It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas for the royal family. At Windsor Castle, a 20-foot Nordmann fir tree - cut from the grounds of Windsor Great Park and wrapped in thousands of twinkling lights - stands tall at the end of St George's Hall, while a second smaller one sparkles in the Crimson Drawing Room. Over at Buckingham Palace, three majestic trees sit in the Marble Hall and festive garland adorns the grand staircase. And at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland, the royal dining room table is laid with sugared fruits and foliage. Preparations are also underway at Sandringham House, the picturesque 20,000-acre Norfolk estate where King Charles III will be hosting this year's festivities alongside his wife, Queen Camilla. (Queen Elizabeth II began holding Christmas at Sandringham back in 1988; the days-long celebration begins on Christmas Eve and wraps up with a Boxing Day hunt on December 26.) The gathering brings together a who's who of the royal family - chief among them Prince William and Princess Kate, both 43, and their kids, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. Last December, William revealed 45 guests were expected to attend the 2024 celebration. Nevertheless, according to a source, the mood this holiday season is bittersweet. While Charles has appeared well in recent months, the king, 77, is still undergoing treatment for his cancer diagnosis; at the same time, it's Kate's first Christmas since announcing she's in remission from cancer in January. "The celebration may carry a wistful tone," says the source, "however, it will also be a time of celebration, especially after Kate received the all-clear." The theme of Kate's Together at Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey - which airs in the U.K. on December 24 - is happiness and love, and the source says that sentiment will carry over to the royal holiday. "They all want to make the most of their time together." It's Kate and William's first Christmas in their new house - the family of five relocated from their Adelaide Cottage to Forest Lodge in late October. "[They're looking forward to] creating memories in what they consider their forever home," says the first source. In years past, they visited a local tree farm, baked desserts and watched holiday films (In 2021, William said Elf is his favorite Christmas movie). They typically alternate between spending Christmas with William's side of the family and with Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, but are happy to be at Charles' side. (A second source says the Middletons will join Kate and William at Sandringham.) Prince William, Kate Middleton TANG/WIREIMAGE; JONATHAN BRADY/GETTY IMAGES The kids are in the holiday spirit. William and Kate moved into their new home, Forest Lodge, this October. "They love Christmas," says the source, noting that William and Kate strive to keep their children as down-to-earth as possible. "They want to create a traditional Christmas without airs and graces, unlike what Charles might have had as a child." Kate's Together at Christmas carol service will be filmed on December 5; Kate Winslet, Hannah Waddingham and Chiwetel Ejiofor are expected to perform. "It's one of her premier events of the season," says the second source. "She's excited for it." Charles, meanwhile, could use some good cheer following a tumultuous few months. In October, his younger brother Andrew was formally stripped of his royal titles over his ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. (The former prince, 65, now goes by Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.) Charles also evicted him from his longtime home, the royal estate in Windsor. "Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. Inside Princess Kate and Prince William's Christmas Plans and Guest List A month earlier, the monarch and Prince Harry, 41, had a face-to-face meeting in London (their first in 19 months). The father-son sit-down was promising, but the source says "that's as far as it has gone," and Harry and William remain as estranged as ever. The second source tells Us there are new concerns over "whether or not trust can be rebuilt" after Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, 44, attended Kris Jenner's celebrity- packed 70th birthday party on November 8. "If they are going to go out and look like Hollywood players, it's at odds with what the palace and royal family mem- bers would do," says the source, adding that the likelihood of the Sussexes getting a Christmas invite from Charles was always "slim." Despite the drama, Charles is determined to have a memorable holiday. "Charles prioritizes duty, but he's also a family man who knows his time is precious," says the first source. "He wants a special last Christmas in case it's his last." He plans on taking part in the annual walk to St. Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas morning and recording his Christmas speech, which airs later that af