Blueprint: Christmas Day lunch, how to pull off the big one

Read time 7 Mins

Posted 09 Nov 2023

By
Alexandra Whiting

Friends toasting drinks at an outdoor Christmas Day lunch with pavlova and prawns on table

Be the host with the most – satisfied bellies, exceeded expectations and a sparkling red Aunty Kath won’t stop talking about.

Good food, good drink, good friends – at its essence, a party is a timeless combination of elements brought to life by the individual touch that hosts and guests contribute to the occasion. To help you pull off your best and most fun-filled gathering yet, our Dan’s Daily Blueprints tell you everything you need to host whatever event is next on your hit list.

You’ve been assigned the biggest hosting gig of the year. Christmas Day. Congratulations, your family sees you as a responsible and reliable member of society, otherwise they’d never trust you with such a thing. That, or they want to test you. Christmas Day lunch has a lot of parts to consider: You’ve got family dynamics, traditions, age considerations (kids and grandparents, both may need naps), guests with multiple commitments, and present-giving to navigate. And that’s all before you get to the food and wine.

We understand the enormity of the task, and we’re here to help. With our guide to hosting Christmas Day lunch, you’ll be pleasing the hosts of Christmas past (Mum’s famous pav will be in attendance), catering to everyone’s individual needs (vegans, toothless babies, your impatient sister who must eat by 2pm), but still making your mark as the host by starting new traditions that are all your own.

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Dress code

If we’re doing it, we’re doing it. You’re dressing up, but you’ve got to keep in mind the temp (peak summer) and the fact you’re manoeuvring around a kitchen – “behind!” We don’t want the day turning into that episode from Season 2 of The Bear with Jamie Lee Curtis screaming about her beautiful meal as things get seriously messy in the kitchen. You want easy, breezy fabric, comfortable footwear, a little bit of festivity and, when it all comes together, it’s going to look damn amazing in the snaps you post on IG later. It’s possible, the perfect Christmas host outfit does exist, but it’s going to take some forethought. Start now.

How to decorate

Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean you have to do green and red, nor do you have to decorate exactly how your mum has always done it. That said, borrow from those who have hosted previously (no point buying 30 dinner plates when there’s some sitting in the cupboard at your dad’s), use what you have as much as possible (economical and how the pros do it) and just elevate with a little bit of care. For example, a fresh tablecloth and linen napkins (ironed please), velvet ribbons tied around glasses, big bowls of fruit (they last way longer than flowers in summer and, you know, you can eat it).

What to drink

Christmas Day is the time to whip out the good stuff, but that doesn’t mean spending a bomb. Think about the food you’re making, the people you’re inviting, and, most of all, have a range of things on offer to satisfy all tastes. Below, eight Christmas drinks perfectly suited to the big day.

1. Bubbles with a tropical kick

The Tempus One Passionfruit Prosecco Spritzer is merry, tropical and bright – the type of drink that absolutely nails the warm Christmas-Day starter brief. It’s an excellent can to have in the esky for when people arrive early, you’re mid ham-glazing and don’t have time to whip up a welcome Bellini. This Spritzer is all about passionfruit, citrus, crisp apple and prosecco – summer in a can. Or pour it into a wine glass and feel smug about hacking the arrival drinks.

Can of Tempus One Passionfruit Prosecco Spritzer

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2. The bottle for cocktails

Cocktails might sound like one big job too many for your Christmas Day, but hear us out. There are cocktails, and then there’s the Bourbon Cherry Cola. For this, we recommend the Maker's Mark 46, the deeper, richer sibling to the OG Maker’s Mark that dials up the vanilla, caramel and oak flavours. Muddle some cherries the day before, have your other ingredients ready (it’s just lemon juice, sugar syrup and Coke), and watch everyone’s faces light up when you hand this drink around. Very Christmas, very delicious.

3. Bottled sunshine from day to night

When you entertain, you need a beer because there’s always going to be someone who won’t drink anything else. Balter Cerveza is the beer you want at your event. It’s dressed nice (honestly, that is a cute bottle that will totally go with your tablescape), light on hops, big on refreshment and exactly what people want to drink on a really hot day, and Christmas Day is often a scorcher.

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4. The shiraz course

The Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz has all the characteristics of a wine that big-red drinkers love. It’s ripe, rich, concentrated and supremely complex, which all makes it not just a crowd-pleaser, but also extremely compatible with so many Christmas Day dishes. While very lovely as it is right now, this is a wine that will age well, so buy a few and pull one out each year to taste how it’s developed. See, we told you we’d give you some new traditions.

