9 Women Share Their Christmas Traditions

“Every Christmas Eve we sing carols around the piano with mince pies and Baileys hot chocolates – heaven! Then, our family kicks off Christmas morning with a big traditional breakfast – the kind we only indulge in once a year – before dressing up in our Christmas finest to go to church, followed by a big walk. After that, we open presents in front of the fire with a glass of bubbles. For lunch, which starts around 3pm, a tradition is to have Carlingford oysters from Ireland and a Baileys coffee at the end – it’s my Irish contribution! The late evening is spent curled up in front of the fire watching Christmas movies. On Boxing Day, we have a big lunch with lots of friends and family – this year I’ll be cooking a delicious pastry pie with all the leftover meat from Christmas Day.”
 
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“Christmas Eve is all about midnight mass, new pyjamas and champagne. Bubbles on Christmas Eve are a must. I like to push the boat out at this time of year, but I’ve recently discovered Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny Champagne, which is delicious and a bargain – I’ve stocked up for December! Canapés like roast beef and horseradish and smoked salmon blinis are a favourite, too. Christmas morning is my favourite moment – I’m always so impatient to open presents and watch the little ones open their stockings. Then it’s time for mimosas and a big walk. We’re quite traditional on Christmas Day; we have a big lunch with all the classics – like pigs in blankets and bread sauce. After lunch we play games – I’m a fan of backgammon and my dad loves chess. In the evening, we relax, chat or read and then it’s off to bed before we head out on a blustery dog walk on Boxing Day. Then it’s back to the house for another glass of champagne – if there’s any left!”
 
Aldi’s Veuve Monsigny Champagne is available to buy here.
 
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“There aren’t many Christmas Eve traditions I abide by, but my husband and mother-in-law are Catholic, so I usually tag along with them to midnight mass. As for Christmas morning, it’s often quite chilled – a nice breakfast, carols playing in the background and getting ready for the big lunch. It is always the immediate family, my daughter and husband – and every other year, my brothers and my mother-in-law. The years Reena is with us (and not with her dad) we stay home, otherwise we go to a hotel. I always make sure to have an extra space at the table so that anyone who’s on their own, travelling, split from their partner, without family etc, can come along. It’s a time to be together. Our Christmas lunch is pretty traditional – turkey, mince pies, Christmas pudding – nothing extra. Honestly, it’s just about trying to get it all done! When my daughter Reena was young, she would open the stocking at the end of her bed as soon as she woke up, but we now wait until after Christmas lunch to dish out everybody's presents. In the afternoon we play lots and lots of games and if there’s a film that everyone wants to watch then we do. After a long walk on Boxing Day, we visit the graveyard to give Christmas cheer to my late parents… They are always with us in our hearts.”
 
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“Christmas morning always starts with my four kids opening their stockings. Thankfully, as they’ve gotten older, the crack-of-dawn timing has eased off! This is followed by a breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, washed down with a bucks fizz. After that, it’s time for a family walk, although I might stay home to start preparing the lunch. We have a traditional Christmas turkey roast (I like to follow the Jamie Oliver recipe and prepare it with garlic butter, lemon and parsley). Another family favourite is a cauliflower cheese made with gruyere and crispy breadcrumbs on top – it’s like you’re in the Alps! I completely overindulge on Christmas Day – I forget everything I tell my clients, like drinking plenty of water and stopping before you’re full. I do, however, know I’ll be embarking on a detox in the New Year. We’re almost always at our home with lots of family joining us; however, this year we are breaking tradition and going to my best friend’s house with her family. I’ll be taking along a cauliflower cheese! Presents are opened after lunch, with the youngest two children handing them out to everyone from under the tree. Then it’s time for the Queen’s speech and family games. In the evening, we don’t eat again – it’s just a cheese platter and a bit more wine. Boxing Day normally involves some sort of sport – either watching a Chelsea football match at Stamford Bridge or rugby in Bath.”
 
