To order a takeaway for Christmas dinner when I'm hosting?

[thirteendolphins]

I have 2 DC's - nearly 4yo and 10 months at Christmas. I have invited my parents round for Christmas dinner, MIL, brother and partner and a friend. So 7 adults and 2 kids in total.

DP will be working on Christmas day and won't be home til about 7pm.

To be honest I get stressed out just making a roast dinner, the number of dishes to wash etc freak me out, the kids are going to be hyper, we'll have different guests visiting the boys late morning, the house will be a bomb site. If DP was here he'd make the Christmas dinner because he doesn't mind and is the complete opposite to me when it comes to cooking i.e. he is unflappable.

I, on the other hand, will get completely stressed, will be in the kitchen most of the day cooking and tidying up, will also be trying to keep up with the constant demands from the kids and trying to entertain the guests. I can feel my anxiety levels rising just thinking about it.

So I've thought about getting an Indian takeaway meal instead and providing pudding. My parents do this most Christmas days so I know they won't mind. It just seems so much EASIER. But I LOVE Christmas dinner (when someone else is doing it). I feel like I'm cheating.

But then I think surely the most important thing is that we're all together and I'm enjoying the kids and the guests and it's relaxed. Surely it won't be much fun for the guests if I'm flapping about, bright red and on the edge of tears???

AIBU??

Do whatever is easier for you, it's not worth being stressed for. Make sure your guests know what you are planning as not everyone liked Indian. They may then offer an alternative like eating out or helping you cook it. Worth a punt!

Buy a posh corn fed chicken. Some aunt Bessie's spuds and Yorkshire (if u have them, I dont) and some frozen veg. Stuff the chicken in the slow cooker in the morning with a roughly chopped onion. Then 30 mins before stick your aunt Bessie's in and done!

YANBU. I would be stressed also in this situation - (and all this 'popping' and 'chucking' advice minimising the task as though people who can't confidently rustle up a fiddly meal for 10 plus are somehow slackers). I can't believe the amount of rude comments about curry on this thread either - our local Indian takeaway is amazing and serves much better celebration food than anything I could do.

I do think COOK food is good though. But DH and I are having curry for Xmas lunch as the relatives we are going to make everyone wait till 5pm for the turkeyfest!

In NI loads of local butchers do Christmas Day dinner packages that are all also on silver foil trays ready to Bung in the oven. They will even use your own stuffing if you want!

Same idea as m&s but would maybe just 'look' a bit more homemade?

I haven't done Christmas dinner yet myself but will be from next year as we'll have the biggest house & this is what I plan to do!

Have to agree with all those saying hosting is not just about cooking a meal. I love doing the whole thing all the timings but if it's not your thing then fine. Christmas to me is about the kids and the last thing your kids want on Christmas day is a stressed out upset mum. Just make sure everyone knows what to expect.

I would be very sad if I didn't get a proper xmas dinner. Surely you could just buy every pre made and bung in the oven

bung, pop, chuck . . . maybe she can't. Some people can't, for whatever reason. It's hardly the end of the world.

I'd be delighted with a yummy Indian takeaway, as long as we ate at the table with crackers, bubbly etc, and had a good dessert afterwards

The point is to eat lots of tasty food in good company, not to eat particular foods

I would much prefer a freshly cooked Indian curry to a packaged supermarket traditional Christmas dinner, which I generally find bland and dull

It would also be great to minimise the cooking and washing up so you can enjoy the day

The most disappointing Christmas dinners I've had have been frozen/ packaged Waitrose "Christmas" veg at my parents', it all tasted quite joyless (not helped by the very small servings of alcohol!)

