Embrace a minimalist aesthetic this Christmas with stylist Kate Gibbs’ tips for decorating and hosting during the festive season. Stylist, cookbook author, journalist and the granddaughter of Australian icon Margaret Fulton, Kate Gibbs is no stranger to spinning many plates at once.

Whatever your usual festive traditions are—whether your family does a roast, a BBQ or platters of fresh seafood on Christmas day—it's completely unavoidable that the person responsible for getting it all onto the table doesn't tend to have the most relaxing of Christmas mornings. So this year, why not sit back and let somebody else worry about filling your little elves' tummies?

Here are our top picks for Sydney venues putting on a great 'do for families this Christmas Day 2020. Oh, and a heads up, due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place, bookings are absolutely essential across all of our recommendations. Get in quick!

Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel

1. The best Christmas day lunches in Sydney. Make Christmas Day a breeze and take the family out for lunch. This five-star Double Bay hotel is laying on a Christmas spread that i ncludes Crystal.
2. Christmas More Area Guides Kids. Level 1, Star City Casino 80 Pyrmont St Pyrmont Sydney 2009: Price: $17-$42: Contact.

A true ellaslist favourite, the Watsons Bay Boutique Hotel team are busy concocting a menu for their alfresco Beach Club Christmas Lunch (the premium seating option is already sold out.) The package will include a 3-course family-friendly Christmas feast that's perfect for sharing, plus a premium 4-hour beverage package that's...not so perfect for sharing.

Cost: Lunch in the Beach Club: Adults $199, kids cost and menu TBD.
Stay tuned for menu and information updates here.

Pomelo Online - Restaurant quality Christmas at home

What if you could relax at home on Christmas Day without sacrificing fine dining, indulging in a decadent chef-prepared feast without leaving the house. No cooking. No dishes. Heaven! Well, you can. Pomelo Online is a luxury service offering restaurant quality, pre-prepared meals delivered. They have curated two limited edition Christmas menus full of premium family favourites. The Traditional Christmas Pack features a festive feast of ready to roast boneless leg ham and whole chicken roulade stuffed with pistachio and cranberry, and the Seafood Christmas Package includes a stuffed roasted salmon fillet and spencer gulf king prawns. Both packs also has an array of delicious mains, sides and dessert and comes in two sizes for 4-10 people. Each Christmas pack includes home delivery, instructions and Christmas colour-in kits to keep kids entertained. It's like all your Christmases have come at once!
Cost: Starting at $199 for up to six people
Find out more and order your Christmas package at Pomelo Online.

Mode Kitchen & Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel

Gather family and friends on December 25th and celebrate the festive season with a gourmet family-style lunch or dinner at Mode Kitchen & Bar.

Boasting a delicious range of specially created dishes by Head Chef Francesco Mannelli and his team, the Christmas Day Sharing Menu is bursting with seasonal festive creations such as truffle chicken ballotine with foie gras and mashed potato, along with saffron risotto and Western Australia marron. Oh, and make sure you save room for Mode's famous mango, coconut and passion fruit Pavlova!

The kid's set menu is just as impressive—with dishes like mac and cheese or lasagne for entree, fish and chips or risotto for main and of course the pavlova or a chocolate hazelnut sundae for dessert.

Cost: $220 per person, $60 per child (up to age 12).
More information here.

Q Station

An ever-popular pick in Manly, this historical Sydney site is the perfect backdrop for a memorable Christmas lunch with your nearest and dearest. You can choose to dine at the Boilerhouse Restaurant & Bar for a six-course degustation, or in the P27 Governor Bourke Ballroom for a family seafood buffet (which, unsurprisingly, is our pick!) While you fill your bellies you can gaze across stunning views of Sydney Harbour, and there is plenty of space for the kids to play while they wait for a visit from a surprise festive guest.

Cost: $200 per adult (18+) / $160 per teen (13+) / $90 per child (5 +) / $35 per infant (1+)
Find out more here.

A Very Langham Christmas

Dial the indulgence up a notch with Kitchens On Kent's mouthwatering Christmas celebration. Whether you're keen to indulge in a Christmas High Tea, want to book something on Christmas Eve or go the whole hog with a Christmas Day Lunch, Kitchens On Kent will deliver with their decadent Langham Christmas feasts.

Cost: Prices start from $49 per child and $98 per adult.
Check out A Very Langham Christmas for more details and to book.

Captain Cook Cruises

Why stay on land when you can float around the harbour on Christmas Day! Captain Cook Cruises want your family to take in the sights from their open observation deck and enjoy the feast on one of three restaurant decks. There are 3 different packages to choose from, from a premium menu and drinks package with upper deck dining to a platter-style lunch at water-level and standard bar package.

Cost: from $179.
Find out more here.

Star Casino Sydney Christmas Day Trips

Sir Stamford Hotel at Circular Quay

The true spirit of Christmas comes to Sir Stamford at Circular Quay in the heart of Sydney, and the hotel turns into a festive wonderland for a beautiful Christmas Day lunch. We're talking a bountiful seafood buffet bursting with Christmas delights—salads, antipasto, soup, hot buffet options, carvery and dessert. Drool!

The Christmas Lunch includes unlimited access to the Christmas Fare; live entertainment and a gift from Santa himself for the kids!

Cost: Adults $249 per person, Children (6-12 years) $145, Children (under 5) Free
More information here.

Kingsleys Woolloomooloo

Celebrate Christmas Day by the water with a stunning 3 course set menu at Kingsleys Woolloomooloo. Their offering promises shared hot and cold seafood platters to start, followed by your choice of main and dessert.

Cost: $179 per adult and $45 per child 10 and under.
Find out more here.

Other Christmas Day Options In Sydney

While dining out for Christmas Day is a lovely option - it isn't everyone's cup of tea, or in everyone's budget. Luckily, plenty of Sydneysider favourites remain open for Chrissy Day, so you don't have to miss out on the festive fun.

Needless to say, beaches are a hotspot for family-friendly frivolity and many people flock towards Bondi for an iconic Christmas-on-the-beach snap. Alternatively, a stroll around Sydney Harbour and through the Botanic Garden will truly allow you to soak up the city. Much of Chinatown remain open on Christmas Day, so yum cha could well be on the menu! And while many cafes close, a lot do remain open - so you should be able to pick up a coffee and a sanga before hopping on a ferry and visiting Manly, Taronga Zoo or other iconic Sydney locations.

More Christmas Cheer

The Best Gifts That Give Back This Christmas
Top Christmas Gifts To Get The Kids Outdoors This Summer
Best Christmas Markets

Star Casino Sydney Christmas Day 2019

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Lay your table, sprawl out the Christmas crackers and gather your loved ones because the festive season is officially here. Here are five festive dishes we’ll be cooking up this silly season.

The festive season means something different to each of us, but at its core is the excuse to celebrate. Whether it’s for an end-of-year party, Christmas lunch, or a New Year’s Eve feast, never have we experienced a more challenging year and had greater need to join together and enjoy beautiful food and wine in the company of loved ones. With that in mind, here are five ideas for Christmas dishes to serve on Christmas Day – or any other day you’re celebrating this festive season.

1. A Christmas Day classic

An essential item for every classic Christmas Day lunch is your turkey, of course. But the turkey at BLACK Bar & Grill is next level. Featuring a macadamia nut stuffing and served with heirloom carrots and rhubarb chutney, it’s wheeled out to you on a giant trolley and hand-carved at your table. With a Christmas Day lunch menu that includes scampi tartare, oysters, and a cherry, amaretto custard and gingerbread crumble, this is one Christmas present you should surely put on your wish list.

Star Casino Christmas Day Lunch Sydney

2. A spin on tradition

The chefs at Sokyo at The Star Sydney never do things by halves, and their Christmas menu is illustrative of that. Take, for example, the very decadent and beautifully presented usuzukuri (thinly sliced white fish). Featuring thinly sliced snapper, konbu and a white soy dressing, this masterpiece from head chef Chase Kojima has to be seen to be believed.

3. A traditional plum pudding

No Christmas Day lunch menu is complete without an indulgent dessert, and we can’t go past the tradition of a classic Christmas pudding. Flying Fish restaurant at The Star Sydney will be serving up a decadent plum and gingerbread pudding with brandy custard and mascarpone ice cream as part of its three-course Christmas Day lunch menu.

4. A nostalgic gingerbread house

Star Casino Sydney Christmas Day 2020

No Christmas is complete without those nostalgic creations that transport you right back to your childhood. We’re talking about gingerbread houses. Oh-so-cute to look at, the craft and patience that goes into creating these masterpieces really is quite something.

Did you know: The pastry chefs at The Star Gold Coast hand craft all of their own creations to sell in the M&G Café, including gorgeous gingerbread houses.

Star Casino Sydney Christmas Days

5. A seafood feast to remember

If there’s one place to go for a seafood feast you’ll never forget, it’s Flying Fish. This Christmas Day you can let chef Peter Robertson wow you with Sydney’s most incredible seafood, including an epic charcoal roast eastern rock lobster served with garlic butter and egg noodles.

Venues across The Star Sydney, The Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane are offering bespoke Christmas Day lunches, so be quick to book your spot.

Pictures courtesy of The Star Entertainment Group.