All about Christmas at the Gray household! I'm answering your Christmas questions...

This week's video and blog post is dedicated to your Christmas questions! I've had so many great questions, and I can't wait to answer them all for you.
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It's my baby's first Christmas, and I'd love ideas on how to make it extra special and the best ways to keep memories?

So for my children, I gave them each a special Christmas tree decoration. It's really lovely them putting it on the Christmas tree each year.

Today, with photos being on our phones, we don't print them off like we used to do and we don't create albums. So it is so lovely to sit down with a photo album and look through. Once a month, save your photos, make an album on your phone for them and put those special pictures into the album and then get them printed off and put them in a book, or do a digital book.

A baby book or scrapbook is a really lovely way to kind of keep track of the first noises, the first words, the lock of hair, all of those things. That's a really special thing to do.

What can you recommend to be done the day or days before to make cooking on the big day easier?

Well, the people that have been doing my Christmas course will know all of my top tips! There's so much that can be done in advance. Take a look at my Christmas Recipe Planner, and this makes life so much easier because there's a list of things that can be done beforehand, things to think of now and even things you can freeze.

So typically on Christmas Eve, I open up our freezer and I take pretty much everything out. I cook the carrots and I cook the sprouts and I cook the turkey on the day, and our Christmas pudding (I will talk about that later on). But you can do so much in advance, so it doesn't need to be stressful! That was my idea behind the Christmas planner and my Christmas course, to really take the stress out of Christmas.

There's lots that you can do. You can do your potatoes, you can do your red cabbage. You can even make your gravy ahead of time!

White napkins on Christmas Day, how best to remove the stains?

I am a great fan of a little bit of bleach. So I would use a washing up bowl and just soak them with a little capful of bleach. Don't leave them in too long, because bleach can rot the fibres in the fabric. As long as they're plain white, a little bit of bleach or Vanish should do it. Presoak them before they go into the washing machine. It's really important to treat a stain before it goes into the washing machine!

Favourite Christmas cookbooks?

Well, I have to say my own planner is my favourite as it's filled with all my top recipes! The Perfect Christmas: To Plan and Enjoy the Best Celebrations Ever is also a great book. It's got so much in here, from food to decorations. I got it in a secondhand book shop and have had it for years, it's full of all sorts of words of wisdom.

Where can I get a beautiful Christmas tree topper?

We have a fairy on our Christmas tree, and we always have done. I was given a fairy by my godmother, my fairy godmother, many, many years ago, I think probably when I was christened. She's retired, but I've still got her. When Coco was a baby, I bought a fairy called Celia. It was an amazing, lovely lady that made her, and we use her, but stars are also a beautiful thing to have atop the tree. I think it's great to have something that you can bring out year after year and enjoy and treasure.

Do you and your family celebrate the religious side of Christmas with church and carols, et cetera, and what is your usual non-COVID routine for this?

Yes, we do very much celebrate the traditional, religious side of Christmas. We go to church at 11 o'clock every Christmas Day. For me, Christmas Day would be very odd if we didn't go to church. We're really lucky that this year we can go. I've spoken to the vicar, and he has had to do a list of people as it's a very small church.

We're not going to be singing, but we will have some hymns outside, so we can belt those out and enjoy it. We always have a Christmas carol service, but unfortunately, that's not happening this year. And the children do a reading, or sing, or get involved, which is lovely and special. But church is a very important part of Christmas for me and my family.

What are your thoughts on the time of day of when you eat your Christmas meal?

Good question! It changes, and as the children have got older, it has gotten a little bit later. So when they were smaller, we tried to have it at about one o'clock because they just couldn't last much later than that. Now it's got later in the day. We love to listen to the Queen's speech at three o'clock, and will normally eat just after the Queen has spoken. It is also quite dependent on animals because they need to be done as well. So we will eat and then have a little break, go and do the animals, and then maybe come in and have pudding afterwards.

Can we see how you style your home and gardens, and who has inspired your style?

Yes, I will show you more of my home and gardens, probably next year!

Who has inspired my style?

I think Mum, but something that was quite funny was that when I first went to stay with Simon, I walked into his drawing room and it was like stepping back into my home. I just felt as though I was at home, and actually, it was the exact table I filmed this week's blog post next to that did it, I think! Mum was a great believer of a circular table with a beautiful tablecloth and your television hidden under the table.

I think because when I married Simon, he already had a lot of things, we just collected more of a similar style.

When I lived in London, our flat was much more modern, more contemporary. But in an old English cottage, that doesn't work particularly. There are a few modern bits, but most of it is antiques that we have collected over the years. Some things are from Simon's parents. Some things are from my family home. So there's a mismatch of all sorts going on, but I'm very traditional and I love antiques. I love old finds, and I love beautiful fabrics. I get very excited about redoing something, and we did this house totally from scratch, and it was a real joy to do.

