It’s the day that marks the end of the long-awaited weekend and the start of the new week ahead. For some, it’s a day of total guilt-free rest. For others, it’s a day of frantic prepping and military-precision planning to navigate the working week to come (those with kids will be nodding in hearty agreement at this point).

Whatever Sunday means to you, we think there are a few staples that truly underpin this coveted day of the week. Think of them as a recipe for Sunday success, a formula for winning at life. Feel free to mix and match them, but there are some combinations that might not work as well together as others (see 3 and 5, for example)!

1. Relaxation

This one is a bit of a catch-all and can be an activity in itself or achieved by engaging in some of the other things on the list. Ultimately though, everyone should build relaxation into their Sundays. Whether it’s a spot of yoga and meditation, allocated tech-free downtime or an hour or two spent idly contemplating life, it’s essential to switch off. It’s the only day of the week where there really is permission to do nothing at all, and the Sunday retail laws go some way to aiding this healthy self-indulgence. The trick is to understand that you deserve it and that it is a practice designed for self-preservation. Feeling racked with guilt for not being productive is counter-productive and will just raise your stress levels.

Accept that Sunday is known as a day of rest for a good reason and acquiesce. Tune out, slow down and give yourself consent to recharge your batteries.  

2. Reading The Papers

It’s hard to imagine a Sunday without the requisite pile of newspapers and their myriad supplements. It’s one of those natural pairings that go together as comfortably as salt and vinegar or cheese and wine.

It’s almost academic whether you actually read them. Their mere presence on the breakfast bar or coffee table signifies loud and clear that it’s Sunday, and that is almost reason enough to buy them. Should you get around to consuming them, you’ll discover there are more secrets to relaxation within. For example, Michelin-starred recipes to explore and devour, reviews of forthcoming films and books to add to the following weekend’s to-do list, not to mention handy wine-buying tips and exercise regimes to shift the weekend’s indulgences. A final note on the Sunday papers. They’re almost certainly best enjoyed combined with a dressing gown which leads us nicely onto…

3. Pyjamas and Dressing Gowns

There’s a glut of memes that inhabit the social media scene about this one, but there is something wildly decadent about wearing your dressing gown or pyjamas all day long, and Sunday is the designated day for it! Clearly, we’re biased. As the largest purveyor of dressing gowns in the UK, we have a bit of a thing about bathrobes, but we are sure you’ll agree that sometimes there is nothing better than not getting dressed – all day!

In the interests of self-esteem, we don’t suggest this is a religious practice for every Sunday but rather a treat to be used wisely. For us, it tends to work better in the winter months because snuggling up in a heavyweight bathrobe with the wood stove burning just feels right. Teamed with a hot chocolate, a glass of port or a cheeky Malbec, the hedonism only intensifies. The comfort factor of a velour dressing gown is simply heavenly and hard to replicate with any other garment.

That said, the advent of lightweight dressing gowns means it’s entirely possible to while away the hours on the sundeck or terrace in nothing more than your faithful Calvin Kleins or a boy-short and vest combo and a kimono wrap. The Bown Gatsby is one such style that fills the bill perfectly here.

4. Sport

Watching it, playing it, transporting your kids to it. Let’s face it, whichever way you look at it, Sundays typically involve an element of sport. Where you sit on the activity scale is entirely up to you. It’s Sunday, so we’re reserving judgement. Perhaps it’s a TDF-inspired bike ride with a brunch pitstop that gets your wheels turning, or maybe it’s a spot of Premier League action in the local.  A gentlemanly (or womanly) spot of cricket at the local green might be your tipple, or perhaps a higher-octane body pump session floats your finely-honed boat?  

Even the accidental by-product of downtime enforced by a bout of Sunday night swim spectating can be a delight to uphold.   

5. Walking The Dog

Whether it’s your dog, a borrowed dog (www.borrowmydoggy.com) or even an imaginary dog, there’s just something profoundly satisfying about lazy strolls on a Sunday. They can be a rewarding pre-cursor to an indulgent Sunday roast or the antidote to a spot of over-indulgence. Walking the dog can be an excellent strategy for dodging the crockery aftermath of a roast or a convenient excuse to release yourself from the grip of overbearing visitors and relatives. Team this relaxation pursuit with a diversion to your local, and you have all of the makings of the perfect Sunday.

6. The Sunday Roast

The clue is in the name. I mean, can you even call it a Sunday if there isn’t a roast on the literal menu? Nut roast, beef and dripping Yorkshire’s or a good-old chicken and Paxo pairing, we can’t get enough of the Sunday roast. It’s okay if the summer BBQ occasionally usurps this most British of institutions, but as long as the Sunday roast features in your plans on at least 48 of the 52 Sunday’s, you’ll be in good company. Add the consumption of your Sunday roast while wearing a dressing gown on at least a handful of these occasions, and you’ll have a friend for life in us!

Have we missed anything fundamental? Let us know what Sunday’s mean to you.

