It was the loveliest Christmas this year.
My cousin Ellis and his husband Landon were visiting from New York, and we invited them for Christmas dinner.
They walked in and handed us a gorgeous and festive bouquet of white roses and red berry branches.
We started with foie gras on toast, followed by a rich chestnut soup I made, and for the main course, Vincent made a fantastic lasagna with white beans, butternut squash puree, and spinach. Ellis and Landon also brought a killer Buche de Noel from She’s Cake, which turned out to be a delicious cheesecake. For the next few hours, we chatted away about almost every subject: American politics, art, culture, theater, musicals, film, family, and travel.
As many of you know, every Christmas my partner Vincent creates a special art gift for me. I never know the form it will take and over the years there have been paintings, collages, sculptures, tapestries, boxes, and portraits.
This year Vincent outdid himself with one of the most beautiful and touching gifts he has ever given me.
(tears are coming down as I write this). First was a tiny, mirrored square that opened like an accordion with 12 panels containing images and beautiful text. (More tears rolling down now).
Next, were two glass boxes framed in gold. One had a mini tree decorated in gold leaves, and the second box had a tiny hut, and the opened door had a photo of me. (Vincent told me this represented our home). Needless to say, the boxes were completely tear-stained, and I had to Windex them to get clean again.
If that wasn’t enough, Vincent also gave me a K-Way, nave blue hoodie, a royal blue beanie, a terrific photo book from the Japanese photographer Sugimoto, and a vintage Snoopy figure. I gave Vincent a new iPad, two Ottolenghi cookbooks, and a Snoopy figure.
I hope you had a lovely Christmas like I did.
