Christmas is going to be a little different for the Royal Family this year. Like most of us, the royal family has had to adjust many holiday traditions due to the pandemic. Moreover, this Christmas will be the first holiday the Queen will celebrate since her husband, Prince Philip, passed away in April.

Last week, Queen Elizabeth canceled the annual pre-Christmas lunch at Windsor Castle. A few days later, the Queen also cancelled her visit to Sandringham, marking the second year in a row that the Queen will not spend Christmas in her Norfolk estate.

Fortunately, Her Majesty the Queen will not be spending Christmas alone: on December 23, Clarence House confirmed that Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla will join the Queen at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day. The Queen's youngest sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, will also join the festivities at Windsor.

However, Kate Middleton and Prince William will spend Christmas in Norfolk with their children and the Middleton family, royal reporter Richard Palmer confirmed yesterday on Twitter.

Plans are apparently still up in the air, but how does Christmas usually go for the royal family' family has its own set of nostalgia-inducing holiday traditions that they usually participate in, even if things may not go exactly as planned this year. Let's take a look at some of the fanciest, sweetest, and most unexpected of the Royal Family's holiday traditions below:

Christmas Eve at Sandringham

In the pre-pandemic world, the Queen would always arrive one week before Christmas in London She would take a train from King's Cross to her country estate, Sandringham. Once there, the other families would gather on Christmas Eve to exchange gifts and have dinner.

Trimming the tree

After the whole family arrives, the younger members of the family work together to finish decorating Sandringham's Christmas tree. The family has two trees to decorate: one spruce tree, which is cut down each year, and one silver artificial tree in the dining room. In previous years, Prince Philip had the honor of placing a gold star on the spruce tree.

Gag gift exchange

Speaking of gifts, there is a hilarious "the cheaper the better" rule when the royals buy gifts for each other. The family prefers to exchange cheeky gag gifts rather than expensive items. Past gifts have included a dancing hamster (Meghan Markle to the Queen), a "grow your own girlfriend" kit (Kate Middleton to Prince Harry), and a leopard print bath mat (Princess Diana to Sarah Ferguson).

Black-tie dinners

Christmas Eve dinners, on the other hand, are very formal affairs. At the annual meal at Sandringham, guests are required to wear evening dress and black-tie suits, and the meal itself is a six-course feast with a menu written in French.

Church services

On the morning of December 25, the Queen rises at dawn and goes to St. Mary Magdalen Church in Sandringham. There the Queen will take communion privately before preparing for the rest of her busy Christmas.

Huge Christmas Lunch

The royal family also gathers for a big meal on Christmas Day. The Queen also pays for about 1,500 Christmas puddings to be distributed to staff throughout the palace, each accompanied by a handwritten and signed card.

Official Speeches

In 1932, King George V gave a radio broadcast speech on Christmas Day. The tradition, now in its 89th year, is called "The Queen's Christmas Message," and the speech is pre-recorded by Queen Elizabeth and televised on various news channels at 3 p.m. each year.

Outings after Christmas

The day after Christmas, the men of the family usually get up early to go out shooting. Meanwhile, the women stay behind and join the men for a hot lunch of beef bourguignon, venison stew, mashed potatoes, stewed red cabbage, and apple pie.