Festive traditions, do you have any?

I've had to think quite hard about this because actually, I think everything we do is probably a collection of things that Simon and I did growing up, that have become part of the way we do things now. We've got special decorations, the way we light candles at certain times on certain days.

We've got the most beautiful candle with angels all around, and it's a real tradition for the children to light it and admire it. We light it in the evening, and it's just magical when the candles make it spin around and twinkle. I had one of these growing up and the enjoyment we get from it as a family, to me, is a real sign of Christmas.

Also, the way we put out the mince pies for Father Christmas, the way we hang our stockings, going to church, singing carols, we always have a little bit of a musical concert at Christmas. Coco plays the flute and is currently teaching herself Hark the Herald Angels Sing, which will be so enjoyed on the day. There are lots of things that we do that have become traditions that we enjoy as a family.

Where do you find the time to do your nails?

I have always painted my nails. I worked for somebody many, many years ago, and he always said that if your nails were a mess, it was a sign that you didn't look after yourself. And I took that on board! They're not always immaculate, and I tend to do them in the evening, often in bed. I haven't had a manicure for years, because I don't have time to go and sit down and do it.

If my nails are a mess, I hate it. I love having nicely manicured nails. I do them twice a week.

What are your top tips for Boxing Day sides and salads to go with any cold meats?

Well, I love red cabbage, which will be leftover from Christmas Day. I love coleslaw and jacket potatoes with grated cheese over the top. Lots of sort of little bitty things. Lovely, fresh salad as well, because I think Boxing Day, you want to eat a little bit cleaner, so we'll have salad and cold hams, cold turkey, and jacket potatoes. Leftovers really!

If you could set the table for one extra place this Christmas, who would you set it for?

My immediate reaction would be Mum, but actually, she was often jolly tricky at Christmas in the later years, so it would have to be two people, and they would be Padre and Margaret. Gerald and Margaret are just the most incredible people in my life, and actually for so many other people, as well. Gerald was an Air Force Padre and met my parents when Mum was only 18.

He and his gorgeous wife, Margaret have become like family. The children know them as uncle and auntie, and Gerald christened my brother and me. He married Simon and me, and he christened all three of the children. He's now in his nineties, and he is just so spiritual, so gentle, so funny, so kind, just the most beautiful human being I think I will ever meet.

His wife Margaret is just a force to be reckoned with. She's still playing tennis even after her knee replacement. She's incredible, so unbelievably wise, and has taught me so much about being a mother. I was welling up talking about them because they are just the most special people. I've spent many Christmases with them over the years, so yes, it would be them.

How do you look so effortlessly glamorous?

Oh my goodness, I don't! But I do love to wash and dry my hair pretty much most days and put my makeup on. My makeup takes about five minutes. I've got it down to a very, very fine quick art and just throw it on. I think blow-drying your hair and putting on some makeup, putting in some earrings and having your nails painted makes a huge difference. Earrings, a bit of lippy, a bit of mascara, and you're good to go.

Table gifts. Do you do them? And if so, what do you gift?

I think it's really lovely to gift a Christmas decoration. Those on my Christmas course will know that Fiona Finds does this, and she also writes the date on, which I think is a really lovely thing, and actually, I'm going to be copying her, because then you can build up a collection over the years of what you've been given.

I don't think table gifts need to be a big thing, just something personal for your guests. Or you could even put it inside a cracker! If you're making your crackers, you can personalize them for your guests.

Do you have any tips for ironing puff sleeves?

I have a brilliant mini ironing board that slides onto your larger ironing board, which you can insert your sleeve into to iron. It's much easier with one of these. Otherwise, a steamer is a great bit of kit to have as well.

Christmas Eve boxes, or stockings, or both?

We just do stockings. Father Christmas comes on Christmas Eve while they're asleep, and they open their stockings on Christmas morning. If there's anything that doesn't fit inside the stocking, then it's just left beside.

What's your signature Boxing Day dish?

I've talked about this already, but it tends to be cold ham, cold turkey, salads, jacket potatoes, coleslaw, red cabbage, and just pretty much leftovers. But I do throw a salad in there as well, or a couple of salads. It depends on how many are coming over.

What's your favourite Christmas cracker joke?

Archie helped me with this one.

What did Santa do when he went speed dating? He pulled a cracker!

What's your favourite Christmas tipple?

It has to be champagne, to be honest. I love some bubbles, and probably a little bit of sloe gin with some tonic too. I'm particularly loving sloe gin and rhubarb gin this year!

How do you stay so organized with your business, your holiday lets, keeping the house tidy, children, animals, and exercise?

