25 Christmas PR ideas that could make headlines this festive season
From celebrity mince pie auctions and the world's most extravagant Christmas pudding to festive food controversies and creative hospitality campaigns, here are 25 Christmas PR ideas to help your business stand out.
Christmas is a wonderful time for PR. Journalists are looking for entertaining stories, consumers are making decisions about where to spend their money, and businesses have an opportunity to show a more creative side of their personalities. For food, drink, hospitality and tourism brands, the festive season offers a fantastic range of opportunities to reach new audiences, from national newspaper features and television appearances to travel recommendations, gift guides and regional news coverage.
Of course, there's also plenty of competition! Every November, journalists are inundated with announcements about Christmas menus, festive afternoon teas, seasonal products and special offers. While these are important to communicate, they aren't necessarily newsworthy. A new Christmas menu might interest your existing customers, but what will make someone who has never heard of your business stop scrolling, read an article or share a story with their friends?
The answer is often creativity. An unexpected twist on a Christmas tradition, a surprising piece of research, an ambitious charitable initiative or a clever publicity stunt can transform something ordinary into a story that captures the imagination. And while a substantial budget can help, some of the most successful campaigns are built around relatively simple ideas executed beautifully.
At Feather & Fern PR, we've developed festive campaigns that have attracted extensive national and regional media coverage, including a celebrity Christmas mince pie auction involving some of television's biggest names, as well as creative campaigns for hotels, restaurants and hospitality groups. We've also secured places for clients in Christmas gift guides, festive destination features and seasonal recommendations, helping them reach people who are actively planning where to eat, stay, visit and shop.
If you're looking for inspiration, here are 25 Christmas PR ideas that could help put your business in the headlines. And yep, we're giving them to you for free (but do give us a bell if you'd like our help implementing any of them either this year or in 2027!) Some of them are tactics we've implemented before. Others are ideas we've had over the years and would love to see brought to life.
1. Create the world's most extravagant Christmas pudding
Christmas is the perfect excuse to be a little outrageous, and an extraordinary version of a familiar festive favourite can make an irresistible media story. Imagine a luxury hotel commissioning a pastry chef to create a Christmas pudding worth £10,000, using rare ingredients, exceptional spirits and an elaborate edible decoration. Or a bakery producing an enormous pudding that takes an entire team to assemble, before inviting the public to enjoy a slice in return for a charitable donation.
The most important element is the story behind the spectacle. Why has it been created, what makes it so amazing and who will benefit? A pudding auctioned for charity, for example, offers far more than an expensive dessert. It provides opportunities for photographs, chef interviews, a launch announcement and a follow-up story revealing the final amount raised. An ambitious creation with a clear purpose could attract interest from national newspapers, food publications and television programmes.
2. Get celebrities involved in a festive charity challenge
Famous faces, friendly competition and a worthwhile cause can be a winning combination when it comes to Christmas PR. One of our favourite campaigns involved working with the Baking Industry Association to organise a celebrity mince pie auction in aid of the Salvation Army, inviting 14 well-known personalities to bake batches of six Christmas mince pies that were then auctioned online.
Participants included television presenters, celebrity chefs, actors and even some famous comedians. Their efforts attracted extensive national media coverage, including TV, with journalists reporting on the competition, the celebrity bakers and the auction results. The winning mince pies ultimately raised £500 after the winning bidder doubled the original offer.
The campaign worked because it offered several different stories rather than relying on a single announcement. There was celebrity involvement, the prospect of some entertaining baking disasters (and yes, it delivered), an element of competition and a charitable cause that gave the entire initiative a purpose. The same approach could work for restaurants, bakeries, hotels and food producers, whether you're challenging local sporting personalities to create a Christmas dessert or inviting well-known chefs to compete for the title of ultimate festive baker.
3. Start a national argument about Christmas dinner
Few subjects inspire stronger opinions than Christmas food. Should Yorkshire puddings be served with turkey? Is Christmas pudding delicious or dreadful? Does anyone reeeally enjoy Brussels sprouts? And is it acceptable to eat Christmas dinner before midday? These questions might sound trivial, but they're exactly the sort of topics that can generate entertaining newspaper features, radio discussions and social media debate.
