Covid-19 may mean Christmas looks very different this year, but there’s a lot to be grateful for. Here’s what this famous lot are looking forward to.
WHAT WILL CHRISTMAS MEAN TO YOU THIS YEAR?
Jason Manford, comedian
“We’ve had a year of eating, and playing games, and watching TV (already) so I think it’ll be slightly different in that respect!
“It’ll be a smaller year; I’ve said to the kids already, ‘Look, we’re not going to be going mad this Christmas on presents’. I told them that Santa’s elves are furloughed, Santa’s going to be struggling a bit this year because he’s obviously in a vulnerable category, and with his reindeers, that breaks the rule of six. There’s a lot going on.”
James Martin, TV chef
“Christmas is not going to be the same, but you can make it special – everybody’s on the internet now. I’ve made sure my mother has got a good signal there and made sure she’s got the ability to have those conversations (virtually).
“Conversation is the most important thing, I think. I phone my mother nearly every day really – and if I don’t phone her, she phones me.”
Kirstie Allsopp, TV presenter
“If you want to spend the day in your pyjamas and order pizza, then spend the day in your pyjamas and order pizza, because this is hopefully – God willing – going to be a unique Christmas. Make Covid-19 a positive excuse for perhaps doing the Christmas you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t be a Christmas martyr!”
Si King and Dave Myers, TV presenters (aka The Hairy Bikers)
S: “Well, guess what – I’m going to be a grandfather! I don’t know what I’m going to be doing this Christmas; I’m just going to have the engine running as soon as I hear (the baby has been born). I’ve got to tell the authorities, ‘Come hell or high water they will not stop me getting to see my first granddaughter or son’.
“The baby’s due on Christmas Eve. How amazing would that be?”
D: “I think it’s a time to really, really count our chickens that we’ll keep safe over the winter. And be thankful, and maybe give a bit of thought to those who are on their own. Digitally keep in touch – a phone call or email – and be aware there’s a lot of people who have lost people this year.”
Callum Woodhouse, actor
“Typically, for me, it’s all about the food. I always love my mum’s Christmas dinner. She makes the best Yorkshires. It’s always the thing to get back home for – especially this year, with not being able to see her as frequently as I’d like.”
LadBaby!, Lifestyle blogger and YouTuber
“We have got two little kids and it’s just about making sure that Santa comes, making sure they have got all their presents and giving them the most normal day possible; having Christmas dinner, watching Home Alone on telly…
“If we can see nans and granddads, then we will – if not, we will find a way to Zoom and FaceTime and make sure that everyone is seen.”
Andi Oliver, chef and broadcaster
“Christmas this year will be about being even more grateful than ever before that we’re safe and we’re happy and that we’ve still got each other and we’re working.
“I’m working quite hard at the moment; I’ve been filming (Great British Menu) for the last month and I’m filming the first two weeks of December, so it will be nice to stop for a minute and take stock. If we’re allowed to travel, my family are from Antigua, so I’ll be going to Antigua over the holiday period, just to get a little bit of sunshine.”
Dan Walker, BBC Breakfast presenter
“As a Christian, Christmas is really important. I’m often talking to our kids about what Christmas is really about – but for us, it’s also massively about family.
“In the same way that we thought of 2020 as a year that has taught us a lot – and many of those lessons we don’t want to go through again – I really don’t know what Christmas is going to hold. If it’s just us as a family, we’ll have a great time and enjoy ourselves and try and spread a bit of love around our friends and family virtually.
“But like everybody else, I’m looking forward to a time when we can have a packed house with loads of people, and you can hug people – that’s crucial.”
Denise Van Outen, actress, singer and TV presenter
“It will definitely be more of a time focused on family and making sure people are feeling mentally strong. We have quite a fun house, there’s a lot of chat and laughter and we play music.
“There’s a lot of people going through it (Covid-19) on their own and I think people need to be mindful of that.”
Jon Richardson, comedian
“I think it will be a really shrinked-back Christmas this year, and that will be brilliant. We’ve already said to our family, ‘We (him and his wife, comedian Lucy Beaumont) certainly don’t need or want anything; get something for our daughter if you want to’.
“As an idea for Christmas going forward: you don’t buy people stuff you don’t want or need, and you focus on being together.”
Big Zuu, rapper and TV personality
“I’m going to exercise all the chef things that I’ve been learning filming. I’ve filmed two Christmas specials – my chef expertise is going up – so there’s a lot of expectations on me this year with Christmas. Normally, me and mumsy go back to back; this year I’m taking the reins. I’m cooking the whole thing!”
Mackenzie Crook, actor and writer-director
“It will be a poignant one. It will be a strange cap at the end of a difficult year. But it hasn’t all been bad this year; there have been lots of good things to come out of it as well. It’s a year that we will never forget.”
