Happy Boxing Day. Have you survived? While you survey the wreckage of your kitchen, strewn with cracker debris and sherry glasses and shards of red cabbage, we’ve done the truly sadistic thing and compiled a list of our favourite kitchens in the world. Don’t worry, it’s been just as demoralising for us to view a suite of spotless, stunningly designed spaces that are so unlike our own. Perhaps you’re drawn to Martin Brûlé’s sleek stainless-steel nook? Or Raby Castle’s copper-pan-lined hall? Or maybe India Mahdavi’s multicoloured hub is more your thing. Certainly, a lot of our favoured cooking places are accented with a gleeful yellow, which cheers me. Just give in to the scroll, and tell yourself it will be you – next year, next year…

Itching to get out of the house already? Maria Shollenbarger has some ideas. Our travel editor has outlined five cultural fixes in five smart cities – beautiful places to visit, with an option of a great hotel to stay in nearby. Whether it’s a baroque library hidden away in Rome, or the magical Botanical Gardens in New York, Maria suggests a getaway that should both relax and edify. I love a sleepy city during the holidays, so I’m taking notes: maybe it’ll be the art nouveau house-museum in Brussels, plus the hotel with the hammam… just as long as there’s some moules-frites en route.

More seriously, Evie Henderson has written a moving piece about this first Christmas spent without her mother, chef and writer Skye Gyngell, who died after a battle with cancer last month. For Evie, it has been particularly complex navigating this whilst also becoming a mother for the first time. Christmas is a tough time for many, so her story of love, loss and strange silver linings may well strike a chord. She admits that often, in the days running up to the 25th, she, her mother and her sister would have a customary festive blowout. “This year, I’ll miss that fight,” she says.

As soon as Christmas is done, I will be devoting myself fully to my Dreams of Reinvention (™) – as much of a tradition for me as mince pies or tears. In which case, perhaps our new-ish Is It Worth It? column will help. In the past few months, we’ve been speaking to the experts to explain the pros and cons of various wellness trends, be it creatine, sea moss or electrolytes. We’ve compiled them here all in one place, so before you do that optimistic bulk-buy at Whole Foods, be sure to take a look. And then stock them all in your immaculate kitchen.

‌

‌

THREE MORE STORIES TO READ THIS WEEK

Best pubs for winter FT writers and editors pick their favourite spots for a pint by the fire