Advent - new beginnings and Christmas Dinner suggestions.

Organgrinder

Despite not being religious, the 1st of December is always an exciting time for me.

Planning for Christmas for example. And this year my trip abroad to the mountains and a few days snowboarding. 

This year I've virtually finished my present buying. As I get older I find buying meaningful and useful gifts ever more difficult. So this year I've something different in mind for Mrs O.

Also I'm not a big fan of Christmas dinner. So with a little over three weeks to go, I'm looking for ideas. Do you do turkey with all the trimmings? Beef Wellington? Or sit down in your local Indian restaurant?

uralmaid

For years I did the full Xmas dinner - making everything myself, for me, hubby, daughter, mums and dads and various aunties. After my daughter got married she decided she would like to host it.  We now go to her each year although i makes varius items such as 2 stuffings, and xmas pud.  The Beef Wellington sounds good and the Indian. Can't fault either. Whatever you decide - just enjoy!

basketcase

We haven't had a 'proper' Christmas Dinner for at least 30 years.  For a start, none of us likes Christmas cake, pudding or mince pies.  So we don't have them, we get a chocolate log.

As for the mains, one Christmas DS said "Can we have something different this year?  You get the turkey bit at work, I get it at school.  And we use it a lot during the year because it's cheap.  So it's not even a treat!"

I agreed.  So (being short on cash) what was a treat?  That first year it was steak (which needed some saving up!) and chips.  Since then we've had beef Wellington, salmon, a Chinese, many different sorts of picky bits or party buffets, an enormous cheese board (which was used up during January so actually quite economical), a vegetarian option - including Quorn Roast, ostrich, pizza, kangaroo, "all the trimmings" but no turkey.  To name but a few...

We just go round the supermarket - with a trolley, a ££ limit and a few ideas - and choose things that "look nice/fun".  The spirit of Christmas dinner is that it should be a treat. IMNSHO.  Something you don't have every day, or have always wanted to try, or that means something special to you.  (eg You might decide on whatever you and Mrs O had at your wedding breakfast, or on your first 'eating out' date.)

If I were you, I'd be thinking to myself what do I think is a treat?  What makes me feel, comfortable and content?  And get that.

Brie

OH's family was always very traditional Christmas feast - turkey and ham, pigs in blankets, sausage stuffing, roasters, parsnips, sprouts, peas, gravy, flaming pudding with cream, cheese, biscuits.  And all the drink to go with it.

My family was a different type of dinner (but we're not quite British) so turkey cooked with the bread stuffing inside, mash potatoes, masked swede, salad, gravy then little cakes and shortbreads.  And wine then liqueurs.  

Them my mom got bored with turkey (as did the rest of us) so we switched to other fun foods - a game feast (rabbit, venison, bear) or lobsters or roasted ham with scalloped potatoes (mom's favourite).

When OH & I married we've done some variations on the trad stuff but have mostly fallen into what his family used to do.  But occasionally have had goose instead of turkey which of course means red cabbage and apples as a side.  Once I prepped the full turducken - boned whole turkey, stuffed with duck breast, pigeon breast, bread stuffing, sausage in the middle - great fun but took a full day to prepare before cooking on the day.  

I did try to forestall it all this year by looking at the local Indian place but it's £45 each and they serve less than what they do on their normal Tuesday special for £17.  I get why the prices are so high (staff mostly which is fair) but I just can't justify it myself.  

Might look to see if the Indian has some version of their Tuesday special for Christmas eve.

Sarahspangles

Organgrinder said:

Also I'm not a big fan of Christmas dinner. So with a little over three weeks to go, I'm looking for ideas. Do you do turkey with all the trimmings? Beef Wellington? Or sit down in your local Indian restaurant?

For the last four Xmas we've either had a parent in hospital, or recently lost them. I think this year we'll be quiet again. My two 20-somethings are coming home for at least a few days. I've booked to see some garden illuminations and have ideas for other activities but can be flexible around the weather and when they can see local friends.

I'm having a trad Xmas lunch at work, OH isn't particularly bothered and the offspring are vegetarian and vegan. On Xmas Day beef or salmon wellington works well alongside whatever they are having, with some of the traditional sides. We all take it in turns in the kitchen over a few days. We might have a special dessert one day, not everything at one meal.

OH has polished off the 'tester' Xmas cake already, this year they are being fed with Grand Marnier and I'm just having a little nip of that now as I will be 'on call' over the actual holiday.

If we didn't have the plant-eaters to cater for I think we'd go to our favourite Indian, they don't even charge more, just ask you to book for one of three sittings so they can coordinate the kitchen effort.

Savvy_Sue

We started taking the boys to the local "all you can eat pan Asian" place the year I'd shattered the ball joint in my shoulder. That's quite a few years ago now, and I think they charged £25 per person, which was half the price of anywhere else that was open. It worked very well for us. Sadly it's since closed, as has the ice rink which used to do hot dogs (chargeable) and a free skate on Christmas morning - we only did that once because not all the boys were prepared to go on the ice, and I've always had more sense ... 

It wasn't that they'd have been incapable of cooking a turkey with all the trimmings, but I would have had to be 'in charge', and I just couldn't bear the thought of waiting when I called someone because it was time to do something, or watching while they manipulated said turkey. 

The following year, I asked what they'd like to do: go out, or eat at home. "Will we have to help?" asked the youngest. Err, yes ... "OK, let's go out!"

Nothing's been 'normal' for more than a year or two now: we settle on something, and then things change. DS3 goes to his mother-in-law (with his wife, I hasten to add), and I cook at either my MIL's or at DS1's on Christmas Day, then they all come to one of those on Boxing Day to eat leftovers. 

newroadahead

I don't mind turkey but if only two of us don't want you be eating until Easter.
This year my DGC are with their dad so it will be me DH, Dd and her dad so we opted for roast lamb.something we all like and I love cold lamb on boxing day. We will have the trimmings and as DD and her Ddad are here we have savoy cabbage and other green veg that my DH not very fond of.

I'm also looking forward to going out for a Christmas lunch at some point this month, as we have two birthdays this month.

Christmas Eve is always a light dinner such as ham,egg and chips (this one of my Ddad favourites when he was alive) 

Whatever anyone has I hope you all enjoy

Nebulous2

We've tried a few different options including, for meat; leg of lamb, pork, roast beef, water buffalo.

Lots of seafood, smoked salmon, prawns, smoked mackerel, pickled.  

Cold buffets - help yourself at leisure and snack for hours. With the advantage that very little prep needs to happen on the day. 

We've almost always had  Christmas pudding. I keep a bottle of brandy specifically to set it on fire. 

Very much a case of dancing to our own tune, regardless of what others think..... 

marycanary

I love Christmas dinner and the family would riot if there wasn't one. However, that's me and my family, you choose what you would like. Beef or salmon Wellington with veg and gravy/sauce sounds lovely. 

Savvy_Sue

Just a tip for those doing 'all the trimmings': after a number of years when I found the bread sauce after the rest of the meal had been consumed, I started a Little List. EVERYTHING is on it, with a rough timetable!

Organgrinder

Mrs O wants a traditional dinner. So that's what Mrs O will have.

Shame....I wanted lots of treats eg lobster tails, scallops etc.

That said..... I'm not a bad cook so it will be nice.

Fingers crossed!