French Country Cottage Christmas

In this cozy outing, French Country Cottage blogger Allison (French Country Cottage Inspired Gatherings) serves up ideas for rustic holiday decor. She showcases 25 ways to dress up a Christmas tree, with standouts including the “Mingle of Blues” frosty-flocked artificial tree with white and blue ornaments, and “Romantic Floral Elegance,” which features hydrangea, rose, and snowberry bunches tucked in among the branches. Suggesting ideas for sprucing up each room of a house, Allison notes that she drapes a garland on her entryway banister and places decorative bowls filled with baubles on surfaces throughout her home. When entertaining, “delicately detailed plates, gilded wine stems, and flatware tied with satin ribbon... offset with country linen napkins” give table settings a “French country feel,” according to the author, who also delves into embellishing a home’s exterior, showing how she outlines the roof of her barn in colored Christmas lights and mounts a Christmas tree on a rolling stand so she can move it outdoors or indoors depending on the weather. There’s little explicit guidance, with Allison instead focusing on displaying scenes she’s designed, but the pastoral-inspired arrangements would please even Scrooge. The result is a festive guide for the cottagecore set. * Publishers Weekly * Readers will make lists and check them twice to have a home as beautiful as that of Allison (French Country Cottage Inspired Gatherings), a stylist, photographer, and blogger. In picture-filled chapters, she spotlights family heirlooms, contemporary pieces, and other objects that lend the perfect French country touch. A highlight is the chapter about Christmas trees, with tips for nearly any style—vintage, modern, casual, elegant, or colorful—with different themes and sizes. Allison also shares photos and instructions for layering a Christmas tree with decorations, such as ribbons, simple overhand knot bows, and a touch of glamour. For Christmas-season hosts, a section addresses table settings, with various color schemes and levels of dining formality. Since the Christmas season can be overwhelming, there’s also a yearlong checklist with advice to remember to shop after Christmas and at yard sales. The book includes crafting ideas for wreaths, garlands, and one-of-a-kind gift-wrap. The book concludes with a list of resources for items that are easily accessible. VERDICT Purchase where Allison’s works are popular and where Christmas titles circulate well. -- Sarah Sieg * Library Journal *