Well, I've got a new course coming in the new year which I'm super excited about! It's going to be called The Efficient Home, where I share all of my top tips on how to do things from time management, batch cooking, meal planning, cleaning, you name it. We're going to be covering that in the course.

It's going to be a month-long course, where I share how I do everything, how I juggle and how I manage to fit it all in. Hopefully, that's something that some of you will be interested in, and I will talk more about it at a later date!

Where is your lovely jumper from?

The jumper I was wearing when this question was asked was by Madeleine Thompson. She has amazing, beautiful knitwear. The jumper in questions is a couple of years old, but I love it. It's a firm favourite. And I think if you look after your knitwear, if you wash it carefully, de-bobble it, darn it if it needs it, then it will last for years!

Do I need to put water in the bottom of my Christmas tree stand?

Yes, I think it's a very essential thing to do to make sure that your tree lasts and looks its best for as long as possible. I top mine up every week.

How long should I let the meat rest before I serve it, won't it get cold?

When I do my cookery demos, I often talk about meat and letting it rest. Your meat is a muscle. When it's in the fridge it's cold and it's tight, so it's important to let it come up to room temperature before you put it into the oven. That is the most crucial bit.

When it goes into the oven, it goes tight again. When it comes out of the oven and you let it rest, it relaxes, the juices flow out, and it's less likely to be tough. So this is for all meat.

It is important to let it rest. You can wrap it in tin foil, and if you warm your plates it is a great way of keeping the meat warm, as well.

It does depend on the size so I can't be really specific, but it will probably need to rest for about 20 minutes to half an hour, at least. It won't get cold if you wrap it up carefully.

Save the juices that come out so you can use them to make your gravy.

What is the secret to the perfect Yorkshire pudding?

Once you've made your batter, let it rest before you use it, 15 minutes minimum. If you can let it rest for longer, even better. Heat your tray that you're cooking it in, whether it's little individual ones or a bigger tray. Heat that with your oil (I love beef dripping for Yorkshire pudding) until it's sizzling, pour on your batter, and put it in a hot oven, and then it should be perfect!

What do you leave out for Father Christmas the night before?

We leave a carrot for every reindeer. We leave a mince pie, and a glass of milk for Father Christmas, because we have decided in our family that we don't want him tipsy and we don't want him having a drink in everybody's house!

I don't like Christmas pudding. Are there any tasty alternatives?

Have you tried my Christmas pudding?! It's delicious! I used to hate Christmas pudding too until I came up with mine, and actually, it's a lot lighter.

We always have my Christmas pudding, which you don't need to make in advance. You can, but I think it's better on the day. It's quick and easy to make, you can make it in minutes! It takes a bit longer to cook so that's something you need to be aware of.

If you really don't like the thought of Christmas Pudding, then a chocolate log is absolutely a delicious alternative

I find the whole day overwhelming. What can I do to stay calm?

Oh, I hear you. I used to feel like that too, which is why I decided to do as much as I could in advance and take the stress out of Christmas. Then it's far more enjoyable.

Just go and take a moment for yourself. Go and lie down in your bed quietly and take a moment. Go outside, have a walk, get some fresh air, and just ground yourself and take a moment. Hopefully, that will help.

What does your Christmas morning look like?

The children are really good and they don't get up early. I put a stop to that when they were tiny and sent them back to bed and told them it was anti-social. When they were little, they weren't allowed out of their rooms until seven o'clock. So that happened for many years on Christmas morning, which was utter bliss. Now, it's a little bit earlier, probably 6:15, 6:30.

I hear them waking each other up with "He's been, he's been!" and they all come bundling into our room with their stockings, and they open our presents in our bed with us, which is lovely. We have lots of fun.

Then I will leave them playing with their gifts and come downstairs and go and do the animals. I'll feed the ponies, turn them out, and do the dogs. They'll probably come and help me, as well, to be honest, now that they're a bit older. And then we just have a simple 'treat' breakfast of croissants and pastries. I will do the Christmas pudding then and get that in the oven. We'll get changed and ready for church. We go to church at 11 o'clock. They only open their stocking presents before church. We'll probably get the turkey in, as well, before we go or just after we get back, depending on the size.

Then we will make some phone calls to loved ones. They're allowed to open a few more presents, and we listen to the Queen's speech at three o'clock, and then we sit down and eat, and then everybody will come and help me do the ponies, and walk the dogs.

Then in the evening, we will come in here with the fire lit and we will have a merry time. We might watch something fab on the TV, like Call the Midwife or whatever it might be. We'll play games, I'll have a few glasses of champagne. The children might be allowed to sip, too. And that is our typical Christmas Day!

Thank you so much for watching and thank you for all of your fabulous Christmas questions.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend and sending lots and lots of love.

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Thank you,

Love,