One week before Christmas
Carola Long and Martha Gill compile carefully considered last-minute gifts, from Louis Vuitton keychains to sequinned wool sweaters
Christmas 2011
Resources
Welcome to the FT’s Christmas 2011 page where you can find gift ideas, this year’s seasonal appeal and more related to the festive season.
Trotter’s Road
A seasonal short story specially written for the FT by the critically acclaimed author Amy Waldman
FT Life & Arts cultural quiz of 2011
Six magnums of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé champagne await the winner of our cultural quiz, writes Ludovic Hunter-Tilney
A modern Jerusalem
Harry Eyres cites the poet William Blake who counsels not despair but an unceasing ‘mental fight’ in harmonising social and economic goals
Christmas plans turned upside-down
Tyler Brûlé was all geared up for a period of extreme relaxation, but then it all changed between last week’s party and this weekend
The expert selection: Britain’s eccentric festive celebrations
Benedict le Vay, author of some books on the UK’s peculiar side, selects some of the best unconventional festivals in the next eight days
The List: Ten magical festive sporting moments
At Christmas, after a surfeit of food and family, a chap’s fancy turns to thoughts of sport. That’s the Anglo-Saxon tradition, says Matthew Engel
Christmas on credit
Presents for one’s children do not seem like an optional extra though many families may struggle during this holiday, writes Tim Harford
For the men in my life? A list…
Mrs Moneypenny lives in hope that Mr M will buy her a Christmas present that is something that a) she wants and loves and b) she didn’t ask for
Window dressing
Tyler Brûlé bemoans the fact that in much of North America and Europe the holiday retail experience smacks of miserliness and spending freezes
Interiors: crackers by candlelight
Some notable designers from the interiors world reveal how they plan to decorate their festive Christmas tables, writes Victoria Maw
Related content and features
Gift guides
Three weeks before Christmas
Carola Long and Martha Gill pick out top-notch beauty and grooming treats, from luxury lashes to fine shaving kits
Five weeks before Christmas
From jackets to boots and socks, here are some of the best daywear presents for your loved ones, write Carola Long and Martha Gill
Giftbag: present perfect
From antique drawers and cheesy delights to storm lanterns and a bright birdhouse
Unwrap with green fingers
What do keen gardeners want for Christmas? Robin Lane Fox has gift ideas for everyone, from chic watering cans to secateurs and bonemeal
Two weeks before Christmas
From bangles to boot bags, Carola Long and Martha Gill select stylish accessories to add sparkle and make a statement this holiday season
Four weeks before Christmas
From satin stilettos to sequinned tops, Carola Long and Martha Gill select evening wear that will definitely enchant
Six weeks before Christmas
In preparation for the coming season, the FT recommends ten fail-safe gifts that require advance planning
Green Christmas
Here’s Matthew Wilson’s round-up of hardware and software for gardens aimed at wallets great and small
Books
Fiction round-up
From the Egyptian secret service to dystopian China, FT writers and guests pick their favourite fiction of 2011
Gardens: the year in books
Robin Lane Fox selects practical titles of 2011 that offer Christmas presents for all tastes
Nonfiction round-up
From cybercrime to the art of Willem de Kooning, FT writers and guests pick their favourites of 2011
Food and Drink
Chefs at Christmas
Ten top culinary minds reminisce about Christmases past, reveal what’s on the menu this year and offer some festive favourites, writes Natalie Whittle
A Christmas goose chase
Rowley Leigh, long enamoured of the golden bird, visits a Worcestershire farm. He then gives us a feast in six recipes
FT Festive 50: Starters
Set the tone for the meal with a sophisticated, classy pear tart or a stunning salad with oranges and dates
FT Festive 50: Mains
Recipes for Christmas main courses, from turkey curry and spatchcock pigeon to Porthilly beef and roast loin of pork
FT Festive 50: Sweets
Recipes for Christmas desserts, such as crème brulee, chestnut roulade and chocolate moelleux with milk sorbet
Let’s do lunch
This year’s Seasonal Appeal includes the mouth-watering opportunity to lunch with our star writers
The sweetest things
Go on – treat yourself to a super-fresh and tangy Riesling, a delicious Sauternes or a top-quality, bone-dry sherry, says Jancis Robinson
The great whites
There are so many white wines being made today – and you don’t have to wait long before they’re ready to drink, writes Jancis Robinson
Into the reds
More than bordeaux and other tannic reds, pinot noir and burgundy go particularly well with what is known as ‘festive fare’, writes Jancis Robinson
The bubbly types
Take your pick of 25 fine fizzes – the first in Jancis Robinson’s series of top 100 festive wines
The Dior of desserts
Parisian pâtissier Pierre Hermé has made a multi-million euro business from cakes and macarons. The secret, he tells Paul Betts, is to think like a fashion designer
The taste test: Anglo-Gallic cheeses and Christmas puddings
A blind tasting pits English cheeses against French fromages and samples steaming puddings
Arts
Lights, camera, Christmas
For filmmakers, the holiday is a conceptual turkey, stuffed full of cultural and societal notions, fantasies and ideals that can be used on screen, writes Julian Williams
The Snow Queen, Rose Theatre, Kingston & Unicorn Theatre, London
Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale is a staple among Christmas shows, reminding us that snow can be treacherous too, writes Sarah Hemming
Copyright Christmas, Barbican, London
This barbed attack on the consumerism of modern-day Christmas is enjoyable but lacks bite, writes Sarah Hemming
Dick Whittington, New Wimbledon Theatre/Cinderella, Richmond Theatre, London
Eye-catching sets, sumptuous costumes and the triumph of the pantomime Dame
A Christmas Carol, Arts Theatre, London
Simon Callow delivers a one-man tribute to the classic in a voice perfectly suited to Dickens’ mix of gravitas, mystery and mischief
Rules of the dame
Among the most impenetrable elements of the seasonal British pantomime are its conventions of cross-dressing, writes Ian Shuttleworth
Music
She & Him: A Very She & Him Christmas
Hollywood actress Zooey Deschanel and singer-songwriter M Ward entertain the ghost of holiday seasons past on their festive album
Michael Bublé: Christmas
The artist delivers a faithful take on the smooth ‘n’ swinging festive songs that the likes of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra used to knock out
Justin Bieber: Under the Mistletoe
The teenage idol strikes gold with his bonkers version of ‘Drummer Boy’ when he goes all B-boy with rapping
Pilgrims’ Way: Shining Gently All Around
The rising folk stars celebrate Christmas in unconventional manner with a cover of ‘Chinese White’
The Albion Christmas Band: A Sound In The Frosty Air
A stew of old, new and exotic renderings in perfect keeping with the Christmas season
Emmy the Great and Tim Wheeler: This Is Christmas
Indie duo extracts the core ingredients from Ramones and Phil Spector festive songs
Style
No news is good news
Vanessa Friedman mulls over what to pick as the most important fashion moment of the year but comes up with nothing
Chalet girls
Rachel Felder on nightwear-inspired tops and trousers that are more appropriate for pairing with heels than with bedroom slippers
Thatcher’s style legacy
When the economy is unstable women treat themselves with luxury underwear, which has the feel-good factor, writes Carola Long
Yule wear it well
Men’s wear experts and enthusiasts offer their verdicts on festive fashion clichés, and some stylish alternatives
