Step inside the famous Gold Coast mansion that inspired us Holiday gift guide for 2026Where the money is polished, the presents are piled high, and Christmas morning is an occasion fit for Daisy Buchanan herself.
The big gift guide for the holiday It has arrived, and this year, you are invited to spend the holidays at East Egg.
Imagine a Christmas morning filled with sparkling crystal, sparkling silver, Ginori 1735 China everywhere, a towering tree dressed in its holiday best, and a mountain of ribbon-tied gifts waiting to be unwrapped. Outside, the lawns stretch towards the horizon, and somewhere in the distance a green light shines across the bay.
When dreaming of this year’s Holiday gift guideThe Over The Moon team had a very particular kind of Christmas in mind – one with all the glamor of the Gilded Age, a healthy dose of nostalgia and enough holiday magic to make even Jay Gatsby believe in happy endings.
Naturally, there was only one place to live out the fantasy: Old Westbury GardensThe opulent Long Island mansion whose grandeur helped inspire Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
And so, with racks for full clothes Amelia Wickstead and say itChristmas tree ready to be trimmed, and more beautifully wrapped presents than we could count, we headed down to Long Island’s glorious Gold Coast to create our most festive yet Holiday gift guide hall.
A house with history
As it turns out, Old Westbury Gardens has its own love story. And fittingly, it starts with a gift.
In 1903, businessman John Shaffer Phipps promised his fiancée, Margarita Grace, that he would build her a house reminiscent of her family’s English estate at Battle Abbey. Four years later, the couple moved into the Westbury home with their young children, beginning a new chapter in what would become one of Long Island’s most famous mansions.
Today, the property encompasses more than 200 acres of formal gardens, sweeping lawns, quiet ponds and tree-lined lanes. Inside, frescoed ceilings, grand rooms and a light-filled solarium offer a glimpse of a bygone era when hospitality was practically an art form.
The mansion’s history is just as glamorous as its architecture. The Phipps family commissioned a portrait from John Singer Sargent, and over the decades, the house and gardens have hosted countless celebrations, cinematic moments and, more recently, some truly spectacular weddings.
A star in itself
If Old Westbury Gardens look familiar, there’s a good reason. The estate has enjoyed quite an illustrious career on the silver screen, appearing in films including north by northwest, love story, The age of innocence, cruel intentionsand American gangster. Eagle-eyed viewers may even spot it Gossip Girl.
In the name of the study, OTM founder Alexandra Macon revisited cruel intentions The night before the campaign shoot. One of her main dishes? She still can’t believe her parents let her watch it when she first came out.
Of course Old Westbury Gardens also has its fair share of romantic leads. More recently, it has been used as a backdrop for The spectacular summer wedding of Paige Lorenza and Tommy PaulA celebration planned by me OTM Easton Events guide member who made the most of the extraordinary beauty of the estate.
“As soon as we visited Old Westbury Gardens, I knew I didn’t want to compete with its beauty,” Paige told Over The Moon. “I wanted every detail to feel like it belonged there.”
This is a feeling we took to heart when we dreamed up our own holiday celebration.
Christmas is coming to East Egg
for us Holiday gift guide for 2026Imagine what Christmas might look like if the Buchanans spent December 25th in Old Westbury Gardens. The answer? Beautifully set tables, gifts piled under the tree, festive fashion for every occasion, and more than a little holiday extravagance.
Bringing it all to life was no mean feat, but with the help of OTM library planner at every eventOld Westbury Gardens exclusive design team, and Noble Diaz eventsWorking their magic on the flowers and decor, the historic mansion became our Christmas wonderland. From the festive finish to the beautifully considered details throughout, both teams went above and beyond to make the holiday fantasy a reality.
There were decorations to treasure for years to come, gifts for the perfect hostess, little luxuries for people who have everything, and thoughtful finds for everyone else on your list. In other words, all the makings of a very merry Christmas.
But beyond the money and glitz, we wanted to capture something that feels special this time of year: the rituals we return to, the people we gather around the table, and the joy of finding a gift that feels like it could have been chosen for just one person.
After all, the best gifts have a way of becoming part of the story. A decoration that is unloaded every December. A china set that appears every Christmas Eve. A beautifully embroidered sock that follows a child from one house to another.
This is the wind behind me The big gift guide for the holiday: Gifts worth giving, traditions worth keeping, and carefully curated treasures for everyone on your list.
So consider your Christmas invitation at East Egg. The candles are lit, the table is set and the gifts are waiting.
Enter the great holiday gift guide
Photography: Photo by Ann Rett
venue: Old Westbury Gardens
planning: in any event
Flowers and decor: Noble Diaz events
video: Zach Thompson
Models: Mika Visser, Gracie Carvalho, Natalia Gil de Bidma
beauty: Maya Renee
style: Jessica Seiler Van Leith
For more information about Old Westbury Gardens, including details on hosting a wedding at the estate, explore it Over The Moon Directory listing.
