...to ask what your usual meal plan/content is on Christmas Day?

[StillSquirrelling]

Following on from the very divisive thread from earlier, asking whether one has a starter before Christmas dinner or not, I am now feeling a bit nosy curious as to what people actually eat on the big day. Here's what ours usually looks like:

Pre-breakfast: Kids usually have some chocolate from their stockings that we politely decline in sharing

Breakfast: Oven goes on for the turkey and we warm croissants and pain au chocolat in it whilst we are waiting for it to get to temperature. These are served with lashings of tea, freshly squeezed breakfast juice (orange and grapefruit) and butter/jam

Mid morning: Probably some more chocolate or some Twiglets savoury nibbles if we fancy some

At some point in the morning we will take all the Christmas dinner peelings to give to our sheep, along with a Christmas swede for each of them!

2pm (ish): Main event - no starter - which comprises turkey, roast spuds, sometimes new potatoes too, roast parsnips , sprouts, mashed carrot and swede, broccoli, peas, pigs in blankets, our special stuffing (cooked in its own dish not in the turkey - pack of stuffing with extra fried onions and a pack of sausage meat, all mixed together and baked) and possibly some Yorkshire puddings if we are feeling particularly hungry. All served with fizz of some sort (Shloer for the kids) and lashings of gravy etc

Pudding may or may not be served after dinner (DH is the only one who likes xmas pud)

Some point in the early evening: a buffet style supper of cold turkey and possibly a baked ham, pickles, cheese and biscuits, fruit and possibly more chocolate.

Brekkie, lots of coffee.choc for kids.
No lunch 2-3 pints in pub. Kids picnic style foods.
Tea buffet hot meats etc.

We go away and have Xmas dinner in pub Xmas eve and then the buffet thing Xmas day with friends.

We do croissants while opening presents...then while OCD husband is lining the gifts up and recycling the paper I'll be fannying about in the kitchen. We live on my parents' land in a converted farm house, so we wander over to there for a full English around 11am and Champagne (third Christmas breastfeeding and/or pregnant so none for me AGAIN). Head home to assemble various bits of tat for the children.

Lunch is goose this year and was last year (three under 4 so a whole turkey would be madness and I'm a snob when it comes to "crowns"). Nigella's veg in its entirety, roast potatoes et al. No Yorkshire puddings as we're not having beef

Desert this year is banoffee pie by request, and we'll buy a Christmas pudding so we can set fire to it, then no one will eat it. Christmas day evening will be cold meats and other variants from the fridge. It's SIL's birthday on Boxing day so we'll head to the inlaws' for turkey the next day

We have early risers, so we get up around 6am, call my mum and dad (they live very close so come to watch DS1 & 2 open their presents and the presents my parents bring). I might make coffee for my parents and DH, but DS1, 2 and I stick to tea. We crack open the special Christmas biscuits.

Our breakfast is basically the same as usual, but with the addition of Christmas tree shaped crumpets.

Then I might have a glass of fizzy wine mid- morning, but otherwise we just leave the kids to play and relax whilst greeting visitors (who are always popping in and out but not eating or drinking) until we go to my parents' house.

Lunch is at 1pmish - turkey, stuffing, carrots, peas, sprouts, parsnips, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce and the best bread sauce ever, chased down with prosecco for the adults and juice for the kids.

Tea is at my grandparents - cold meats, bread, pickles, crisps and nuts with more drink.

Then we head home, put the kids to bed and watch Dr Who Christmas special and a DVD with wine, nuts, chocolates and cheese.

Morning: Buck's Fizz/prosecco

Mid-late morning: prosecco and canapés

3.00pm ish: smoked salmon and asparagus followed by Turkey, ham, chestnut stuffing, pigs in blankets, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, roast pots, roast sweet pots, red cabbage, sprouts with bacon, carrots, cauliflower cheese

Break for present opening

6.30pm ish: Christmas pud, mince pies, custard, cream, big cheese board with cheese biscuits and walnut bread, chutneys, grapes and nuts, coffees and crocs

That usually sees us through to Boxing Day!!

Though not crocs. Chocs!

Breakfast - probably as normal - cereals, toast, croissant, hopefully something sparkling. DH will probably want to make bacon sandwiches.

