Craft and creativity
For Jeremy and Cath, making things is simply part of how they live - and Christmas is no different. Their decorations are simple, handmade and a little improvised: paper snowflakes created with the children, dried orange garlands and natural materials brought in from outside. None of it is elaborate, but it all feels considered and in tune with their home.
Playful chaos
The house is full at Christmas - conversations weaving through the rooms, and children running between them. The excitement starts early: they always choose their Christmas tree from the same place, watching it get cut down, something that never fails to thrill the children. It’s busy and a little untidy, but it’s the kind of comforting chaos that comes from everyone feeling at home.
As Cath puts it, it’s “warm, cosy, chaos, mess - but in the best possible way.”
Seasonal sensibility
Their longhouse has a natural warmth in winter, with thick walls and timber beams that shape the feel of the season. Christmas sits lightly on top of this: greenery along ledges, soft candlelight in the corners and simple natural materials that suit the age of the house. Outside, the Dartmoor landscape sets a calm winter scene - mist on the moor and the outline of old oak trees.
The sofa at Christmas
For the Browns, Christmas Day naturally centres on the sofa - beginning with the frenzy of opening stockings. It’s large enough for everyone to bundle together, with the children building dens and doing roly-polys over the cushions. People drift back to it throughout the day - between meals, between games, or simply to pause for a moment.
“If we’re not cooking or eating, we’ll be on the sofa”, Cath smiles.