A Virginia Cottage Decked Out for Christmas and More

ByCindy Hattersley Hours Posted on Hours Updated on
Comments 47 Comments

Are you ready for Christmas? I have to wrap my packages today and Summer is coming! Let’s join Mary Ann and Annie. Today I am sharing A Virginia Cottage Decked Out for Christmas and More.

Dylan’s Cottage Decked out for Christmas

My IG friend Dylan has downsized and moved to a charming 1785 cottage. If you aren’t already following Dylan here on Instagram you should be. Her former home was featured in Country Home and I featured her charming Virginia Farmhouse i here on the blog as well.

Dylan's 1785 Cottage living room

Love the console table filled with magnolia.

Virginia cottage dining room

Wouldn’t you love to sit down with a glass of wine here?

virginia cottage sideboard

Roasted Peppers with Burrata

We had our wine group at our home last week, and one of our members brought this delicious appetizer. She served it with pita but I think you could serve it as a salad as well.

Roasted peppers with buratta

She said it is super easy to make. I have failed to get the actual recipe from her but I think this recipe from Morton Bassett is very similar. I would use fresh herbs and garlic, but I am sure this is delicious as well. I think this will be my new go to appetizer.

What do You Cook for Christmas Eve and Day

This year our son in law is going to do Prime Rib for Christmas Day. We will have brunch Christmas morning and Prime Rib for dinner. I am still undecided for Christmas eve (I need to get on that), I am thinking paella. I would love to hear what you are preparing.

Outfits of the Week

Here are two looks featuring a metallic Bella Dahl sweater that I picked up locally at Roux Collective. It is not really silver and not really gold, slightly cropped, and very comfy. I am sorry I could not get a good picture of it.

New Years Eve Outfit
Metallic sweater and Jeans

I will probably wear this version for Christmas eve.

What would you like to Read More of in 2025

Be thinking of what you would like to read more about next year. It is really helpful when I have your input! This blog is for you.

Shop the Looks

Thank you so much for reading A Virginia Cottage Decked Out for Christmas and More. If you missed last week’s Sunday Faves you can find it here. Have a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. My posts will be sporadic over the holidays. I will however be back on Thursday with an interview with a fascinating local couple you will enjoy.

Now let’s pop over and visit Mary Ann and Annie for their favorites.

CLASSIC CASUAL HOME

MOST LOVELY THINGS

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47 Comments

  1. Our Christmas Eve, traditional dinner for years has always been Dungeness crab, risotto, Caesar salad, and crusty French bread. When we lived in the Bay Area, we could go to downtown Oakland and get it fresh from the boats . Each year since we have moved, it has gotten harder and harder to get. This year we were in Colorado and I hosted Christmas Eve. We ended up doing prime rib and risotto. We always do a roasted tomato garnish that goes great with it. Good morning I too love Dylan’s house up gorgeous little cottage. I am looking forward to more views of it.! Hope your Christmas was great!

    1. Martha I would love to have your recipe for the roasted tomato garnish! Crab season doesn’t happen in CA until after the New Year now darn it!!

  2. Another Pacific Northwesterner here: Christmas Eve is Dungeness crab, crusty bread with good butter, and an arugula salad. (This Sunday my favorite local fishmonger was open at 10 am for all the crab fanatics wanting the first-of-the-season crabs.)
    Christmas dinner is roast beef, and I don’t know what else. My son makes dinner and my DIL makes dessert. I’m very lucky, I’m just bringing the chocolate Santas.
    Cindy, your blog and your style are both great. I appreciate all your good tips for fashionable clothes and places to find them. I like your beauty pieces too, and have appreciated your guidance in this post Covid world of grey hair instead of dye.

  3. Happy Holidays Cindy! We are going to my son’s home for Christmas Eve, my D-I-L is making a roast. We are keeping fingers crossed my son, a fireman, will not be held after his shift ends, but living in Los Angeles with our history of fires, there’s always that chance…For Christmas Day, we will have lasagna, and light the Hanukkah candles! Wishing you and yours a very Happy Christmas, and a joyous New Year’s!

