When do you eat your main christmas meal?

04624181

Hi All,

Just wondering when people eat their main christmas meal?

Im hearing more and more people say they cook their turkey dinner on Christmas eve and eat their main meal then instead of Christmas day.
Reason Im asking is I am thinking of trying it this year but unsure what to do for meal on Christmas day?
Do people have buffet style meal? leftovers reheated?

In principal its a great idea as Christmas Eve hubby is working. we usually have a lazy day so I could cook the meal no problem and us all sit down to a nice meal Christmas Eve. Also Christmas Day is always mad busy and most of the day ends up being stuck in the kitchen, stressing as the kids want us to play with toys when we in the middle of mashing spuds etc...:(

Would love to hear other peoples ideas etc ....

catkins

I don't know anyone who eats their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and can't really imagine why anyone would - it's Christmas dinner


I know people who cook the turkey on Christmas Eve and then serve it cold with the dinner on Christmas Day. That way you have more room in the oven for the potatoes, Yorkshires, stuffing, parsnips, sausage meat etc

shopaholicz

We have our xmas dinner 2-3pm on xmas day. In my family this was always the case. Then a buffet tea from 6pm ish.

We have friends from Germany and Denmark who have theirs on xmas eve. We went abroad last year and the main festivitites were on xmas eve including present giving.

Are we British are alone in celebrating on xmas day with the majority or countries using xmas eve?

In the past we've also had xmas dinner on boxing day as that fitted in better that year. It did seem strange waiting though.

Now we have children we always have a traditional xmas dinner, but when there was only 2 of use, we have been known to have curry for xmas lunch. Stress free cooking.

brightonman123

Christmas is over rated. just a bigger than normal meal, and booze.

Hezzawithkids

Christmas dinner is served on Christmas Day in our house, always has & always will be. We eat around 6pm to allow for all the family to arrive, exchange gifts, chat etc, but mostly so that I can have a reasonably relaxed morning knowing that the turkey doesn't need to go into the over till 2pm-ish. One of these years I will lay off the Bucks Fizz for long enough to make a decent job of it!

kathrynha

shopaholicz wrote: »

We have our xmas dinner 2-3pm on xmas day. In my family this was always the case. Then a buffet tea from 6pm ish.

We do similar.
Have all the veg, stuffing, sausages in bacon, etc preped the day before to make Christmas day easier.
That way up till about ½hour before the meal only involves popping into the kitchen every so often, and only that last ½ hour is really busy

themull1

We originally had our dinner on Christmas day, however, when I was 9 my granny died on Christmas day, so we switched to Christmas Eve, and had cold meats and roasties etc on Christmas day because my Grandad/Dad didnt want to celebrate the day as much. Then when my grandad died, we reverted back to Christmas Day. I have my parents for their dinner on Christmas day now, but secretly i liked it on Christmas Eve, more time for me on Christmas day rather than be stuck in the kitchen! But for the sake of the family i'll stick with christmas Day!!

themull1

And we have our dinner at 1 ish, and normally pick at stuff at tea time, cheese and crackers etc.

04624181

Thank you for your replies.

I too have always been of the opinion that Christmas day is the day for full turkey dinner ( even forbidding hubby cooking anything else as he loves to cook the meat dish each year!) but just thinking maybe this year to try something different. Cooking the turkey the day before sounds a good idea, was just interested to see how other people do it.
Friends of ours have a huge "christmas dinner" on christmas eve, they then go to visit family in the morning for brunch, they then arrive home and have a buffet style evening meal that includes turkey sandwiches, mini quiches, leftovers, usual bang in the oven platter style stuff. They swear by it as they get so much more time to play with the kids and said its much more relaxed.
Would love to hear off other people, as Im seriously thinking it may be worth a try xx
:xmastree::snow_laug:xmassmile

mandco

we have our roast xmas eve then xmas day is cold cuts and buffet style munchies. no cooking on xmas day for me much more relaxing and means I get to spend more time with the kids.

some people prefer to have it xmas day and you can cook the meat /prep alot the day before to save time

Kinski

We have ours on Christmas Day, it should be around 3 but as I hate cooking it's usually later than that. This year my eldest daughter has moved back from America and she's a brilliant cook, I'm thinking that she can come to us and cook it. I'd be happy with a veggie burger but the rest of the family like to have the works.