Over more than 40 years of activity, Horto do Campo Grande has built genuine bonds of friendship with private, institutional and corporate customers—relationships that take on special meaning at this time of year. At Christmas time, many people visit our garden centres—Campo Grande, Quinta da Eira and Fernão Ferro—in search of special ornaments, pieces or inspiring decorative elements to turn their homes and organisations into places where the magic of Christmas happens.
It was during these visits, so special to us, that we invited some of our customers to share their Christmas memories with us, and also the elements that can’t be missing from their Christmas décor this year.
“My Christmas” by Rute Cruz
Rute Cruz, a producer at Notícias Magazine, shares with us the memories she cherishes from her Christmases and the elements that can’t be missing from her Christmas décor.
The decorations go up on 2 December and only come down on 30 January—I like to keep Christmas going for as long as possible. The decorations for this season are planned by me and my daughter, from choosing the colours to the decorative elements found throughout the house. The Christmas tree and the nativity scene take centre stage by the window in the living room. This year, the Christmas tree is decorated in shades of red, green, gold and white, and besides the traditional lights, there are also Nutcracker soldiers and pine cones.
This year, I brought back from the Vienna (Austria) Christmas Market an ornament that I put on the front door to welcome the festive season. In addition to the decorations we use year after year, I always buy holly and fir, which release their distinctive scent throughout the house. Candles are another essential element; besides their fragrance, they fill the house with joy and make the atmosphere more welcoming.
Every year, when we decorate the Christmas tree, we immediately start thinking about the colours that will dominate next year’s—and this year was no exception: it will be in earthy and gold tones, with wooden ornaments.
My Christmas memories always take me back to childhood at my paternal grandmother’s house, where the children are in a whirl, eagerly awaiting Father Christmas arriving with their presents. A night full of hustle and bustle, sharing, love and smiles.
