Putting on the glitz

At this time of year its all about dressing up. Not just  making yourself look fabulous, but pulling out all the culinary stops to dress up the food.It only takes a few extra special ingredients and very little money to turn the everyday into the out-of-this-world.Bedeck and Bedazzle, your mission is to be the new Carrie Bradshaw of Christmas domesticity - A reyt bobby dazzler. This is a quaint coloquial term from Lancashire in the Northwest of England pertaining to someone who looks good, or is well presented, and is often said to someone who is "dressed to impress" for an event or party. The Christmas table should glitter and sparkle, candles should be lit and the best china brought out.The table certainly requires a cloth and for me family heirloom linen takes some beating. The combination of rough linen with fine china and glass gives a sense of occasion.As an alternative to the more usual starched  cloth,one of our favourite table coverings is an old french linen sheet. It is one of our prized posessions

In these hard times of Merkhelozy austerity we can´t deny we are all short of a penny, a euro, a dollar or a pound, so mixing sparkly vintage with modern chic is the crise way to celebrate Christmas. Christmas is a lovely time to bring out any china or glass passed down your family which might be lurking in the backs of cupboards.It may seem rather dated or unfashionable to you, but please take another look.Fashion changes so regularly that without it journalists would be devoid of any new products for their "shopping pages". What seems old-ladyish one year can look great the next.Of course its all about how you use it. Old pieces need to be mixed with modern in order for Victoria to meet the Noughties.If you´re lucky enough to have inherited or acquired older pieces,mix and match them. It all reflects the sentiment of Christmas past and present.The Casa Rosada Christmas table will represent my grandmother´s china, and Peking Glass that my mother bartered for in a Shanghai market while stopping off while travelling on a troop ship in World War Two. It will sit alongside some modern trinkets we have picked up while on our own travels in more recent years.The Casa Rosada lunch will be a more intimate affair.No guests just the two of us.The whole Christmas thing is s geared towards the large family gathering that lunch for two can easily get forgotten, or even worse looked upon as being a trifle sad.Well Bah humbug it is quite the opposite.The smaller the party the more luxurious it can afford to be and perhaps more civilised.You can do precisely as you like, Drink more expensive wine and indulge in delicacies that would have been beyond budget were you entertaining on a larger scale. For putting on more Glitz.... Glasses are good to use for several reasons, they are small, which makes them easy to make arrangements in,even for the most cack-handed. They can play host to a scented tea light, but be careful not to crack the glass.You can see over them which is important when dressing a table.What´s more they dont take many flowers so are cheap. So you want your guests to be saying about you things like "Ohh arn't you a bobby dazzler" or or about your turkey "My, that bird's a reet bobby dazzler!" Candles make everything sparkly and jewelley, especially Joe Malone,  sorry Portugal she´s not here yet. Smart tumblers can double up as vases for the Christmas table.  Try mimosa flowers in a purple vase.