How do you throw a casual holiday party for, oh, 250 people? If you’re Leslie Saeta, of Pasadena, California, you get a running start. She begins cooking about two weeks in advance, prepping the pastry shells and appetizers, laying the groundwork for the 20 types of hors d’oeuvres and seven kinds of desserts that will be served.
“I have an Excel spreadsheet, color coded, and I’m calm,” she says. Leslie started her holiday bash, beloved among her social circle, more than 20 years ago with 40 attendees, and though it’s grown exponentially, she feels she’d be “selling out if I hired a caterer. It’s my Christmas gift to my family and friends.”
“The bench is from the Rose Bowl flea market. I think it came from a church or a school,” says Leslie, who made the pillow. The tree is from King of Christmas, while the tree skirt is from Décor Steals. Perched on top of the entry table, the advent calendar is made of a vintage crate and decorative paper that counts down the days to Christmas.
Leslie’s home, which she blogs about at My 100 Year Old Home, was built in 1915 and has only been owned by two families. Her husband’s family bought it from the original owners in 1969, and then she and her husband bought it from his parents.
Three major remodels have reshaped the home, while always respecting the era and bones of the stately house. “Most people don’t believe that our kitchen is not original. We were very careful when we did the remodel to keep the spirit of the home,” says Leslie. Still, it needed to be modernized. “There was no dishwasher. I put in two, which was brilliant. We do love to entertain.”
Leslie is a serious flea-market fan, and most of the items in her house originated at flea markets. “I go every month at least twice a month. I love the Rose Bowl and Long Beach. I go up in Ventura, and I’ve been to Brimfield. When I go, because I’m an Instagrammer (@ my100yearoldhome), I film stories. Sometimes I’m at a flea market three times a month.”
Handmade by Leslie, the ornaments were crafted using clay and a round cookie cutter. “Using rubber stamps, I spelled out words that pertained to our family for the year, such as jokes and places we’d gone on vacation,” she says. Use a skewer before allowing the clay to dry overnight, Leslie advises, so that you’ll have a hole to hang the ornament. “I’m a mixer and a matcher,” says Leslie, who isn’t afraid to use Ball jars alongside a more formal charger and her wedding silver mixed with flea-market finds. “I use my silver every day. I put it in the dishwasher, and I’ve never once had a problem. If you’re going to buy these treasures, you have to use them.”
She’s also an accomplished crafter and an award-winning professional artist who seems to effortlessly whip up things of beauty, which she shares with her fans on Instagram and via her blog.
This general store counter is Leslie’s favorite piece. “If my house ever catches on fire, I’m dragging that out,” she says. The old windows were Rose Bowl finds. Some of the vintage ornaments Leslie has collected over the years over the years are displayed in an old bucket for a touch of color and shine.
It’s clear that family and home are exceedingly important to her. So, having served delicacies to 250 people at a Christmas party earlier in the month, what’s on the menu for actual Christmas morning at her house?
“My mom’s sausage egg casserole,” she laughs. “We’ve probably had that recipe for 30 years in a row.” Some traditions are simply too delicious to change.