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From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

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From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Christmas

Does anyone have their Christmas lunch in the evening?

49 replies

headfairy · 19/12/2011 19:23

I've been vaguely wondering why we have to sit and stuff our faces during the few hours of daylight... we always talk about going for a lovely Christmas day walk, but we rush through present opening, some of us dash off to church, then we all rush around to my mum and dad's so we can have our Christmas lunch (usually only three or four hours after breakfast) and then rush to unwrap a few more presents by which time the daylight's gone.

I'm quite tempted to suggest to my mum we have a more relaxed morning opening our presents at our various homes, have a nice relaxing bath/shower/whatever and get dressed in a relaxed fashion (rather than frantically throwing clothes on and screeching at the kids to hurry up)... go to mass actually being able to say hello and Happy Christmas to our friends before sauntering on a nice walk finally coming home for Christmas "lunch" at about 6pm. I'm sure it would make for a much more enjoyable day.

Anyone else do this?

OP posts:

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TheTinselsTheWrongColour · 19/12/2011 19:26

the only time I ever did this is due to the turkey still being frozen,so we went to the pub,I got completely plastered and then had to try to cook the full lunch whilst off my chops

not being very helpful am I ??? but it was brilliant :o

TheProvincialLady · 19/12/2011 19:26

That's what we do, though you can't call it lunch . It seems daft to rush through the morning just so you can eat a meal you aren't ready for, and then feel sleepy and useless for the rest of the day. We get up, do stockings, have breakfast, go to church, open presents, have a light sandwich lunch then go for a walk and play with presents etc, then cook and eat the massive meal.

Puffykins · 19/12/2011 19:29

Yes, we used to, before my sisters and I started producing babies. I used to love having it in the evening. The only issue was going to bed feeling very full, and then getting up in the morning still full..... As eating your own bodyweight isn't compulsory though, you could avoid this part....

LatteLady · 19/12/2011 19:31

Yes, we eat at about 5.00pm, means we can see family during the morning and have a leisurely run up to the meal.

angelpantser · 19/12/2011 19:35

We also eat at about 5. It's lovely and relaxed and because it's dark we can have the fairy lights and candles lit.

anonEnormousJuicybird · 19/12/2011 19:35

Yes, we will eat the main event around 5-6 or so I suspect. Always eat after dark on Christmas Day

We have breakfast, and this year are having Oysters at "lunch" time and a leisurely afternoon prior to big eat and collapse.

SantaAteAllTheBiscuits · 19/12/2011 19:36

We stay home til 3/4 pm and then head to my parents. Starter is usually on the table for 8ish if we're lucky, mains dinner at 9ish.

But we're continental freaks (we don't even eat turkey ) so this is normal to us.... my family never ate til 7 or later when I was growing up and now due to having their shop open til 10pm my parents never have dinner much before half 10!

Avantia · 19/12/2011 19:37

We eat about 4pm - not such made rush .

nulgirl · 19/12/2011 19:39

We have Xmas lunch at 5-6pm. Always have done as we go for drinks and nibbles to my uncle and aunts at lunchtime. Means we see the whole family (30 of us in total) and then break off into our separate groups for the main meal. We eat dinner then have a break for an hour or so and eat dessert in the evening with various random friends joining us. Always thought this was the perfect way to spend the day as there is no pressure and the kids can enjoy a lazy morning playing with new toys.

headfairy · 19/12/2011 19:57

Oh i'm definitely going to suggest that. I'm not even that bothered if we don't do anything for lunch as we usually have croissants, pain au choc, bacon sarnies etc for breakfast. More like brunch really. Your christmases all sound much more relaxed than our frantic dashes.

OP posts:

beanandspud · 19/12/2011 19:59

We have lunch/dinner around 5pm - it just feels much more relaxed and like angel I love having fairy lights and candles after dark.

We generally do stockings, have a big breakfast and then everyone gets showered and dressed. Then we open the other presents, play with them and start the veggies and turkey. Just have a mince pie or some nibbles at lunchtime, go for a walk and then dinner at 5pm.

CrispLeCrisp · 19/12/2011 20:01

We are going for 5pm Xmas eve to avoid all the panic, stuffedness and over eating.

Llareggub · 19/12/2011 20:02

Last year we had our starter for lunch and our main course around 5pm, which left plenty of time between to digest our food and create room for more. It was the most relaxed Christmas I've ever known, and we're going to do it again this year. At the moment my children are 5 and 2, so it works perfectly for us.

wordfactory · 19/12/2011 20:02

When I was a child we used to eat around four but I was always either atarving because I was only allowed a tiny lunch so as not to fill myself up, or not hungry because I had sneaked too much chocolate etc.

And the adults were always pissed by dinner time.

wordfactory · 19/12/2011 20:03

I should say that I now seve lunch at 2pm.
Which has cause great consternation...

changeforthebetter · 19/12/2011 20:09

Yes, pre-kids and when mine were babies (once they were in bed, I could drink wine relax ). This year, Xmas "lunch" will be 5pm on Xmas Eve as they go to their father's on Xmas Day.

I don't like being bound to fixed traditions and will happily move the meal around. I cooked Xmas dinner twice to accommodate a dingbat, but nice rellie who lost his passport so missed the dinner on 25 December. I remember my poor, old mum getting very het up and pissed off trying to get a meal on the table for 1pm while the blokes went to the pub . That was the sexist 70s though, not a chance anyone would get away with that Chez Change

Waswondering · 19/12/2011 20:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheSecondComing · 19/12/2011 20:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pseudonymity · 19/12/2011 20:12

It is meant to be at about 2 or 3 pm isn't it? Queen's speech-ish time non?

RandomMess · 19/12/2011 20:13

Ours is served by the PILS about 3.30pm to fit in with the pubs shutting

lambethlil · 19/12/2011 20:17

Another evening mealer here. Definitely takes the pressure off the day.

EvaPeron · 19/12/2011 20:19

We always used to have ours in the evening of Xmas eve. My DM then (quite understandably) refused to cook on Xmas day at all, so we'd eat leftover turkey in sandwiches, cake and chocolate!

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chipmunksex · 19/12/2011 20:20

I don't understand why this would be better?

I don't really relax until after Christmas lunch, so I aim for us to eat about 1ish.

RandomMess · 19/12/2011 20:25

I'm all for a big buffet everyone bring something but FIL demands the full works and MIL goes along with him...

DCs never eat anything as they've stuffed themselves with the rubbish and we're all a bit pissed as been drinking on empty tummies.

earlyriser · 19/12/2011 20:27

Ours used to be around 3.30pm, after the Queen's speech, now we do starters at noon, then main about 4

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