What time do you eat at Xmas day?

[supercaliforniasurfer]

We usually eat at 3ish, but was debating about moving it to lunchtime this year as it sometimes feels a bit late for the DC.

Just wondered what other people do?

Currently
9ish - breakfast
3pm - the big dinner
7pm - buffet

I think dinner/buffet are too close together at the mo.

[anyoldname76]

breakfast around 8ish, (if chocolate counts as breakfast ), Christmas dinner at 1, buffet from 5 onwards

[Juanbablo]

Breakfast around 8
Lunch (the big roast) about 1
Light tea around 6 for anyone who wants it (cheese, crackers, fruit)

[OvO]

5pm.

Any earlier and no ones properly hungry and any later then it messes up timings - pudding is an hour after dinner plus a couple of hours are needed for playing board games. Then the lying on the sofa watching telly with the giant tin of chocs.

I don't like eating our main meal at lunchtime as then it feels like the main stuff is over (food and presents) and I feel a bit flat, iykwim.

[Dementedswan]

We don't usually have ours until 5ish. Everyone gets to choose their own breakfast around 9.30 ish. Then we spend the day playing with toys. Main meal around five, then wind down with a film. I've got young dc though and found that works best for us. They are just not interested in eating a big meal whilst there is present opening to be done.

[CharminglyGawky]

Breakfast 8-9ish
Lunch 1ish
Dinner 6-7ish but that's flexible as it's just sandwiches!

We don't open any presents until after lunch and the queen's speech. Well other than stockings of course they are opened first thing. It works really well with kids as it spreads the day out more I find and a really long lunch at 1ish normally has us all done and cleaned up just in time for the Queen!

[ladypie21]

We do a starter at around 11.30/12 (smoked salmon or similar for us, fruit pancake for kids!!) then we have dinner 3-4ish and pudding around 6. Works for us while kids are small.when they're bigger we'll probably pull it back to 2ish

[katienana]

Breakfast during present time usually croissants and fruit salad. So from about 7.30. Dinner at 1. Turkey sandwiches at about 8. Everyone sorts their own. DC can have theirs earlier of course.

[IfartInYourGeneralDirection]

Breakfast about 7:30- nothing big

Christmas dinner at about 1-2ish

Turkey and stuffing sandwiches at about 8ish

[itlypocerka]

When we are in our own home, we have a massive brunch around 9am-10am then have the main meal around 5pm. Littlies get a snack lunch (cheese, crackers, hard boiled egg, veg sticks) to keep them going at around 1. 5pm meal takes till at least 7pm to eat so then kids go to bed. After kids asleep there's pudding and cheese and biscuits for the grownups.

At 1 set of relatives: eat at 12:30 exactly the same meal that is served at exactly 12:30 any other Sunday in the year, but substitute normal chicken for turkey cuts in honour of the special day.

At the other set - we are assured that lunch will be served at 1:30 but it is usually about 4pm. Not allowed to give kids a meal earlier because lunch is "any minute now" so they fill up on junk from the boxes of chocolate biscuits and bowls of crisps on every coffee table, and become nightmarish to cope with.

[Gatehouse77]

Breakfast keeps changing courtesy of having teenagers!

Lunch 1–2pm but we we break between main and pudding to open presents.

Supper - DIY so whenever

[tigerdriverII]

Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast at 11ish

Champagne and presents around noon

Champagne

Dinner around 3.30, when it's starting to get dark

Bed

Supper around 8ish and lots of cheap chocolate

Second wind

Nibbles

Bed

[IssyStark]

When I lived at home with the parents (even when I was little)
Breakfast around 9.30/10-ish
Cheeseboard around 1-ish
Main evening 7pm

Before kids:
Breakfast 9-ish
Lunch (for piles of friends): 2-ish
Cheeseboard: 8-ish

With kids:
Breakfast: 8.30-9-ish
Starter: noon
Main course: 2-ish
Pudding: around Doctor Who time

Personally I like it as an evening meal, but other half was brought up with a lunchtime meal. May try pushing it a bit further back this year.