It’s the day that marks the end of the long-awaited weekend and the start of the new week ahead. For some, it’s a day of total guilt-free rest. For others, it’s a day of frantic prepping and military-precision planning to navigate the working week to come (those with kids will be nodding in hearty agreement at this point).

Whatever Sunday means to you, we think there are a few staples that truly underpin this coveted day of the week. Think of them as a recipe for Sunday success, a formula for winning at life. Feel free to mix and match them, but there are some combinations that might not work as well together as others (see 3 and 5, for example)!

1. Relaxation

This one is a bit of a catch-all and can be an activity in itself or achieved by engaging in some of the other things on the list. Ultimately though, everyone should build relaxation into their Sundays. Whether it’s a spot of yoga and meditation, allocated tech-free downtime or an hour or two spent idly contemplating life, it’s essential to switch off. It’s the only day of the week where there really is permission to do nothing at all, and the Sunday retail laws go some way to aiding this healthy self-indulgence. The trick is to understand that you deserve it and that it is a practice designed for self-preservation. Feeling racked with guilt for not being productive is counter-productive and will just raise your stress levels.

Accept that Sunday is known as a day of rest for a good reason and acquiesce. Tune out, slow down and give yourself consent to recharge your batteries.  

2. Reading The Papers

It’s hard to imagine a Sunday without the requisite pile of newspapers and their myriad supplements. It’s one of those natural pairings that go together as comfortably as salt and vinegar or cheese and wine.

It’s almost academic whether you actually read them. Their mere presence on the breakfast bar or coffee table signifies loud and clear that it’s Sunday, and that is almost reason enough to buy them. Should you get around to consuming them, you’ll discover there are more secrets to relaxation within. For example, Michelin-starred recipes to explore and devour, reviews of forthcoming films and books to add to the following weekend’s to-do list, not to mention handy wine-buying tips and exercise regimes to shift the weekend’s indulgences. A final note on the Sunday papers. They’re almost certainly best enjoyed combined with a dressing gown which leads us nicely onto…

3. Pyjamas and Dressing Gowns

There’s a glut of memes that inhabit the social media scene about this one, but there is something wildly decadent about wearing your dressing gown or pyjamas all day long, and Sunday is the designated day for it! Clearly, we’re biased. As the largest purveyor of dressing gowns in the UK, we have a bit of a thing about bathrobes, but we are sure you’ll agree that sometimes there is nothing better than not getting dressed – all day!

In the interests of self-esteem, we don’t suggest this is a religious practice for every Sunday but rather a treat to be used wisely. For us, it tends to work better in the winter months because snuggling up in a heavyweight bathrobe with the wood stove burning just feels right. Teamed with a hot chocolate, a glass of port or a cheeky Malbec, the hedonism only intensifies. The comfort factor of a velour dressing gown is simply heavenly and hard to replicate with any other garment.

That said, the advent of lightweight dressing gowns means it’s entirely possible to while away the hours on the sundeck or terrace in nothing more than your faithful Calvin Kleins or a boy-short and vest combo and a kimono wrap. The Bown Gatsby is one such style that fills the bill perfectly here.

4. Sport

Watching it, playing it, transporting your kids to it. Let’s face it, whichever way you look at it, Sundays typically involve an element of sport. Where you sit on the activity scale is entirely up to you. It’s Sunday, so we’re reserving judgement. Perhaps it’s a TDF-inspired bike ride with a brunch pitstop that gets your wheels turning, or maybe it’s a spot of Premier League action in the local.  A gentlemanly (or womanly) spot of cricket at the local green might be your tipple, or perhaps a higher-octane body pump session floats your finely-honed boat?  

Even the accidental by-product of downtime enforced by a bout of Sunday night swim spectating can be a delight to uphold.   

5. Walking The Dog

Whether it’s your dog, a borrowed dog (www.borrowmydoggy.com) or even an imaginary dog, there’s just something profoundly satisfying about lazy strolls on a Sunday. They can be a rewarding pre-cursor to an indulgent Sunday roast or the antidote to a spot of over-indulgence. Walking the dog can be an excellent strategy for dodging the crockery aftermath of a roast or a convenient excuse to release yourself from the grip of overbearing visitors and relatives. Team this relaxation pursuit with a diversion to your local, and you have all of the makings of the perfect Sunday.

6. The Sunday Roast

The clue is in the name. I mean, can you even call it a Sunday if there isn’t a roast on the literal menu? Nut roast, beef and dripping Yorkshire’s or a good-old chicken and Paxo pairing, we can’t get enough of the Sunday roast. It’s okay if the summer BBQ occasionally usurps this most British of institutions, but as long as the Sunday roast features in your plans on at least 48 of the 52 Sunday’s, you’ll be in good company. Add the consumption of your Sunday roast while wearing a dressing gown on at least a handful of these occasions, and you’ll have a friend for life in us!

Have we missed anything fundamental? Let us know what Sunday’s mean to you.