A Ralph Lauren Christmas: What to buy and where to stay to embrace traditionally festive interiors

The awkward truth about celebrating Christmas in Britain is that, despite the old-world charm and cosiness that it necessarily entails, it can be a little un-chic. Lumpen woolly jumpers, the Two Ronnies and enough ham and red wine to give you gout are all wonderful if you want to switch off and gently steam in front of the TV, but there are other ways to celebrate the festive season, too. Picture, then, if you will, a slightly preppy, wholesome and active Christmas replete with sophisticated creature comforts and which, importantly, looks utterly beautiful too: welcome to Christmas, Ralph Lauren-style. The feel is elegant New England, as though you might play tennis on Boxing Day, or walk the dog on windswept beaches somewhere along the empty Cape Cod coast, all before retiring for an Old Fashioned in front of the fire.

Ralph Lauren Christmas is Christmas at the country club with Lee Radziwill. It’s glamorous and exclusive without being showy or crass, the Cotswolds via Montauk. It’s an American fantasy, of course – but then it always was, ever since the mid-1950s when working-class, Bronx-born Ralph Lifshitz changed his name to Lauren and founded a brand to channel the most aspirational aesthetics of the WASPish northeast of the States.

So, here’s how to channel the chicest of the classic American East Coast brands, without having to actually schlep across the Atlantic to reach Long Island. And, if you don’t want to do it at home, we’ve included three of the best places to stay, should you want to outsource your festive plans.

Setting the table

You’ve finished the obligatory Christmas Day walk, opened the presents – perhaps – and so it’s time to sit down to a Christmas lunch. The statement moment and centrepiece of Christmas Day demands appropriate dressing, meaning napkin rings and placemats styled on the historic Black Watch tartan are the order of the day. Simple but proper stainless steel cutlery from Ralph Lauren’s home line feels elegant but understated. And after dinner? Martinis or a cut-glass tumbler of whiskey for those who can’t face eggnog.

Keeping warm

You can never have too much cashmere. Ralph Lauren channels the aesthetic of New England and the East Coast of the USA, where the winters are real winters, and it often snows. Key to a comfortable Christmas, then, is ensuring that the interiors of your home are soft and warm by contrast, whether you’re staying in a tony Hamptons bolthole or a simple, rustic wooden cabin. Swathe yourself and your guests in thick quilts or light throws, and sink into luxe but understated cushions. For bonus points, ensure your textiles are embroidered with your initials.

Opening presents

There’s a happy sort of ambiguity to a lot of Ralph Lauren’s homeware trinkets: are you meant to buy them as gifts, or for yourself? (Indeed, why not both?) Winter candles are an obvious choice to fill the house with the scent of pine forests, while drinks served off a simple steel tray add a touch of restrained decorum to proceedings. The trick here is to avoid anything synthetic. If it couldn’t plausibly have existed in 1967, it’s vetoed.

3 of the best UK hotels that capture the Ralph Lauren Christmas aesthetic

Chewton Glen, Hampshire

In our review of Chewton Glen, we called it “the stuff of country-club dreams”: all manicured lawns and genteel cool. In red brick with mint-green shutters and regimented white sash windows, the hotel’s 18^th-century façade looks nothing if not colonial, and a bright and airy 17-metre pool and a spa, as well as tennis courts, offer the chance to work out and kick back. Eat in The Kitchen, the fish-forward restaurant run by chef James Martin, where Cornish sardines, oysters and a scallop-and-samphire Padstow Pot are the menu’s highlights, and it’s not hard to imagine that you’re putting the cod in Cape Cod (just as in-demand is the crab sandwich served in the hotel’s Dining Room).