[Palomb]

About 4 here. My mil told me 1pm was traditional.. Is that right? At 1 I still want to be wafting around in my pyjamas full of smoked salmon bagels and selection pack chocolates.

Most Sunday's we only eat twice.. Late breakfast and early tea. I couldn't be arsed to cook thrice on a special day.

[supercaliforniasurfer]

Thank you - think we will go for stockings & breakfast early, then a 1pm lunch and do family presents after. Will break the day up more too.

[Palomb]

And also, in the winter the later you are the more candles matter! I do not want to eat my Christmas dinner in bring sunshine. So absolutly wrong.

[NicknameUsed]

We tried having Christmas dinner in the evening and it wasn't the same. I was so full I couldn't sleep.

There are only three of us so we eat breakfast at breakfast time and dinner at about 1ish. I tend to find that after that I'm not hungry until about 8.30, I don't understand how anyone can eat a massive Christmas dinner and then be hungry again at 5. We tend to graze on leftovers on Christmas day evening.

[FoofFighter]

Breakfast around 8-9am, lunch at 1pm, pudding course about 4pm, pate/cheese/crackers etc to pick at around 8pm.

[ClashCityRocker]

Breakfast - we skip as we visit family and there's nibbles and stuff there - so will usually be nibbling between 10 - 12. I say nibbles, but it's usually quite substantial, so constitutes brunch IMO.

Dinner at 5pm

Then later will be snacks, cheese, leftovers - nothing cooked and just help yourself.

Growing up my mum used to do a fry up breakfast, dinner for 1 and full huge buffet for 6. I enjoy cooking the dinner but wouldn't want to spend that long in the kitchen, and don't think I could face a full lunch so soon after a big breakfast nowadays.

I like eating after dark so you can have the full effect of the candles and Christmas lights.

Plus everyone's more pissed so it's more fun! (We don't have DCs joining us).

[Allalonenow]

8ish Breakfast with fizz

12:30ish Lunch something light, smoked salmon sandwich or pate & toast

6ish Hot nibbles, fizz followed by dinner, usually a roast though never turkey, or sometimes steak or venison.

No children or in-laws to consider.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es]

DCs 10 and 12. Breakfast around 9 (croissants or similar), nibbles around 12 instead of a starter, dinner (main course only) around 2.30, pudding in the evening if anyone wants it, they usually don't though. Crackers and cheese etc available in the evening but never usually eaten.

[elQuintoConyo]

Round here 3pm IS lunchtime

We used to do: bteaky about 8/9; lunch 2/3; dinner 8 (small and picky).

DS is now 5yo and I don't want to rush around in the morning and miss enjoying watching him play with his presents. So breakfast at 8/9; fruit and sambos for lunch around 1; dinner at 6 with in-laws (thankfully they are lovely).

We can spend more time relaxing in our pyjamas, playing with gifts, preparing some of the more difficult/fiddley food, washing up lunch, having a shower. Much more relaxed.

Christmas Eve is ALWAYS a party: pass the parcel, charadrs, jelly, Ritz crackers and Babybell/Philadelphia, pineapple and cheese on sticks, trifle etc. And we wear party clothes, it is great fun! (We invite DS' same-age cousin). My parents did this with me and my sister and I have such great memories of Christmas Eve

[TheFear]

Amazed by how many of you eat Christmas dinner at lunchtime! Dunno how you could have it all cooked in time.

Our usual timeframe is the same as both of our parents before us.
Breakfast is usually late - 10 maybe - pancakes or smoked salmon with scrambled eggs.
Kids get some kind of selection box (is that just an Irish thing?) and end up gorging on sweets anyway.

Usually have some kind of snack lunch or we are out in other's houses for a christmas drink and nibbles.

Dinner generally 5pm or later, I usually host a large group that arrives around 3pm for drinks and pate/ crackers etc followed by a 4 course meal over a number of hours.

[TheFear]

Should note that kids are 9 and 8; the gang that comes over for dinner all have older kids (teens).