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

When we moved overseas (25) though now we live in the U.K. my parents come to us or we go to them. Eating dinner just the three of us felt all wrong even though we had no choice. That said the first time I cooked dinner I was 12, my mum was quite unwell for a few months and wanted to be home, then came down worse on Christmas Eve, my dad is a terrible cook (my aunt came to help but she was far too late and I had prepped everything). Still quite proud of cooking for 14 then, makes the 8 this year seem nothing

I’ve done it every year bar 1 since I was 25. The first year we had a couple of practice runs!

Since ds was born, so about 34. We took the view that over-excited tots don't travel well and as both sets of grandparents are so far away it means xmas eve to boxing day we said all welcome, Christmas at ours . ILs took us up on it; mine are hapoy at home. That was 25 years ago.

22. It was our first Christmas in our home together and with our baby. I now also host mil so she's not alone on Christmas day

When I was married and had two sides of the family to consider as well as work responsibilities and toddlers. About 30 yo.As many family as possible come to us and have done most years for 25 or do. I love doing it although the numbers are dwindling.

I never have, but I don’t go ‘home’ for Christmas dinner. DH has cooked for the past 9 years.

35 and still never made it as I always go to my mum's.

(It was my dad before that)

In fact I’m 34 and have never cooked a standard roast! DH does the vast majority of the cooking here.

Aged 19 and newly married.

I'm ashamed to say I never cooked before I left home, DM did everything for us.

It's only a Sunday dinner, at the end of the day. My only mistake was making too much food; DM used to get a fifteen pound turkey to feed eight people. And it never occurred to us to buy a smaller one .

The year DC was 3, I was 35. It was just too much messing around.
Before that we were forced to go to my parents by my domineering mum.
I worried for ages how to tell her and of
course when I did she had a major meltdown and went on and on about how I had wrecked her Christmas even though I had I invited everyone to us. The year after, my dsis stopped going and the year after that my db had a child and stayed home too. My mum refused all of our invitations, including pick them up/collecting them etc. Since then we have had our wonderful
in-laws on Christmas Day and meet up with dsis and dB on Boxing Day it's lovely.

I’ve cooked one Christmas dinner, grudgingly for PILS when I was 35. I’m 46 now. DH volunteered me for it. He’s never done it since.

I don’t like Christmas dinner (don’t like Sunday dinner either really) so I don’t want to spend my day cooking something I’m not going to eat myself.

As soon as I had my own house. 19. It's just a roast dinner with some crackers and Christmassy decorations!

I am nearly 60 and never have.

It's just a roast dinner with some crackers and Christmassy decorations!

Exactly, and that’s why DH does it! We rarely have a roast but when we do DH cooks it, so he does Christmas too.

25 I think

I'm 41 and this year will be the first year that DH and i have hosted Christmas in our own home. My parents are coming over. I have cooked Christmas dinners before but always at my parents home. This year I'm 100% in control and can't wait.

21 and ive cooked every year bar 1. Im now 41. Ive no extended family bar my mother and my ex was a lazy arsed bastard.

About 33. I discovered I was really good at it . Much prefer Christmas Day in my own home now.

i’m 26 and i still sleep at my mum and dad’s on christmas eve with my partner and 3 kids! so does my sister and her 2! we stay christmas eve till new year and love it. i wouldn’t want a christmas dinner that wasn’t my mum’s - and think my partner and kids would agree!

First time I was 30, did a mini version last yr (37) and will do a full version this year.

We have ended up alternating Christmases between my parents (my mum is incredibly resistant to travelling elsewhere for Christmas and is coming to us this year reluctantly) and SIL (who also will not travel at christmas).

Even though DH and I will be cooking, it'll be more relaxed than at other people's houses.

38 and have made 1! Would like Xmas at home but also miss my family when I don't go so it's a tricky one. Me and dp also almost always have Xmas separately him at his parents and me at mine.

About 13 I guess. Mum and Dad worked most Christmas days so all cooking was down to me.

31 because all of the suitably matriarchal members of the family died off and I have become the one everyone comes too.
I love cooking though and look forward to it. My sister decorated the table with the kids, my Pils come every second year and bring pudding with them. dh is my sous chef.
My sister's bf annoys me as he arrives and sits on his arse waiting to be waited on. 5 years later he has realised it doesn't work like that but still need prompting to do anything.

I'm 48 and have made Christmas dinner a grand total of 4 times. My husband has also made it 4 times. The rest of the time we usually eat in a pub or restaurant, a handful of times we've been to family members to eat but usually it's the pub.