It’s official! The holidays are upon us. Time for shopping, queuing, fighting over the last red bauble and thinking about what we’re going to wear and serve at our Christmas family dinners and luncheons. Don’t worry though, as Woolies has you covered for a fabulous holiday season.

In August this year, I went to Woolworths’ Media Day, where they displayed all the lovely goodies that will be in store this Christmas. I had to restrain myself from tweeting and posting all these gorgeous pics I snapped up, as we were asked to keep everything hush hush. Today I get to reveal all! Fashion, food, fun!

Fashion

First on the to-do list, is to get your Christmas outfit (or outfits) sorted! There is such a beautiful selection of summer dresses at Woolworths this year, I’m sure you’ll find your perfect match. Although I already did a post on holiday dresses, I decided to pop into Woolies again to see what else they had in store, something a little more festive you know? This green dress from Twist (R399 top left) caught my eye immediately. In fact, I left with one in my shopping bag and if the weather warms up here in Durbs, I might just wear it on Christmas eve.

Another pretty, less festive but still fabulous number is this soft blue dress, also from Twist (R329 bottom left). It’s easy and looks great paired with cognac coloured heels and nude belt! It’s a great pick for your work Christmas function. For Christmas day I picked out this long, flowy red dress (R375 bottom right). It’s perfect for serving up your Christmas lunch or lounging by the pool with friends, family and a glass of bubbly. I also love the striking pink detail at the bottom, making it a perfect colour blocking dress.

Another dress that caught my eye and just screams festive fun is this red, pink and black striped dress (R250 left). It even matches this gorgeous, festive table setting (top right). I love the cute and quirky table cloth and the little Reindeers. A table this pretty needs a dish, equally delicious. And because I know you’d rather spend time mingling with friends and family over Christmas rather than slaving in front of a hot stove, nothing beats this Pork & Fresh Herb Turkey Breast Roast. It’s pre-cooked, so all that’s left to do is pop it in the oven!

For the beauty gal, Woolworths also has a wonderful range of colour cosmetics to complete your Christmas look. Although they do offer a range of exclusive branded cosmetics, such as Benefit, Smashbox, Bloom and now also Inglot, the W Colour cosmetic collection is also great. Fun, vibrant nail colours, pretty eyeshadow palettes, glosses and lippies too! Go on, spoil yourself!

Food

Go on, be cheesy! I tell you, nothing beats a festive cheese board selection at your Christmas party! At the Woolworths Media Day, we got to indulge (and I do mean indulge) in a world of cheeses! @Lipglossgirl and myself were totally smitten with the cheese selection, and after our 15 minute tasting session was up, I actually contemplated a double dose! Can you really blame me? Just look at the selection, it’s enough to make your mouth water!

Serve your cheese boards with lashings of honey, load up on nuts as well as various preserves. I loved the fig preserve. Ohhh, la la! It’s a definite yes on my festive table this year!

 

Make a meal of it! A fabulous selection of ham mixed with cheese and nuts (top left) will have your guests smiling. Serve up some simple fish starters (bottom right) and you’re sure to win them over! I absolutely love the LUKE Truffle, Walnut and Fig Pesto (bottom left). It was dee-lish!

If you really want to impress your guests, try out this amazing Woolworths menu by award-winning chef Luke Dale-Roberts. Your guests will be eating out the palm of your hand! Trust me, I got to taste this menu at the Woolworths Media day and was totally impressed!

Puds Please! Yummy, yummy! Look at these mouthwatering Christmas treats! You’d be crazy to slave in the heat making Christmas pudding, when Woolworths has such a decadent selection. Hidden Centre Pudding laced with custard or Traditional Christmas Cake, your guests will love you. Just remember to serve them up in pretty bowls, and make a fuss on the display, and they won’t even know your sneaky little store bought secret.

Fun

You can go into Woolies, shop for your Christmas outfit/s, your Christmas menu and even get your gifts sorted then and there! There are so many cute, quirky and beautifully packaged gifts on the shelves this season, you’ll not only find a gift that’s beautiful, but something that has been well thought out for the person receiving it.

A few years ago one of my BFF’s bought me a sushi making set from Woolworths. It was the coolest gift ever as I got to sharpen my sushi making skills. It’s one of those gifts I absolutely love because it’s not something I’d have bought myself and yet, still something I thoroughly enjoyed.

I took a squiz at Woolies’ new Christmas 2011 catalogue, like I said earlier, fabulous gifts for everyone! These are a few of my top picks, and ones I wouldn’t mind finding under the Christmas tree with my name on.

From top left:

• Glamour Foam Bath and Glamour Shimmer Lotion,
• Beautiful festive Leather Notebooks,
  
• Cute Fragranced Soap in a pretty keepsake tin,
• Simply Floral Rose Gift Set containing foam bath, hand and body lotion, sanitiser, hand and nail cream and bath salts,
• Chuckles in a festive Christmas Tin

So, how will you be spending your Christmas? I hope with a helping hand from Woolies at your side!