Christmas Hosting With Jo Malone London

Read time: 5 minutes

It’s Christmas Eve and you’ve got 12 people coming round. The house is fresh, the tree is lush, the fridge is full. Spare your guests the stories about how your local supermarket was out of oranges and that your soufflés collapsed but be sure to listen to theirs. About how they still need to wrap presents and make a nut roast because uncle Will has decided he’s vegan. Music is a must to accompany the chatter, so have a yuletide playlist prepared. Skip on the predictable, melancholy songs and instead put on some jazz. Lamps should glow and flames flicker as the smell of Myrrh &Tonka candles fill the house. Remember: you can never have too many candles. Except for in the downstairs bathroom of course, where you should have only one.

Or a diffuser. Something warming and elegant, such as Pomegranate Noir or limited-edition Vanilla Scotch. Housed in beautiful glass vessels, they’re ripe for repurposing when the festivities are done. Fill with cotton wool pads, confectionery in gleaming wrappers or loose change – a simple way to elevate your everyday. A Cypress & Grapevine Body & Hand Wash by the sink will go a long way, making a task as mundane as hand washing feel distinctive and decadent. The stakes of charades can be upped by adding a prize to the mix. There’s nothing like a Pine & Eucalyptus Candle to boost the concentration and commitment of your guests. It’s the festive blend of pine, eucalyptus, cinnamon and cardamom that does it. The perfect scent for Christmas morning, and one that would certainly help with wrapping presents.

Spending Christmas with friends is an opportunity to eschew the family traditions you’ve always thought were a bit odd. Finally, you can swap that 11am eggnog for champagne with a drop of cassis, and switch a secret Santa that’s sponsored by plastic with one where presents are homemade or, may we suggest, scented? There’s no kids’ table, nor septuagenarians asleep on the sofa. As you’ll be spending most of your time at the table, it makes sense to focus your attention there. Whatever style your napkins, whether white, tartan, striped or scalloped, mist them with limited-edition Tangerine & Honey Cologne or Orange Bitters Cologne. It’s a heavenly surprise for guests when they unfold their linen or wipe the remnants of cranberry sauce from their chin – a detail that they’ll still be talking about on New Year’s Eve. To further elevate the proceedings, place a bow-tied Christmas Cracker at each place setting. Filled with decadent, fragrant miniatures they’re the perfect accompaniment to spending the day with people you may not share DNA with but adore all the same. Inevitably guests will stay over despite saying they’ll take a taxi home. Perhaps because they know you’re the kind of host who leaves a Wood Sage & Sea Salt Travel Candle on the bedside table, with a stack of fluffy towels on the bed.

After a week of near-constant carousing, a cosy evening in on the sofa is needed. To rest and regroup. To catch up on Christmas specials, pile a plate high with leftovers and be left well alone. Though make no mistake, this night should be treated with the same reverence as if you were hosting for 10. The ambience must be perfect, starting with a twinkling tree and ending with candles big and small. On windowsills, coffee tables and mantelpieces, where a fire stuffed with logs roars and crackles below. And if you’re not in possession of a fireplace, don’t worry, because you can achieve the warming sensation of an elegant evening with our Golden Amber & Orange Candle. Chic in a textured ceramic vessel, it fills rooms with a compelling trail of smooth amber and orange. Although bed will beckon, consider a bath first and, once revived, nourish skin with a moisturising Peony & Blush Suede Body Crème…and congratulate yourself. Because this holiday season, the perfect host was you.