Elegant Holiday Entertaining with Ted Kennedy Watson

When it comes to decorating, entertaining, and gifting, we love to turn to our friend Ted Kennedy Watson, shop owner and author of Ted Kennedy Watson’s Guide To Stylish Entertaining.

Ted is the owner and creative director of Watson Kennedy, an irresistible store in Seattle that sells a curated mix of vintage and new furniture, housewares and linens, and jewelry and bath products.

Here, we’ve asked Ted about his top hosting tips, beloved holiday traditions, and what he’s most excited to wear and gift for the season.

Plus, this year Ted is bringing his holiday magic to the East Coast. Visit our Lexington Avenue store on November 29th-November 30th to shop the Watson Kennedy pop-up, featuring a curated collection of Ted’s favorite goods and gifts.

Vintage English hotel silver pieces are always favorites at Watson Kennedy, which means they become much-loved holiday gifts when I think of the perfect recipient. Hotel silver is meant to be used, so I love both the utilitarian aspect as well as just how darn pretty it is. A table absolutely sings when certain bowls or platters are called into action. The small bowls we use daily, so I like to start a collection for our friends with a bowl first. Being a big fan of high/low, a beautiful hotel silver bowl filled with potato chips served next to a coupe of Veuve is really hard to beat.

A great host/hostess gift during the holidays (really any time of year) is something that can be consumed as well as something that can be long remembered. A stellar bottle of extra virgin olive oil is a personal favorite. I then like to wrap it up in a French dish towel. It’s a winning combo, as the dish towel will be long remembered and if it is an exceptional EVOO, it is something the receiver can buy more of later, and also be a reminder of you.

Being a shopkeeper, the holidays are pretty non-stop. Often we go from helping customers all day, right to a dinner or party. So my clothing choices need to be comfortable for moving about all day and then stylish right into the evening. I am mad for plaid year round, so the Collis shirt is a new personal favorite. Team that up with a Parker corduroy pant and a pair of Linus driving moccasins and I am set for the day into the eve. A classic navy Tate cashmere sweater brings the whole look together in place of a blazer.

Potted paperwhite narcissus, amaryllis, pomanders, vintage mercury glass balls, big bowls or vessels of pinecones and walnuts in the shell. Tons of clear votive candles and taper candles. Simple stuff really, but lots of it. We find it super comfortable and super comforting.

Favorite holiday tradition:

Our favorite holiday tradition started 11 years ago. We fly to Hawthorne, our old farmhouse in the Hudson Valley, on Christmas Day. Our fabulous caretaker Bill has set the tree up for us and has it lit for when we arrive late in the eve. It is so fun rounding the corner into the Hawthorne Valley and seeing our tree lit! We then host our family to a Boxing Day supper, often serving salmon we bought at the Pike Place Market on Christmas Eve and hand carry on the plane with it all packed up nicely on ice. Then we sleep for a few days! It will have been an incredibly busy, and fun, few months.

Top three tips for easy entertaining:

Easy entertaining to us means doing what you do well (this is not the time to try a new recipe), and get everything done before guests arrive so you can enjoy your own party. Serve a signature cocktail. A signature cocktail can absolutely be a glass of your favorite Champagne! If you are having a large gathering, hire someone to help. That is a gift to yourself. Serve your meal buffet style so guests can have as little or as much as they would like. Have a little treat wrapped up in cello bags to give as folks leave. We love little bags of JonBoy caramels that we sell at Watson Kennedy. They are the perfect little treat for the ride home.

1. Bake a whole Brie. You can also slice figs for an extra tasty & visual treat! Put your favorite jam on top of it. Wrap the whole thing in puff pastry. Bake until puffy. You will have happy guests.

2. Buy twice as much ice as you think you will need. It almost always gets used. Stash extra bags of ice in your bathtub if storage is an issue.

3. Pick up a case of white unscented votives and clear glass holders at a restaurant supply store. Light them and put them everywhere in your home. The flicker all about is magical.

4. As host, have one question you ask all of your guests that evening while you are chatting with them. Such as, naughty or nice?

5. Encourage ‘Holiday Festive Attire’ as it is always fun to see how folks interpret that!