A restaurant group, food producer or hospitality brand could commission a survey exploring the nation's most controversial Christmas eating habits, breaking down the results by age, region or family tradition. Imagine discovering that Yorkshire residents are twice as likely as Londoners to insist on Yorkshire puddings with their turkey, or that a surprising proportion of people would happily abandon Christmas pudding altogether. The figures would need to come from properly conducted research, but a strong set of findings could provide multiple stories for national and regional media, with chefs and food experts available to comment on the results.
4. Give your Christmas announcement a brilliantly ridiculous twist
Sometimes the difference between a routine festive announcement and an entertaining media story is simply a sense of humour. Christmas offers businesses the chance to be playful, exaggerate familiar traditions and create something that makes journalists smile, provided the idea suits the brand and doesn't feel forced.
For Peak District hospitality group Longbow Venues, we created the Longbow Santa Index, a highly unofficial five-star rating system designed to establish whether the group's Father Christmas really was the best in the Peak District. The tongue-in-cheek index assessed everything from beard authenticity and ho-ho-ho acoustic performance to Santa's ability to withstand intense questioning from suspicious children. It even included a Seasonal Spirit Index measuring twinkle-in-eye frequency, emotional impact on grown-ups and overall festive cheer.
The story gave us a much more entertaining way to introduce Longbow's Breakfast with Santa events at The Peacock at Owler Bar and Afternoon Tea with Santa at The Maynard, securing coverage in *The Star*. Rather than simply announcing dates, menus and ticket prices, we gave journalists something amusing to write about while still communicating the important details. The same principle could work for almost any festive business announcement, from a mock performance review for Santa to a highly scientific investigation into the perfect Christmas roast potato.
5. Get your business into the Christmas hot lists everyone reads
Not every successful Christmas PR campaign needs to involve a publicity stunt. Some of the most commercially valuable coverage comes from securing a place in the seasonal features journalists are already planning, especially when readers are actively researching where to spend their money.
Every year, newspapers, magazines and online publications produce hundreds of Christmas recommendations, from the best festive afternoon teas and countryside escapes to gift guides, Christmas markets, luxury experiences and places to meet Father Christmas. At Feather & Fern PR, we've secured coverage for hospitality, food and tourism clients in festive round-ups and destination features, helping them reach audiences who are looking for inspiration and ready to make bookings.
The key is understanding what journalists need, knowing when they're working on relevant features and presenting your business as a strong editorial recommendation rather than simply another venue looking for publicity. Exceptional photography, clear pricing, accurate booking information and a compelling reason to visit can make an enormous difference. A well-placed recommendation in a respected publication can continue driving interest long after the article first appears.
6. Launch the search for Britain's most Christmassy village
Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate local communities, and a national search for Britain's most festive village could become an ambitious campaign for a tourism organisation, hospitality group or visitor attraction. Invite communities to nominate themselves, sharing photographs and stories about their Christmas traditions, decorations, charitable activities and festive events. A panel of judges could then create a shortlist before inviting the public to vote for the winner.
The appeal lies in the opportunities for regional involvement. Local newspapers and radio stations could champion their own communities, while national publications might be interested in the overall competition and the eventual winner. The campaign could also celebrate lesser-known destinations, encourage winter tourism and bring attention to independent businesses that contribute to their local Christmas celebrations. A strong charity partnership or community prize would give the initiative an additional purpose beyond finding the village with the most impressive Christmas lights.
7. Create a Christmas dinner that travels through time
What did Christmas dinner look like 100 years ago? How much has changed since the 1950s, and which festive foods have disappeared from British tables altogether? A restaurant or hotel could work with a food historian to recreate Christmas dinners from different decades, with chefs preparing dishes from 1926, 1956, 1986 and today.
The resulting campaign could explore everything from changing ingredients and cooking methods to the influence of international cuisines and the evolution of family traditions. A carefully researched comparison of historical and modern Christmas menus, supported by striking photography, could appeal to food writers, history publications and television programmes. There might even be an opportunity to invite guests to experience a historic Christmas dinner, turning the media story into a bookable event.
