A Holiday Party for My Staff 2025

December 19, 2025

I love this time of year when everyone gathers together to celebrate the holidays.

Yesterday, I hosted a very special gathering for the entire staff at my farm. All my employees work so hard during the year - caring for the property and my many pets and gardens, and helping me prepare for all the meetings, shoots, parties, and other events that are scheduled through the year. I prepared a festive holiday buffet in my Winter House kitchen with help from Chef Molly Wenk. It included delicious shrimp cocktail, pigs in a blanket, Stilton cheese with my brown butter shortbread cookies, caviar and homemade melba toast, potato latkes with sour cream and applesauce, crudités, cider, a salami platter, lots of tasty holiday sweets, toasted homemade marshmallows and chestnuts, and of course, my famous eggnog. It was a busy morning of cooking and preparing, but we had a most enjoyable end of year celebration.

Here are some photos.

: To show my appreciation for all of their hard work, I prepare a special holiday luncheon for my Bedford staff every year. My home is all decorated and the holiday lights are turned on for the occasion.

: I planned the gathering for 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Everything was ready just in time. Here are Alex, Phurba, and Chhiring waiting on my terrace parterre – hungry and full of holiday cheer.

: I have a “no shoes” policy in my home, do you?

: In my Winter House kitchen, I prepared a wonderful spread of food. This is Stilton cheese served with brown butter shortbread cookies – try it, you’ll love the combination, I promise.

: Here’s shrimp cocktail from Mt. Kisco Seafood. It went very quickly.

: I also served delicious Black Diamond caviar. The caviar accompanied sour cream and mini melba toasts I made earlier in the day. It was also a very well-visited station at the buffet.

: Molly made lots of pigs in a blanket – a favorite at all my parties.

: And here is a large platter of crudités – bell peppers and fresh celery – delicious with green Goddess dip.

: Kevin O’Leary, my archivist, was happy to try everything.

: A platter of salami – this was also devoured quickly.

: And crackers to go with anything.

: Chef Molly stood nearby making delicious potato latkes, also known as potato pancakes. These are always served hot and crispy.

: … And always enjoyed with homemade applesauce and sour cream.

: All the rooms in my Winter House are always decorated for the holidays. I try to do it a little differently every time, but it always includes lots of trees – big, small, green, gold, and silver.

: Earlier in the day, I went out to pick up this croquembouche from Bedford Village Pastry. A croquembouche or croque-en-bouche is a French dessert consisting of choux pastry puffs piled into a cone and bound with threads of caramel.

: I served a lovely amber colored cider with citrus.

: Here is my famous eggnog, freshly made and positioned right at the end of the counter in my servery for easy access. It is requested at every holiday party I host. The original recipe is in my very first book, Entertaining, Clarkson Potter 1982. And now in the new 2025 re-released version. There’s lots of everything – bourbon, cognac, rum, heavy cream, and eggs from my chickens.

: Holding their cups of eggnog – Pete Sherpa and Fernando Ferrari from my outdoor grounds crew, and my driver, Andres Velastegui – they’ve all been with me for many years.

: Here’s my housekeeper Elvira Rojas waiting her turn to fill a cup of eggnog.

: Molly also made cookies – chewy chocolate gingerbread…

: … And sparkling sugar cookies.

: Here are some decorated sugar cookies wrapped and ready to take home.

: And for chocolate fanciers, lots of chocolate candies to enjoy.

: Here’s my head gardener Ryan McCallister and Jimmy Oliveros from my farm team. It was so nice to see everyone having such a good time.

: My dear friend, Muffin Dowdle, brought gifts for everyone too – candy bars and scratch off lottery tickets wrapped in cellophane bags and tied with festive ribbons.

: After the buffet lunch, I planned a fun “grab bag” gift-giving activity – everyone picked numbers from a bowl and then lined up to make their selections. Here’s my housekeeper Enma Sandoval picking up her choices.

: Next in line, my gardener Matt Orrego – what’s in there? Shoes?

: Pasang Sherpa, Helen Peparo, Juan Londono, and Chhiring Sherpa wait their turns.

: Outside, a nice fire in my sugar pot warmed cold hands. This is one of several huge cast iron sugar kettles I keep as fire pits. They add such a nice accent to the terraces and have always been fun conversation pieces during gatherings. It was a wonderful luncheon and afternoon together. I, along with my entire staff, wish you all a safe and joyous holiday!