A Family Affair

In a beautifully restored manor in the French countryside, Christmas preparations are well underway for this young family

- Amandine Berth

AT HÉLÈNE DU VAL’S HISTORIC MANOR HOME in the south-west of France, where she lives with her husband Antoine and their four young children, Pénélope, Héloïse, Léonard and Hermione, the countdown to Christmas is always ceremoniously signalled by the lighting of candles in every room. “We don’t light candles during the rest of the year because, as you can imagine, it’s a little bit dangerous with four children,” Hélène says. “So the candles really are synonymous with Christmas for us.”

’TIS THE SEASON

On the first day of December, the family come together to kick off their festivities and decorate the Christmas tree that sits in their stylish and spacious living room. From there, homemade decorations, festive wreaths and golden garlands fill the rest of the home with a distinctive holiday charm. “We add bits and bobs here and there throughout the month,” Hélène explains. “This year, we’ve made wooden stars.” This same motif has been embraced and repeated by Pénélope and Héloïse, who were given free rein to add their designer touch to many of the windows around the house, using wipe-off markers.

FESTIVE FEAST