Issue: 91
Issue date: December 2023
Cover Star: Zac Efron
The parable of Christmas is not completely unconnected to The Rake. This December issue represents the turkey, the King’s speech, the carols and the good tidings that we bring to you and your kin.
Let us start with the cover. Zac Efron has not been serialized in the National Enquirer, and he deserves (and I would argue now has) an audience that treats him and his extraordinary career with some reverence. Hopefully our interview with him reflects that.
We would like to welcome a selection of columnists to this issue. Ari Reid, one of the internet’s well-regarded property experts, brings us a festive guide to London homes; Farhad Heydari, our new Travel Editor, wraps up well for his trip to the Antarctic; Simon de Burton takes to the mountains of Nepal with the motorcycle company Royal Enfield; and Georgie Fenn brings us a comprehensive rundown of what to drink at Christmastime.
Former Rake staffer Charlie Thomas brings back the Rake Commends column for Christmas; Robin Swithinbank experienced the recent Ryder Cup with Rolex; and Scott Harper interviewed the great Breitling boss, Georges Kern, for our Wisdom column. In other words, while we cannot claim to act as an alternative to the King’s speech, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College, or good cheer among those we love, we hope The Rake is an accompaniment. We wish to be not a protagonist but a crucial component in the sentimental and significant moments of our readers’ years.
So, during this holiday, be merry, show love to those we sometimes forget to appreciate, keep children wrapped up in extra layers and even more cuddles, sing your favourite carol louder than last year, put more in the collection plate, pass down something, invest some thought in your gifts, spare no thought to what you might receive, and give thy heart and rest ye merry. In other words: be good, for goodness’ sake.
