PARADE magazine exclusively offers the first look inside Pippa Middleton’s book, Celebrate, offering tricks and treats for a royally spooky Halloween.
Celebrate goes on sale in the U.S. on Oct. 30 and the excerpt appears in PARADE’s Oct. 28 issue.
“I know many of you may be reading this out of nothing more than curiosity,” she admits, also noting how “startling” it was to become well known primarily because of her sister, her brother-in-law, and her “bottom.”
But she certainly has the qualifications for this enterprise, having worked in the Middleton family’s party business as well as at a London-based events company.
Celebrate, a guide to home entertaining structured around the seasons, provides her with the opportunity, after having had so much written about her, to finally “paint a picture” of herself. “This is my first chance to do that, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” she says.
Regarding Halloween, Pippa says: “As a child, I felt that Halloween was a time when creatures of the night suddenly came to life—we would turn off all the lights in the house and let flickering candlelight conjure up scary shadows and imaginary figures lurking in dark corners.
“Nowadays,” she continues, “I frequently celebrate Halloween over a supper with friends. It’s a wonderful excuse to let your imagination run riot with gory-looking food and special effects.” Among her suggestions: “Stir witchy cauldrons of pumpkin soup; hang homemade spiders inside window nooks; string cobwebs on tables; and haunt gardens, attics, and stairways with ghosts made from sheets.”
And your celebration doesn’t have to cost a fortune, she says. “Just a simply carved pumpkin lit up among glimmering candles will go a long way to producing the right atmosphere.”
PARADE’s cover features Middleton and a young friend playing the Doughnut Tree game, and she also recommends the Mummy Chase, Leaf Rubbing, and Pumpkin Bowling (complete instructions provided).
She includes instructions for Floating Ghosts, Spirited Place Cards, and a Lollipop-Studded Pumpkin—and her personal recipe for Devil’s Food Cake.
“I’ve always loved to write,” says Pippa, “so it seemed natural to try to combine this passion with my enjoyment for entertaining, an enthusiasm I hope to share with others.”
More on Pippa Middleton’s book, Celebrate at: