Everything you need to get in the Christmas spirit, whatever the tier

Who knew when we counted down the seconds into the roaring Twenties last New Year’s Eve that we would be entering an unprecedented year of turmoil, challenges and endless Zoom quizzes? Most of us, then, were blissfully unaware of what Zoom even was. 

Although it's been said “many times, many ways” just as Nat King Cole sang, it’s true that this year’s Christmas will be different from the norm. 

And with only a handful of days left until the big day, it would appear that the majority of us are lacking that effervescent festive spirit.  

Despite a UK-wide agreement that allows families to meet in “bubbles” between 23 and 27 December, the stricter tier system in place means harsher rules for hospitality businesses, so you may be missing the usual festive activities that get you in the mood. 

London has entered the highest level, tier 3, while other areas of the country, such as Manchester, have been under these tough restrictions since the tier system began.   

As such, it’s no surprise that you may be struggling to get into the Christmas spirit. But you’re not alone – we’re here to help with some inspiration on how to amp up the excitement.  

From DIY decorations and digital Christmas markets to make-your-own mince pies and mulled wine, it’s time to put Mariah Carey on full blast and prepare for a festive period to remember, regardless of the tier you’re in. 

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

If decorating your tree didn’t warm the cockles as you’d hoped, don’t worry because there’s still time to give your home a Christmas touch. 

Enter our round-up of the best Christmas wreaths, in which our tester praised Bloom & Wild’s offering and noted that the brand also has “a DIY wreath kit, including a base, festive foliage, stems and lots of decorations”. 

The DIY scandi wreath (Bloom & Wild, £35) comes with 21 foliage stems including eucalyptus, gypsophila, waxflower and tree fern, and certainly provides a fun Christmas activity for a cold winter’s evening. 

Now it’s time to pour yourself a glass of red wine – and we’d recommend this M&S classics no. 16 pinotage 2020 (M&S, £8), which took our top spot in our review of the best pinotage wines. 

Once you’ve dressed your door and knocked back a glass,  it’s time to attend a virtual Christmas market. Often small businesses make a large proportion of their income during the festive period, so we’ve rounded up some of our favourite places to support while staying at home. 

In past years, the Bath Christmas market is a hotspot, with a whole range of vendors. But for 2020 it’s taken its outdoor market online, where you can shop directly from a range of stallholders. 

If you or your loved ones are after natural beauty products this Christmas, we suggest turning to Ubiety.  From lip balms and moisturisers to candles and facial mists, there’s even 20 per cent off if you enter the code “XMASMARKET20” at checkout. Plus, all profits are donated to a local charity Dorothy House Hospice to help fund end-of-life care, meaning this is a gift that will give back. 

After experiencing the Christmas markets from the comfort of your own home, it’s now time to enjoy a good, old-fashioned festive film. 

In our review of the best streaming services, The Independent’s technology critic David Phelan awarded Disney+ (£5.99 per month) the top spot, praising it for its “huge range of content, including Pixar movies, Marvel movies and series, Disney’s own TV shows and spin-offs and Disney+ originals”. 

With a range of Christmas classics on offer, from Home Alone to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, there’s plenty to get you excited for the big day. 

Phelan also recommended Netflix (from £5.99 per month) for its “massive range of movies and series” – a great option if you manage to tire of Disney+. Its Christmas collection is similarly as expansive, featuring the likes of The Holiday, Arthur Christmas and Christmas with the Kranks. 

After streaming a family favourite, how about a good book? Our round-up of Christmas seasonal titles should help, featuring none other than A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Blackwell’s, £7.39). 

This novella tells the story of mean-spirited old man, Ebenezer Scrooge. Through following Scrooge’s moral journey, where he is haunted by three spirits and learns the true meaning of Christmas, Dickens’ classic touches on themes of personal transformation and the grotesqueries of greed. 

If you’re reading with children, The Three Wishes by Alan Snow (Amazon, £9.79) was crowned IndyBest best buy in our review of the best kids’ Christmas storybooks. 

Full of illustrations, the book explains the origins of Father Christmas, with our tester praising Alan Snow’s “folkloric storytelling and gorgeous illustration”, adding that it’s likely children will “fall in love” with it. 

On the topic of books, we also asked top chefs and food writers what their favourite Christmas cookbooks are, to help you create a show-stopping festive feast. 