  4. My mouth is watering reading what people are serving for Christmas. However, as the temp (in Oz) is expected to hit 100F, I have opted for a seafood lunch of Thai lobster mango salad, Ocean trout Gravalax with pickled fennel, hot smoked salmon with a spicy sauce, oysters kilpatrick, prawns. cold ham and turkey with lychee salad, mango salsa and potato salad. Plus a bowl of roast potatoes (special request) Desserts – mini pavlovas (with berry compote, passionfruit curd, chantilly cream) and/or plum pudding with creme Anglais. Nibbles include porcini mushroom pate, chicken rilletes on crackers. After lunch, probably a swim in the pool. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family and beautiful grand daughter.

    1. Susan would you share your Thai lobster mango salad recipe by chance? Your entire menu sounds beyond fabulous!!

      1. The thai lobster salad is from a you tube video, ‘Rainbow Lobster & Mango Salad recipe’. Duncan’s Thai Kitchen. However, I use cray tails instead and add a couple of prawns as well on a small base of ramen noodles with chopped shallots, cucumber and mango cheeks. The dressing I prefer to use is from ‘Poh’s Kitchen’ – ‘prawn noodle salad,’ available online.. If you have trouble accessing them I can (with help) send you the exact recipe. I served them individually as an entree (or starter).

  5. We live on the Central Coast CA and for the past 6 yrs. no Dungeness crab fishing allowed before the holidays. This year the season is allowed to begin in January (whales get caught in the crab pot lines so until they leave the area, no crab fishing allowed). But we just learned that our local fishmonger is getting the crabs from WA! So that is what we are having Christmas Eve, along with an arugula salad with roasted pecans and sliced persimmons and crusty french bread. Merry Christmas, Cindy!

  6. Enjoy your interiors, outfits and edibles. We’re having lasagna, salad and cookies at my MIL place on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day we’re doing pork with apple/mustard sauce, roasted Rosemary potatoes, Brussel sprouts, fruit salad and Christmas cookies.

    1. Hi Tracie

      I think you all need to share your fabulous recipes! Would love the pork with apple mustard sauce!

  7. Our family has a traditional Thanksgiving dinner each year but we do something different for Christmas to shake things up a bit. This year my daughter is serving fajitas and ‘ritas. Merry Christmas!

  8. I have a small gathering this year for Christmas Eve. I am doing a Classic Cheese Fondue with steamed red skinned potato chunks, grilled sausage, toasted tuscan bread cubes, pear, pretzel bites, Serving with White Russian cocktails. For Christmas the classic beef tenderloin.

  9. I think a traditional Italian-style Feast of the Seven Fishes made into your Spanish Paella would be fabulous, served along side Sauteed Garlic Black Kale and some Garlic Toast. Perhaps a Creme Caramel for dessert.

    We have been having a traditional British-style dinner for Xmas Eve: A Portobella Mushroom substitute for Roast Beef, Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy, Orange Glazed Carrots, Gulliver’s Creamed Corn, Gulliver’s Creamed Spinach, Sauteed Brussel’s Sprouts in Garlic-herb Butter, Popovers, Pub Onions and Cranberry Sauce. Dessert has often been a Raspberry Trifle, but this year I’m going to make it easy with just some make ahead cookies and a Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt Cake (the Christmas tree ring one). It’s all really exhausting!

    Christmas morning I’ll be up early making Hash Brown Quiche along with some fresh Fruit Salad. Then I’ll make a loaf of Rye Bread for dinner (Hooray for bread machines). Luckily I don’t have to make dinner too. It’s a Czech dinner with a Chick Patty standing in for Roast Pork, Potato Dumplings, Mushroom Gravy, Sweet & Sauerkraut, Kuba (a mushroom-barley casserole), and of course the Rye Bread with Butter. Dessert is Poppyseed Cake and Apple Strudel. Nobody goes away hungry here!

