FROM OUR EDITOR
You might think, since I work at a travel company, that I hop a plane to the southern hemisphere when the mercury dips below 30 in New York, and spend the holidays twirling between palm trees. But I don’t. I like my winter holidays cold. I grew up in England and spent Christmases at my family’s sandstone cottage, a dead ringer for Kate Winslet’s house swap in The Holiday. In our hamlet in rural Dorset, the feudal system is still alive and well, the chapel roof is in dire need of repair, and the holidays are about long walks under a perpetually flat white sky, charades in front of a log fire, and overeating local, seasonal produce because there isn’t anything else around.
The roast goose we have for Christmas dinner (my parents choose a fat, still squawking bird from a line-up at a farm down the road) is the culinary highlight, wreathed in roast potatoes and parsnips from the garden and served with one of my Dad’s favorite Pinot Noirs (I know if it’s a particularly good bottle because he pours himself a larger glass than anyone else). It’s a low-key, cozy affair.
If I didn’t make it back to England, I’d recreate those holidays here in New York. The Lowell Hotel on New York’s Upper East Side is the perfect place to start: there’s a fireplace in every bedroom and snowy Central Park is a parka-swaddled, sunglassed stroll away (you never see Brits in shades in winter—I’ve seen New Yorkers wear them in a blizzard). And for my country fix, I’d drive an hour north of Manhattan to the Bedford Post Inn: you can satisfy your pyromaniac and romantic tendencies in the snug guest rooms here, too, and The Farmhouse, the hotel’s restaurant, serves fantastic locavore food. Plus, there’s always a chance you’ll find owner Richard Gere under the mistletoe.
Happy Holidays, wherever and with whomever you choose to spend it.
– Kate Maxwell Editor-in-Chief, Jetsetter
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TOP PICKS FROM THE EDITOR 1. Bedford, New York
The Bedford Post Inn $495/night
2. Johnstons Cashmere
Lambswool Crofting Blanket
$99 Gilt | $245
3. ilux
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Polka Dot and Deer Socks (2 Pack)
$25 Gilt | $52
4. New York, New York
The Lowell $675/night 5. Barrow & Grove
Wool Cashmere Purl Stitch Cardigan
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$119 Gilt
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1. Kitty Lee Thomas Sweets
3. Jack Spade
Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows Gift Pack
Mill Leather Wayne Duffel Bag
$19.99 Gilt | $24.95
$199-495 Gilt
2. The Land of Nod
4. Anywhere Fireplace
Toy Shop
Tabletop Fireplace High Gloss Beige
$25 Gilt | $50
$325 Gilt | $380
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1. Paper Style
3. Wythe NY
$25-$50 Gilt | $50 - $100
Janine Leather Boot $179 Gilt | $325
2. Airflow Collectibles Classic Truck $213 Gilt | $299
4. Droga Chocolates
Chocolate Covered Gingerbread Chookies $32.95 Gilt
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You might think, since I work at a travel company, that I hop a plane to the southern hemisphere when the mercury dips below 30 in New York, and spend the holidays twirling between palm trees. But I don’t. I like my winter holidays cold. – Kate Maxwell
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1. Joe’s Jeans
4. Sofia Cashmere
7. Le Sanctuaire
Leather and Canvas Work Belt
Cashmere Jog Suit
Spice Blends Box Set
$78.95 Gilt
$25 Gilt | $44
2. Little Gilt
5. Pierrepont Hicks
8. Botkier
Wool and Floral Bowtie
Lucy Shoulder Bag
Girls: Amelia Wrap Cardigan
$265 Gilt | $495
$49 Gilt | $95
$225 Gilt | $395
$66 Gilt | $136 6. London, United Kingdom
9. Sorel
3. C.O. Bigelow
The Grazing Goat
Youth Tofino
My Favorite Lip Balm
$309/night
$7.50 Gilt
$52-54 Gilt | $95
Check back on Sunday 11/25 for our next Holiday Gift Guide