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A Christmas Morning Menu Plan

Simple Ideas for Family Grazing

Our Christmas morning tradition includes Derrick and I waking before the kids to make coffee, light candles, start a fire, put champagne on ice and revel in the stillness and beauty of Christmas morning. What was once a crazy and manic morning (with small children up at the wee hours) has developed into a relaxing, mellow and easy Christmas morning routine.

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Christmas morning brunch and bubbles
Image: Clouz Houz / Photography: Zee Wendell

 

We like to keep things really simple on Christmas morning. Let’s be honest, we’re exhausted and just want to relax! So we like to build ourselves what we call a “grazing” station as a breakfast buffet for everyone to dish up when they wake. Think of this like a “continental breakfast” menu … a little something savory and sweet, accompanied by mimosas and coffee!

Take some advice and do what we do: outsource baked goods like fresh croissants or cinnamon rolls, and accompany with greek yogurt parfait fixings like berries, granola and organic honey. Then set out small plates, linen napkins and silverware so everyone can help themselves to your little feast!

 

Holiday bubbles with brunch
Image: Clouz Houz / Photography: Zee Wendell

 


A Christmas Grazing Buffet

 

CROISSANTS AND ASSORTED BAKED GOODS

GREEK VANILLA YOGURT (our personal fave is Chobani)

GRANOLA WITH SEEDS AND TOASTED PECANS (we buy ours locally at Sparrow Bakery)

FRESH MIXED BERRIES: RASPBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES AND BLUEBERRIES

HONEY, for drizzling

CHAMPAGNE WITH FRESH SQUEEZED OJ

POMEGRANATE SEEDS, for garnish

 


 

THE PLAYLIST

If you know us by now, you know that every gathering requires a fun and festive playlist. We’ve compiled music that appeals to all ages (hint- your teenagers won’t cringe when you turn it up!) Play it this Christmas, all day long. It’s the perfect selection of classic holiday tunes along with current and trending songs for the holiday season.


CLOUZ HOUZ TIP: We use the Sonos app and speakers for our music listening. We have two speakers strategically placed out of sight, and they work so well! You can program them by room, and play one, or both. We use them all over the house!

 

Merry Merry Christmas from our family to yours. We hope you enjoy this blessed and festive day. Cheers to holiday traditions!

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This was such a strange full-circle moment. I could immediately remember being 30 years old, standing in those rooms with Derrick and trying to figure out what the heck we were doing!! We had ideas. We weren’t afraid of a project. I had loved design long before it became my career. But I didn’t have a process yet.

Now, after 15 years of designing homes for other people, I can see exactly what I was missing: a way to make the decisions as a whole instead of one at a time (and on my own).

That’s probably why The Design Suite feels so personal to me. It’s built for someone who reminds me a lot of myself back then—the homeowner who appreciates beautiful spaces, is happy to execute, but wants an experienced design team to establish the vision and work through the decisions before the orders are placed and the contractor needs answers.

And you don’t have to do it all tomorrow. Having the plan means you can implement it at the pace that makes sense for you. I would’ve loved to have that roadmap in this little Portland house.

If you’re standing in your own version of it right now, wondering where to begin, I’d love to hear about it.
🤎 Send me a message or head to the link in our bio to inquire about The Design Suite.
September always does something to my design brain.
These are 5 things I can’t stop pinning right now as we head into fall. Some were already working into our own home and some are showing up in client projects.

I’m going much deeper on all five in today’s Design Board Pinnings—how I’d actually use them, the ideas I’m saving, pieces I’ve sourced + a few things we’re doing at Sixth Street.

It lands in inboxes later today. Comment ‘LIST’ (or link in bio) and I’ll send you the link to subscribe so you don’t miss it.
Interior designer by day. Reluctant content creator... also by day, apparently.

When I started this business in 2022, I knew I’d be designing homes, meeting with clients, sourcing, problem solving, running a team-all the things I genuinely love.

What I didn’t quite account for was how often I’d have to stand in front of a camera and attempt to form a coherent sentence.

Almost four years in and, unfortunately, this part has not gotten any easier. But sharing our work, my ideas, the things I’m learning and even some of the messier parts of running a small business has become such a big part of what we do.

So here’s a little peek at what normally gets cut from the final edit.

Fellow designers/business owners... please tell me I’m not the only one with 47 takes of a 10-second sentence.