Prime Your Kitchen for Christmas Traditions

08 Dec 2023

Each family has their own Christmas traditions. Yours might be penning Christmas cards, refreshing Santa trackers, quaffing Baileys over a board game or simply debating what Christmas special to watch while Great Aunt Enid ransacks the drinks cabinet like some big, spectacled raccoon.

Personally, we think engineering such a harmonious scene requires you to prepare your kitchen for Christmas. Perfect the layout and not only will your Christmas kitchen decor sparkle but you’ll nurture so much goodwill that visitors will think you’ve paid Mrs Claus herself for family therapy.

Only you’ll know the truth; that traditions plus well-chosen kitchen features make for Christmas magic. What’s more, at Sigma 3, we have all the kitchen expert knowledge you’ll need to pull it off. Read on for 10 Christmas traditions and kitchen features you can use to bond your family over Christmas 2024.

Make Homemade Christmas Gifts

Making a gift is an ideal pastime crammed with Christmas fun. Think of how pleasant it would be to spend an hour crafting an advent wreath or a full Christmas Eve box for a loved one every year.

Whatever you decide to make, pantry kitchen cabinets and pull-out larders can help during and after the process. Sigma 3’s MagnaSpace pull-out corner storage larders, for instance, are perfect for holding Christmas hamper stock and our Lansbury kitchen pantry units are ideal gift hidey-holes.

Craft a DIY Advent Calendar

Look at most advent calendars 2024 features and they contain 25-ish doors, each covering a chocolate mould. Yours, however, can take any form and contain any goodies. What would you include in yours?

Using the loot from a Hathaway food pantry, you could whip up 25 customised hot chocolate sachets or 25 tiny spiced advent candles. Say you have young children; you could also turn the pantry itself into a human-sized calendar with shelves, wine holes and drawers as Christmas scavenger hunt spots.

Deck Your Kitchen Island

Did you realise Christmas Island actually exists? It’s a tropical paradise situated off the coast of Australia. Admittedly, that’s not chocolate-box Christmassy. Though, there’s nothing stopping you from turning your kitchen island into a snowy “Christmas Island” every year for loved ones to enjoy.

Even our small kitchen islands with seating look spectacular with Christmas kitchen island decor. A garland, in particular, will enhance the Christmassy mood whenever you use the space. Plus, you could play Tim Minchin’s touching Christmas song as an homage to Australia while you hang your tinsel.

Do a Christmas Card Run

At Sigma 3 Kitchens, we try to spread Christmas cheer. You could do your part by writing a list of any neighbours who may need a little help, check it twice (obviously) and then reach out with personalised Christmas cards so lovingly crafted you won’t find better at the best German Christmas market.

A humble breakfast bar area or kitchen peninsula is all you need to begin this tradition of giving with young family members. In your charity Christmas cards, you could include Christmas grocery vouchers for local food charities or invite elderly neighbours round who usually eat Christmas lunch alone.

Share Your Larders and Pantries

On the subject of giving, food banks often struggle over Christmas. Despite this, many of us amass so many treats they perish before we can eat everything. Want to help? Dig through your pantry for food to share with a food bank or homeless shelter. It’ll give patrons a full stomach, and you a full heart.

There will be more to donate than you realise, especially if you have a Sigma 3 SpaceTower larder or Lansbury food pantry. As space-saving cabinets, both can store a king’s feast. This is particularly true of the Lansbury which has adequate walk-in-pantry space to rival a farm shop storeroom.

Fashion a Pomander Centrepiece

Christmas brings with it plenty of aromatic delights: the fresh pine needles; the cinnamon sticks; the baked gingerbread… that turkey pong that floods the kitchen every time you open the fridge door. Fine – so not every festive smell is one to savour. (We’re naming no names, sprout eaters.)

Luckily, pomanders are fun to make as a family. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, these clove-and-orange air purifiers repel pests while freshening rooms. Simply stick cloves into oranges and you’re done. Kids enjoy the task and, with luxury Christmas crackers, they make for attractive table toppers.

Prepare Christmas Lunch Together

Christmas lunch or Christmas dinner? Meaty or veggie? Homemade, a restaurant reservation or a last-minute delivery app? Everyone has a unique take on Christmas Day meals. One aspect we all agree on, though, is that we love Christmas food. And even if you don’t cook it all, there are lots of choices.

In your home, for example, you could make a tradition of producing the Christmas pudding or the yule log. If you have a properly equipped kitchen, no easy family cooking recipe will be an obstacle.

At Sigma 3, we work closely with Neff, one of the UK’s leading suppliers, to provide all manner of kitchen appliances, including fridge freezers, hobs, ovens and even dish washers. Use a full range and you’ll enjoy a peaceful afternoon of family cooking every Christmas period.

Watch Christmas Movies

Christmas lunch is often the one time families get together on the big day. As soon as the pud’s eaten, the kids disappear. If only there were a way to give them an incentive to stay… say, with a Christmas film.

Wait – there is: the media wall! Combining a wall-mounted TV with open shelving or cabinets, a full-scale entertainment wall or a small media wall set into an unused alcove can transition you from meal to TV family viewing friction free. So, get ready for Elf, Home Alone, Polar Express or another classic.

Sow Reindeer Food

Families routinely leave out a carrot “for Rudolf” but what about his reindeer friends? Surely, they deserve an early breakfast too, particularly in the early hours of Christmas Day? Reindeer food is the perfect solution. Sprinkling crumbs might sound wasteful but there’s a method to this mad tradition.

A solid reindeer food recipe includes oats and “reindeer dust” – edible glitter that provides the magic for flight. After creating this sparkly trail mix – say, with stores from your Sigma 3 breakfast dresser – sow it on your lawn or roof for “Santa’s reindeer” and it’ll help hungry winter birds in a cold snap.

Go for a Christmas Walk

Last on our list of traditions – the Christmas Day walk is popular among those who want to show off their Christmas scarves or plan to watch a friend Christmas carolling. While simple, however, this trek can end up dirtying your carpets if you don’t have a utility room decked out to handle winter clothes.

At Sigma 3, we have a range of utility room and boot room options. We can install a utility boot room unit, complete with coat hooks, a comfortable seat and shin-level utility room storage. That way, you can store your coat and wellies after practicing this tradition in a fashion that won’t ruin your home.

Bonus: Plan a Renovation

People use New-Year accountability every year to overhaul their bodies and minds but what about the home? Shouldn’t getting renovations over the line get the same level of focus? To ensure you finally update your kitchen this year, plan to renovate a room every January, find your nearest showroom and book a meeting. Or at least become a Sigma 3 Insider for free to keep it front of mind. You’ll get an extra Christmas gift (lifestyle guides to help you create a family hub) just for joining!

Click Here to Become a Sigma 3 Insider Today!