Eating out Christmas Eve, and snacky Christmas Day?

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Just asking opinions and thoughts, we have booked to eat out Christmas Day 6 of us and it’s going to cost a fortune (£600), but we are mid renovations in a tiny house it’s no set dining area and no other family to feed us and though sod it.. The pub was booked months ago but we’ve just see the menu and it’s a bit shit, seems like a fancy take on a Christmas dinner.

I’ve found another local pub that has tables Christmas Eve for a much more reasonable festive 3 course pigs in blankets and turkey kind of food, and will be more like £250.

So I’m thinking of convincing the family, we go and eat Christmas Eve, have drinks have a lovely late afternoon lunch and the Christmas Day we get in snacky food, jackets, cheese, some cold meats and do a spread and spend the day at home with some dog walks and relaxed.

What would you do? Will I make Christmas Day a bit flat if I switch this around?

I think it sounds a really sensible idea - Christmas Day is a grazing day even if you have a big meal isn't it? I don't see how it would be flat until you have Christmas 'purists' in your family who throw a tantrum if they don't get turkey and all the trimmings between 12pm and 3pm. (And if you, lock them in the shed and get on with enjoying your lovely relaxing day with your dogs!)

I wouldn't like it. I wouldn't mind having Christmas dinner the day before but I wouldn't want a cold spread on Christmas day, I would still want something cooked and nice.

That sounds lovely to be honest. You could have a lovely Christmas brunch after opening presents, go out for a dog walk, maybe play some board games, set out your buffet and watch a Christmas movie or something? I’d buy a pre cooked ham, do some Camembert or similar and buys some nice bits and pieces. A nice panettone. Christmas cake and cheese.

Do it.
You’rs mid-reno and so Christmas is going to be a little bit higgledy-piggledy this year - and that’s fine. All part of the fun.
Have the roast turkey and all the trimmings on Christmas Eve.
Brunch, a walk and then party food on Christmas Day.
Same format on Boxing Day? If so I’d do ‘party food’ on CD and then cold ham, jackets, coleslaw, salad etc on BD. Buy in treat-y festive puddings (eg chocolate roulade from Cook?).

I'd probably eat out on Christmas Eve but see what takeaways are available on Christmas Day.

Our local Tandoori is open and 2 Turkish restaurants are doing takeaway too.

I’d do the cheaper meal out Xmas Eve and then brunch on Xmas day with festive nibbles later like Baked brie and cranberry with crusty rolls… dips and nuts… not jacket potatoes.

Ha ha I have a shed I could lock them in!!

The Cook deserts are amazing, I have to be careful not to spend the £600 on snacky food!! But the cheese board and hams does appeal.

We are rural so no such luck with takeaways but I’ve just added some coronation chicken to my snack list.

Thanks all, I’m going to chat to the DH when he’s back tonight, speak to mum and then whatever we decide the adult kids can be onboard. I feel more excited about the Christmas Eve meal as for me Christmas Eve is always a bit of dead day where I wrap and panic.

So to have it as a full festive day would be nice. We are at a friends for Boxing Day afternoon so that’s 3 days of festive with low stress and an a huge saving.

Im still baffled why the place we booked has such a bland menu, it’s like they are attempting to make Christmas posh but they kind of missed the point a bit.

The carrots on the turkey option are “mashed” or a posh word for mashed. No sproust, no roast potatoes, no pigs in blankets.. it’s such a shame as it’s a great cozy venue but someone needs to have a word with the chef..

We do this!!

We go to Toby Carvery on Christmas Eve (partner has been off work in previous years but if this changes we may have to rethink this 🤔) as it’s much cheaper and super quite!!

I make loads of party food on Christmas Day and we have a buffet and there’s plenty of leftovers for the following days 😁

Then on Boxing Day we get a takeaway 😊

I always cook our dinner on Xmas Eve, and we have buffet food on Xmas day.

I just wouldn’t spend £600 on one meal so would he happy with a Xmas eve meal and picnic on the day .

For 25 years (ever since I learned to cook), I've loved making a posh meal!
I make everything from scratch, I have elaborate menus... it takes so much time and effort and cost, but it's part of my "love language" for my family and closest friends...I do the extra work go the extra mile because I care about them and I want them to have the very best that I can provide so every year I try to make it special.

And you know what? Turns out that lately, my mum much prefers a snacky type meal. Appetizers, finger food, small bites, all that kind of thing.
Honestly? It's not easier, and sometimes it's not a lot cheaper...
Practically, it's so much easier to make a large portion of vegetables/meat even if it's quite fancy in technique and ingredients than it is to make a whole bunch of individually decorated appetizers (usually has to be done at the very last minute to preserve the appearance and texture).

But she loves it. And the rest of my family does too, although my male family members love a big joint of meat to gnaw on...(So I make that for them as well)

what I am trying to express is, things change, people's preferences change, and nobody has the right to tell you that your Christmas or other party is not done right. And if you think that it is a better experience, (especially if it's a lot less expensive,) to go with the larger meal on Christmas Eve and the snacky meal on Christmas day, then do it! There should be no rules.

Christmas really bothers me the last couple of decades because there's so much pressure. So much stress.
Partly because of social media but also other forms of advertising and consumerism brainwashing techniques, we all seem to feel we have to do more every year. More more more And it's not sustainable.

Christmas is about getting together, it's about spending time with each other, it's about talking and laughing and goodwill, it's not about how much turkey stuffing and potatoes you can put on your plate, you know what I mean? I hope that you have a wonderful time.

I’m actully excited for Christmas now, everyone is on board and I can start planning my snacky day! It will free up time to do some nice cocktails I always see on Instagram and end up never having time.

What a lovely reply, I’m not a great cook, I don’t enjoy the kitchen and my love language is potentially along the lines of fab interiors and cozy homes. The food side is just a bit stress and I’ve resented the fact it’s fallen on me as the women/ wife/mum. My husband is fab but when family are over it defaults.

so I think that’s why I’m excited that Christmas even is now about celebrating, Christmas Day I will have time to shower, get stressed, walk dogs make nice cocktails and watch TV without looking at a clock all day and the serving up food.

besides the house we are renovating doesn’t have a dining room!!

hope you have a lovely time.

I'm surprised the restaurant will let you cancel. Do you need to forfeit your deposit?

We've done this for years. It's so much better, and no fuss. Plus, we don't like traditional "Christmas dinner", so haven't eaten it in decades.

We did this for the first time last year and loved it. Meant no one spent half of Christmas Day in the kitchen cooking, we reheated some of the meat etc to have a buffet when we wanted it, then snacked on cake and cheese and wine all day. Fabulous.

I'm glad you're feeling happier and will have a nice Christmas.
This year, although we'll do a meal we're thinking of just buying everything ready prepped from M and S and bunging in the oven!