Christmas is that time of year full of traditions, the kind that often seem silly but we keep doing them because, well, that’s just what we do. Every tradition has to start somewhere, and lately, the festive season has become prime time for strange fads and celebrity spins on classic items. So, not wanting to miss out, I decided to dive headfirst into this year’s quirky trends.
One of this season’s buzzworthy trends is the “burr basket,” a collection of cozy goodies like blankets and socks given before Christmas. It seems like an extra hassle if you ask me. Then there’s “Thriftmas,” which advocates re-gifting and buying second-hand presents from charity shops. My friend and I have been on this bandwagon for years. Once, I gifted him a questionable version of Guess Who? with missing pieces, while he gave me a chocolate Advent calendar with all the chocolates already eaten. The latest in gift fashion is burgundy wrapping paper, but honestly, I find tinfoil—as used famously in Gavin and Stacey—perfectly acceptable.
In the world of celebrity Christmas trends, Victoria Beckham’s gone viral with her “near-naked” Christmas tree trend. The idea is to place a bare tree in your living space and skip the decorations entirely. Or, if you’re Beckham, hire a posh designer to not decorate it for you.
Meanwhile, Nigella Lawson has broken new ground by adorning her tree with bacon ornaments—though not the edible kind. Inspired by Nigella’s unique style, and as a nod to her upcoming 2024 Christmas Greggs ad, I decked my Christmas yucca tree with real Greggs sausage rolls. They didn’t hang so well, so I swapped them out for Frazzles, those crispy bacon-flavored snacks, and gave myself a solid 4 out of 5 for creativity.
This Christmas, a quarter of people plan to use an air fryer for their festive feast. Sadly, Iceland’s £25 Luxury Christmas Dinner for Four was so popular that by the time I got around to trying it, it was sold out. Probably for the best, as I’m still not quite sure how one of those things works. Growing up, my mother was convinced that microwaves would give us radiation poisoning, so I have an irrational fear that an air fryer might lead to an equally grim fate.
I discovered that 78% of Gen Z would like to partake in plant-based or non-traditional Christmas meals, with 67% suggesting it should be “Instagram-worthy.” With this in mind, I trekked to Ikea to sample their festive plantball feast only to find it was discontinued. I settled for their regular veggie balls with quinoa and a tomato-spinach ragout and begrudgingly gave it a 2 out of 5 for holiday spirit. At least the Instagram post of me looking forlorn amidst meatballs received a few consolatory likes.
Speaking of holiday experiments, watch out for Cliff Richard’s infamous gravy recipe, touted as “the greatest in the world,” though it curiously lacks roasted veggies, stock, or pan juices. Instead, it features a concoction of four different stock cubes and an array of odd condiments like Worcestershire, teriyaki, and soy sauce. Quite the mix!
While many indulge in multiple Christmas dinners every year, I once tackled the enormous feat of consuming twelve Christmas dinners over twelve days for this very publication. Around this time, The Guardian’s Stuart Heritage can usually be found deep-frying Christmas dinners or overindulging in mince pies. This year, I took a hefty trip so we could try out this season’s must-have TikTok trend: glitter gravy. Spoiler: Despite my enthusiasm, Stuart was less than impressed.
In 2017, Melania Trump famously posed on the cover of Mexican Vanity Fair, toying with a diamond necklace as if it were spaghetti. Similarly, when I poured silver-dusted chocolate balls into my gravy at a local Harvester, it caused quite the stir. Lesson learned: Adding sparkle to gravy might seem glamorous, but don’t try it with chocolate balls, as the heat melts them, leaving an unappetizing mess. The glitter gravy experience received a harsh 0 out of 5.
For me, Christmas centers on preserving the cherished family traditions from my past and passing them on to my kids. While I don’t see any of these new holiday fads becoming annual fixtures in the Pelley household, I am looking forward to a new tradition of dining out with Stuart each Christmas, maybe with some actual glitter next time!
