Melissa Penfold is an interiors expert with an unerring eye for the best buys - she knows where to spend, where to save, and how to pick up the things that will really lift your interior for less. She's spending Christmas at her home in the NSW Southern Highlands, which was featured in Belle magazine's November issue. We've included a few of the images by photographer Felix Forest (you can see the rest here), along with Melissa's advice on making the big day special..

My kind of Christmas...
For a while now we've been embracing a modern approach to Christmas that isn't laden with formality. The Christmas industry will tell you that you need a hundred things to pull off a great day. But you can go without a lot of 'necessary' items, save time, hassle and most importantly, money. And no one will bat an eyelid. Keeping your Christmas menu simple, is far more stylish than a 7-course masterpiece that will leave your guests overfed and with indigestion. You don't want the food to distract people from the real purpose of Christmas: a big, fun, family get-together. Fancy food is far less important than atmosphere.

Image - Felix Forest

My advice for Christmas parties is...
Keep it simple. Make it look good. The higher quality the ingredients, the less you have to do. Presentation is everything. You can make plain food look great, styled correctly. Look at upmarket cookbooks, magazines and blogs to see how food should look. Big white bowls and wooden boards are a good start.

And skip the small stuff. Your guests will remember the pretty table setting and the fabulous atmosphere. They might remember the super delicious prosecco. But the four-course meal, wickedly expensive flowers and live band you didn't have will go largely unnoticed. Allow yourself to skip over some things. No one will notice except  you.

Image - Felix Forest

On Christmas day I'll be...
Throwing a big Italian Christmas countryside lunch for family at our house in the Southern Highlands. I can't stand the idea of everyone bringing bits and pieces. When you host something, do it properly or not at all. Our Christmas food will be simple, generous, easy to serve and easy to eat, but not complicated. Nothing beats prosciutto served with chunks of bread on arrival. My husband Nicholas does the most fab ham and turkey. There are generous salads of tossed, roasted vegetables, quinoa and pomegranate. I always make sure the table is beautifully set to wow Christmas guests the minute they walk in and creates a sense of occasion. A great table setting will make everything seem like so much more. I always have a seating plan and art-direct who sits where, with place cards and try to seat like-with-like to ensure everyone is sitting in the right place to have a good time. Preparation is the key to a great Christmas for me. Then all you need to do is look glamorous, be charming and have fun.

Melissa (far left) and friends.

My top tip for Christmas decorating is...
Don't lose your sense of style. Most houses and tables are a riot of food, flowers, crackers, candles and Santa-themed things. It's visual indigestion. Celebrate the art of easy entertaining this year and do as the French and Italians do with a gorgeous, effortless interior and table.

Decide on a colour scheme first, as everything flows from there. Then establish a look: classic or contemporary? Italian countryside with a Christmas twist (like us)? Long Island summer with a festive flourish? Perhaps a Nordic fairytale candlelit affair? Christmas colours should reflect solid values, so avoid anything mod (think aqua, white). Use a two or three colour theme, but avoid green and gold, or blue and silver: they're shopping centre cliches. Silver and gold, or taupe and green is more chic. Or try gold and a soft pink. Keep it simple. Pare back objects. Use a low centrepiece. Place a bowl of jumbo baubles in the middle with a simple bonbon at each setting or an urn filled with holly leaves or huge, perfect cherries. Avoid anything artificial.

Image - Felix Forest

This year I'm buying...
French, Italian or English soaps. Scented candles. Tea towels, preferably plain or classic designs. Great secateurs - indispensable, even for apartment dwellers. Beautiful personalised stationery. A plain glass vase in a low open shape (you can never have enough). The latest interiors book everyone is talking about, and other classic mood boosters that we are often too busy to buy for ourselves, but that can make a big difference to everyday life.

After Christmas I'll be...
I'll be reading trashy Brit novels, (still) listening to Christmas carols and seeing whatever new release movies are on the airplane. We're off to Paris for Maison & Objet.

My best #lifehack for Christmas is... 
Create a great first few minutes on Christmas Day, to set the tone for the rest of the day. Greet your family and guests with a big welcome. Usher them in – gush over their attendance, gifts, make them feel loved. Nothing makes people more relaxed than a generous glass of something when they arrive. We always hit our guests with a grand gesture in a glass. Try Campari, martinis, generous slugs of gin-and-tonic or, of course, good champagne. Alcohol is the great ice breaker, don't underestimate it.

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