Set two of four. This one is Winter Arch.
A tall metal arch, wrapped in eucalyptus, olive and fir, with a wicker chair beneath it and pale wood behind. The ornaments are cream, sage and soft blush rather than red and gold, so the whole thing sits quieter than most Christmas sets do.
I built it because not every family wants a red Christmas. Some of you have told me over the years that you love the pictures but the set doesn’t match anything in your house, and this is the answer to that. It’s a Christmas set you could hang in a hallway in March without it looking out of place.
Who it suits
Winter Arch is the most grown-up of this year’s four, which makes it good for families with older children, and particularly good if you want everybody in the picture rather than just the children. The chair gives you somewhere to sit, and the arch frames a group rather than a single child.
It also suits a baby who can sit up but isn’t walking yet, because the chair holds them nicely and there’s nothing to climb.
If you have a mixed-age family and you’re wondering which set will get you the one picture you actually frame, it’s probably this one.
What to wear
This set rewards restraint. Cream, sage, stone, soft grey, dusty pink, and knitwear in almost any neutral. Avoid strong red and avoid busy patterns, as both fight the garland.
If you want one picture where everyone looks like they belong together without matching exactly, pick a colour and let everyone wear a different version of it.
Booking
Winter Arch is one of four sets, and your session includes all of them. Sessions run from Friday 13 to Sunday 22 November at my studio in Crawley Down, and cost £35 including your favourite digital image.
Booking opens at 8am on Thursday 1 October. If you’re on my Christmas VIP list, you can book from 7am. Weekend slots go quickly, so that hour is your best chance of the time you want.