Light Lunch - cheese and biscuits/smoked salmon/nibbles

Evening meal - full roast turkey meal (no starter) followed by Christmas pudding (just for me ), cheese and biscuits (again) for DH and chocolate for DS.

Breakfast : chocolate. Usua?ly do croissants or similar too but Im the only one who eats them.

More choc and nibbles in morning plus beer/ fruity cider/wine dependent on mood :)

Lunch at 2 ish..... no starter. Meat (varies sometimes nice chicken or beef or pork rarely turkey) , cranberry and chestnut stuffing roll, parnips, roasties, peas, carrots, gravy, bread and cranberry sauce (regardless of type of meat), a few sprouts and of course lots of pigs in blankets.

Pudding : mince pies or something like profiteroles or trifle.

Supper: christmas sandwiches: crusty bread filled with favourite bits of christmas lunch. Or cheese and biscuits if still very full up. Theres normally a ham on the go by this point too.

Sadly DH and I have no parents left so we don't have the usual bun fights a lot of people do around families and Xmas. We have 2 DC aged 10 and 8 and our day usually goes like this:

First thing - chocolate for everyone while opening pressies.

Breakfast - croissants, orange juice and proper coffee.

Around 2.30/3.00 - Champagne and canapés (normally smoked salmon blinis)

3.30/4.00 - Roast turkey dinner with home made stuffing, sprouts, carrot and turnip mash, roast parsnips, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets. Followed by home made Xmas pud with cream and brandy butter. Lashings of good white wine (lemonade for kids) and then coffee and liqueurs.

Evening - cheese and biscuits with port and Christmas cake.

Would love a bun fight though, don't get me wrong!

Love this thread, feeling very Christmassy now and love hearing what everyone gets up to!

Christmas Eve - pork and stuffing sandwiches and drinks at home with DH and friends then to the local pub

Christmas Morning - despite being 35 I still get stupidly excited on christmas morning so wake up early despite late night and hangover. Run to the window to see if its a white christmas, try to wake DH up, get told to bugger off, shower, get dressed, bribe DH out of bed with a cup of of tea and a bacon sandwich, open presents from each other.

Mid morning - Visit to ILs and GPILs where we'll exchange presents and eat chocolate. FIL will insist we try whatever whisky he got for Christmas which does nothing to help my hangover.

1pm - arrive at my parents, pepper coffee, croissants, presents, chocolate. Help in the kitchen with a bottle glass of fizz.

2pm - aunties, uncles and cousins arrive, more fizz, chocolate

3pm - lunch- sit down at the table, pull crackers, put on hats and tell crap jokes.

Starter of prawns/salmon/soup. Wine. Turkey, paxo stuffing, sausagemeat stuffing, carrots, red cabbage, sprouts, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, pigs in blankets (best thing ever), parsnips. Wine. Some kind of chocolatey dessert, cheesecake and a tiny Christmas pudding which we douse in brandy and set fire to but dont eat as no one likes Christmas pudding. Or brandy. Wine. Sit at table playing games and drinking more wine

Finally move from the table, declare that we are stuffed but nibble on chocolates/nuts/crisps. Wine.

Watch Eastenders, run out of wine, switch to spirits/fizz. Evening tea of bread, cold turkey, stuffing, pigs in blankets, salad, cheese, crackers, pickles, Christmas cake and mince pies.

Watch a Christmas film/play cards while grandma snoozes on the sofa.

Head home about midnight stuffed and happy, put on new pjs and get in to bed wondering if maybe next year it'll be a white christmas

love it!

Breakfast = bacon, egg and sausage butty for all (inc the dogs) and fresh orange or brew.

Lunch = starter pending on what we fancy - soup/stilton salad etc.
main is always turkey, mash, roasties, carrots, brussels, bread sauce, breadcrumbs, pigs in blankets, forcemeat balls, cranberry sauce (dogs get their helpings too!).
Xmas pudding for desert with brandy butter.

Then off for a long walk with the dogs.

Tea = buffet style meats, cheese etc with mince pies, christmas cake or trifle.

*dessert

We are always at home and I never really know how many will appear because the children or their spouses are all in jobs where an expat colleague may not have anyone to go to, I also get childhood friends of the children who still like a Christmas dinner. I cater for 40 just in case and I start it all on my Stir Up Sunday which is this Saturday then I bung things in the freezer.

