We can hear the bells ringing out for Christmas here at Craft Gin Club HQ and the excitement is now pretty much on a rolling boil. Full of festive joy and magic (and tasty gins!), this has to be our favourite time of the year.

To help get us there, we have been planning ahead - planning is the key to remaining relatively calm at Christmas, after all. Do we ever really fully succeed at not losing our heads? Absolutely not. But that’s part of the fun…right?

Plan your ideal Christmas and we’ll pick the perfect festive cocktail for you to enjoy as a little treat just for you - and maybe your partner if they have managed to stay off the naughty list this year.

- Join the club!

First, we need to decide on how we are going to decorate this Christmas. Think carefully, this is a defining moment in the proceedings that will affect the whole of the festive season. The way we see it, there are only two ways to go:

You either go fully traditional with all of those gloriously kitsch trimming, children-made decorations (which you love no matter how terrible they are) and the wonderful scents of a real tree for the cat to attack and get pine needles all over your lovely carpet. (1 point) Or…..

You go ultra-chic and modern. The kids are over 10 years old now, they will get over seeing their mouldy old biscuit decorations in the trash. Mommy is going to have a Christmas worthy of Architectural Digest this year. Everything will be in matching colours and there will probably be a very cool, white Christmas tree. There won’t be a single dancing Santa with his thinning, wispy beard and demonic smile in sight! Any rule-breakers can have their Christmas in the shed where they can hang anything they want. (2 points)

That will do nicely until the first big day, Christmas Eve. As your partner and the kids run out to get something from the shops - did they really forget until today? You get to plan the menu and activities for the evening. After a quiet cuppa or G&T, of course. Take a deep breath, this is the calm before the storm, it’s almost go-time, you probably aren’t going to be able to put your feet up for another 48 hours, at least.

With this in mind, what are we going to have for dinner?

Should we mark the start of the festivities with something special, big and bold like a round of steaks and chips? (1 point) Or…

Will it be fish on Christmas Eve? Tomorrow is going to be an assault of rich meats, after all. (2 points) Or…

Is tonight going to be a picky-bits night with a nice selection of salads, sausage rolls and charcuterie worthy of M&S. As they can just help themselves, it’s a great way to save your energy for Christmas Day. (3 points)

And what will be your activities for Christmas Eve?

Do you try and get some of the young ones to use up some of their Christmas energy on some seasonal arts and crafts? (1 point) Or…

Do you do an early present swap and open gifts from each other? (2 points) Or…

Do you stick a movie on and all huddle up under the lights of the Christmas tree for a festive film night? (3 points)

Of course, the final question for Christmas Eve has to be: what do you leave out for Santa?

Does Santa get milk and cookies? (1 point) Or…

Does Santa get an extra special gin cocktail with his cookies? (2 points)

(Did we even need to ask that question?)

Hark, the herald angels sing, it’s time for the main event. Christmas Day has arrived and, wait, those aren’t angels, they are kids running up the walls with excitement at 5 am. How did Santa’s cocktail glass, from the night before, end up on your bedside table? “He works in mysterious ways, my dears.”

The first task is opening the presents. Do you let them have at it, tearing through gift after gift as the snow-drifts of colourful wrapping paper build up? (1 point) Or, do you make them wait to do one present at a time in a calm and orderly fashion? There is no tearing off wrapping paper while you are around - if they are careful enough you can reuse that next year! (2 points).

Next, it’s time to get set everyone up for the day. What’s your favourite breakfast to have on Christmas morning?

Are you one for a classic bacon and egg butty and a big mug of tea on Christmas morning? (1 point) Or…

Do you prefer something a little lighter - a nice selection of pastries and a coffee, perhaps? (2 points) Or…

Do you use Christmas as an excuse to live a little luxuriously, treating yourself to smoked salmon and something bubbly to drink for breakfast? (3 points)

You can’t hang around eating your breakfast for long though, Christmas dinner isn’t going to cook itself, you know! Pigs-in-blankets, goose fat roasties, cranberry sauce, stuffing and Brussel sprouts (Stop complaining. It’s Christmas, you’re having them!) are all a given, of course, but what will be the crowning glory of your Christmas dinner table?

Do you prefer to keep it old-school with a roast goose or duck? (1 point) Or…

Is turkey more to your taste? (2 points) Or…

How about pushing the boat out with a nut roast for the veggies this year? (3 points) Don’t listen to the grumbling oldies, they’ve been having turkey for 70 years, it’s about time they branched out.

And what entertainment will you be enjoying in the evening of Christmas Day while granny sips away at her sherry, waiting for the Queen’s speech until she falls asleep and snores right through it, only half-waking every now and then to push her teeth back in before the cat gets them?

Are you one for organising lots of parlour games for the family to enjoy around the hearth like in a Dicken’s novel? (1 point) Or…

Do you gather round to watch all of your favourite Christmas specials on the telly? (2 points) Or…

Do you like to return to time-old traditions like singing carols around the Christmas tree? (3 points)

Ah Boxing Day, today is going to be rather more chilled out than Christmas Day. There are only two big decisions to be made today and the first is to decide what to do with all of Christmas Day’s leftovers…

Do you make leftover sandwiches? (1 point) Or…

Do you re-do Christmas Dinner, maybe you have different relatives over on Boxing Day? (2 points) Or…

Do you spice up your left overs by turning them into a festive curry? (3 points)

The second big Boxing Day decision is to decide what to do with your day.

Do you go on a nice long walk in the country? (1 point) Or…

Do you march into town to do some shopping on Boxing Day and fight for the best sales? (2 points) Or…

Do you go and visit those relatives who couldn’t come to your’s on Christmas Day? (3 points)

It’s time to tally up those scores and see which festive cocktail is the perfect ginny tipple for you!

If you scored 14 points or less then it has to be our ginny twist on Eggnog, our Yuletide Gin Flip. Christmas for you is all about tradition and nostalgia. With it’s rich and creamy festive notes, this wonderful cocktail will transport you to those warm, cosy scenes of Christmases past.

If you scored between 15 points and 18 points then it’s our gorgeous, warm, mulled sloe gin for you. You just love Christmas and are all about living in the moment. With its citrus tang and fruity, spicy aromas, this cocktail is the perfect way to enjoy Christmas present.

If you scored 19 points or above then it has to be something bubbly like our ginny Orange 75. For you, Christmas is the perfect opportunity to show off your good taste and affinity with all things trendy. Sip away at this marvellous mix of Champagne, gin and orange juice as you ponder on what style innovations will be in vogue for Christmases future.

Plan your ideal Christmas and we'll give you the perfect festive cocktail to try this December!