugar syrup (one teaspoon),
Happy hour
The cocktail hour at Christmas time by Harry Fishpool.
freshly cut lime, small glass tumbler filled with ice. First, fill a small tumbler with ice and pour in 50ml of Disaronno and your freshly squeezed lemon juice (half a lemon should do the trick). Next, stir in one teaspoon of sugar syrup into your cocktail. Feel free to increase or decrease the quantity of sugar syrup if you wish. Last, cut half a lime length ways into four segments and place into your cocktail, giving it a quick stir, and then serve.
Gin-cello
This is a cracker. Gin-cello is similar to the Disarono sour; however, it is less sour and more warming, perfectly suited for the cold winter evenings.
What you will need – Old Tom Gin
Sponsored by
Credit Harry Fishpool is studied an
(Bathtub or Hayman’s are my picks – 50ml), Limoncello (25ml), freshly squeezed lime juice (½ lime), Thyme (two sprigs), Small tumbler filled with ice.
First, add your gin, limoncello and freshly squeezed lime juice to your tumbler filled with ice. Give your cocktail a quick stir and set to the side. For your garnish, take your thyme and a lighter (a lighter? I know, bare with me) and run your thyme through the flame, charing the tips of the leaves in the process. Add the thyme to your cocktail, and serve.
Old Cuban
Old Cuban is a big party cocktail, perfectly suited to Christmas Eve or New Years Eve celebrations. A word of warning: it’s rather delicious delicious.
What you will need – Dark rum (70ml), freshly squeezed lime juice (½ lime), Angestura Bitters (4 dashes), Prosecco (50-70 ml), sugar syrup (35 ml), and mint to garnish. Serve in a champagne flute or coupe.
First, pour the dark rum, lime juice, bitters and sugar syrup into a ice-filled cocktail shaker. Place the lid on and shake for 10 seconds. Pour the contents into a champagne flute or coupe and add the Prosecco. Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve. For a different touch, try experimenting with spiced rum for that extra festive feel.
Harry says.....
Quotes - A cocktail can be made by the bartender. But the cocktail also can be made by the chef. José Andrés
A cocktail done right can really show your guests that you care. Danny Meyer.
Oliver’s twist
Roll out the turkey with a little help from the nation’s chef by Dennis Sterne.
It’s traditional to have turkey for Christmas dinner. However Grandma or Mom makes it, why not be inspired by the nation’s very own cheeky chappy Jamie Oliver. We have his method of a great traditional festive dish and what better than to take a chef’s eye view of such a classic. From TV screen, cookbook to fresheye magazine, take note and be your own chef this fabulous Christmas.
Method.
1
. Preheat the oven to maximum. Heat a saucepan until medium hot and add a splash of olive oil. Pick the sage leaves and add to the pan with 6 of the pancetta or bacon strips.
2. Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 onion. Trim and chop the celery and add to the pan with the garlic and onion. Fry everything gently until soft and golden brown. Take the
pan off the heat, add the breadcrumbs and, while the mix is cooling down, roughly chop the apricots and stir them in.
3.When the stuffing has cooled down, add the pork, lemon zest, nutmeg, egg and lots of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mix everything together well.
Slice the remaining strips of pancetta or bacon in half and peel and slice 1 peeled garlic clove into thin slivers. Place a rosemary sprig and a garlic sliver on one end of a halved strip of pancetta and roll it up tightly. Repeat with the other pieces of pancetta until you have 12 little rolls.
4 Stab the thighs and drumsticks of the turkey in 6 places on each side. Push a little pancetta roll into each hole until it just peeps out. This will give your turkey thighs a fantastic flavour and will keep them moist while they cook.
u
Right: Jamie recommends super-sticky, shiny, caramelised pigs in blankets for your Christmas feast.
“I always think that turkey’s not just for Christmas – in fact, done right, it rocks for Sunday roast ”
5. Peel the remaining onions and chop in half, and peel and thickly slice the carrots.
6. Give your turkey a good wipe, inside and out, with kitchen paper, and place it on a board, with the neck end towards you. Find the edge of the skin that’s covering the turkey’s breasts and gently peel it back. Work your fingers and then your hand under the skin, freeing it from the meat. If you’re careful you should be able to pull all the skin away from
the meat, keeping it attached at the sides. Go slowly and try not to make any holes!
7. Lift the loose skin at the neck end and spoon the stuffing between the skin and the breast, tucking the flap of skin underneath to stop anything leaking out. Pop the orange in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm it up and stuff it into the cavity.
8. Weigh the stuffed turkey and calculate the cooking time (about 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz).
9. Place the bird on a large roasting tray, rub it all over with olive oil and season well. Surround with the chopped carrots, onions and remaining cloves of garlic, cover with tin foil and place in the preheated oven. Turn the heat down right away to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and roast for the calculated time, or until the juices run clear from the thigh if you pierce it with a knife or a skewer. Remove the tin foil for the last 45 minutes to brown the bird.
10 Carefully lift the turkey out of the tray and rest on a board covered loosely with foil for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours for bigger birds.
11. When the resting time’s nearly up, skim off the surface fat from the roasting tray and add the flour and stock. Place the tray on the hob and bring to the boil on a high heat. When the gravy starts to thicken, strain it into a bowl.
12 Carve your turkey, serve with the gravy and dig in!
Cook
Above: For dessert Jamie recommends baked berry cheesecake.