There will be 3 starters to chose from Buffet Style, easy stuff that can be made the day before and assembled on the day, and one of the starters will be a soup because it goes down well.

Main course

Turkey
Beef Wellington
Roast Potatoes
Parsnips
Sprouts with pine nuts and garlic
Cauliflower and Broccoli Cheese
Glazed Carrots
Swede
Bread Sauce
Cranberry Sauce
Gravy

There will also be a vegetarian option that someone else will eat because we've never had a vegetarian in on the day and my kids can go either way with food just because.

Pudding will all be home made and the children put in requests on Christmas Day for what they want the following Christmas - one of them gets their way. Its just a daft tradition we have.

Christmas Pud,
Fresh Fruit Pavlova
Black Forest Gateaux - its my eldest son got in with the request first last year and he's brought me the proper cherries soaked in some liquor from Germany.
Lemon Tart
Fruit kebabs
Ice cream and Jelly

We don't really have an evening meal because we're too full and if someone was hungry Id tell them to look in the fridge.

When we start to eat just depends on people getting here off a flight or a shift but regardless of when we started I make sure we're finished eating so I can listen to The Queens Speech. The rest of them can do what they like after that because by then its almost bedtime for the children.

On boxing day I have my children and their families round for left overs then at about 4 we have a cuppa and our Christmas Cake.

Kids will have some chocolate upon waking, as you do.

10am is a full English or bagels and salmon etc.

3pm is the main event, a starter of whatever is served then Turkey crown, rib of beef, cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes and parsnips, homemade stuffing, carrots and swede, green beans, Yorkshire puddings and beef gravy.
there's always a selection of desserts but we are usually too piddly by then so just carry on with the wine.

If anybody wants tea or supper then it's every man for himself!

It's probably worth mentioning that there's 18 for dinner so it's a military operation and a half.

What a wonderful thread, I rarely read such a long thread in full, but this really is my guilty pleasure. Feeling very hungry and Christmassy!

I'm abroad in a non-Christmas country this year, away from family, so not really gonna make a big big effort (DH is from this non-Christmas celebrating country). However, next year I am determined to get back home for DC#1's first Christmas (currently in utero). So instead I am going to write a hypothetical Christmas Day food plan to make myself happy

Christmas eve tea: buffet spread of olives, pickles, breads, mince pies, salads to get us in the mood! Trifle!

Breakfast: fresh fruit, nuts, seeds and dates with soy yoghurt, LASHINGS of tea/coffee (keep it light to start with!)

Throughout the morning: schloer buck's fizz with posh fruit juices

Starter: Mushroom pate with toast, chutneys
Main: Rich nut roast, roast potatoes, stuffing balls, sprouts a la brigoule (can't recommend this enough, www.bancorganics.co.uk/index.php/recipesmenu/8-recipes/6-sproutsalabrigoule) braised red cabbage, steamed leaves, LASHINGS of gravy, cranberry and bread sauce
Dessert: Christmas pudding with custard
Drinks: more schloer or M&S posh non-alcoholic fizzies

Throughout the afternoon: grazing on dark chocs, marzipan

Tea: Christmas sandwiches - basically the same as lunchtime but sandwiched between two slices and thick seeded loaf, lots of gravy in there! Christmas cake although I only really eat the icing and marzipan layer and pick at the rest

Ahhhhh I wish!

Dontbeblue - Im also in a non Christmas country with my family who are from this non celebrating Christmas country and its never stopped me having Christmas which in reality is much quieter than our Eids when I have 70 through the house for a traditional eid breakfast feast before mid-day.

We start it off the night before when we're out in the back garden with our huge gas burners and giant soofriyas with a lamb in each of them.

My husband is like a child at Christmas and woe betide if his Christmas chocolate is not Cadburys made in the Uk.

Its great fun.

Mine depends on which take aways are open and delivering

New here, but I love all this talk of Christmas food! To me Christmas is this lovely foodie celebration, but when I met my now-ex husband things got a bit plainer. The ILs would just treat it as a normal sort of Sunday, nothing special, very little wine (if any) and then all curled up in front of the TV by mid afternoon watching a DVD. I was bored stiff, but fortunately my own parents continued the celebration standard I was used to, and so we usually repeat Christmas when we visit them.

