Describe your Christmas Day routine…

Christmas Day routines? We’ve all got one – whether it’s opening stockings on Mum and Dad’s bed (no matter what age) or what time you eat your Christmas lunch – find out what some of our lovely Bookends authors get up to on Christmas Day…

Kirstie Allsopp, author of Kirstie’s Real Christmas

This has changed radically for me. I came from a family who went big on Christmas lunch. But we now have our main meal in the evenings. So we start with stockings, then have a relaxed breakfast, go for a walk with the dog, and we don’t have supper until around 6.30pm when it’s dark and cosy. A much more relaxing routine as no one has to wake up at 6am to get the turkey in the oven.

Clemency Burton-Hill, author of Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Everyday

A glass of bubbly (as early as respectable, although this year I am pregnant so will have to restrain myself!) plus some smoked salmon on brown bread and butter while cranking up the iconic Christmas tunes (or watching Christmas TOTP) and getting the house/lunch ready; then eating too much Christmas lunch, opening presents, a family walk if we are able to stagger down the road, back home to collapse on the sofa, watch movies, drink some more, and pass out in a happy, overfed, festive stupor.

Victoria Hislop, author of Cartes Postales From Greece

Now that the children are in their twenties, there is less emphasis on getting up early for presents.  So it’s a lovely relaxing day, with a big lunch in the middle, games afterwards and then a film.

Sheila O’Flanagan, author of Christmas With You

I have different routines depending on where I am. If I’m in Spain (where I also have family) the main dinner is on Christmas Eve because that’s the tradition there. However we will do a traditional turkey and ham dinner that night so it’s like having Christmas dinner a day early, although we don’t exchange presents until after breakfast on Christmas morning. After that we go for a walk along the beach and have lunch at one of the beachfront restaurants. It’s always great fun because everyone is out and about in their Christmas finery and the children – who’ve usually got bikes, skates or scooters from Santa, are buzzing up and down the promenade. Lunch (not turkey or ham, often tapas or fish) takes about three hours and then we home and have champagne on the terrace to a backdrop of Christmas music. Later we have cheese and crackers and play games like charades. There are often firework displays in the local towns which you can see from miles away, so we’ll watch those, and at midnight we usually toast marshmallows and make Irish coffees.

For more festive fun take a look at some of our other Christmas blog posts…

Team Bookends does Christmas decorations

Or, 

The Quick-Fire Christmas Quiz