Ingredients
1 Sprig of fresh sage
12 Strips higher-welfare pancetta or thinly sliced streaky bacon
1 Bulb garlic
4 Medium red onions
2 Sticks celery
1 Big handful of breadcrumbs
1 Handful of dried apricots
300 g Higher-welfare minced pork
1 Lemon
1 Pinch of grated nutmeg
1 Large free-range egg
12 Small sprigs of fresh rosemary , plus a few extra
4-4.5 kg Higher-welfare turkey , at room temperature
2 Carrots
1 Large orange Olive oil
2 Tablespoons plain flour
1.1 litres Organic chicken or vegetable stock
Fresheye compiles it’s own collection of this festive season’s shopping ideas.
fresh eye Shop
Above: Gucci - Discover the collection of designer accessories at GUCCI. Gucci’s history with boldness and opulence has similarly meant that it has lent itself over as a consistent source of inspiration for many rappers and hip-hop artists – leading to the development of this slang.
Left: Lush - Inventors of the bath bomb and home of bath art. Vegetarian, vegan and cruelty free cosmetics.
Gucci: www.gucci .com
Lush: www.lush.com
Above: Fortnum’s Feasting Advent CalendarFortnum & Mason.
Left: A mix of progressive design in apparel and classic streetwear based on the design of artist & designer Shepard Fairey.
Rituals: www.rituals.com
Obey: www.obeyclothing.co.uk
All in the detail.
1. Johnnie Walker’ Black is one of the world’s most famous whiskeys. Made with 40 whiskies expertly blended together.
2.Discover Fortnum & Mason’s Range Of Luxury Hampers.
3. Melt Cosmetics: Inspired by traditional artisanal Mexican elements. This opulent collection includes four long wearing vibrant colored gel liners, three bright liquid lipsticks, six elegant skull detailed bronze makeup brushes and two stunning skull eyeshadow palettes, that honor both life and death.
4. Angel Gold by Victoria’s Secret is a Floral Fruity fragrance for women. Angel Gold was launched in 2015. Top note is bergamot; middle note is gardenia; base note is musk.
Above: The Mulberry Story Born in 1971, the roots of Mulberry are in Somerset, England. Mulberry’s founder, Roger Saul, established the brand at his kitchen table, with £500 backing from his mother.
Left: Give the gift of endless possibilities with the Harrods Gift Card. Explore online at harrods.com and earn Rewards points.
Mulberry: Alexa Chung for 2021 camapign. www.mulberry.com Harrods: www.harrods.com
Above: Lively and generous, Moët & Chandon Impérial distinguishes itself by a bright fruitiness, a seductive palate and an elegant maturity. Its aromas are radiant, revealing bright white-fleshed fruits (apple, pear, white peach), citrus fruits, floral lime blossom and elegant blond notes (brioche and fresh nuts).
2019 Holiday
Left:
Above right: YSL Beauty Advent Calendar 2024
Christmas is undiably a special time of year. This year Fresheye rounds up a gallery of evocative festive ideas by way of gifts, places and products. Allow yourself to embrace all things atmospheric around this most magical calendar period.
Jo Malone London Christmas Cracker
Cohiba Siglo de Oro (Year of the Rabbit).
Nutcracker Royal Opera House
Fortnum & Mason Christmas chocolate
Burberry Lola bag
Christian Dior V&A Collection
Silent Pool Gin
Paris Galleries Lafayette
The Botanist Dry Gin
St Pauls Cathedral Christmas service
Harrods Christmas cakes
Harrods Teddy
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Chanel Holiday Greeting Cards & Invitations
Blancpain x Swatch Bioceramic Scuba Fifty Fathoms
Makar Dry Gin
Dior Jewellery
Cohorted Kukuzon Christmas Snow Globes Musical Box
Louis Vuitton Bag from 2015
M&S Light Up Candles
Glenfiddich Whisky
The Wiltshire Liquer Co Christmas liqeur
John Lewis Christmas 2023 Christmas Decorating Trends
The Dorchester Hotel Christmas crackers
To boldy go...
A vision of space travel realsied.
William Shatner (top left)goes into space on Blue Origin flight.
Blue Origin aims to offer regular suborbital space rides for paying passengers from next year and has a booking form on its website for seats in the six-person New Shepard capsule.
Above right: Jeff Bezos, who used to pretend to be Captain Kirk when playing with his siblings as children, was also the first to greet the crew after their return, reopening the hatch and dipping his head into the capsule with the greeting: “Hello astronauts. Welcome to Earth.”
Space
Bezos, who has sold $100m in tickets for future rides and aims to dominate the fledgling space tourism industry.
Above: The flight, named Mission NS-18, the 18th flight overall for the capsule named for Alan Shepard, the first American in space in 1961, was pushed back a day from Tuesday because of strong winds, and further delayed from its scheduled time of 8.30am by unspecified rocket issues.
Right: The Star Trek actor William Shatner declared himself “overwhelmed” at becoming the oldest human in space, at the age of 90, during a brief but successful second crewed flight on Wednesday 13th October 2021 of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket ship from the west Texas desert.
Space
“I guess that’s it, huh?” Shatner said, realizing he was about to experience real-life space travel after decades of fictional intergalactic voyaging.
Highten your evening mood
Enjoy a festive evening at Manetta’s Bar.
Tucked away inside Flemings in the heart of Mayfair is Manetta’s Bar, one of the best hidden gems in the city. The decor in this chic luxury townhouse hotel is nothing less than plush. Red velvet, velour sofas and black leather bar stools, help set the scene back in time to the 1930s.
Manetta’s was said to be the original hangout for spies back then and who knows, maybe it still is today. The cocktail list is drool worthy and one which is fascinatingly inspired by drawings of artists including Agatha Christie and James Joyce. As one of the oldest of its kind in London, part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the award-winning hotel offers unrivalled luxury accommodation in one of London’s most prestigious neighbourhoods. 7-12 Half Moon Street, Mayfair, London W1J 7BH. www.flemings-mayfair.co.uk
Guests can reach Flemings Mayfair from London City airport within 20 minutes’ drive.
