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Original poster

Christmas “dinner” - can someone explain please?

160 replies

Notcontent · 27/12/2020 11:28

I am not British although I have lived in the U.K. for some time now. For me, the main meal on Christmas Day has always been lunch. This would normally be at 1 pm or or a bit later.

On mumsnet I see a lot of people talk about having Christmas dinner, but at round 3 pm or later. Is this like a cross between lunch and dinner? I find this quite confusing...

OP posts:

Pamperedpet · 27/12/2020 12:17

We eat ours at 4ish usually. Mainly because it's nicer when it's darker. We don't really eat anything much before that. People can have some chocolate, or a piece of toast or croissant, but no other actual meals on Christmas Day for us.

dementedpixie · 27/12/2020 12:21

I always have breakfast, lunch and dinner - it is governed by time of day not size of meal.

Our Christmas Dinner is in the evening

QueenOfLabradors · 27/12/2020 12:23

'Dinner' has been moving around timing wise continuously, in mediaeval times it seems to have been around midday in all households from royalty down to serfs. Probably because in winter the cooks needed natural light to see what they were doing, and in summer you might as well stick to the same timings as that's what people's tummies were used to.

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ScrapThatThen · 27/12/2020 12:24

It's regional, and very debatable as you can see!

ScrapThatThen · 27/12/2020 12:26

I grew up in the South East Upper middle class and on a day to day basis we had lunch and dinner (tea would mean afternoon tea or morning tea or maybe a light 'nursery supper'. We would have said Christmas Lunch and had it at any time from 1-4.

WalkingMeAway · 27/12/2020 12:27

I don’t think there’s a ‘rule’. Most people I see eat early between 1-3pm followed by an evening buffet. We don’t really enjoying eating our ‘dinner’ that early so have a big breakfast at 11am then dinner at 5pm. Followed by cheese and biscuits around 8pm.

FestiveFruitloop · 27/12/2020 12:29

@BertieBotts

Dinner in the UK just means the main meal of the day, it could be at lunchtime (commonly working class) or the evening meal. If you have dinner at midday your evening meal is called tea and would probably be lighter. If you have dinner in the evening your lunch would be the midday meal.

'Commonly working class' is an outdated stereotype imho. I'm from a working-class background and I don't know anyone who eats their main meal at lunchtime. I think that used to be more when people worked in factories/heavy manual jobs and needed the sustenance at lunchtime.

Nanny0gg · 27/12/2020 12:34

@Notcontent

I am not British although I have lived in the U.K. for some time now. For me, the main meal on Christmas Day has always been lunch. This would normally be at 1 pm or or a bit later.

On mumsnet I see a lot of people talk about having Christmas dinner, but at round 3 pm or later. Is this like a cross between lunch and dinner? I find this quite confusing...

Some people call the main meal of the day Dinner. Can be eaten at lunchtime but usually evening. Others call it Tea (if in the evening) although that is usually a lighter meal. Lunch is always middle of the day but can be big meal or sandwiches.

Then there's Supper...

(Regional variations may apply)

Hmmph · 27/12/2020 12:35

Confusingly we have Sunday lunch and Christmas dinner. At the same time of day and same food!

Gwenhwyfar · 27/12/2020 12:36

In my family the aim was normal lunch time so around 12.30 or 1pm but sometimes the turkey wouldn't be ready.
I think people sometimes have it later just because of the amount of time it takes a a big turkey to cook.
I also think some of us have everything happening later on a weekend than on a weekday, those of us who are childless anyway might go to bed later, get up later, have lunch later, etc.

Axlcat · 27/12/2020 12:38

7pm for us. Much less stress and far more enjoyable not to have to rush.

WhereverIGoddamnLike · 27/12/2020 12:39

We have christmas dinner around 7pm. The same time we have any other dinner.
Midday meal is called lunch. Evening meal is called dinner. I cant abide the dinner and tea people.

BarbaraofSeville · 27/12/2020 12:40

Dinner is the main meal of the day, whether you eat at lunchtime or evening

Maybe where you are, but some of us have breakfast, dinner and tea with no rules about which is the main meal of the day, and possibly with no significant difference in size, temperature or ingredients between any of the meals.

Coquohvan · 27/12/2020 12:41

When my DH Italian mother was alive, it would be Christmas Eve. Arrive about 10pm help set table do bits for her while eating antipasto and drinking wine while it’s cooking. Then presents & meal. Miss those days.
Now our house on 25th, family come over from noon open presents nibble antipasto. I try to aim for 1-2 usually 3pm. Desserts from 5pm ish cheese 7pm ish party food 10pm ish.
Hopefully next year!

imnottoofussed · 27/12/2020 12:43

Just to say dinner in the northwest is the mid day meal and isn't the biggest meal of the day. We have breakfast, dinner and tea. The evening meal of tea is the biggest meal of the day still, not sure why people think the mid day one would be bigger just because we call it dinner

CorianderQueen · 27/12/2020 12:45

@TheSilentStars

I'm not in the UK and in the area of Italy I'm in nobody eats on Christmas Eve until the huge evening meal at about 8pm. Except me, because I smuggle crisps about my person.

I can appreciate someone who smuggles snacks for their convenience.

Fatas · 27/12/2020 12:45

Always intend to have it at 3, but end up having it at 3.30pm. Need some time to work up a proper hunger as not used to eating a big meal early in the day. Like to have time to unwrap presents and be with family etc, rather than in the kitchen every day.

My mil complains every year, even though she knows this is how we do it. She would rather eat around 1pm, but she never offers to do Christmas dinner herself!

bornatXmastobequiet · 27/12/2020 12:55

Think of school dinners, which are served at lunchtime. Like PP said, in many places it’s just the term for the main meal of the day.
We have our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve now, as it saves cooking on Christmas Day, which makes a delightful change.

Catlover77 · 27/12/2020 12:57

@imnottoofussed

We certainly do not have breakfast, dinner and tea in the north west!

We have breakfast, lunch and dinner

ThePricklySheep · 27/12/2020 12:57

I don’t agree with the main meal of the day thing, having lived in Yorkshire where the midday meal was called dinner. It definitely was just sandwiches or whatever.

Pixie2997 · 27/12/2020 12:59

Everyone is different. Growing up in my house it would be early like 12-1pm but it meant by the evening we were peckish. At the in laws it’s more like 3-4pm, they have breakfast and then it’s an early dinner!

We tend to have ours around 2-3pm.

TheSilentStars · 27/12/2020 12:59

"supper" is another funny one. I remember reading Stuart Maconie wondering why on earth he'd been invited to someone's house to eat bread and cheese in his pyjamas.

Tal45 · 27/12/2020 13:02

Urrgggh I hate when people have lunch at 3pm. I want lunch at lunchtime. I went to a friends for lunch once, they ate at 3, I was starving!!

jessstan1 · 27/12/2020 13:03

Dinner is the main meal of the day whenever you have it.

'Christmas dinner' is traditionally named, like 'Wedding breakfast'.

HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee · 27/12/2020 13:05

Order of meals is
Breakfast
Dinner
Tea

Supper, snack after tea before bed

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