Have yourself a very ROYAL Christmas! The ingredients that make a Sandringham festive feast so special... and how you can emulate the occasion, by the Queen's cousin The undoubted guest of honour at Sandringham for the Royals" Christmas break this year will be Prince George, who is now aged five months. For George's father, Prince William, the formality of the festive get-together will be all too familiar. But for the Duchess of Cambridge, still something of a novice, navigating the rituals and strictly choreographed Royal Christmas will be more tricky. She has already revealed she is nervous about the number of changes of outfits expected: she will need everything from evening gowns, day dresses, smart suits and casuals. On Christmas Day alone, she will be expected to change five times. In all, some 25 close family will arrive at Sandringham, among them Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, Zara Tindall and husband Mike, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex, and Lady Sarah Chatto and her husband Daniel. Formal but fun: We imagine the scene in the Sandringham dining hall (black ties of course) this Christmas Everything from their arrival time to when they eat breakfast, walk the dogs, sit down to lunch and retire to bed is strictly timetabled. Even lunch on Christmas Day is pencilled in for just 50 minutes. The Queen and Prince Philip are already in residence when the first junior Royals arrive before 9am on Christmas Eve, many driving themselves through Sandringham's imposing gates. More senior members follow shortly afterwards. Over the next three days, they will experience a deeply traditional Christmas, but one that the Royals have uniquely personalised, including "cheap and cheerful" gifts given on Christmas Eve and a liking for charades at which the Queen - a superb mimic - always shines. By contrast the Queen's cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, is expecting a much less demanding - and less expensive -Yuletime with her family in Scotland. Now an etiquette queen who runs event organisers Party Planners, her Christmas will be a relaxed affair. "Personally, I am a very traditional Christmas person," she says, "but the key is to keep it simple. There is no shame in taking short-cuts. Here, we reveal the secrets of the Royals" festive break. And Lady Elizabeth, right, explains how to be just as traditional as the Royals - but in a much less lavish manner. 'I only got designer about the tree in later life': Lady Elizabeth Anson, the Queen's cousin, stands in front of the tree in the living room of her London home THE TREE: A 20ft Norfolk spruce that all the family help to decorate What the Royals do: All the family help decorate the 20ft Norfolk spruce when they arrive at Sandringham on Christmas Eve. Prince Philip always places the gold star at the top, and Queen Victoria's little glass angels take pride of place. Lady Elizabeth's Christmas tip: Don't be afraid to mix real and fake, if you want to follow in the footsteps of Lady Elizabeth. "I think it is lovely to have a real tree because of the smell but, like me, you might choose to cheat and buy a fake," she says. When I was a child, we had these wonderful blown-glass decorations of birds of paradise, which were given to my grandparents by Mr and Mrs Woolworth, and real candles on the tree. There was a footman with a pole with a sponge on the end for when it inevitably caught fire. I have only got designer about my tree in later life. This year it is gold and I have a crown, which I was given by the Ritz hotel. THE FOOD: Local turkey on the big day... and a boar's head on the sideboard They gather in the dining hall for a formal dinner on Christmas Eve. It is unusual for the Queen to sit at the head of the table but there is a seating plan with name cards. The meat dish can be goose, beef or chicken - turkey is reserved for Christmas lunch. On Christmas morning, breakfast is laid out in the dining hall. Marmalade and Tiptree jams are favourites. The Queen has a soft spot for sausages. For Christmas lunch, the Royal Family always have a turkey supplied by one of the Sandringham estate farmers, and it is carved by the Queen's chef. There is also a selection of carved cold meats on the sideboard - and even a boar's head! Lady Elizabeth's Christmas tips: "We never have starters on Christmas Day because we have such a big breakfast, but we do have cheese," says Lady Elizabeth. We don't pull our crackers until the evening. I buy them from Costco and they are wonderful. I would never go to Tiffany or Harrods. I'm Scottish and I think it's an entire waste of money. AND TO DRINK: Wines that Philip has approved and some stirring cocktails The Queen may be head of the "Firm" but it is the Duke of Edinburgh who takes charge at Christmas. He offers the men liqueurs after a meal and pays close attention to the wine. If he likes a bottle, he will write on the label "Good" or "Very good" so it can be ordered again. Dry martinis - stirred not shaken - are always served at cocktail hour. Once the Queen Mother was anguished to find that instead of the classic cocktail, she received a warm vermouth made, confusingly, by Bacardi-Martini. Journalist R. W. Apple was present, and it is said she employed him to instruct the butler in the art of an 11:1 martini (proportion of gin to vermouth). Lady Elizabeth's tip: "I remember watching Downton Abbey and thinking how wrong they had got it," she says. They had a bottle of champagne in a bucket at breakfast. But nobody should be afraid to have a buck's fizz at 11.15am on Christmas Day. THE PRESENTS: Loo roll holders to a 'grow your own girlfriend' kit The Royals traditionally open their family presents after afternoon tea of Earl Grey and scones on Christmas Eve. At 6pm precisely, they gather around the Christmas tree awaiting the Queen's signal to open presents, one after another. The gifts are laid out in the drawing room on trestle tables covered in white linen. Princess Anne once gave Charles a white leather loo seat, William gave Philip a gumboot-shaped soap, and Harry bought his grandmother a shower cap emblazoned with the words "Ain't life a bitch?" Last Christmas, Kate gave her brother-in-law, Prince Harry, a "grow your own girlfriend" kit. The Queen likes practical gifts: on one occasion, she unwrapped a washing-up apron and declared: "It's