5. A Chablis, of course

Whether it’s tradition, a family favourite or just making sure Mum is well pleased, Simonnet-Febvre Petit Chablis France is a bottle to be celebrated. It has a nice acidity to it, with a lemony, peachy clean flavour, which is ideal with your seafood course, be it oysters or the classic prawn cocktail.

Bottle of Simonnet-Febvre Petit Chablis wine

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Bottle of d’Arenberg The Peppermint Paddock Sparkling Red

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6. It’s different, it’s unusual, I like it

A sparkling red, served cold. Aunty Kath will be talking about it ’til new year’s. The d’Arenberg The Peppermint Paddock Sparkling Red, from a family-owned McLaren Vale winery, has a jammy, spicy palate with great length and delicious sweetness. It’s a great wine on its own, but also with food, particularly a light dessert, and especially that pav. Or use it in our Cherry Christmas Spritz recipe. Also, can whoever designed this label start making wrapping paper? Tres chic.

7. Dessert in a bottle

It makes no sense with the climate, but there’s nothing more correct for Christmas night than a Baileys. This year’s limited edition Baileys Hazelnut has that much-loved creaminess with a nutty kick. Pair it with an excessive amount of Cadbury Favourites, a screening of Love Actually and the knowledge that you nailed the Christmas lunch brief.

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Bottle of Glengoyne 15 YO single malt Scotch whisky

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8. The gift (that might get drunk)

A sophisticated nip after dessert (for those who haven’t fallen into a food coma) is a perfectly nostalgic full stop on a great day. Any dark-spirit drinker who’s had the pleasure will tell you the Glengoyne 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a special dram. Complex, sweet and well rounded, this single malt benefits from ageing in former sherry casks, which gives it added richness that makes it perfect for a neat nip post-feast. A bottle for gifting, conversation and sharing.

Young man, young woman and older man eating Christmas Day lunch of prawns and roast potatoes with cocktails

What to eat

The menu is of the utmost importance for Christmas lunch and potential cause of holiday hostility. The goal is a delicate balance of expected (nay, demanded) family classics: nan’s pavlova, Dad’s prawn cocktail, and your own, new, soon-to-be-signature dishes. Caveat that balance with two rules: one, don’t make anything you don’t love to eat; and two, make sure it’s humanly possible to produce all this food and still have a nice time with your family. A classic Christmas Day lunch usually consists of seafood to start, pudding at the end, and a jazzed-up roast somewhere in the middle. You just have to embellish a few things: carrots with fennel seeds, potatoes roasted in duck fat, brussels sprouts sprinkled with hazelnuts and bacon. The beauty of a roast is you can do a lot of the prep in the days before. Make any vinaigrettes, rubs or sauces first, then do all the veg prep early so that on the day, your main job is moving things in and out of the oven. Accept the help when offered – if your uncle wants to bring the fruit cake, even though no one eats it, let him (diplomacy) – but also delegate and outsource where you can, “Mum, can you handle the plant-based roast?” and “Dessert is in the freezer, in the Cornetto box” are 100% acceptable statements on Christmas Day.

Playlist

Okay, let Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé and Mariah Carey do their thing for a bit, but then cut the Christmas carols. There’s only so many times you can hear ‘Let It Snow’ when it’s 30 degrees outside. If you like an R&B vibe (who doesn’t?), this is a nice, sunny, inoffensive playlist, or if your fam is a bit more old-school and Christmas isn’t Christmas without a screening of The Holiday, Nancy Meyers-themed playlists like this are a hit.

Don’t forget

Factor in time for other traditions: Christmas morning swim, present opening, cricket game, Bluey Christmas Day episode viewing, and have snacks for them. Christmas is an all-day graze-a-thon with leftovers expected (and oh-so appreciated the next day) so make sure you’ve catered for every twist and turn. While you’re at it, pick up a pack of cheap containers so your guests can take some leftovers home (if you’re willing to share). Also, check off the practical things that can be a bit nightmarish if not considered prior: fridge space, cutlery numbers, toilet paper, dishwashing tablets, toddler naps… whatever the make-up of your nearest and dearest is, whatever their needs, show them you’ve thought of them, and then, even if the pork is dry, the pav collapses and the dog eats the prawns, they’ll think of you with love all year.

After more Christmas inspo? Take a look at our blueprint guides to nailing the last-minute holiday get-together and throwing a budget-friendly Friendsmas.