What age did you start making your own Christmas dinner?

[JudasPrudy]

Ever since time began, I and the rest of my family have visited my grandparents house for Christmas dinner. DH is starting to make noises about staying home this year and to be honest I can see his point - I'm 33 and we have a 1 year old son! It just feels so wrong not to go 'home' for Christmas (although I can and will visit after dinner as they only live 30 mins away.)

When did you start cooking your own Christmas dinner? Should I start being a proper adult now at last

I'm 39. I have to do it this year for the first time. Absolutely dreading it

I was 18. I had been kicked out. Me and ex dp were living in a bedsit with 2 rooms..small oven..baby belling 2 ring cooker. We managed to pull it together.
Now i cook for all the family xmas day.
Last year i had my 4 children, my dp, my ex dp(father of my 4 kids) and dss, then at tea time we have dp brother his wife,mom, and their kids. I make a buffet at tea time.

I’m 45 and have never cooked Christmas dinner. I’ve not been to my parents’ for years though. We either host (husband cooks) or go to my sister’s

Never and I’m 39. I’ve openly said I’m planning on being the generation that doesn’t. My dad is a fantastic cook so we always go there and my daughter is shaping up the same way so once he gives up, I reckon she’ll take over. I’ll buy stuff, I’ll set tables, I’ll even tidy up afterwards.... but I’ve never yet got a roast right and I’m not ruining Christmas dinner!

25 just stdh and I since then cooked for us, family, dds and friends. It seems to be getting bigger and crazier but since I only "do" people on Christmas Day and Halloween the bigger the better.

27 and haven't made one yet.. this year may be my first

First time 28 then every year since 30

I was 20 when I cooked my first Christmas Dinner. Living in London with dh who worked for emergancy services and was working for part of the day.

About 16, with my mother before I left home at 18 and did it myself. If I go to hers now I always cook it (I'm 37) because she hates doing it. If I stay at home I do it too, I like it.

I"m wondering the very same this year. Due our first baby in January.

Usually we go to dps family and have done for the last 6 years but their 'dinner' is at the same time my family do their 'party tea'. I have lots of brothers and nieces and nephews and every year miss out on the family party as by the time dinner is served at dps and we get to my familys the kids are getting ready to go as its after 6pm and they want to be home to their toys.

I am already thinking it wont be fair on our baby or my family next year if she is not involved so thinking next year we may do our own.

I think this year will be my first at age 36. DH died last year so it'll just be me and my 3 year old

@NoArmaniNoPunani i'm so sorry i hope the day is kind to you and you.

30, first married Christmas.
Cooked it every other year since then for the in-laws at ours, and last year at my Mums also.

Mince pies have been mine since I was about 18 and Granny couldn't make them any more in big enough quantities.

From when I got married at 21 for many many years.
I'm on my own now, so it's a very different event.

NoArmaniNoPunani Kindest thoughts to you.

I was 33 and it was the only time. DH and I did it together as we had a 6 week old velcro baby and a 3 year old. We couldn't be bothered with dragging DC across the country to relatives for the day so stayed at home. Usually I am at work so either miss Christmas dinner or finish work in the early afternoon and go to my in-laws just in time for dinner

I'm 30 with two children and still go to my grandparents house! My mum goes too nowadays.

I have cooked a Christmas meal just for the 4 of us but not actually on Christmas Day.

Have only done it twice and I am 54 year s old.

First one was when I was 19, parsnips were raw and forgot to take the bag of giblets out 😀

For me it was the first year I owned my own house so I was 31 when I had all my family round for Christmas

I'm 37 and have never made it. We used to go to my aunties and now go to my MILs but my DH does alot of the cooking there. I mostly drink bucks fizz 😁

I used to do it some years when I lived at home. But properly started at 29(?) when first dc was 2, we don’t live near my family and it was assumed we would always go to pil’s for Christmas as they live around the corner. Did that a few times but it wasn’t fair on the dcs to be opening their presents and then being bundled out of the house for dinner at lunch time and ended up with everyone feeling rushed and upset/stressed.

It’s also very hard being the partner who has to fit in with the other family’s Christmas Day traditions, unless they’re not the rigid types, one of the other reasons we stopped going was that it made me feel alienated. We wanted to start our own version of Christmas Day that has bits of what I used to do with my family and what dp has done with his. It’s more laid back and we all have more time for each other. We do see pil’s over Christmas but both dp and I have only a couple of days off work so we prioritise our time with the dcs.

I’m not doing turkey this year, no one likes it but we have it for tradition. I’ll be doing roast beef this year. I think it makes better left overs.

I'm 34 and never done it. We've had it an our house twice, once because I was working and once when DS was tiny, but DH cooked those. Rest of the time at parents/in-laws.

Never made one yet. I’m mid 40’s

I was 23 when i had my 1st Christmas with my husband. Then we stayed home every Christmas apart from 2001 when i was pregnant with DD1 and mum wanted to cook for us. But we always stay home. Now we dont have anyone to host ys and we like it that way.

We were just talking about this yesterday. When ours grow up and have their own kids we do not expect them to host us. If they wanted to, fine. I dont want it to become an annual “your time to have them over” 🙄 when they could be doing something of their own. What we had was a hand me down and DH driving to and fro every bloody Christmas, breaking up a day when we had 3 young kids.

Weve been there.

28, my children were 5 and 2 by that point, going home was a long journey and the previous year had been exhausting travelling to see everyone. We found the children didnt like travelling and got hyper, I loved Christmas at home as a child. I've done Christmas ever since, I love it. It's just a roast dinner with extra bits and I do roast dinner every weekend anyway!