To want to cook a nice christmas dinner but not to be expected to be expected to make in ott?

[springchik]

We are having christmas dinner at home with my 2 dcs aged 3 and 5. My pils are also comming. They always made a huge thing of christmas dinner a starter 2 sorts as meat (a turkey and something else) homemade stuffing and masses of vegtables and homemade yorkshire puddings aswell followed by christmas pudding plus an alternative desserts if you like. I know because I have been a few times over the years (either christmas day or boxing day) also dh has told me many times! LOL!

Anyway I have made clear to dh that whilst I will cook a nice christmas dinner I WILL NOT go to town in that way. I want to have time as well to enjooy the dcs opening their presents and just be able to spend time with them aswell as cook! So NO starters, no homemade yorkshire puddings, no cauliflour cheese (dh requested this tho!) AND no 2nd sort of meat. I will be cooking turkey, roast pots and mash, roast parsnips, carrots swede, brussel sprouts and if pushed possibly aunt bessys yorkshires and stuffing (shop bought) alsoo christmas pud (which they all like plus an alternative for ds2 who didnt like it last year.

However when dh explained this to inlaws at the weekend mil nsaid dont be so silly its Christmas I'll buy some beef if you like and fil will make 2 sorts of stuffing. I just got the distinct impressiion she thinnks I should really go to town and make a bigger thing of the dinner than I am. She just seemed disaproving and dismissive. Are my plans unreasonable? By the way I find the whole cooking a big dinner quite hard and stressful anyway another reason to want to keep it reasonably simple!

just noticed I put to be expected twice! oops!

If some one is mad for yorkshires I could understand doing them with poultry.

It is the cauliflower cheese with a roast meal that has me - is this normal behavior that has passed me by?

Beef and Turkey are you joking. We've always had a huge Christmas dinner, quite similar to yours, (no yorkshires, home made stuffing and bread sauce just because I love it.)
I think your Christmas lunch will be lovely and frankly, YOUR HOUSE, YOUR RULES.

King choc mince pies? I need a recipe plse [need to try that choc yummy]
Springchick stand firm your house and your decision but if they are bringing food never turn it down.
We are having 13 adults and 8 children so I am doing buffet but to avoid a row I will be still doing 3 courses
so Melon, Egg mayo and Prawn and salmon mousse.
Veg Soup and butternut Squash soup [made already in freezer as is the bread]
Roast Turkey, Ham, Venison and Spiced Beef [Can you guess where I am from
Various veggies, Potato roast and Creamed and Dauphinoise [all ready in the freezer]Piggies in Blanket are in freezer as is the stuffing
Mince Pies [made in freezer] Pudding [made since last year
Trifle, Cheese and Fruit
Oh and as BIL will only eat chicken I will throw a fillet into an oven at some point
But the Key is all disposable cook ware, Flasks for soup and gravies and a bottle of Sherry in the kitchen

2 meats chavvy? thats the whole of Ireland then, with our traditional xmas dinner of turkey and ham....

YABU, its Christmas, not any other Sunday, make a bloody effort! or don't invite people if you're not going to do it properly.

Its fine to have what you like when that suits everyone, but it seems that YOU are the only one who wants the minimalist thing, so why is it all about you?

I think he has accepted no cauliflour cheese but hes happy because my mum has said if we go round theirs on boxing day she will do cauliflour cheese. Its only dh who is bothered by it anyway the dc and fil dont like it! Dh has now changed from wanting my parents round on boxing day so I can do it all over again to being happy to go round theirs! :)

2 meats

yorkshire puddings

That's not christmas dinner!

And why on earth would one have cauliflower cheese (which is a meal in itself IMO) with a roast dinner? Bizarre!

Normality I agree with what you're saying but I just can't help loving them so would give up potatoes and veg to have them on my plate. I think they go with all meats

ah, see - for some reason I have no issue with turkey and ham. They go.

But turkey and beef! WTF?

Its fine to have what you like when that suits everyone, but it seems that YOU are the only one who wants the minimalist thing, so why is it all about you?

OP is cooking - and get stressed by it. Stress and IL not a happy mix IME.

springchik:
Dh has now changed from wanting my parents round on boxing day so I can do it all over again to being happy to go round theirs!

Step two - get him to cook Christmas meal so next year he takes you on an expensive holiday rather than do it again. Honestly worked for my MIL.

then don't have guests. Its a bit like if I ask you over for dinner and give you heinz tomato soup and a pombear...

Also I'll be lucky if my dc even eat a small amount of food. They dont eat when they are excited they just dont. THey'll perhaps eat a bit of turkey and gravy (made properly by the way!) and maybe few carrots and potatoes (mash in ds2s case) but thats if I'm very lucky!

And don't get me started on 2 types of potato.

Maybe we just had really spartan christmases in our family?

We had turkey, roast potatoes, brussel sprouts, winter greens/parsnips/another vegetable, sausages wrapped in bacon, bacon rolls, gravy, cranberry sauce, fantastic stuffing.

Followed by christmas pudding (yuk) and a palatable pudding like roulade/trifle and a fruit salad.

Adding another whole meat joint, yorkshire puddings and mashed potato would have finished us off.

Let alone having a starter

Whats wrong with my plans its nothing like the thread you are referring to bonnie!

Oh forgot the cranerry sauce ofcourse I'll have that!

oh forgot ds2 will go crazy (probably) over stuffing as he always does!

10 vegetables

Oh good god - it's like a perverse competition. How big would your table have to be to fit this groaning feast?

I just don't get why you have people for christmas and then tell them you won't do anything they like. You won't even do what your husband likes.
Seems to be to be against the spirit of the season, thats all. In our family we make sure that everyone has things they like, anyone can contribute dishes or anything else. Its nice, its not hard work.

But if you want to have a christmas dinner where you are the only one happy with the food, thats your perogative.

Springchick according to DP and DC the choc Santa brings is special and as healthy as any dinner so they are ok to eat sweets all day [unfortunately it reverts back to a treat the next day]
Eating Xmas dinner is not worth the fight it is one day a year they get to refuse/choose what they want

OUt of interest, are the 3 meats and 10 vegetables all cooked to perfection and delicious?

Hats off to her if they are, but I think if I were doing such a cookathon I'd be stressed beyond belief, would have no time with the kids and I know my mother would have been the same when she hosted. I'd prefer to concentrate on the kids and cooking a few things well.

Bonnie - you are being really harsh to the OP. She is proposing to cook a lovely meal and has been told it is 'ridiculous', which in my book counts as bloody rude.