Looks like Pippa Middleton has been spending some time with the ghost of Halloween past.
Writing her new book, Celebrate, a “comprehensive guide to home entertaining,” Middleton, 29, relied heavily on her experience as a professional party planner in London. But she also drew some inspiration from the childhood traditions she shared with her sister, Kate Middleton.
Kate, 30, is one of the most famous women in the world since marrying England’s Prince William in April 2011. But long before she rode off into the sunset, she and her siblings — Pippa and James, 25 — were just like any other kids. Especially around the holidays.
In an excerpt from Celebrate published in the Oct. 28 issue of Parade magazine, Duchess Catherine’s younger sister offers a tiny glimpse of life inside the Middleton home and hints at a few spooky memories from their youth.
“As a child, I felt that Halloween was a time when creatures of the night suddenly came to life,” she writes. “[W]e would turn off all the lights in the house and let flickering candlelight conjure up scary shadows and imaginary figures lurking in dark corners.”
Now that she’s older, she tries to bring that same sense of magic and imagination to the events she plans.
“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,” the Brit explains.
Among the many tricks and treats she offers up? “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.”
Middleton hopes her book will give readers a better idea of who she is as an individual, separate from her famous relatives.
“I know many of you will pick up the book out of nothing more than curiosity. I can assure you that it feels even stranger to me than it probably does to you to have seen so much written about me when I have done so little to paint a picture of myself,” she writes. “This is my first chance to do that and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