8. Discover what Britain really wants for Christmas
Christmas gift guides are everywhere, but original research into what people actually want to receive could produce a much more interesting story. A hotel group, tourism business or experience provider might investigate whether people would rather receive a weekend away, a memorable meal or tickets to an event than another physical present. A food brand could explore the most unwanted Christmas gifts or the presents people secretly buy for themselves.
The strongest research campaigns uncover something unexpected about consumer behaviour and give journalists a reason to explore the findings. You might discover interesting differences between generations, regions or household types, creating several opportunities for media coverage from one piece of research. The results could also inform your own Christmas marketing, helping you understand what customers value and how to communicate it.
9. Open a restaurant serving nothing but Christmas leftovers
Imagine a pop-up restaurant where every dish is created using surplus festive ingredients, from turkey croquettes and roast potato hash to Christmas pudding ice cream and inventive desserts made with leftover panettone. A restaurant, food wholesaler or hospitality group could work with local producers and food redistribution charities to create a one-day dining experience designed to demonstrate how much delicious food can be made from ingredients that might otherwise go to waste.
The concept offers several potential media angles, including sustainability, food waste, professional cooking advice and charitable fundraising. Chefs could share their recipes with journalists, while the business could record how much food was rescued and how many meals were produced. The strongest version would use genuinely surplus food, with appropriate food safety controls, and provide a practical example of how businesses and households can reduce waste during the festive season.
10. Let children take over the Christmas menu
What would Christmas dinner look like if children were put in charge? A restaurant or hotel could invite local schoolchildren to design their dream festive menu, with professional chefs challenged to turn the most imaginative suggestions into dishes that people can actually eat. The results might include towering Yorkshire puddings, rainbow-coloured desserts, elaborate pigs in blankets creations or entirely new festive inventions.
The winning menu could be served at a special charity event, with the children invited into the kitchen to see their ideas brought to life. It's the sort of campaign that could produce wonderful photography and entertaining interviews, while giving the business an opportunity to engage with local families and schools. There would also be several opportunities for media coverage, from announcing the competition to revealing the finished dishes and celebrating the young winners.
11. Reveal the hidden army behind Christmas dinner
Most people give little thought to the humungous amount of work involved in getting Christmas food from farms and producers onto our tables. Yet the supply chain behind the festive season is full of interesting people, extraordinary logistics and stories that rarely receive the attention they deserve.
A food wholesaler could document the journey of Christmas ingredients from growers and producers through warehouses and delivery vehicles to restaurant kitchens. A hotel group might reveal how many potatoes, sprouts, turkeys and Christmas puddings its chefs prepare during December, while a bakery could show what happens behind the scenes during its busiest production week.
The strongest stories combine interesting, media-friendly figures with the people responsible for making it all happen. How early does preparation begin? What happens when deliveries are disrupted? Which ingredients are most difficult to source? These are the details that can turn an operational story into a compelling feature for food, business and regional media.
12. Create the ultimate Christmas breakfast
Christmas dinner receives most of the attention, but there's plenty of scope to build a campaign around the first meal of the day. A hotel group could challenge its chefs to create Britain's ultimate Christmas breakfast, combining regional ingredients, festive flavours and unusual interpretations of familiar breakfast dishes. Alternatively, restaurants from different regions could compete to produce the best festive breakfast, with the public invited to vote for their favourite.
The campaign could explore how Christmas morning traditions differ across the country, from smoked salmon and scrambled eggs to elaborate cooked breakfasts and sweet treats. Beautiful food photography, chef demonstrations and regional rivalry could make the story appealing to lifestyle journalists, food publications and local broadcasters. It could also provide an opportunity to promote festive breakfast experiences without relying on a conventional event announcement.
13. Find the country's most extraordinary Christmas employee
Some of the best Christmas stories are about people rather than products. Perhaps a hotel has an employee who has worked every Christmas Day for 40 years, a restaurant chef has cooked thousands of festive meals over their career, or a delivery driver has spent decades ensuring Christmas supplies reach remote communities.
