Lifestyle queen Bonnae Gokson, the owner of Sevva and Ms B’s Cakery, says her favourite time of the year is Christmas, especially this year, as she is working on a special collaboration with Cartier. While she remains mum on the details—Christmas is a season of surprises, after all—she shares with us her favourite memories and personal traditions for the most wonderful time of the year. 

Tell us a little about your Cartier project?

My collaboration with Cartier is a special one. We kicked off the partnership with an intimate dinner that I co-hosted with them last month at Sevva. You know, the world is changing; no one really wants huge, mass events any more. And Sevva was the perfect setting for what they were looking for. They invited friends of their brand and I invited some of my friends for a beautiful dinner and a really fun evening. For Christmas I will create a bespoke cake in partnership with Cartier, which they will be sending to friends of the brand as a nice Christmas gift. I can’t give you too many details as it will be a surprise and I don’t want to ruin it.

What made you accept Cartier’s invitation?

I am constantly being approached to work with luxury brands on special projects and I often turn them down. I think it’s important for me to work with brands that have similar visions and brand standing. Cartier always upholds their standards; whether it’s a gorgeous piece of jewellery or a beautiful event, everything is executed flawlessly. I’ve always noticed the attention to detail that Cartier’s team put into their events and am constantly impressed by their work. So when they approached me to collaborate, it was actually an honour for me to know that they see me as someone worthy of working with them.

What is your favourite childhood memory of Christmas?

I remember beautiful Christmases as a child. It was always a time for giving and sharing and we always got lots of presents, yet we never forgot the true meaning behind the holiday and attended Christmas mass with our family. Our home was always decked out with festive decor and the smell of fresh Christmas trees filled the air. Growing up, we spent most Christmases in Sydney with my grandmother and I remember so clearly walking by the kitchen and watching the maids pour brandy into the Christmas pudding. Whenever I have Christmas pudding now it reminds me of my grandmother.

Do you have any Christmas traditions?

I have to decorate trees. It’s a given. And when I’m done decorating my own tree at home, I decorate the trees at Sevva and Ms B’s Cakery. For many years now, our guests at Sevva look forward to all the decorations and, yes, I do them all myself. I love collecting decorations from all my travels around the world and at the end of the year when Christmas rolls around and I put them on my trees, it’s like a little reminder of my year and where I’ve been. This year I went to Maison & Objet, which is a design and gift fair in Paris, and also sourced decorations from the US and the Philippines.

This article was published in the Christmas supplement of the Dec 2016 issue of Hong Kong Tatler.