A Backyard Christmas

Two days and counting! Christmas is such an exciting time of year, the time of year people love to go over the top (we love over the top) on catering for friends and family and making their houses looks festive for all to enjoy. This year we decided to do a backyard Christmas shoot with Mel Boulden Photography. Using our own families Christmas days as inspiration we have created a beautiful setting that still feels relaxed and down to earth; just like Chrissy day in Australia should be!

There is always the joy of excitement and anticipation in children’s eyes when they are getting organized for Santa’s arrival. Cookies, milk and carrots for the reindeers!

The christmas table is of course the piece de resistance! It's where everyone gathers and the real spirit of a 'Family Christmas' lives. Every year we put a lot of thought into how we decorate the table.. and this year we've been guided by the backyard setting. It's Christmas, but there' no red in sight!


This year we went with a natural colour scheme of Brown, Green and Silver which we thought fit the backyard settting.. and we incorporated natural items like pinecones (which we talked about just the other day), as well as using  garden items to provide everyone with their own little 'christmas tree' place setting.

A table under a tree always provides that much needed shade on an hot Christmas day, not to mention a lovely ambiance. And in our homes there's never enough matching chairs when Nan, Pop and all the Aunties and Uncles are around, so we thought we'd recreate that to show that a table can still look great with mismatched chairs placed around it! 

Get a little creative with your pressies this year, not everything has to be wrapped in the horrid Christmas paper you scored for $2 at the cheap shop. These gifts were wrapped for the same price you would probably need to spend on a couple of tacky rolls of reindeer paper – yet look handmade with love!

Setting up a separate drinks table is a great way to keep the clutter of the dinner table. It also offers the family another part of the yard to gather around and chat.Why not make a signature Christmas drink... you never know you may start a new family tradition! Mulled wine, egg nog, sangria, a special xmas cocktail.. there's so many options!

Thanks Mel for coming along to shoot this one. It was great to meet you and your cute-as-pie kiddies!
We hope that everyone has a beautiful Christmas. xx