… there are many treats, and all these delicacies should, of course, be arranged just as temptingly. This is especially true for the traditional assorted platter, which benefits greatly when its diverse selection of pastries and sweets is presented in an attractive container. This deep red Christmas plate in the shape of a star also features a distinctly festive design—the bowl’s design clearly yet subtly combines the two central Christmas symbols: red, representing the festival of love, adorns the star that guided the way to the manger in Bethlehem. The glaze makes the deep red of the ceramic bowl shine particularly beautifully, and the snowflakes, carefully crafted from the mold, provide a wintery backdrop to the symbolism. This glazed stoneware will brighten your Christmas season year after year—the bowl is also delightfully roomy and can be generously filled. Perhaps just the sight of it will immediately put you in the mood, and you’ll happily dive right into some ♪♫ Christmas baking…

P.S.: If you’re not a fan of baking, the Christmas bowl also makes a lovely base for your Advent wreaths.

Portuguese ceramics are widely known; their distinctive quality stems from the interplay of traditional craftsmanship and artistic design. An outstanding example of this creative approach to traditional craftsmanship is the Bordallo Pinheiro ceramics factory, founded in 1884 in Caldas da Rainha, north of Lisbon. Its founder, Raphael Bordallo Pinheiro, was not only an expert in ceramics but had also made a name for himself as a caricaturist and artist. Raphael’s creative signature still shapes Bordallo Pinheiro’s ceramics; the designers the company collaborates with today also incorporate his imaginative style into their work. Every single piece produced by Bordallo Pinheiro is carefully handcrafted, with the artisans being as skilled in traditional techniques as they are in contemporary forms of modeling, painting, and ornamentation.