Prepping for Christmas with Christy Osborne of An American Girl in Chelsea....

It’s officially countdown to Christmas time. But instead of stressing about serving a fantastic feast and giving the best gifts, relax and enjoy your family and friends by using these tips on where to locate all your ingredients and source the perfect presents.

Christmas Dinner

Prepping for the biggest meal of the year can be really chaotic , especially if you’re searching for your traditional American favorite ingredients in London. I recommend visiting Partridges, the gourmet grocery store. You can pre-order turkeys (both cooked and uncooked) and find everything you need for Christmas evening. They have REAL whip-cream for your desserts as well as Stove Top stuffing, Ocean-Spray cranberry sauce, and Aunt Jemima Corn Bread Mix. 

Partirdges is located at 2-5 Duke of York Square, London, SW3 4LY and 17-21 Gloucester Road London, SW7 4PL.

If you love having the perfect pie but don’t want to spend hours baking, I recommend ordering your Christmas pies from Baker & Spice.  Make sure if you want pumpkin to order with plenty of time. They often only bring these out for the holiday season.

Baker and Spice are located at 54-56 Elizabeth Street
Belgravia
SW1W 9PB,47 Denyer Street
Chelsea
SW3 2LX, and 20 Clifton Road, 
Maida Vale
W9 1SU.

American Girl’s Gift Guide

For the Man in Your Life: Mr Porter launched last February and it is a great go-to spot for shopping for your special guy.  The site currently has a great online selection of gifts, including stocking stuffers including cufflinks, i-phone covers, belts and watches. Visit www.mr.porter.com.

For your girlfriends: Austique does the greatest gifts for your girlfriends. They will also create a special gift box for you with all of their best treats including, adorable undies, sweet smelling candles, gorgeous jewelry, and lovely scarves.

Austique is located at 330 Kings Road, London SW3 5UR and 40 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 8UD or you can shop online at www.austique.co.uk.

For Yourself: Always disappointed on Christmas day? Visit one of the Trilogy Boutiques and ask them to create a gift wish list for you. The girls in the shop are always so sweet and helpful. While they specialize in denim (it’s one of the only places I buy my jeans), they also have the perfect tops to match. Equipment, Joie, and Tucker are some of my favourites and are always on my personal wish-list!

Trilogy is located at 33 Duke of York Square,
London,
SW3 4LY, 63 Weymouth Street,
London,
W1G 8NU, 22 Kensington Church Street,
London,
W8 4EP, 52-54 Heath Street,
London,
NW3 1DL, and 56A Wimbledon High Street, Wimbledon Village,
London,
SW19 5EE.

For the Kids: Harrods has revamped their Toy Kingdom and created a Disney dreamland. For the little ladies, it’s all about the Cinderella Slipper Salon where they can try on sparkly “glass” slippers. For the little men, it’s all about all toys related to Mickey Mouse, Toy Story, and Cars. If you decide to take your children with you to get an idea of what they want under the tree, make sure you have them pose for a special photo in their favourite Disney costume.

Harrods is located at 87-135 Brompton Road, 
Knightsbridge
 London, SW1X 7X. 

Christy is the author of An American Girl in Chelsea. Follow the blog here.