Christmas morning… For children, it’s unsurpassed for magic, sparkle and spectacle, with stockings to unpack, presents to open, Santa to spot and an intense level of excitement that makes sleeping a single wink the night before impossible.
But for adults, Christmas morning tells a very different story; one of hangovers and trepidation, of enduring small talk and a longing for lunch to begin.
Reconnect with your childlike wonder over Christmas and make the morning as enjoyable as the rest of the day. If you’re looking to change things up on your usual Christmas day, start with these; our 7 ways to make Christmas morning even more special.
Do All Of Your Food Prep In Advance
First things first, if you want to enjoy Christmas morning, you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen, slaving away at the stove and checking your watch nervously. Instead, get ahead with these preparatory steps:
- Prepare your cranberry and bread sauce a month in advance and freeze it.
- Make a gravy master stock with plenty of flavour in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Then, you can whip out on the day; simply add the juice from the turkey on the day and whisk in some cold cubes of butter for a delicious and hassle free gravy.
- Pigs in blankets and stuffing balls can be made in advance and frozen, too.
- If you’re looking for easy ways to pimp up your vegetables quickly, consider a bacon butter made ahead of the day.
- Peel all of your potatoes on Christmas Eve and keep them in water in the fridge overnight.
- Brine your turkey on Christmas Eve. Then, even if you forget to baste it regularly the next day, it’ll still be super juicy and tender.
- You could even lay the dining table the night before.
By preparing in advance, there will also be less cleaning and washing up to do on Christmas morning, leaving you to enjoy the start of the day with a glass of fizz in hand. Remember, successful and unstressed little elves will always do some prep work ahead of time!
Create A Magical Christmas Morning Atmosphere
Transform your living space into a winter wonderland before anyone wakes up. Dim the overhead lights and rely instead on the warm glow of fairy lights, candles, and your Christmas tree illumination. The soft, twinkling ambience will make the morning feel truly enchanting from the moment everyone enters the room.
Consider adding some subtle festive scents to complete the sensory experience—perhaps lighting a cinnamon or pine-scented candle, or using a reed diffuser with seasonal fragrances. You might even scatter some fresh pine sprigs around the mantelpiece or windowsills for that authentic Christmas tree aroma.
If you’ve got a fireplace, get it crackling early—there’s nothing quite like the cosy warmth and gentle sounds of a real fire to make Christmas morning feel special. Even if you haven’t got a real fire, many smart TVs now offer realistic fireplace videos that can create a similar effect whilst keeping everyone toasty.
Begin With An Extra Special Christmas Coffee
To get into the spirit of the day, why not add in some festive ingredients that can spice up your usual morning beverage. Whether you want an indulgent, creamy texture or a buzz of something stronger, Christmas morning should be all about indulgence. So, turn the festive frivolity up several notches by topping your mug with plenty of sprinkles and lashings of whipped cream.
You can really get into the Christmas spirit by infusing the flavours of the festive season into your coffee, too. Consider toasting some star anise, cinnamon and cloves, then letting them steep in your pot of coffee for a few minutes as it brews, blessing it with festive flavour. Or, add a shaved curl of orange peel and a grating of nutmeg to your mug.
If you’re looking to go that extra mile and recreate your favourite Starbucks Christmas coffees, such as the Toffee Nut Latte, Gingerbread Latte and Eggnog Latte, at home, then check out our article on how to do just that here.
And as if we hadn’t spoiled you enough already, here are 10 ways to add Christmas magic to your coffee, too.
Cook A Festive Breakfast
A Christmas morning breakfast needs to set you up for the day, with something hearty, generous but not too meaty (you don’t want to spoil the turkey later, of course). How about a smoked salmon bagel with poached eggs and hollandaise for an extra special start to proceedings that won’t fill you up too much? Or, on the sweeter side of the spectrum, we think a slice of this cranberry and orange drizzle cake paired with some fresh fruit sounds rather delicious!
This should be washed down with a Buck’s Fizz; a Christmas morning staple, if ever there was one. Simply mix two parts sparking wine with one part orange juice, the fresher the squeezed orange juice, the better the result. However, if you’re not keen on orange juice, Prosecco with pomegranate juice is arguably even more refreshing.
A Canape & Christmas Drinks Kinda Morning
Christmas morning, soundtracked by the laughter of good friends and family (and Wham!), and scented with mulled wine… What could be better? If you have loved ones who live nearby, consider asking them around for canapes and Christmas drinks to kick the morning off right.
Of course, you don’t want to be rushing around in the morning actually making the canapes. If you’d like to impress your guests with your cooking skills, simply make lots of little bites in advance that you can cook from frozen; think onion bhajis, samosas, spring rolls, and cheese gougeres. Or, for ease, no one’s judging you for sticking a few Iceland party food platters in the oven.
If you’re serving a drink to match the Christmas morning canapes, Prosecco is the connoisseur’s choice; it’s noticeably sweeter than Champagne and generally less astringent, making it a more considered, palatable affair for a pre-midday drink. Plus it’s more affordable. A win-win, you might say!
For something that fills the house with the scent of Christmas, a warming pot of mulled wine is an easy drink to serve. Or, if you want to make something a little more impressive, consider making a batch of Christmas rum punch, which will put the spirit of Christmas into your guests, quite literally.
Go All-In On The Festive Fashion
Dressing the part as soon as you wake up is a great way to welcome in the day, and can help you and the family differentiate the day from the uniform of PJs we’ve mostly been in for the last two years. With cameras likely flashing when you open your gifts, you want to be looking the part from the get-go.
Our personal favourite is some festive or fancy pyjamas paired with high heels and some Christmas costume jewellery. The world of Christmas novelty jewellery can be a fun one, spreading cheer to all. Think Jingle Bell earrings and bauble necklaces; the brasher and bolder, the better we say! We’re particularly fond of brooches that play music and the earrings that light up…aren’t you?
Whether you stay in your best Xmas pyjamas, opt for a novelty jumper or change into your Christmas day frock in all its sequinned glory as soon as you wake up, wearing your festive outfit in the morning is a sure-fire way to declare loudly and proudly that you’re into the Christmas spirit.
Curate The Perfect Christmas Morning Soundtrack
Music sets the mood for the entire day, so create a carefully crafted playlist that builds excitement and nostalgia in equal measure. Start with gentle, warming Christmas classics as people are waking up—think Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole—then gradually transition to more upbeat festive favourites as the gift-opening excitement builds.
Include a mix of traditional carols, beloved Christmas pop songs, and perhaps a few guilty pleasures that will have everyone singing along. Don’t forget to add some instrumental Christmas music for those quieter moments between the chaos of unwrapping presents.
Set up the music system the night before and have your playlist ready to go at the touch of a button. The right soundtrack will weave through the morning’s activities, creating that perfect Christmas atmosphere that’ll have everyone humming along and feeling properly festive.
Have a good one!