Christmas just isn't Christmas without a fat roast. I would be more than miffed to miss my Christmas meal....
That being said I can understand not wanting to do it- I'm a terrible host. Can you rope in one of your visitors or parents to do the hard work cooking for you? After all Christmas is about family- get everyone to chip in :D

Go for it! Christmas is about being together and making new memories, not about stressing about catering for guests. I gave up doing the traditional roast when our older two were toddlers, partly because I find it really hard to juggle all the timings, and partly because DH is more than hopeless in the kitchen so it would all fall to me, and I'd be running between rooms trying to prep and cook, and be there for present opening as well. Since then, we've had our kids' favourite food: pizza, garlic bread and salad, with cheese and biscuits/usual buffet food at tea-time. DH used to do a fry-up for breakfast, but we became veggie about 4 years ago, so I now make vegan pancakes instead, whilst he sorts the rest of the day. We do virtually no processed food, apart from pizza once a week after all 4 swimming lessons, so I already spend hours each day in the kitchen, so I really enjoy having a lunch and tea-time off-duty. The kids LOVE Christmas Day, never enjoyed a roast, and it's only DM who moans about it 'not feeling like Christmas', but she still chooses to spend it with us every year. I now need to limit gluten since blood tests earlier this year, so I'll make myself a gluten-free, dairy-free pizza the day before, so processed food would be vastly limited for me, plus as others have said, it's never as good as home-made. If any of your guests choose not to join you, I'm afraid they need to reconsider what Christmas is all about.

Completely unreasonable, sorry. I'm a crap cook but even I can manage a turkey crown ordered from M&S or Waitrose, pre-prepared veg and roasties, a posh, ready-made dessert.
Rocket science it 'aint

Cook have 15% off their Christmas range this weekend and you get an instruction sheet to tell you the running order for bunging everything in the oven. Super easy

I'm not sure how much you want tp pay but companies do the whole dinner prepped for you to cook.my friend did Melrose and Morgan and it all came done and ready to cook,meant they could have the traditional dinner with no fuss and she said it was gorgeous.

I'm all for reducing the stress but to me if I'm invited round for xmas dinner, that is what I would expect. I hate the thought of a takeaway for xmas dinner, the night before yeah, we have a microwave meal so we can have a stress free night and get to bed early but never on the day. I cook 2 turkey joints the night before and then it's just roasts,veg,yorkies,pigs in blankets,potatoes for mash to do on the day. The only fresh things I cook are the potatoes everything else is frozen lol make it traditional but also make it easy

I think I'd kind of love to have an Indian takeaway on Christmas day...I love christmas dinner, yes, but I live a curry even more. And you could make it the mother of all orders, tons of dishes to share, all the band, popadoms etc...

As an alternative, are you sure none of your guests would want to take over the cooking? I love cooking, feeling useful and people enjoying my food and I would honestly be delighted if asked to take charge of Xmas dinner for my host. I am sad this year as I know our host won't accept any help at all - it's been ages since I've been able to make Xmas dinner as were always at other people's houses.

band = naans

I must be odd. I wouldn't care if you wanted to have a take away.
Make a nice change actually.

We cook it all the day before and warm it up while meat is cooking on the day. We put the meat on the night before on timer. Then we run around like idiots serving it because we do the thing every year MY SISTER CANT DOBIT BECAUSE SHE HAS DOGS?!?!?

Has anyone suggested ordering from M&S?

So in the interests of research I bought an M&S frozen turkey crown and trimmings meal on Friday and we're having it for dinner tonight - YUM!

Put turkey in oven. Remove turkey and put in top tray with sausages and stuffing ( all in same purchase). Put on new potatoes straight from bag at same time.Chop up some broccoli and carrots and put them on to steam on top of potatoes. Stir gravy granules.

Honestly I think it would take longer to get all the takeaway cartons out than it would to prepare this.

rookiemere sounds a grim meal.

'rookiemere sounds a grim meal.'

Why? Because she didn't pander to the 1950s and spend hours in the kitchen?

OP here! Thanks for all the replies.

Had a chinese for dinner tonight and it was rotten. Would be most disappointed if my Indian takeaway was of the same standard on Christmas day but my god it'd be so much easier!!! Quick phone call and boom.

I looked at COOK - bit out of my price range I think... I briefly looked at m&s but will look at it again.

Doubt I'll be having a takeaway now after the strong opinions on here Now I just need to think about what I'm going to do instead!

I'm ordering the pigs and blankets, scallop starter and gravy from M&S, rookie. The gammon and smoked salmon from ASDA, as well as the wines. Roasties from Morrisons and veg selection from COOK. I serve on paper plates, too. Hardly any washing up. And go to Midnight Mass so I don't have to get up early for that, either.