These stories can reveal extraordinary dedication, unusual experiences and fascinating changes in the way people celebrate Christmas. A hotel might arrange for its longest-serving Christmas employee to be reunited with former colleagues, while a restaurant could ask its team to share the most memorable moments from years of festive service.
Human-interest stories can be powerful because they give audiences someone to connect with. A strong personal story, supported by photographs and interesting details, may be far more appealing to a journalist than another announcement about a Christmas promotion.
14. Create a festive experience for people who usually miss out
Christmas can be a difficult time for people who are isolated, working long hours or unable to participate in traditional celebrations. Hospitality businesses are well placed to create experiences that make a difference, whether that's a Christmas lunch for people who would otherwise spend the day alone, a celebration for emergency service workers or a festive event designed for families who need a quieter, more accessible environment.
The most effective initiatives begin by working with relevant charities and community organisations to understand what people actually need. A restaurant could partner with a local organisation supporting older residents, while a hotel might host a celebration for carers who rarely have the opportunity to enjoy a day off.
15. Discover the nation's most controversial Christmas ingredient
Brussels sprouts, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, marzipan and Christmas pudding all have their supporters and detractors, making festive ingredients fertile ground for an entertaining PR campaign. A food producer, restaurant group or wholesaler could commission research to identify the country's most divisive Christmas foods, then invite chefs to defend or reinvent the ingredients that people love to hate.
Imagine a chef attempting to persuade a room full of Brussels sprout sceptics that the vegetable deserves a place on every Christmas table, or a bakery creating a modern version of a traditional dessert that younger generations have abandoned. The research provides the news angle, while the chef challenge adds personality, photography and opportunities for broadcast interviews. A strong campaign could generate national debate while keeping the sponsoring business connected to its area of expertise.
16. Make alcohol-free Christmas celebrations a national talking point
Christmas drinking habits are changing, and hospitality businesses have an opportunity to explore how customers are approaching the festive season. A hotel or restaurant group could analyse sales of alcohol-free cocktails, beers and wines, comparing demand with previous years and identifying which alternatives are proving most popular.
A more ambitious campaign might involve creating a festive tasting experience where guests are invited to compare alcoholic and alcohol-free drinks without knowing which is which, with the results used to explore changing perceptions of alcohol-free options. The event could involve bartenders, drinks producers and hospitality experts, generating opportunities for lifestyle and trade media coverage.
The most compelling stories would go beyond simply announcing a new mocktail menu, exploring what changing customer preferences mean for the hospitality industry and how businesses are responding.
17. Organise the Great British Christmas Bake-Off between rival businesses
A little friendly competition can generate plenty of publicity, especially when it brings together businesses that wouldn't normally collaborate. Imagine rival hotels competing to create the most spectacular gingerbread house, chefs from neighbouring restaurants battling to produce the best Christmas dessert or independent bakeries challenging one another to reinvent the mince pie.
The competition could involve public voting, a panel of judges and a charitable element, with the winning creation sold or auctioned to raise money for a local cause. Each participating business would have a reason to promote the event, helping the campaign reach a wider audience and creating opportunities for local and regional media coverage.
The key is to make the challenge entertaining and visually appealing, with enough personality and competitive spirit to give journalists something interesting to report.
18. Bring a forgotten Christmas tradition back to life
Many of Britain's festive traditions have fascinating histories, and some have almost disappeared altogether. A heritage hotel, restaurant or tourism business could work with historians to uncover a forgotten Christmas custom and recreate it for modern audiences, whether that's an unusual festive feast, a historic form of entertainment or a local celebration that hasn't taken place for generations.
The story becomes even more interesting when there's a strong connection to the business or destination. A centuries-old inn might recreate a Christmas celebration from the period when it first opened, while a restaurant could revive a traditional regional dish using a recipe discovered in local archives.
These campaigns offer opportunities for history, food, travel and regional media coverage, while helping visitors discover something distinctive about the place they're visiting.
