The Lifestyle Edit: December
Ten things to have on your radar this month, from the candle to burn to the exhibition to visit
Wrap...
... Your Christmas gifts in Jemma Lewis Designs' whimsical marbled paper, lovingly handmade in Wiltshire. Whether cloaked in metallic gold and crimson or frosted moss green, yours will be the prettiest of presents gathered under the tree.
Browse the selection here
Read...
...Village Christmas by Laurie Lee.
From tales of carol-singing and crunching through the snow, to eerie darkness through frosted windows; Village Christmas is a moving, lyrical portrait of England through the changing years and seasons, from the author of Cider With Rosie.
Buy it here for £6.22
Download...
...The Forest App.
As we ease towards Christmas, you can be forgiven for taking your foot off the pedal a little. But deadlines persist, and personal admin piles up.
For busy minds with restless thumbs, this app will help you to be more productive by growing a virtual tree, plant or flower on your screen as you work. If you start to fiddle with your phone, the plant will whither and die.
Our favourite part? Forest supports charity Trees for the Future, and have planted nearly 400,000 trees so far.
See...
.... Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake at Sadler's Wells.
The much anticipated return of Matthew Bourne's convention-shattering Swan Lake – with its feral all-male swans and 21st century, gender-swapping sentiment – is selling out quickly.
Bound to enrapture as it did when first staged at Sadler's Wells in 1995, this is the ultimate Christmas treat.
Read more here
Burn..
...Cire Trudon Nazareth candle.
The holy trinity of clove, cinnamon and orange come together in this thick, rose gold vessel with Cire Trudon's classic markings. Sure to up the cosy factor during short days and long evenings
Buy it here for £78
Step...
... Into party season in Amina Muaddi's shoe designs.
With their irregularly shaped heel stems and and show-stopping hues and materials, Amina Muaddi shoes come with the most authority this party season.
Shop the collection here
Unwind...
... With a treatment at The Connaught's Aman Spa.
Give yourself a respite from frantic Christmas shopping with frost biting at your cheeks by stepping out of the cold, and into the tranquility of the Connaught's spa. With a stylish new range of powerful skin and body care products by Aman Skincare, holistic massages and meditation classes are the order of the day.
Read more here
Stock up...
... On fresh fruit and vegetables at Natoora's new Fulham Road outpost.
Parsnips, sprouts, pomegranates and satsumas; where better to stock up on seasonal produce than at an environmentally conscious and exquisitely designed outpost. The eco-friendly London aesthete's answer to grocery shopping.
Find out more here
Art fix...
...Phillip Colbert's New Paintings at the Saatchi Gallery.
The contemporary British artist, designer and film producer with a colourful fixation on pop culture, Warholian flourishes and a lobster alter ego will be rolling into the Saatchi Gallery for a month long residency this December.
Read more here
Watch...
... Mary Poppins Returns.
Everyone's favourite magical nanny and her spoonfuls of sugar will be gracing cinema screens across the country from 19 December. Think Edwardian glamour, warming nostalgia and boosted spirits.
Read more here
Cosy up...
... In a warm hug of a cashmere throw like this one from Soho Home. For when central heating just doesn't cut it.
Buy it here for £400