Side Order: Holiday Decor
27 festive items to get us in the spirit
Thank you to West Elm for partnering with À La Carte to make this issue of Side Order available to everyone!
Each year on November 1st at 12:00:00 am PT, the first notes of All I Want For Christmas start tinkling in the air and the holidays officially begin. I know some of you are rolling your eyes at me right now for kicking the celebration off so early, but I’m typically a pretty festive person, so you’ll have to take me as I am. Here, join me!
Most years, I try to pace myself: I really don’t kick into high gear until around Thanksgiving, which is when I deck the hall (just one—it’s a one-bedroom apartment) and start checking things off the seasonal bucket list. But this year’s holiday season requires a good amount of delusional distraction, so I’ve been ordering gift wrap, working on my shopping list, and welcoming Mariah into my home for a while now.
For a long time I didn’t really decorate much aside from some silver tinsel and a single strand of string lights. Stuff is expensive!!! But over the last few years (really, it started in the pandemic,) I’ve been collecting bits and bobs here and there with the goal of someday working up to Richard Keith Langham levels of holiday extravagance. Like I do with most things, I’d rather slowly collect objects I really like and that I’ll hang on to forever than go wild and end up with a bunch of stuff I’ll end up tossing soon enough.
I always have fun challenging myself to achieve a certain amount of over-the-topness without going bankrupt in the process. Two years ago I tied a million velvet bows to hang on my tree amongst the 10 or 12 ornaments I had collected up to that point. Another year I wove bunches of baby’s breath into a wire tree form to look like snow. I’ve been known to spend an entire weekend making popcorn garland (which I find to be a very soothing activity, in case you too need a moment of peace in your holiday season.)
Meanwhile, I’ve been amassing a small assortment of decorative objects that I love and will use forever: a vintage tartan throw blanket I bought at the Rose Bowl Flea Market, my Lucia Eames menorah, a Battenberg lace tree skirt I found on page 1,029 of an Ebay search, and a box of *real* mercury glass bulbs that I’m sure will break into many tiny, dangerous shards someday, but they’re so beautiful I’m willing to take the risk.
All that to say, I’m playing the long game when it comes to holiday decor. This year I’ve added to the mix some garland for my banister and a quilt that I’ve included down below, and I’ll probably pick up an ornament or two (or 20, because I’m going to London next week and I’ll no doubt lose my mind on the Christmas floor at Liberty.) If you too are looking to build your collection bit by bit, I’ve got some ideas for you.
Below, 27 decor items (including some gift wrap supplies!) to get you in the spirit:
Scarlet Brocade Floral Wrapping Paper, Etsy, $23+ — I really, really love to wrap gifts—I think picking out my wrapping paper each November might be one of my favorite activities of the year. Etsy has a ton of options, but one I always find myself saving for later is the store Ruby Stripe, which sells lots of beautiful options like this one.
Vintage Gift Baubles with Ribbon, Houses & Parties, $36 — I love the idea of tying little vintage baubles to the top of a gift. It’d be cute to buy some faux flowers from the craft store to cut up and tie into bows, too.
Glass Mug with Candy Cane Handle, Zara Home, $20 — For your morning coffee. (Just add whipped cream.)
Lemon Ornament, Hawkins New York, $14 — It was honestly hard not to just include 27 ornaments in this list because there are so many good ones out there. I thought this glass lemon was really pretty.
Andrew Ludick Folk Quilt, West Elm, $179 — I always have a quilt draped over the back of my sofa, and I’ve swapped out my regular degular ivory one for this festive option from West Elm. Andrew Ludick is an Irish ceramicist and painter and I think it’s fun that West Elm adapted his work into a textile for the holidays.
Vintage Embroidered Floral Ribbon, Etsy, $4+ — I know you’ve heard me go on and on about how Etsy is a treasure trove of vintage ribbon. If you have a special gift to give, or maybe you’re giving a gift to someone who appreciates little details, try giving “vintage French ribbon” a search and picking something out that feels unique and worth keeping.
Challah Cover, Susan Alexandra, $130 — Hanukkah has long suffered from a lack of art direction (compared to Christmas, that’s for sure,) so I appreciate people like Susan Alexandra who are breathing some life into the Judaica category.
