For Gemma Keil, Christmas Day is best enjoyed several times over—surrounded by good food, family and plenty of laughter. With relatives spread over multiple cities, the Sydney-based stylist is no stranger to entertaining, often hosting and attending numerous festive events over the holidays.
Gemma recently welcomed us into her home for a closer look at her festive celebrations, the Christmas table and all the magic that the holiday season brings.
How do you celebrate the festive season? Paint a picture for us.
We like to stay put on Christmas Day, ensuring Santa doesn't get lost, and our house is perfect for entertaining. We stay in our PJs until late morning, opening presents and sipping coffee to counter the early wake-up.
We host a late, long lunch with family members, which is always a highlight. The kids play with their cousins and dip in and out of the pool all afternoon, adding to the festive atmosphere. It's a day filled with good conversation (as long as we stay off the topic of politics), gratitude and the wonderful smells of holiday cooking.
The table setting is definitely my domain. Last year, I created an interactive setup that was a hit with the kids. Instead of a traditional tablecloth, I laid out a massive run of butcher paper, wrote everyone's name in Sharpie, and set out crayons for the kids to draw and colour. I love incorporating lots of flowers and foliage into the decor, although it often leads to a friendly debate with my husband, who prefers to keep more space for the food.
What about your home—are there any decorations, heirlooms or relics that make an appearance year after year?
As much as it may irk me as a stylist—always wanting to control the visual narrative—I've learned to pick my battles. The Christmas tree is not one of them. It's a big, glorious, non-themed melting pot of memories, adorned with handmade knick-knacks and memorabilia of the kids' favourite characters from the year, including mermaids, robots, dinosaurs and even a cameo from Elsa from ‘Frozen'.
There are so many things I love about this time of year: my out-of-office is on, long balmy nights, beach days, family time, a slower pace and endless mangoes.
