Was my Christmas Day "abstemious"?

Also the lesser known arsenious and caesious.

Sounds fine to me! Quite prescribed in what people were allowed to drink but maybe everyone likes the same things.
We start with a glass of bubbly of some
sort once everyone has arrived at around 12:30 then people drink what they want when they want it. There was wine at
dinner but equally my husband doesn’t drink wine so people had beers of various sorts. Nobody was steaming by bed time!

My word that sounds like a lovely family Christmas that you obviously put lots of work into. I would’ve been delighted at what sound like a beautiful relaxed happy time. Personally, I’d ignore her. It might not her “expectation” but if you and those you really care about were happy then so what!!
ps where do you live? I’m coming to your Xmas this year as it sounds delightful!! (Joking!!) x

Sounds nice if this is your style, personally my husband and I plus our family would have started with mimosa and bellinis and canapes for adults and teas would be offered move to wine and champagne at dinner (at least 4 courses) dessert wines and pud and ports would be with cheeses followed by more cocktails but the day is very free flowing alcohol and food and we always offer loads of variety of drinks to cater to everyone but if your not drinkers I wouldn't expect you to do the same. I am an avid cocktail drinker so every social event I take the Ingredients for my cocktails and happily make and drink them all night . From what you have written I would describe it as abstemious, but that's because I come from a house that does everything to the extreme. It sounds like a formal day and very chilled out some people have a bit of a party style Christmas and it sounds like the young lady that made these comments comes from that style home. Don't worry about it, everyone does Christmas differently and if your hosting it's your style. If she's not a fan she can go elsewhere next year.

@SecretSoul That's an interesting point actually. I don't drink anymore, perhaps that's why the Christmas Day amount offered by OP seemed a lot to me. I'm with you, I don't see my lack of drinking as particularly virtuous, but a lot of people do see it as some sort of moral failing if you like a drink.

As an aside, that sounds A LOT of stuff you've got going on. I hope you get some time to pour into your own cup this year. :)

In our house Christmas alcohol starts early with Buck's Fizz or some dilute alcohol like punch on present opening. Only on Christmas Day though. I'd have been offering gin fizz or/ and tea and coffee on arrival

I've never drunk. Always felt I had to be the one to keep my wits about me and I was always the driver. It was the 60s and most friends became single parents and really struggled. I struggled but in a different way and got a home together and later fostered my "daughter".

Maybe.

But also it’s probably also impacted by how much you normally drink.

I rarely drink these days. I’m a carer - DM has cerebral palsy and lives in an annexe attached to my house, and my two DC are both autistic, one of whom has high needs and will never live independently.

For this reason I can’t ever afford to be drunk. I need to be able to provide care 24/7, even if I’m over the driving limit. (By that I mean capable of providing care in the home even if I couldn’t drive anywhere).

Pre-children I’d absolutely enjoy having a good drink, and had many hangovers as a result 😂

Now, I have a glass of wine on a Saturday roughly every couple of months or so. I just don’t have the time/opportunity to sit and relax very often. And a single glass of wine affects me (to my eternal shame).

If I drunk the equivalent of a bottle of wine with gin fizz, champagne, red wine, and port (all described by OP), I’d be off my face 😂😂😂

Younger me would be mortified by what a lightweight I am now 😂🤷‍♀️

I don’t see my lack of drinking capacity as virtuous or superior - which is normally what the MN chicken debate implies. I’m just not used to it any more, No one would be eating Christmas dinner if I were drinking all day because I’d be asleep under the kitchen table 😂😂😂

Looks like Christmas Day booze is the new Mumsnet chicken.

That’s one of my favourites

Isnt the expression “when the sun is over the yard arm”? Which is 11am in nautical circles.

It’s about 10 units of alcohol consumed in a day.

Me too. What a fun fact.

@Residentnumber1 Perhaps you also had the same teacher as me, who never missed the opportunity to trot out this factoid?!

Thank you so much. Learning that today has genuinely delighted me.

Facetious

I love that. What’s the other one?

This thread is the perfect audience for the fun fact that "abstemious" is one of only two words in the English language to include all 5 vowels only once and in the right order (aeiou).

11am is “generally” considered an appropriate time to start boozing?
In your family, maybe. I don’t know why you’ve decided it’s a general custom, though.

Firstly, because if you’re waiting until it’s an ‘appropriate’ time, that time is generally considered to be 11am. Secondly, because it’s Christmas! Did you not read the thread about what people had for breakfast on Boxing Day? It’s the time of year when everyone is much more relaxed about what they eat and drink.

Sounds like the day was a big success and you (and guests) enjoyed yourself. Great that even at Christmas time (when “tradition” is prioritised) we can still be open to new ways of doing things. Maybe girlfriend will be introducing her family to new ways of celebrating in future years.

Is it? (Just funny to wait until 12 to serve alcohol). That’s what we do. What is so funny about it?

You’ve “known people to have Bucks Fizz at breakfast?” I’ve not know anyone to have Bucks Fizz in the afternoon. I had always thought of it (like a Bloody Mary) as a form of alcohol intended for morning drinking.

I drink it in the evening.

You’ve “known people to have Bucks Fizz at breakfast?” I’ve not know anyone to have Bucks Fizz in the afternoon. I had always thought of it (like a Bloody Mary) as a form of alcohol intended for morning drinking.

I don’t drink. I don’t think it matters whether you do or don’t, Christmas is about celebration and if you’re going to provide alcohol you need to make it good and make it plentiful. That doesn’t mean shots it means a good quality and variety of alcohol throughout the day that’s freely offered.

Waiting until 12 to serve alcohol on Christmas Day is just funny. As is I have known people to have a buck's fizz at breakfast and there's nothing wrong with that if they want it but each to their own.