Smokey Citrus Ornaments, Flamingo Estate, $68 for set of 30 — These are cool: Flamingo Estate smoked slices of California citrus to hang on your tree, creating a smokey, earthy scent that fills the room.
Embroidered Napkins, Mango Home, $26 for set of 2 — I didn’t know Mango had home products, but I’m glad they do because this set of napkins is really sweet.
Glass Cocktail Ornaments, West Elm, $12 each — I couldn’t help myself—I had to get the espresso martini ornament the second I saw it. But now that I’m looking at the whole cocktail assortment, I might need to collect them all.
Frilled Bolster Pillow, Colours of Arley, $165 — Candy for your couch.
Hanukkah Card Pack, Judaica Standard Time, $12 for set of 3 — Again, not a lot of good Hanukkah cards out there!!! But these are really pretty.
Hand Painted Taper Candles, Misette, $120 for set of 4 — You could totally use these year round.
Idyllwild Plaid Tablecloth, Heather Taylor Home, $198 — Named for Heather Taylor’s apline Idyllwild cabin, this plaid tablecloth screams cozy Christmas to me.
5 Point Star Tree Topper in Antique Gold, John Derian, $44 — John Derian’s Christmas ornament assortment is as wild as it gets—there are 32 pages of product in the holiday category. I love a classic star, though, and I might grab this for my tree this year.
Vintage Satin 1-inch Ball Ornaments, Etsy, $10 for set of 12 — Another thing Etsy’s good for: sets of vintage ornaments. These come in some really fun colors.
Scented Candle in Burned Garland, Salter House, $44 — My friend Kate gave me this candle for the holidays last year and I burned through it in the week between Christmas and New Years. This says nothing of the candle’s burn time and everything about how much I love the scent, which is described as “a fire and a tea.”
Giant Gingham Linen Bow, Straw London, £145 — A giant bow perfect for the front door, the top of your tree, or atop your head at a Christmas party.
Ceramic Fish Menorah, Andrea Kashanipour for Nickey Kehoe, $125 — Stunning! Unique! A genuine piece of art.
Patchwork Stocking, Bliss and Mischief, $60 — Bliss and Mischief just launched their quilted holiday goods and they’re all perfect.
Taper Candle With Lace Bow, Gohar World, $48 — You can 1000% make these yourself, but I would be excited to receive these as a hostess gift.
Ember Candle, Amber Interiors, $165 — Another scent for your home that feels appropriate: Amber Interiors’ Ember, which smells like firewood and comes in this gorgeous marble vessel.
Gift Tag Set No. 2, Jaymes Paper, $17 for set of 10 — Jaymes Paper is my go-to for cards, and I saw that they make these cute letterpressed gift tags that would be perfect for tying to a bottle of champagne or the top of a gift.
Silver Tree Tinsel, CB2, $5 — My tinsel color of choice is silver, and my tinsel format of choice is the old school loose strands that you have to carefully arrange piece-by-piece on the boughs of your tree. It just looks so dreamy!
Classic Christmas Wrapping Paper, Etsy, $18+ — I went with this pattern from House of Parlington for my paper this year (along with a chocolate brown and white striped version.) So pretty and classic.
Vintage Swiss Dot Ribbon, Etsy, $3.25+ — I often go to my local fabric shop (International Silks and Woolens on Beverly Blvd., if you’re in LA) to stock up on strands of various lace, scalloped, grosgrain, satin, and crocheted ribbons to use on gifts throughout the year. One of my favorites is a black cotton ribbon with a tiny scalloped edge that is always in the lingerie section of the trims department.
Glass Marbled Ball Ornaments, West Elm, $40 for set of 4 — I love a novelty shaped ornament, but in order to have a densely decorated tree I like to use bulbs to add some dimension. Between these cool tortoise-adjacent ones and the mercury glass I bought last year, I think I’m set.
A massive thank you to everyone who bought a copy of the À La Carte holiday print issue the week before last—I’m sort of in shock about how quickly they’ve flown out the door and now I’m like… Do I start a magazine??? You guys are the best.
x
Ali
Header painting: "Still Life with Turkey-Pie", Pieter Claesz, 1627
Yes. Start a magazine.
I will be all over Etsy today, thanks to this. I once made citrus ornaments but can’t say they replicated that fragrance!