Closing out our Christmas With a Difference series, is a new way of approaching Christmas Day. Sure if you're the opposite to doing Christmas differently then you might have already planned your day out to the minute, if that's you then this article might not be for you. If you don't have a set plan in place then let's crack on.

Reimagining Christmas Day isn’t about rejecting tradition, by all means keep them, it's what makes Christmas, Christmas but rather it's about loosening its chokehold. Editing out the parts that create stress and pouring into the ones that matter the most.

This is Christmas Day relaxed, calm, luxurious and enjoyed in the moment.

An Early, Slow Dinner Instead of a Heavy Lunch

The mid afternoon Christmas lunch is all kinds of wrong. Too early in the day for three courses, too late to be lunch, too early to truly be dinner. It takes all morning to cook for it and all afternoon to recover from it, eating away at the day and feeling like most of it has been spent in the kitchen. An early dinner changes everything. It gives you back your day and lets you spend time with family and friends.

Aim for late afternoon or early evening, around 5 or 6pm. The morning is now unhurried, coffee stretches, breakfast stays light and goes into into the compulsory snacks and charcuterie boards. There’s time to talk, open gifts, go for a walk, or do absolutely nothing.

You barely need to enter the kitchen until mid afternoon and even then that's only if you're doing something fancier. By the time dinner arrives, everyone is genuinely ready for it rather than feeling like they must eat because it's there. The post dinner haze is much reduced and the evening still there to enjoy as you please.

One Standout Cocktail, One Simple Main, One Indulgent Dessert

Christmas cooking really doesn’t need 11 different dishes, it just needs a couple done really well.

Choose one excellent cocktail that can be batch made and chilled. Have some wine or champagne as a backup and leave it at that. Keep it simple so you're not having to shake cocktails and clean up every 20 minutes.

For the main, we're keeping the simple vibe. A organic, free range roast chicken, wild salmon, or a vegetarian centrepiece you know how to execute easily (and have made before). Two or three sides that are easily managed, a mashed or roast potato, creamed cabbage and leeks and a simple steamed vegetable for freshness. Nothing new or that requires constant attention.

Then go all out on dessert. Let it be heavy, let it be rich and indulgent. Choose something unanimous that everyone will love. Chocolate tart, toffee pudding, something that feels special. Bought is absolutely acceptable here.

Keeping it simple but the quality high means the kitchen stays calm but the table still feels luxurious and festive.

Games Night, Champagne, and Charcuterie

If a traditional sit-down dinner feels like too much, let the concept go entirely.

A Charcuterie board with fresh bread, cheese, crackers, olives, fruit, mini desserts accompanied by an abundance of champagne or wine still feels generous and luxurious. Add board games, cards, charades, competitive but light-hearted. This format keeps people energised, laughing, and engaged without the formality of a dining table.

It's a different kind of Christmas, but that's kind of the whole point.

Matching Loungewear Over Dressy Outfits

A new outfit for Christmas Day whilst a lovely idea also feels a bit formal. Unless the need occurs for it, spending the day with the inlaws, a big group that you're not close to or leaving the house for dinner outside, then in our opinion there's a much better way to do it.

Soft fabrics, relaxed silhouettes preferably with elastic waistbands in neutral or festive colours (think block not novelty) is a more realistic and comfortable approach to dressing. Opt for cashmere, silk, wool or cotton, breathable fabrics that still look elegant but max out on comfort.

Let the Day Breathe

A reimagined Christmas Day has space to flow, change and be enjoyed rather than stressed. We're throwing away rigid timelines and constant hosting modes and allowing for moments where nothing is happening, conversations overlap, people drift into their own activities.

This is the real luxury, and if you can't have luxury on Christmas day then when can you?

That wraps up our Christmas With a Difference series, we hope you have enjoyed it and that it's give you ideas to create your own style of Christmas this year.

Merry Christmas

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