Deck The Halls

Sarah White is an ardent curator of holiday aesthetics.

She is known to have a minimum of five Christmas trees throughout her home during the winter holiday season and has an ever-growing collection of ornaments and nutcrackers.

Much of her holiday decor is traditional red and green with accents of holiday plaid. But there are a number of items that don’t match her theme exactly, as she loves to decorate in
sentimental style.

“I always get a new ornament whenever we travel somewhere,” White says. “It is eclectic because I get them from all over the place.”

The White family—Sarah, husband Dan, and kids Hadley, age 9, and Harrison, age 11—took a trip to Washington, D.C. for spring break this year and then a family vacation in Costa Rica in the summer. She was sure to snag unique ornaments on each visit and added those to the main living room tree this year.

“And then I’ve also started doing needlepoint, so I’ve been needle pointing ornaments,” White says. “I’m excited to be able to add those to the tree this year.”

Photo by Boo Media

As the annual host home for her extended family’s celebrations, White is sure to deck the halls of her bayside Destin abode from floor to ceiling. But she’s careful to shop and decorate with intention and is fond of repurposing her capsule Christmas collection each year.

“I don’t think you need to start over every year; I think there’s something really nice about having ornaments and decorations that you’ve had forever,” White says. “Of course, I like shopping and I like to get new things, but I still think it’s nice to have some nostalgic things that mean something and that you’re not starting over every year.”

When she does hit shops for holiday finds, she admits that HomeGoods is her go-to stop; however, most of her new purchases come from small businesses, Christmas-themed markets and displays, and travels throughout the year.

“I love, in Pensacola, Celebrations florist and gift shop. They have amazing decorations,” White says. “It’s just so inspirational and amazing. I always find great things there.”

She also enjoys stopping in at Cottonwood Company home and gift shop in Niceville. And on her annual fall girls’ trip to Blue Ridge, Georgia, she often stumbles upon unique holiday-themed finds.

Photo by Boo Media

Beyond the tree, White says it’s important to complement the decor scheme of your home as it exists year-round.

“Just don’t stray too far from what is already around your house, so you’re not fighting against that,” White says.

Complementing decor is what inspired this year’s dining room table theme— chinoiserie—a style White has been leaning into recently with a collection of the white ceramics with blue design details accenting spaces in the kitchen, dining, and living areas.

The chinoiserie display will repurpose some of those blue and white elements she used for a “something blue” themed bridal shower she hosted for her sister-in-law earlier this year.

Her nutcracker collection will make a dinner appearance as well, standing tall alongside taper candlesticks. And as she does for any occasion, she’ll fill remaining open tablespace with magnolia leaves and florals in matching chinoiserie vases and ginger jars.

Beyond her tablescape, White will prep her dinner setup ahead of time with everything laid out and ready, from her white Wedgwood fine china set and Spode Christmas tree salad plates down to serving spoons and dishes.

Photo by Boo Media

“I will always set the table ahead of time; I’m never going to set the table the day of the event,” White says. “I will even get out my serving pieces, and actually, this is something my grandmother used to do, put sticky notes on them, like ‘this is for the potatoes,
this is for the peas.’”

This trick helps alleviate day-of pressures and allows for family and friends to chip in without direction from the host needed.

Once guests arrive, White advises, be flexible, and deal with the messes later.

“I really try hard to be present with my guests,” she says. “Maybe everything didn’t come off as perfectly as I had envisioned it, or maybe somebody spilled something, or whatever. I just roll with it because you’re supposed to be enjoying this party, too. And if you’re just running around trying to clean up and help everyone and please everyone, then your guests aren’t enjoying you, and they’re there to enjoy you just as much as they are the decorations and food and all of that.”

As a busy working mother, White, who co-owns local marketing agency Beespoke Consulting, has learned to grant herself and others grace during the holiday season.

“I think, as women especially, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do all these things and be so perfect,” she says. “But, really, if you’re present with your family and making the most of the memories and the times that you do have, that’s what’s most important.”

Be present and be merry.

Photo by Boo Media

On the Menu at the White House

Christmas Breakfast

Sarah White likes to keep breakfast casual on Christmas morning, leaving the focus on family gathering around the excitement of Santa’s visit.

“I usually make sausage balls, hashbrown casserole, and then sometimes I’ll make an egg casserole or sometimes my husband will do scrambled eggs on the grill,” she says. “And then, we eat breakfast while we’re opening presents.”

Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner for the Whites can be any number of dishes from year to year. They’ve done beef tenderloin, prime rib, and steaks. Sides always include mac and cheese (the kids’ favorite) some form of potatoes (twice baked, roasted, or mashed) and another vegetable like Brussels sprouts.

“For Christmas dinner, it’s something special that you don’t have on a regular basis,” White says. Christmas dinner offers a little more creative freedom in menu planning. “That menu doesn’t always stay the same,” White says.

“But one thing that does stay the same is that my mom always helps me cook. And my mom’s a great cook, and her mother was a great cook. And so
my mom always spends a lot of timein the kitchen with me.”

Photo by Boo Media

Winter White Cosmo

Sarah White’s copycat of the Bonefish Grill Winter White Cosmo is the ideal mix for a Christmas cocktail hour. Per the White family tradition, drinks are shaken and garnished just before sunset and enjoyed on the family’s dock overlooking Choctawhatchee Bay.

2 oz. white cranberry juice

1½ oz. vodka

1 oz. orange liqueur
(Grand Marnier)

½ oz. Elderflower Liqueur
(Saint Germain)

Splash of lime juice

Frozen cranberries for garnish

Photo by Boo Media

White Christmas Traditions

Matching PJs for Christmas Eve

Watching Christmas Vacation with hot cocoa in hand

One early present per kid on Christmas Eve

Stockings from Santa at the kids’ bedroom doors

Sausage balls for Christmas morning breakfast

Present opening in PJs with the whole family

Gingerbread house making on Christmas day

Pre-dinner cocktails on the dock