just what we wanted." Another year, she was delighted to receive a casserole dish. Princess Diana fell foul of the family "cheap and cheerful" ritual on her first Christmas at Sandringham as a newly-wed in 1981. She gave a cashmere sweater to Princess Anne - who, in return, handed over a gaudy loo-roll holder. She swiftly caught on, however, once giving Fergie a leopard-print bath mat. The Queen chooses much more traditional gifts for her servants. This year, in deference to her advancing years, she will personally hand over presents only to those who have worked for the Royal Household for at least a decade. In the past she has doled out Tesco Christmas puddings in the music room. This year the 500-plus staff will receive china tankards. Unlike her Royal relatives, Lady Elizabeth believes gift-giving should be less formal. "I hate being the focus of attention so I suggest you put them in a pile with everyone opening them together after breakfast and church," she explains. I don't think you should set a maximum or minimum spend. When my daughter Fiona was little, she wanted an eraser, and somebody older and wiser told me that is what I should get for her. So I bought a selection and she played with them all day. My kettle has just blown up so that's what I've asked for. She also warns not to throw wrapping paper on the fire. "My stepfather did that once and we had to call out the fire brigade," she adds. Traditional: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge pictured on her way to the Christmas Day church service at the Royal estate in Sandringham, Norfolk CHURCH: A leisurely stroll to a service that lasts just 12 minutes Prince Philip leads the family on the 330-yard walk to the 16th Century church of St Mary Magdalene on Christmas morning. The Queen, however, is driven. The service is always about 45 minutes, the Queen having received Communion privately in the morning. In the old days, we used to go to a Communion service at 8.30am followed by a late cooked breakfast. But now I prefer to go to Midnight Mass instead as it is more practical," she says. ENTERTAINMENT: Fun and games but Monopoly is banned The Royals enjoy bespoke Christmas crackers made by Dorset company Celebration Crackers. Everyone wears paper hats except the Queen. Party games are popular, as are cards. During a game of Blind Man's Bluff one year, the Queen Mother grabbed a footman taking refuge behind a curtain with a tray of drinks, thinking he was one of the family. The Royals are known to be fiercely competitive and Monopoly is banned because "it gets too vicious." Don't have hard-and-fast rules about the afternoon and evening of Christmas Day. If you can, it is nice to go for a walk - although luckily for me, in Scotland there is limited daylight so it has to be brisk. If you say "charades" to me, I get an instant migraine, but I think cards and backgammon are always a good choice." DRESS CODE: Why Kate must change five times in just one day For lunch on Christmas Eve, the men wear suits and the women wear smart silk dresses, but they change into black tie and glamorous gowns for dinner. It's the one time the women wear their most expensive jewellery and almost all wear tiaras. Christmas Day involves at least five changes of dress, and last month Kate confided on a Royal walkabout that she was nervous about the array of outfits she needed for Sandringham. Younger Royals have broken protocol on occasions. Last year, Zara Tindall arrived at Sandringham in a beanie hat and hoodie. On Christmas Day, they come down for breakfast dressed in their church outfits - usually a day dress or a smart suit with pearls for the women. For the traditional walk to church, the men don warm overcoats. For the women, hats are expected, as demonstrated by the Duchess of Cambridge in 2011. After lunch, everyone changes again for a bracing countryside walk. In the evening, it's gowns and black tie again. Black is out - and skirts are de rigueur for church, according to the Queen's cousin. "Wear something cheery for Christmas Day, such as a Father Christmas cardigan," she says. You can get away with anything on Christmas Day - even Christmas tree earrings that flash. I have never had a Christmas Day in pyjamas - and I certainly don't think I would look good in a onesie. Well practised: Princess Beatrice curtseys. At Christmas there is a moratorium on curtseying, apart from to the Queen and a statue of Victoria ETIQUETTE: No need to tip and the curtsey is strictly rationed What the royals do: It is frowned upon to give tips to the staff at all Royal residences - there is a polite notice telling guests to refrain from tipping. However, the Royal Family is expert at writing thank-you letters. At Christmas, there is a moratorium on curtseying apart from to the Queen in order to retain peace at Sandringham. Only one other figure receives a curtsey - the statue of Queen Victoria, which stands on the stairs leading to the nursery. It is there that Lady Louise Windsor - daughter of Edward and Sophie - has been perfecting the art, as exemplified by Princess Beatrice. Lady Elizabeth is a traditionalist at heart and believes that the importance of manners should never be under-estimated. "If I stay somewhere, I always leave something on my dressing table for staff," she says. Even if I was only staying a night, I would leave £5. Thank-you letters are also very important - I always give my grandchildren a pack of thank-you cards at Christmas. You don't have to write letters if you are given a present in person but you should always write if a present is sent in the post. NOT FORGETTING THE QUEEN'S SPEECH (And the family's delight in watching it) The Royals enjoy the festivities like any family - including the Queen's speech. Indeed, most of the family gather to watch it on a digital flat-screen Samsung TV in a large Jacobean-style sitting room. The one person most likely to withdraw is the Queen, who after all recorded it in the first place. Like her grandfather King George V, who began the tradition in 1932, and her father King George VI, who was the inspiration for the stuttering Monarch in the film The King's Speech, the Queen originally made her broadcast live from Sandringham. But nowadays it is pre-recorded and is broadcast on radio, television and the internet - last year, for the first time, it was also shown in HD and 3D.