So you put your hand up to host the family Christmas lunch and as the date quickly approaches, you might be starting to regret that initial enthusiasm.
Well, we’re here to rekindle it! Hosting the Christmas Day lunch isn’t just an honour, it can also be fun. This is your chance to put your mark on the biggest event of the biggest day of the year.
If you want to host a feast that will become the family’s benchmark for excellence, read on to get some fabulous Christmas lunch ideas or click on the category where you need the most inspiration.
Your Christmas table setting can help set the tone for your feast and is a great chance for you to express your creativity.
Picking a theme involves choosing a colour scheme and design elements that will bring together your table setting. For inspiration, take a look at our three Christmas lunch themes below.
Embrace festive colours with a traditional red and green Christmas table. Create an innovative centrepiece by placing tall pillar candles inside an berry wreath. Scatter a few poinsettia stems across the table or arrange the dishes around a berry garland running the length of the table. Stick to simple Christmas dinnerware so the centrepiece remains the piece-de-resistance of your table setting.
Give your Christmas table a touch of class with modernist, metallic gold accents. The key here is to create a simple backdrop the gold accents can stand out against. A great decor idea is to combine gold with glassware for a sophisticated effect that amplifies the metallic shimmer of your accents. Choose wine glasses and flutes with gold patterns and create a cohesive look by combining them with mini house place card holders with gold glitter accents. Golden placemats and a warm toned garland will bring the look together. Keep your table linens, plates, and serving dishes white so the golden accents in your decor stands out.
For an ethereal effect, complement your white background with silver accents and natural elements. Choose silver placemats and napkins with silver accents. Placeholders and wine glass charms can also feature silver patterns. In the centre of your table, complement a natural garland with white and silver ornaments. Tea candles will create a gorgeous glow inside ceramic white tea lights. Place a few olive leaf stems around the arrangement. Stack white plates one atop another, finishing off with a silver ribbon wrapped around a napkin. Tuck a sprig or two into the ribbon to complete the look.
The festive season can be costly enough with you breaking the bank on your Christmas decorations. But you really don’t have to spend a bucketload to add some impressive Christmas cheer to your dining room.
We have plenty of great ways you can repurpose your existing decor or create some amazing DIY Xmas decorations that will bring great festive spirit to your Christmas lunch.
The Christmas lunch is the main event on Christmas Day, but the preparation can often be sweaty, stressful, and slightly chaotic.
There are plenty of ways to make your Christmas lunch prep not just easy but enjoyable. For starters, be sure you’ve got a solid menu plan and have bought the ingredients in advance.
You can even prepare many of the menu items - such as salads and roast veggies - ahead of time so they’re ready to go on the table come Christmas Day.
Be sure to invite the whole family in on the action. Delegate one dish or one task to each family member - pop on some Christmas carols to get everyone in the festive spirit.
Not entirely sure what to serve up? Get inspired with these two menu themes below.
Whether you call it the Christmas dinner or Christmas lunch, this is the meal you grew up on.
The traditional Christmas lunch covers all the classics:
Make it easier for yourself by buying an oven-ready turkey. If you are feeling particularly energetic or creative, cook your bird from scratch and stuff it on Christmas Eve.
You can also chop up any herbs or veggies you plan to cook the turkey with in advance and just store them in the fridge in containers.
Here are some other smart ideas to prepare the meal before the big day:
The sun is out and it’s roasting hot … so why would you want to crank up the heat in your kitchen with the stove top and oven going full-bore?
A cold spread makes your Christmas lunch so much easier to organise (you can do plenty of prep in advance) and keeps you cool. Lunch ideas could include:
You can really mix up the Christmas spread with a range of colourful and delicious salads. Check out some of the recipes below for some inspiring, fresh ideas:
A light, fresh Christmas lunch like this helps cut down on prep time, but there are plenty of things you can do before Christmas Day so it’s a hassle-free affair on the day. This includes:
If you’ve ever prepared the main Christmas meal, you’ll be familiar with those annoying refrains of “Is it ready yet?”.
Having some activities ready is a great way to keep everyone out of the kitchen and well amused until the roast turkey is on the table.Adults might not go for colouring in (although it is the craze now), but they’ll be up for Christmas games, karaoke and trivia quizzes - especially when they’re Christmas themed!
Some easy, budget-friendly Christmas party games for adults include:Download this colourful, printable Christmas song sheet and get the whole family in on some Yuletide carolling.
Download our free, printable Christmas trivia questions and answers. Pick a Christmas trivia host, have some candy canes ready as rewards, and have some fun!
Some of the games and activities for adults work equally well for kids, but younger children might need something a little simpler to distract them from the delicious sights of pavlova and pudding.
Some simple, DIY Christmas games for kids include:
Be sure to have lots of crayons, pencils, and textas on hand to help them create masterpieces. Why not include glitter, stickers, ribbons, and tinsel for them to stick on these pages too?
To make it even easier for you, we’ve created these free Christmas colouring in pages so all you have to do is download and print them out!
Want to kick off your Christmas lunch with laughter? How about putting a funny Christmas quote or a quirky festive fact on every guest’s dinner plate to read aloud.
Below are some fabulous quotes and fun facts that will have people chuckling right from the start.
For your convenience, we have created a selection of printable cards that you can add to the Christmas lunch table.
A lovely way to thank your guests for joining them for your Christmas Day feast (and for pitching in with a plate or two) is to gift them a small party favour.
Of course, the natural choice here is the goodies reaped from their Christmas crackers. Gourmet Christmas crackers ensure you skip the usual tacky knick knacks and get something amazing - such as assorted chocolates.
How about filling a mason jar with their favourite Christmas foods? It could be Christmas biscuits, chocolates, or rock candy. You can even decorate the jar with their own personal bauble or tree decoration.
You’ve done all you could. The table is set, the meal cooked. You’ve got plenty of entertainment in store for your family and guests.
Now it’s time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour - or rather, the roasts, salads, and desserts!
Stay on track with your Christmas checklist with our Christmas Countdown guide. Or have you left it to the last minute? It’s only natural! Get up to speed on your Christmas festivities with our Last Minute Christmas Guide!
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