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“I find carolling particularly moving – especially on Christmas Eve – so when we’re in London, we dress up and go to Christmas mass, the one time we go to church each year. We used to go with my family while I was growing up in Texas, so this is a tradition I hold dear. Christmas morning is all about present opening, chocolate eating, game-playing, children squealing, puppies barking – in short, chaos. This year, we’re trying to think about presence, not presents, so we’re making our gifts experiential instead of material. It’s easier with our youngest, but more challenging for the teenager who wants nothing less than more family time! At Christmas, we always buy a big, fat white truffle from the River Café shop and make truffle pasta for the family with a beautiful bottle of Tignanello. As we’re all veggie, it’s one feast that feels so decadent and special. If I’m lucky, one or more of my three brothers and their families are with us. We used to travel over the Christmas break, but now love spending it at our house in the Cotswolds. In the afternoon, we have a long family walk before curling up by the fire for a movie. On Boxing Day, we eat leftovers and do a lot of… nothing. I have a stack of books I want to read, so this year I plan on spending a lot of the holiday catching up.”
 
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“When I was little, my dad would wake me up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve to take me to the fireplace to listen for Father Christmas. Sometimes he would arrange for ‘Santa’ to be there with his back to me, taking presents out of his bag. I now do that with my own sons. When my eldest was young, my brother would pretend to be Santa in the middle of the night. Now, my 14-year-old son pretends to be him for my youngest son. I hope it helps him believe in the magic of Christmas for as long as possible. My mother lives between Arizona and Chicago, and we’re a big golfing family, so we always spend Christmas at one of her golf clubs. It’s so nice to see the whole community there come together. On Christmas morning, my sons open their presents from Father Christmas. We watch in our pyjamas and always have Christmas music playing in the background. We’ve usually exchanged gifts as a family the night before. If we’re in Arizona, we have lunch overlooking the mountains by a desert fire. If we’re in my hometown of Chicago, we eat lunch with childhood family friends at the club all dressed up. In the US, Boxing Day isn’t a big deal. If we’re in Arizona, we hike or play golf and if we are in Chicago we play in the snow and watch Christmas movies.”
 
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“Our Christmas Eve involves lots of family games and fondue! I always prep the turkey by putting it in the Aga the night before as well. On Christmas morning we open stockings first, followed by a champagne brunch. Then we all take the dog for a walk before the rest of the extended family arrive. We’re cutting down on presents this year in an effort to be more sustainable, so we’re doing Secret Santa instead. As for the lunch, it’s cocktails and canapes to start, followed by a very traditional Christmas lunch with all the trimmings. In total, there’s usually around 23 of us, so it’s a proper gathering! I’m hoping we can all be together again this year. For the afternoon, we’ve hired a winter tepee for the garden. I expect there’ll be lots of games, cheese, wine and a big family quiz – it gets very competitive. We often go away straight after Christmas as we’re big skiers – I’m crossing my fingers we’ll be heading off to the slopes on Boxing Day.”
  
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"Our Christmas Eve traditions are split between the US and UK – yes, we make mulled wine but we also make my popular Egg Nog. We also spend the day making garlands full of pine, rose hips and holly to go over the doorways throughout the house. Now that our four children are older, we actually get a bit of a lie in on Christmas morning. Things kick off around 8am with the opening of stockings and we eventually make our way down to the kitchen for a leisurely breakfast. This year we're doing a Secret Santa, so the children each only buy for one other sibling. As parents, we then give them presents throughout the day – a few before Christmas lunch and few after. It's all quite relaxed. Lunch is very traditional, but I always try to add a bit of American flair. I like to make my mum’s devilled eggs as canapés – they're the best. Once again, this year will be a different kind of Christmas, so we're keeping our gathering limited to just family. I'm hopeful that next year we can have more people to stay. Regardless of the pandemic, we'll still have our Christmas lunch in the dining room with lots of festive cheer. In the afternoon, I try to fit in a 30-minute yoga session or a long walk. It's all about trying to find a moment of peace on a day like this. In the evening, we have tea and Christmas cake by the fire – it's a tradition that really concludes our Christmas. As for Boxing Day, I like to think of it as a day of rest! I do nothing and I love it."
 
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