Food writer Felicity Cloake heralded Nigella Christmas: Food, Family, Friends, Festivities by Nigella Lawson (Blackwell’s, £26) as her top choice, praising Lawson’s “irreverent approach to Christmas” and noting the gingerbread stuffing as her favourite recipe. 

Get in the festive mood by cooking up a storm – and maybe even having a glass of bubbles as you stir. 

If you’re searching for a tipple, we crowned the Alberto Nani organic prosecco DOC (Asda, £8) our best prosecco, with our tester calling it a “quintessentially perfect prosecco”.  You can’t argue with that. 

After finding the perfect cookbook – and prosecco to drink it with – it’s time to consider more food and drink. 

Christmas is all about those little extras that you wouldn’t ordinarily buy, so why not get in the festive spirit with this Manteca classico plus food box (Manteca, £60).  

Coming top in our review of the best Christmas food gifts, our tester felt like they were “having a restaurant meal at home” – particularly important now much of the UK is under tier 3 restrictions. 

The middle box, classico plus, comes with “a selection of cured meats including a delightfully soft fennel salumi and a full-flavoured bresaola and four festive goose, cranberry and pistachio sausages that we’re now desperate to buy more of,” said our reviewer. 

And that’s not all, as there’s also “pots of chicken liver parfait which is a smooth and silky delight that goes with a date jam, smoked cod’s roe, grape mostarda and a pear and date chutney. There’s more for afters too: a Christmas pudding and amaretti biscuits.”

As an “absolutely stand out food box with extremely high quality produce and unforgettable flavours”, this is a no-brainer for getting in the festive foodie spirit. 

Another yuletide staple is, of course, a cheeseboard. In our hunt for the best, The Cheese Society’s Christmas cheeseboard (The Cheese Society, £42) took the top spot. 

Our tester praised it for its “quality, taste and variety”, as well as having a “delicious selection, with something for everyone”. 

For something a little kinder to the pocket, Aldi’s exquisite selection cheese box (Aldi, £7.99) also received high praise.

Containing an array of British cheeses – including a stratford blue, Kidderton Ash goats’ cheese, smoked red leicester, lancashire and a Goosnargh Gold double gloucester – our reviewer said it would “make an ideal cheeseboard for two” and is best enjoyed “huddling around a roaring fire”. 

With savoury snacking sorted, it’s time to consider something sweet. Enter panettone, the classic Italian Christmas bake. 

Having gained popularity in recent years, everyone from supermarkets right up to the most luxurious Italian bakeries are creating a version of this soft, moreish cake with festive flavours, making it hard to know which to choose. 

Luckily, we’re here to help – in our review of the best panettones, this apricot, orange and hazelnut panettone (Sainsbury’s £7.50) was crowned our favourite. 

According to our tester, the Sainsbury’s panettone is a “real beauty” this year. “With a doughy, soft and moreish texture, the crumb is similar to many of the more expensive versions we’ve tried.” 

They added that “the orange notes here are very forward, and we loved the inclusion of apricots which feels very Italian and festive”. 

Devour it with a cup of Brew Tea earl grey (Brew Tea Co, £4.95), which took the top spot in our review of the best plastic-free tea bags, with our tester praising it for being a “refreshing brew full of flavour mixing bergamot oil with ceylon black tea, orange peel and calendula petals”. Delicious! 

For those who aren’t partial to a panettone, Christmas just wouldn’t be complete without a mince pie. These Biscuiteers mince pies (Biscuiteers, £15 for six) were a firm favourite in our review. 

“With a surprisingly deep filling, we loved the sponge-like frangipane topping, studded with almond flakes,” said our tester. These also fit through the letterbox and so can be sent as a gift – so why not spread some festive cheer and send these to a loved one. 

Another way to truly experience the spirit of Christmas is by making your own mince pies. Lyle’s mince pie kit (Lyle’s, £45 makes 12) featured in our review of the best mince pies. 

Although not cheap, this box contains Michelin-starred British restaurant Lyle’s cult-favourite mince pie mix, as well as an easy-to-follow recipe card. 

While these are in the oven, why not turn your hand to making one of the most popular beverages for invoking merriment, mulled wine! Our guide has everything you need to make this flavoursome festive treat – have a read and prepare to become a professional.  

To get you in the Christmas spirit a little bit more, read our guide to festive tablescaping