Whether it’s trimming your tree or baking festive cookies with loved ones, most of us have traditions that we look forward to during the holiday season. This is especially true for Martha, who has her own set of favorite Christmas pastimes. From her iconic brunch soirée and cookie-making party to her extensive arsenal of decorations and faux trees, few people celebrate the holiday season quite like Martha. She is the person to turn to when you’re looking for inspiration for your own celebrations—which is why we’re highlighting the traditions no Martha Christmas would be complete without.
Hosting an Annual Cookie Party
On Martha’s farm in Bedford, N.Y., friends and family gather annually to bake cookies the Martha way. “I’ve been throwing holiday parties since about 1980, when I was living in Westport, Connecticut, and writing my first book, Entertaining,” she says. Now, the event has more than a hundred attendees who are invited to make cookies, walk around the grounds, and enjoy the holiday season in Martha’s expertly decorated winter wonderland.
Setting Up the Vintage Faux Tree Collection
From colorful pink iterations to a classic-looking evergreen, it wouldn’t be a Martha Christmas without her vintage faux tree collection. Not simply reserved for main entertaining rooms, the lifestyle mogul’s glittery trees can even be spotted in the hallways of her residences. While she doesn’t hang electric lights on the tannenbaums, she does go all out when it comes to ornaments. On aluminum iterations, she opts for balls and décor in one or two colorways, while her feather trees hold up to hundreds of baubles.
Brunching at Bedford
Score an invite to Martha’s annual brunch, which she hosts on her farm, and you’ve officially made it. Complete with fresh fruits and decadent delights—think oysters, baked country ham, crepes with smoked fish, and creamed spinach and poached eggs—the menu is always chock-full of elevated favorites. Martha has hosted this luxe annual fête for over 20 years.
Christmas Caroling
Here’s a Martha-favorite holiday tradition you might do, too: She loves singing carols during Christmastime. (She has even hosted events where guests, supplied with carol songbooks, gather around a piano to sing with Martha and the rest of her celebrants.) Some of her personal favorite hits include “Santa Baby” by Eartha Kitt, “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole, and “White Christmas” by Frank Sinatra.
Lighting up the Grounds
Beyond filling her home with faux trees, Martha also enjoys decorating her outdoor space, too. For one of her favorite lighting projects to date, she illuminated the ancient apple tree that sits on the land of her Bedford residence. The tree was adorned with hundreds of small white lights and many different-sized kugels.
Making Gingerbread Houses
Martha has many holiday traditions that children will love, but this one—making gingerbread houses—takes the cake. Of course, in typical Martha fashion, these aren’t your average models with haphazard icing applications and a front yard made of gumdrops. In past years, she’s created everything from a woodland forest with trees and polar bears to replicas of cathedrals and her homes.
Decorating the Tenant House
Every Christmas, Martha transforms the tenant house—a cozy cottage on her farm in Bedford, New York—for her grandchildren, Jude and Truman. One year, Martha went for a woodland theme and decorated the property with life-size bears while the interior was adorned with trees, mushrooms, squirrels, and more forest-inspired motifs.
Decorating the Green Room
The inside of Martha’s Bedford home is nothing short of magical during the holiday season. One of her favorite rooms to decorate is the Green Room, which is adorned with two twin Douglas firs. The sunken parlor is adorned with gold and green baubles that complement the room’s monochromatic color palette.
Making Homemade Gifts
Taking a cue from her late mother, lovingly known as Big Martha, our founder prefers to make gifts by hand around the holiday season. Together, the two would bake hundreds of cookies, package them, and hand deliver their handmade treats to loved ones. Now, Martha and her daughter Alexis continue the tradition.
