This past Sunday saw the Her Campus Durham team of writers and editors kick-starting the festive season in style, meeting for a Christmas brunch at Velvet Elvis (Durham’s coolest vintage clothes shop and café combo). With an inspiring array of Christmas jumpers and decorations, handwritten cards and gift bags by place cards on the table and seasonal songs playing in the background, it was not long before we were all feeling festive and suitably excited.
Beginning with warming cups of vegetable soup served in a variety of attractive chinaware and the first round of coffee orders being taken (the deal included unlimited hot drinks!), everyone was soon chatting away and getting to know each other better in the cosiest and friendliest environment. With spectacular views of the castle, cathedral and fast-flowing river just outside the window along with bustling streets filled with layered-up Christmas shoppers, the atmosphere within the café felt incredibly snug as we eagerly awaited being let loose on the buffet table. An enviable array of salads, pasta, pittas, sandwiches, wraps and cheeses adorned the corner of the coffee shop and proved to taste as good as they looked as we stuffed our faces from our well-filled rustic wooden boards, chatting about our plans for the holidays in between mouthfuls and our excitement at the prospect of soon returning home to our families and festively-decorated houses.
The Velvet Elvis staff were amazing, promptly serving our green teas, festively flavoured lattes and hot chocolates with a smile and then returning to take second orders, never compromising on quality for the sheer quantity of hot drinks that we ordered and thoroughly enjoyed. We were even granted the privilege of choosing anything we wanted from the incredible cake display which only survived without being completely devastated due to most of us peaking too early and tragically not having room for a chocolate brownie or generous slab of fruity flapjack.
It was the perfect start to this Christmas, perfectly sparking the festive season with delicious food and the best company. Every person there was genuinely so warm and friendly that I couldn’t have hoped for a better group of people to have shared brunch with and am so happy to be part of the Her Campus team. A huge thank you to Becky for organising everything and to Velvet Elvis for being the perfect hosts and providing us with an amazing festive feast! I already can’t wait for Christmas day to arrive and for the next time we have the opportunity of meeting up and celebrating in such style.