If the flu bug swept through your home and wiped out Christmas plans entirely, you’re not alone.
For many people, December became a blur of tissues, thermometers and cancelled arrangements rather than roast dinners and crackers.
The good news? Christmas doesn’t expire on 25 December. If it was lost to illness, you are absolutely entitled to have it later — properly, joyfully, and without guilt.
Here’s how to stage a late Christmas celebration and feast that feels just as special (and sometimes even better).
First Things First: Let Go of the Guilt
There’s often a strange pressure to “move on” once Christmas Day has passed, as though missing it means it’s gone for good. It isn’t.
Christmas is a feeling, not a date.
If illness took it away, reclaiming it later is not indulgent — it’s restorative.
You didn’t cancel Christmas.
You postponed it.
Choose Your New Christmas Day
Start by picking a date that works for your recovery and energy levels.
A quiet weekend in January or February
A midweek day when the house is calm
A day when everyone involved is finally well enough to enjoy it
Give it a name if it helps:
“Our Christmas Day”
“Second Christmas”
“The Christmas We Deserved”
Putting it in the diary makes it real.
Decorate (Yes, Really!)
If you took the decorations down while unwell, or didn't get round to putting them up, put some back up — even if it’s just a few.
Ideas that work beautifully for a late Christmas:
A small tree or tabletop tree
Fairy lights around the living room
Candles, pinecones, and greenery
Christmas crockery or table linens
You don’t need the full house transformation — just enough to change the atmosphere.
Plan a Feast That Fits Your Recovery
A late Christmas meal doesn’t have to be exhausting or elaborate unless you want it to be.
Low-stress Christmas feast ideas:
A scaled-down roast (chicken instead of turkey, or a joint that cooks quickly)
One-pan or traybake Christmas dinners
Slow cooker mains that do the work for you
Order from a butcher or deli and focus on sides
And remember: Christmas food isn’t defined by size or tradition.
If your “Christmas dinner” is beef stew, a vegetarian pie, or even a festive takeaway — it still counts.
Bring Back the Rituals You Missed
This is where a late Christmas can be surprisingly emotional — in the best way.
Recreate the moments you lost:
Pull crackers and wear the paper hats
Watch your traditional Christmas film
Read cards that never got opened
Play the music you associate with Christmas Day
Light the candles and sit quietly together
If Christmas was stolen by illness, these rituals help give it back.
Exchange the Presents (Properly)
If gifts were hurriedly opened, unopened, or ignored because everyone felt dreadful, do it again.
Rewrap presents if you like
Put them under a tree or on the table
Take turns opening them slowly
Make it an event, not a formality
The joy isn’t in the object — it’s in the moment you missed.
Keep It Small — or Make It Special
Late Christmas works just as well quietly as it does socially.
A couple reclaiming a lost day
A household finally well enough to gather
A delayed family visit when everyone is healthy
There’s no rulebook.
In fact, many people find a smaller, calmer Christmas far more meaningful.
Be Kind to Yourself About What Was Lost
It’s OK to feel sad about the Christmas you didn’t have. Illness doesn’t just take your health — it takes experiences too.
A late Christmas won’t erase that loss, but it does create a new memory:
One where you chose rest over pressure
One where recovery came first
One where Christmas waited patiently for you
That’s a powerful thing.
Christmas Is Still Yours
At That’s Christmas 365, we believe Christmas isn’t confined to one day, one week, or even one season. If the flu took Christmas away from you, you are allowed — encouraged, even — to take it back.
Light the lights again.
Cook the food.
Play the music.
Sit together and breathe.
Christmas didn’t go anywhere.
It was just waiting for you to feel better.
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