  10. For Christmas Eve, we have tamales and enchiladas. Christmas Day will be ham and traditional sides. I enjoy your fashion posts and the recipes. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

    1. I love the ideas of tamales Xmas eve. We ended up having Mary Ann’s Mexican Lasagne instead of Paella because Jenna and Darius had to work and we weren’t sure when they would arrive due to traffic.

  11. We are breaking a decades long tradition of Prime Rib after my sister and I realized we felt so awful afterwards having made the switch in our diets to eating very little meat. Our husbands may complain but we’re going to dazzle them with fish. Fingers crossed! Merry Christmas!

    1. Hi Vicki

      I love fish….Darius prime rib was delicious, even though I am not a prime rib fan…I am not a huge beef fan in general.

  12. Dear Cindy
    Merry Christmas! and Happy Healthy New Year to you and your loved ones.
    Thank you for your year long gift of bringing inspiration and joy to my inbox!

    1. Hi Julie Ann

      Thank you for following along!! I so appreciate each and every one of you!!

  13. We’re having crab cakes with a remoulade sauce, butternut squash soup and crusty bread for Christmas eve and Prime Rib roast, Yorkshire Pudding, roasted carrots and mashed potatoes and gravy for Christmas dinner. Orange chocolate bundt cake with vanilla ice cream for desert. my husband’s parents came from England so Yorkshire Pudding is a must on Christmas!

    1. Helen…may I sneak into your dinner!? Everything I love. My Mum was from Hertfordshire and we always had the most fabulous Sunday roasts…she never missed puffy Yorkshire puddings with roast beef. I make crab cakes often…live on west coast of BC …so your Christmas Eve meal is a treat too. Happy Christmas 🎄

      1. Cath, come join us for dinner, we’d love to have you and we’re somewhat close! We live just north of Seattle in Mukilteo! My husband has cousins in Vancouver, Richmond and the Sunshine coast. Also, Alberta and Saskatchewan. We love coming up to BC to visit and see the sights. Nothing like a fluffy Yorkshire Pudding, such a treat. So glad we kept this tradition going.
        Merry Christmas

  15. On Christmas Day, we are having German sauerbraten (started the process on 12/20 so it will be good and sour); red cabbage; dumplings; and green beans.

  16. We are having Baked Shrimp and Lobster risotto…easy and delicious! Veal roast at my sisters Christmas evening!
    Merry Christmas and HNY! Love your well thought out blog news.
    Wendy x

    1. Hi Wendy

      Thank you so much …again I think we need to share recipes…baked shrimp and lobster risotto is right up my alley!!

  17. My husband and I splurge on lobster tails, twice baked potatoes with green chilies, black olives & cheese, and Caesar salad. I love your blog and always look forward to your fashion and decor.

  18. Living in the PNW we are lucky that crab season has begun. We’ll do fresh cracked crab with a nice salad and fresh bread for Christmas Eve and a Prime Rib for Christmas dinner.

    Happy Holidays to you and yours!

    1. Deb, another West Coast gal! We are having the same Christmas Eve dinner – fresh crab with drawn butter, Caesar salad, and a loaf of crusty bread. Yum! Prime Rib for Christmas Day. I haven’t quite settled on the sides, as of yet.

      Love the sweater Cindy! Unfortunately, it’s already sold out.

      Merry Christmas and All The Best on 2025!

      1. Hi Joanna

        When we lived in Chualar we usually went to our neighbor’s Xmas eve for crab…so yummy and fun…

  19. Love the Virginia home tour! Magnolia leaves and pinecones! And of course I love your outfits of the week!

  20. We do shrimp fra diavolo for Christmas Eve, blueberry scones for breakfast and prime rib for Christmas dinner. There are usually so many sweets around I don’t worry about dessert. I most love your fashion articles, especially those with vintage and inherited accessories, and your wonderful interiors. Merry Christmas and Happy 2025!

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