Is it strange that I’ve never cooked a Christmas dinner at 36?

I agree, when I'm having people over I want to do it my way myself but I will accept help cleaning up after or handing out the dessert .

because some of us had parents / have in-laws who absolutely point blank refuse any help and insist we sit back and relax?

the joy in Christmas for my MIL is having all the family round and everyone enjoying themselves while her and FIL “look after us”.

why is this so baffling to so many posters??

Didn’t cook one until my early 50s. Always went to my Mums.

Never helped cook one nor cleaned up afterwards either….. we get “shoo’ed” out of the kitchen if we try!

Never cooked one and I’m 44.

Go to PILs and have done every year since DH and I moved in together in 2000!

Well aren’t you delightful!

I think I cooked my first one when I was 28. DH (then DP) and I hosted his parents in the flat we just bought - literally, we'd been in about 10 days. We were hosting, plus his DM (who I loved and miss terribly) was a self-confessed terrible cook and his DF wouldn't know where to start, so DH and I did it together.

However, I've never cooked turkey. No one really loves it, I'm veggie, and we're usually 4 adults or less, so it seems silly. We're doing beef this year, and have done duck and lamb in the past.

Dsis is about your age never done it , has her own home married kids etc. I have been doing it since I bought my own home at 20 so 23 years ish . I love cooking so it's not a chore to me but she's not into it and goes to our dps. Horses for courses in my opinion really.

I’m 61 and have never cooked one. My husband always does it.

It always makes me amazed how so many women say their husband never cooks day to day yet manages to cook the most important meal of the year bizarre!

Lots of men cook daily. I doubt there are any who only cook on Xmas Day.

Sorry, I don't think I read your post in the tone it was intended!

I cooked my first one at about 36. Up to then my mum, then my sister, then my MIL had cooked. I’d been married about 4 years when MIL said she’d had enough of cooking for everyone so DH and I took over. After about 4 Christmases I’d had enough and for the last decade or so DH has cooked it and I sous chef. It’s not that it’s hard it’s just that it’s usually 12 to 14 people and all his side of the family!

It always makes me amazed how so many women say their husband never cooks day to day yet manages to cook the most important meal of the year bizarre! But to answer question yes I have cooked a few especially since my mum died so hosting again this year .

I was just having a conversation with you, apologies I thought that was what forums were for.

So clearly you are contributing on the day 🤷‍♀️ I covered my thoughts on that in the last few sentences of my posy.

Someone should tell my parents and in laws that, they just turn up every and get hosted! We pay for everything, I get their drinks and wait on them, DH cooks and serves while I entertain everyone, including my own three young children, I clean up afterwards. It’s been the same for 12 years.
Just because I have never personally cooked a Christmas dinner, doesn’t mean I have no idea about the cost and effort of hosting on Christmas Day. We’d love someone else to offer to host one year.

I'm 48 and I've never cooked one either, I can't imagine I ever will tbh. I realised last week I've also never mown the lawn 🤷‍♀️

Completely agree!
This must by why so many people on here say 'oh its just a simple roast!'. They have no idea, especially if they just show up and eat it.
I usually feed 8+ people from a very bog standard kitchen with a very average sized oven. From the very average sized oven comes a large turkey, large gammon, home made roast potatoes, at least three different veg (usually including honey roasted carrots/parsnips) stuffing/yorkshire puds and two starters (some people don't like the 'main' starter) and dessert. I don't know about the majority of mumsnetters but I am certainly not doing that on a weekly basis!
My grandmother was the Christmas day cook in our house and from being very small I was expected to help (family business ran 24/7 365 days a year so my parents didn't have time for cooking an elaborate meal) so by my teen years I could confidently cook the meal myself if I had too. One of my last and fondest memories of my grandmother is of her sitting in her little chair giving her 'instructions' whilst I made the dinner from her kitchen, she would have been 82 at the time and she loved 'making' dinner for the whole family.
I think the question I would ask of the thirty-somethings that happily go to their parents every year for the 'simple roast' is could you cook it if you had to? If mum/dad (whoever normally cooks) was ill/incapacitated for some reason could you provide a meal of the same standard? Are you aware how much a Christmas dinner can cost to host? (Our turkey comes from the butcher and costs approx £90 then everything else on top of that). There isn't anything inherently wrong with not cooking /hosting the meal but I think if you are happy to benefit from other people's hospitality you should at least be able to be useful in the kitchen or making a contribution in some way.

Many folk do all that plus make dinner.

49 and never made a Christmas dinner. I do everything else though, all the shopping, wrapping, decorating etc.

Only on mumsnet the internet can I find the rarest breed of folk that I can absolutely feel comfortable with or make me want to exit the earth.
That's to say, I love that I'm not the only 54 year old that has never cooked a Christmas dinner in my life 🥹. I don't feel so weirdly guilty now, so thank you all 🙏.

I think you're very lucky to have always been catered for tbh.

I do think if parents are doing the cooking there should come a point when the younger ones cook … It could all be done at the bigger family home (for example, a joint effort by siblings), but it’s nice to take care of your parents and spoil them on Christmas Day, at least occasionally.

I'm 60 and never cooked one. I've been a veggie for over 40 years though... 🤣

I have never either and I'm 38 same we go to my parents or in-laws.
Though im in Australia so not much cooking gets done all cold meats and salads and seafood no actual cooking on Christmas it's all precooked by parents or inlaws or
brought cold.
Occasionally I'll bring a dessert and cook that but I'm not a good cook at all so usually buy one.