19. Create the Christmas gift that money can't normally buy
Gift guides are crowded with products and experiences, so businesses looking to attract attention could create something that isn't usually available to the public. A luxury hotel might offer the opportunity to spend a day working alongside its executive chef, a bakery could invite someone to develop their own product with its team, or a countryside retreat might arrange an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience with local wildlife experts.
The experience could be auctioned for charity or offered as the prize in a competition celebrating someone who deserves a special Christmas surprise. The appeal lies in its exclusivity and the story behind the recipient, rather than simply attaching a high price to an ordinary package.
An unusual experience can generate interest from lifestyle and travel journalists, while also showcasing the expertise and personality of the business.
20. Find Britain's most festive dog
Pet-related stories can attract considerable media interest, and Christmas provides an opportunity for dog-friendly hotels, pubs and tourism businesses to celebrate their four-legged customers. A hotel could launch a search for Britain's most festive dog, inviting owners to submit photographs and stories, with finalists attending a special Christmas event.
A more imaginative version might involve a canine Christmas dinner, a festive dog parade or a competition to find the best-dressed dog and owner combination, with proceeds supporting an animal rescue charity. The campaign could also highlight dog-friendly accommodation and winter travel experiences, providing a natural connection to the business.
Strong photography, entertaining entries and a worthwhile charitable element could help the story reach regional newspapers, lifestyle publications and pet-focused media.
21. Find out what Christmas really costs behind the scenes
Christmas is an enormous undertaking for hospitality businesses, and the figures involved can be surprising. A hotel group might calculate how many hours go into preparing its Christmas celebrations, how many thousands of ingredients are used or how much work is involved in transforming a venue for the festive season.
A food wholesaler could examine how seasonal demand changes ordering patterns, while a restaurant might compare the ingredients required for a traditional Christmas dinner with those used in previous decades. The most interesting findings could form the basis of a story about the economics and logistics of Christmas, supported by commentary from business owners and industry experts.
This approach is well suited to trade and business publications, where journalists are often looking for original information about the challenges and opportunities facing the hospitality sector.
22. Create a Christmas trail worth travelling for
For hotels, restaurants, visitor attractions and tourism organisations, a collaborative Christmas trail can encourage people to explore a destination while generating publicity for everyone involved. Rather than producing a conventional list of participating venues, develop an imaginative theme that gives the trail its own identity.
A collection of independent restaurants might create a Christmas dessert trail, with each venue serving a different festive creation. A historic town could develop a route exploring unusual Christmas traditions, while a group of countryside pubs might offer a winter walking trail combining spectacular scenery with seasonal food and drink.
The strongest campaigns give people a reason to visit more than one location, supported by attractive photography, a useful map and stories about the people and places involved. They can also help smaller businesses benefit from the collective reach of a larger destination campaign.
23. Turn Christmas food waste into a headline
Food waste is an important issue throughout the year, but Christmas creates an opportunity to make the subject more visible and accessible. A restaurant group, food producer or wholesaler could launch a challenge to create an incredible festive meal using ingredients that would otherwise be discarded, demonstrating what can be achieved with creativity and professional cooking skills.
A campaign might involve chefs competing to produce the most impressive dish from surplus ingredients, with the results served at a charity event. Alternatively, a food business could work with local organisations to redistribute surplus seasonal produce, recording how much food was saved and how many people benefited.
The strongest stories combine practical action with measurable results, giving journalists a clear reason to cover the initiative while offering useful advice that audiences can apply in their own kitchens.
24. Make Twixmas the new Christmas
The period between Christmas and New Year is often overlooked by businesses concentrating on the build-up to 25 December, yet it offers plenty of opportunities for creative PR. Hotels, restaurants and visitor attractions could develop campaigns around the idea that the best part of Christmas begins once the presents have been opened and the pressure of Christmas Day has passed.
A countryside hotel might promote a Twixmas escape built around winter walks, long lunches and cosy evenings, while a restaurant could create a special menu for people who are thoroughly tired of cooking. A tourism business might develop a guide to the best things to do between Christmas and New Year, featuring lesser-known attractions and seasonal experiences.
