Month Map: December
Merry Kitschmas! Curated is out, chaos is in. Let the glitter fall where it may.
I’m glad we’ve stopped pretending that Christmas needs to be tasteful. We’re giving up on perfection and letting colour, clutter, and silly little treasures back in.
Maybe it’s nostalgia and the longing for those 90s film photos of a simpler time.
Perhaps it is exhaustion and the fight for our financial survival, but I think this is the year everyone realised that perfect trees never feel as magical as the slightly chaotic ones. That slightly tacky Christmas decor makes us feel connected to life before influencer affiliate marketing.
Whatever the reason, the season has swung back to colour, clutter, craft, and the kind of tackiness that warms the soul.
I keep thinking about beauty editor Sali Hughes and her tree covered in pop culture baubles with enormous googly eyes perched on top like a watchful cartoon guardian. Everything feels chosen with love or impulse or both. It looks like it grew over the years, which is precisely the charm.
Idea of the Month
A tradition stolen from my friend Lauren. When she hosted Christmas gatherings, she asked each guest to bring one bauble. No rules. No pressure. They arrived with things that were funny or sentimental, or silly. Her tree became a scrapbook.
If you want more kitsch in your December, try:
Crafting some Christmas decorations. Bows, paper chains, dried oranges, glitter baubles. Have fun with it.
Having a retro cocktail party (see ideas below)
Starting your whimsical bauble collection or gifting one to a friend
Reading
I am heading to a cottage with my Kindle and a stack of books that feel suited to quiet mornings and long afternoons. Here is the shortlist, plus authors.
I’m packing my Kindle for a stint at a country cottage, and bringing a pile of books that feel like slow afternoons and candlelight. Here’s what I’m taking (with authors).
Call it a holiday reading rule: pick something new, something classic, and one you’ve been putting off all year.
Style Notes
This is one of those rare seasons where the high street accidentally aligns with my wardrobe. Black velvet. Soft leather. Diamantes that sparkle in stairwells and pubs and cold station platforms. Everything feels slightly theatrical.
Some easy style shifts for the month:
• Velvet bows that stay in even if your hair rebels.
• A MASSIVE fur coat with a big collar that looks dramatic over anything.
• Earrings shaped like stars or cherries or snowflakes.
• A glitter bag only big enough for keys and a lipgloss
• A soft cardigan with tiny pearl buttons.
If you ever need a one-step upgrade for December outfits, add texture or shine. It works on everything.
Beauty
The December 2025 face is soft, smudged, and a little rock and roll. A smoky eye that looks lived in (or slept in). Lips that blur at the edges. Skin that glows and glitter that drifts.
Things that fit the mood:
Vieve Skin Nova
Making you look alive, even when you don’t feel it.
Urban Decay All Nighter Spray
Locks it all in, through ‘tinis, tinsel, and taxi.
Vieve Icon Mascara
Day-to-night, no false lashes required.
Pat McGrath Celestial Divinity Luxe Quad
The deluxe, keep forever, glitter quad.
Urban Decay Heavy Metal Liner
A quick streak of sparkle for instant party vibes.
Rimmel Cappuccino Lip Liner + Vieve Supermodel Gloss
90’s Supermodel glossy lips, you can reapply all night
Colour Wow Style on Steroids
For big re-workable hair. Seasonal reminder to back comb. See also: Got2B Powderful
Kitschy Drinks, Food and Party Ideas
This is the part where December gets fun.
Drinks for maximum joy:
• A Snowball with two cherries.
• Spiked hot chocolate with amaretto and a cherry on top.
• Anything with any sparkling wine and a garnish in a ridiculous coupe.
Food for nostalgia:
• A cheese and pineapple hedgehog
• Mini trifles in mismatched glasses.
• Unusually shaped wobbly jelly
• Fruit cocktail! Things on a stick! Paper plates!
Party extras:
• A karaoke corner
• Crackers filled with Pound Shop surprises.
• A craft table for decorating plain baubles with sequins and glue.
• A time-lapse running in the corner so you can watch the night unfold later.
So, twirl the tinsel, tip the Snowballs, flick on the fairy lights, and let the glitter fall where it may. Pull out the quirky baubles, don your velvet and leather, smudge a little liner, swipe some gloss, and remember: Christmas looks best when it’s messy and a tiny bit ridiculous. This year, embrace the chaos and make your Kitschmas one to remember.