Christmas is therefore going to be back to normal (although delayed again as I am letting the ILs and Ex-H have our son for Xmas day)

Morning - coffee when I open my eyes, then smoked salmon and cream cheese rolls with champagne.

Mid-morning - Litres of Noily Prat/bloody marys with olives while I cook lunch. Maybe a few nuts

Lunch- A starter is essential! This year it will be liver pate and melba toast, but often it is a seafood platter or game terrine.

This year we are having pheasant for main course, but anything from a goose to duck or rib of beef is usual. Turkey as well. Because I like the cold cuts
Various veg, but always sprouts, parsnips, goose-fat spuds
Home made stuffing, pigs in blankets and home made bread sauce.
The cranberry sauce for this year is being made as we speak (the house smells very chrissmassy!)
Pudding - it depends. I dont eat it, so whatever anyone else wants.

Cheese - yep, I save myself for the cheese course

There is usually champagne with the starter, red with the main and port or something else with the cheese. Then more wine as the day goes on,

Later on, I attack the leftover meat and add salt, home made mayo and salad.

I cant wait!

DDs breakfast is cartons of juice, breakfast bars & fruit in her stocking, plus chocolate & nuts if she wants them.

We just have coffee then we have Xmas brunch about 11/12 which is a full cooked extra special breakfast of Craster kippers, parmesan baked tomatoes, scrambled egg, wild mushrooms etc etc

We have dinner as an evening meal & generally stagger it,

Begins with a light starter of something like prawns & avocado, or crayfish tails etc.

Main is often baked swordfish stuffed with cranberry & a sweet potato crispy roast topping, with all the trimmings - if we can't get swordfish, then it will be some other quality fish cooked in a fancy way - we don't eat meat

Pudding will most likely be a chocolate truffle as & when you want it

Plenty if nibbles out to fill the gaps & if anyone joins us for Xmas dinner, they fit in around that plan - gone are the days I cook to someone else's schedule

Boxing Day I make a big day long running buffet of pies, salads, cheeses etc & help yourself - family tend to come over for that

We are all vegetarian, DH & 2 grown up DS sometimes a Mil or GF. Youngest DS makes an interesting soup ie. sweetcorn & chilli, we all love crispy yet fluffy roasties, cashew & apple roast is a tradition going back years (I can supply the recipe if anyone is interested) and I usually serve some quorn burgers, DH loves sprouts and homemade cranberry sauce, gravy is made with red onions, finely chopped mushrooms & a tomato, Vegan Marigold Bouillon powder and some red wine. Dessert last year was an extremely successful pavlova drizzled with blueberry sauce and dotted with fresh raspberries.We have champagne, red & white wine and an interesting dessert wine. We have crackers, love a quiz and it all takes a very long time! I will put out cheese, olives,chutneys, Christmas cake and mince pies during the evening.
It is a marathon and I'm not allowed to change a thing!

bananaramadrama
I love that idea of a buffet style meal. Tbh it would be my preference, especially as the DCs are small and DS is reslly happiest with ham, apple and crisps for any meal
But i'd never get away with it. dH is utterly fanatical about a roast lunch, even on a regular sunday.

Ah, and how could I forget to mention, chestnuts are sooo christmassy for me as my DF always used to make chestnut stuffing from scratch when we were growing up, so these days I either throw some in with the sprouts (I get the pre-prepared ones) or at least we have to have some chestnut stuffing. The whole ones look very good with the sprouts though as they're the same size and make the sprouts look much more interesting

I was thinking of having beef wellington this christmas but I've never cooked it before. Just don’t fancy Turkey.

Derbyborn I love Beef wellington and make it about twice a year. Its not hard, just takes some good preparation, and a good piece of beef. There are lots of recipes out there, my tips are - use a pancake/crepe to stop the pastry getting soggy, and I cook the bottom of the pastry first - ( the bit the beef sits on ) and then wrap the wellington around it ( that was a tip from Pru Leith I think) works well! Good Luck - well worth it :)

Toast

Soup to start, turkey and trimmings, xmas pud and custard. Chablis, Pinot

Gorge on chocolates the rest of the day and guzzle wine/brandy/gin like there's no Boxing Day