Christmas Day!

Bennifred

Our "traditional" Christmas dinner for the last twenty-odd years has been crispy duck pancakes!

It all started when DH was rostered to work that year and I asked the children what they would like to eat that day if they could choose whatever they wanted (none of them liked turkey, and neither do I). It stuck, and now there's uproar if I suggest a change.......

We do have a traditional roast (usually rib of beef) either on Christmas eve or Boxing Day depending on who's about.

brunettifan

It is nice to read about what other families do at Christmas. We keep it very traditional, but this year we have discussed a complete change. I am nit sure if we are brave enough though!!

MrsE_2

brunettifan wrote: »

It is nice to read about what other families do at Christmas. We keep it very traditional, but this year we have discussed a complete change. I am nit sure if we are brave enough though!!

I suggested something as radical as leaving out the prawn cocktails we've had for the last zillion years because its such a big meal its hard to sample everything.
It was vetoed! !!!!

jackyann

A long, long time ago, I had to "make my own tradition" away from family for Xmas.
I decided that I would have luxuries of my own choosing. This is actually an old, old festive tradition, so appropriate.
In Elizabeth David's book about Xmas (that I was given years later) she names one of the culinary highlights of the festivities as being on her own with some delicious smoked salmon.

Good for you for "taking charge" and setting such a good example for your son.
Lots of ideas here to make a day that suits both of you.

I don't know about your family issues, but I think that you can say "DS & I are beginning our own tradition and having our own Xmas" then invite anyone who wants to call in and you want to make welcome: mince pies &/or Xmas cake + some cheese = good hospitality, and keep well if no-one calls.
Happy Xmas!

Funky_Bold_Ribena

brunettifan wrote: »

It is nice to read about what other families do at Christmas. We keep it very traditional, but this year we have discussed a complete change. I am nit sure if we are brave enough though!!

Ever since I had a load of chillis still growing outdoors on Christmas eve, we've had chilli for christmas day. Made the night before. And with nachos at 11. Chilli in the early evening. Works for us.

MrSmartprice

We don't do much to celebrate Christmas at all. But we do always go out for lunch on the day rather than spending the day in the kitchen. We go to one of the local Indian restaurants for a 'traditional' Indian banquet, and it is always excellent. You can take your own booze too, with no corkage charge.

But here's the thing! It doesn't even matter if you don't fancy curry. Because they all do an option of a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. At one we went to a couple of years ago the majority of people were actually having the turkey dinners. We realised that it was a great option if that's what you wanted, as it cost £20 a head for the 3 courses, half price for kids. The local non-Indian places were charging £50-£100 for the same thing with little or no kids' reductions.

nimbo

if you want to start traditions - then go for it!!!!

personally i would prefer to visit family on boxing day as there are plenty of things to keep me busy Christmas day... (also people are less stressed, and if dinner is 20 minutes late no one cares as much). i've only just passed my test and got a car so it helps that there were buses too....

my mother always got us a christmas stocking - it would have a few little things like a colouring book, and pens as well as socks and knickers, and PJ's things we would have needed anyway.... there would be a few sweets and chocolate - it was designed to keep us in bed for a while longer as we would wake really early...

if you had enough space for a microwave - you could get something like this

http://www.nisbets.co.uk/Dualit-Electric-Convection-Oven-89200/GF335/ProductDetail.raction?VAT_SWITCH_MARKER=true&cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Catering+Appliances-_-Dualit+Convection+Ovens-_-GF335&gclid=CLPS09b-troCFZIPtAodTmwA-Q

we had on at university and it was great.... there may be a chance of getting one second hand... HOWEVER the halogen oven will cook enough for two - you can have a piece of turkey and your son could try some with pigs in blankets - you can choose what you want to do - but I would say center it arond 'the christmas movie' aunty Beeb will have a hopefully great movie on that you can both sit and watch - but if you know hat time it is on then you can plan dinner around it.... also have to add that one of the traditions when my sister and i cook is that we always eat late - it's been factored in now over the years

try to have a 'nice walk' to the local park (or somewhere), and that way if your child gets any 'outdoor' toys he can them for a spin. fresh air is always good, and managing to burn some energy is always a good idea.

barbiedoll

You don't have to have a whole turkey roasting in an oven to have a nice "traditional" Christmas dinner! I'm not sure how halogen ovens work but could you do your roast spuds and pigs in blankets in there?
You can buy pieces of turkey which could be cooked in a frying pan or even a saucepan. A pack of Aunt Bessies yorkshire puds and a jar of cranberry sauce and you're ready to go!

Do encourage your little one to sample turkey, roasties etc etc (or whatever you decide to have to eat) so that he doesn't get stuck in that processed meat rut. My son's friend only ever ate chicken/turkey if it was covered in breadcrumbs (according to his mum) but he ate roast chicken at my house and loved it.

Get yourself a nice pudding, I hate Xmas pud so me and DS had a lovely frozen ice-cream/yoghurt type thing from Lidl last year, it was yummy.

Pick up cheap sweeties/biscuits/nibbles as you go shopping each week. I don't buy expensive tubs of cheese biscuits, I buy bags of nibbles that they sell all year round and put them in my Xmas box under the stairs (check the dates though!) Same for sweet biscuits and chocolates. They still taste the same even if they don't come in a Christmas wrapper!

Like MrsE, my family don't like breaking traditions at all. We have a fairly boisterous kitten who, I know, will destroy our 5 feet tall (fake) Christmas tree if given half a chance. When I suggested not having a tree this year or maybe having a small one tucked in the corner, you'd think that I had made plans to kill Santa!

crumblepie

Last year I did't do the whole turkey thing. In Tesco they had a chicken dinner for 2 in the chilled cabinet. It was a chicken breast, pigs in blanket and gravy portion. That might be an option with a few potatoes and veg.

I can't remember how much it was but is wasn't over £5.
edit : this is what I had
http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=280172217

Bennifred

Just remembered! Nothing to do with food, but one thing I heartily wished we'd done when the children were little was to have two identical stockings for each of them - one for them to hang on the end of the bed and one which was filled earlier for a quick switch when they were asleep!
As they each had different individual stockings it was a right pain having to wait until they were all asleep to retrieve the stocking, fill it and replace it without detection. Got trickier as they got older, too....:rotfl: