From where we stand, Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year. The radio playing nostalgic songs that hark back to your childhood, the sight of stockings hanging above the fireplace, the smell of mulled wine gently bubbling away in the kitchen, as fairy lights sparkle above. Christmas is not just a break from work and the daily grind of responsibilities, it’s also a break from the ordinary. That’s what we love so much about it. The anticipation, the food, the getting together with your favourite people around the table and at drinks parties. After all, when else are you likely to say yes to every snack, beverage or napping opportunity placed in front of you (and not only not feel guilty)?
But above all, Christmas is a time for family, friends and togetherness. It’s a time for gathering in the kitchen, music playing in the background as you dance and laugh, play board game after board game and cut into the leftover ham without any thought. Yet, at the top of the list, is celebrating and connecting with our loved ones, and there’s no better way to do that than having meaningful conversations around the kitchen table. That’s why we asked our team for their favourite conversation topics to have at Christmas:
Reflect on the Past Year
Christmas is the most wonderful time to reflect on everything that’s happened over the past year. The events and experiences, major milestones and unforgettable moments. So instead of keeping yours to yourself, try asking everyone sitting around the table to share their favourite memories or accomplishments from the past 12 months. Not only will it be fun and nostalgic, but it will bring everyone closer together.
Best Christmas Traditions
Of all the months in a year, none is more full of traditions and rituals than December, with the normalities of Christmas varying from family to family. Take this opportunity to share your own traditions with each other, tell stories of those you have experienced while travelling or read about in that book you recently finished, and then learn about the traditions of others. If nothing else, you may even discover some new traditions to incorporate into your own celebrations.
Goals and Aspirations
With the start of a new year slowly chugging towards you, now is the perfect time to chat about your hopes, dreams and goals for 2023, and thus make some plans while you are at it. That could be getting fitter, eating healthier, remodelling your kitchen, painting your cabinets, travelling to new places or anything in between. So do it. Encourage everyone around your kitchen table to share their aspirations and resolutions for the coming year. Trust us: these motivating and inspiring conversations will help everyone feel more connected and supported.
Have a Heart-to-Heart
Christmas means different things to different people, but if there’s one common thread linking us all together it’s the celebration of love, forgiveness and compassion that comes with the festive season. It’s a chance to spend real quality time with those around you; to open up and share your thoughts, feelings, and maybe even your concerns with one another and feel the kind of connection we would all love to feel more of. You could do it around the turkey or while making cocktails in the larder. Wherever you choose, this conversation topic can be a therapeutic and bonding conversation that helps strengthen your relationships.
Favourite Christmas Movies
This might just be the greatest festive debate of them all, especially when you lay out exactly what a truly great Christmas movie should channel, which is the mood of the holiday season. And because we all celebrate different traditions, the best Christmas films can take many chestnut-roasting, Jack Frost-nipping forms. There’s cheery musicals, religious dramas, vulgar comedies, childhood classics, modern greats, claymation creations and, yes, action movies that ring in yuletide cheer by fighting off terrorists at Nakatomi Plaza.
Best Part of Christmas Lunch
The moment you start planning your Christmas dinner, the first thing you start thinking about is the turkey. But let’s be honest, no one is actually fussed about the bird. Not really. In fact, when people hear you say the lip-smacking words, “dinner is served” at 4.30pm, we’re all excited about different bits of this incredible meal. Bacon covered sprouts. Pigs in blankets. Roast potatoes. Crunchy carrots. Cauliflower gratin. Paprika-coated parsnips. These delicious side dishes. We all have different favourite, and now’s the perfect time to kick off that debate.
Best Gift You Ever Received
This might be the season for love and family, but the part where we give and receive Christmas gifts is so fun too. Whether wrapped or buried underneath a few too many layers of tissue paper, opening up a gift someone got you is a real treat that brings with it an almost guaranteed surge of endorphins. The question is: what is the best present you (and everyone else around the table) has ever received? That shiny red bike when you were 8? Those Tiffany earrings during your first Christmas together? That new shaker kitchen after moving house? Ask the question and embrace the charm that is looking back on amazing memories.
Favourite Festive Drink
Forgetting presents, the holidays are all about cosy hot cocktails, creamy creations and festive après ski libations. It’s about mixing spiced takes on the classics and whipping up signature drinks infused with seasonal flavours. The question is: which is everyone’s favourite, and do you have the ingredients in your kitchen cabinets to get bartending? To throw some options out there, our team suggested eggnog, hot-buttered rum, vin chaud, hot chocolate with Baileys and, of course, Bucks Fizz.
Whichever chinwag topics you bring up, by having these types of conversations around the dinner table at Christmas, you can create meaningful and memorable moments with your loved ones, the kind we should all embrace with open arms as we get to know each other even better. Whether you’re laughing, reminiscing or sharing heartfelt sentiments, these conversations will help you celebrate the festive season and bring you closer together, which is what it’s all about.
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