There may also be an opportunity to analyse booking trends and investigate whether more people are choosing to travel or dine out during this period. A strong story could attract travel and lifestyle coverage while helping businesses fill quieter dates.
25. Predict what Christmas will look like in 2030
Looking ahead can be an effective way to position a business as an expert in its industry, especially when predictions are grounded in real customer behaviour and emerging trends. A hotel group might explore how Christmas travel and festive breaks are evolving, while a restaurant could ask its chefs to predict which ingredients and dining experiences will become more popular over the next few years.
A food producer might investigate the future of traditional Christmas dishes, considering changing dietary preferences, sustainability and the influence of international cuisines. A tourism organisation could explore whether families will increasingly choose experiences and short breaks over physical gifts.
The strongest campaigns combine expert insight with evidence from sales, bookings, research or customer feedback, creating a forward-looking story that can appeal to business, food, travel and hospitality publications.
What makes a Christmas PR campaign successful?
The difference between a festive promotion and a strong PR story often comes down to one question: why would someone who isn't already a customer be interested?
A new Christmas menu may be important to your business, but a journalist needs something more. That could be an unexpected trend, an extraordinary person, an unusual achievement, a compelling photograph, a surprising statistic or an initiative that makes a difference to the community. The most successful campaigns often combine several of these elements, giving journalists a story they can tell rather than simply something they can announce.
Our celebrity mince pie campaign is a really good example. The idea itself was relatively straightforward, but it brought together famous faces, a familiar festive tradition, an element of competition and a charitable cause. It also had a natural beginning, middle and end, creating opportunities for coverage when the auction launched and again when the results were announced.
The Longbow Santa Index worked for different reasons. We already had Christmas experiences to promote, but rather than relying on a conventional event announcement, we created a humorous story around the experience. The five-star Santa rating system gave journalists an entertaining angle while still allowing us to communicate the important details about the events and venues.
We've also seen how valuable it can be to secure places in established Christmas features and recommendations. A hotel included in a round-up of festive breaks, a restaurant recommended for Christmas dining or a food producer featured in a gift guide can reach audiences who are already considering where to spend their money. These opportunities may not involve a major campaign, but they require an understanding of the media, good relationships with journalists and careful planning.
Timing matters too. Christmas gift guides and magazine features can be planned months in advance, while newspapers, radio stations and online publications may be looking for stories much closer to December. A campaign involving a competition, fundraising challenge or public event also needs enough time to build momentum, attract participants and give journalists opportunities to cover its progress.
And don't underestimate the importance of photography. An unusual festive creation, a room full of people enjoying a community event or a chef standing beside an extraordinary Christmas dish can make the difference between a story being considered and a story being published. Strong images, clear facts, relevant spokespeople and a well-written media release make a journalist's job easier, which is always a good place to start.
Big ideas don't always need big budgets
It's easy to assume that successful Christmas PR requires celebrity involvement, elaborate events or enormous budgets, but that isn't always the case. Some of the most effective ideas come from looking at what a business already does well and finding a more interesting way to share it.
Your employees, customers, suppliers, local community and industry knowledge are all potential sources of stories. A chef with an unusual Christmas tradition, a supplier preparing for their busiest week of the year or an interesting change in customer bookings could provide the basis for a media feature without the need to create an entirely new event.
The important thing is to approach Christmas PR from a journalist's perspective. Ask yourself what makes the story interesting, why someone outside your business would care and what makes it relevant now. If you can answer those questions convincingly, you're already on the right track.
Need help turning your Christmas ideas into headlines?
At Feather & Fern PR, we work with food and drink, hospitality, travel and tourism businesses to find stories worth telling and get them in front of the right people. From creative campaigns and media relations to product launches, seasonal publicity and securing places in national and regional features, we help businesses build their profile and reach new audiences.
Whether you have an ambitious idea for a Christmas campaign, want to promote a festive experience or know your business has a good story but aren't sure how to turn it into media coverage, we'd love to hear from you.
Get in touch at hello@featherandfernpr.co.uk for a no-strings chat about how we can help!
