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??

[BurnTheBlackSuit]

I love Indian takeaways- they are my favourite food.

But I think I would cry if presented with it on Christmas Day when I'd been invited for Christmas Dinner.

[BarbaraofSeville]

If you order from M&S before 9th November, and spend £80 or more, you can get some free wine

However, you will need to have time to pick it up and sometimes the queues are long.

In your situation, I wouldn't go too mad on variety - after all Christmas dinner is only a slightly elaborate roast dinner, which is a fairly easy thing to cook, so I'm not sure why people get so stressed about it and feel that they need to do 8 types of vegetables etc. As long as there's turkey, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, stuffing, sprouts, gravy and another vegetable, people will love it. If not, they're miserable, ungrateful picky bastards that are not worth giving headspace to .

But if you are not used to cooking a roast, and you have 2 little DCs to keep an eye on, I can see why it is a daunting prospect.

The suggestion about just going and buying everything without ordering is also a good one. I hate crowded shops and avoid busy times so wouldn't want to stand in line for hours on Christmas eve. I would maybe make a list and go early on the 23rd - all the shops have the catalogues in which you can use to make your list, all the shops should be well stocked, it will all save until Christmas Day and the shops shouldnt' be too manic.

Good luck, don't stress, I'm sure you'll have a lovely day .

[GinAndTunic]

Let everyone know your plan now. If they are happy with having a take-away for Christmas dinner, fine. If it's not to their taste, they have time to make other arrangements.

[PassiveAgressiveQueen]

How about a slow cooked beef casserole and jacket potatoes" then all you need to cook on the day are some veg.

I would be gutted turning up for christmas dinner to be given a takeaway.

[derxa]

I want to spend as little time in the kitchen as poss as it's my oldest's first proper Christmas that he's totally aware of what's happening and I want to enjoy it with him I'm getting annoyed now. Tell your family they're not coming. You don't understand the concepts of 'hosting' or 'Christmas'

[ShteakandShpuds]

Brilliant idea!

I'm the only one who likes eating roast dinners so bugger it, I'll make curry and we can have that instead. :)

[GabsAlot]

i wont be having xmas dinner as im alone that day what time do the takeaways open?

doesnt rfeally matter if its your turn if u dont want to dont do it

[AlexaTwoAtT]

Just no. You make the effort. But you must know that.

[miserablesod]

Cooking a huge Christmas dinner is like a normal roast for me, theres 12 of us every day for dinner so its no big deal.

In your case i would prep veg/potatoes/stuffing the night before. Shove the self basting turkey in early and then out the rest on when it needs to be cooked. Easy peasy.

[chocolateworshipper]

Indian takeaway is fine if that if what you want to do (i would probably pre-warn people though). Another suggestion could be to cook the turkey Christmas eve and then have it cold on Christmas day with pre-prepared salad and part-baked baguettes.

[CountessOfStrathearn]

Really tempted by this now for maximum time out of the kitchen. I love cooking but it would mean more time with the children on Christmas Day:

www.cookfood.net/menu/christmas/christmas-day/christmas-lunch-bundles/Christmas-lunch-spread/

[pregnantat50]

Mind you, I am cheating this year.

We are eating christmas dinner at my local pub. My daughter told me she wants me to enjoy the day too and spend time with the family, rather than be holed up in the kitchen all morning. Its expensive but its a treat to enjoy the food without the mess and stress. It will be my 2 sons and their girlfriends, my daughter and her boyfriend, myself and my mum. I have done it before and it really is a treat (Our local is a lovely vintage pub in walking distance so we can all drink too)

x

[DoloresVanCartier]

OP don't stress!! Order the M & S stuff if it's easier.
I prep all my veg on Xmas eve I'm pretty shit at cooking so Xmas is the only time I actually have a cooking timeline so as not to give my guests and family food poisoning!
Potatoes, sprouts, carrots and turnip, parsnips all peeled and made ready for cooking then put in the fridge. If I'm having a few people over I boil my potatoes the night before as everyone in my family will kill for roast spuds.
Ham joint and turkey are prepped and stuffed or glazed and in the fridge.

Xmas day turkey and ham in the oven depending on the size for timings of course. Then roasties in the oven, wrap my asparagus in Parma ham, put on stuff to boil i.e. Sprouts and then if my timeline works which is usually not ever, I'm ready to transfer to table and the serving dishes.

I'm honestly in the kitchen for max an hour, not all at one time, and I don't miss any of the fun.

If I were you, take your brother aside and ask him to be on drinks duty, that's my DP's job, and DS organises entertainment of the music or board game variety.

It really isn't that bad. Buy the foil roasting dishes etc so they just go in the bin and you only have plates and serving dishes to wash, by which time DP will be home to help with that. Or alternatively, pile your dishes in the sink and tackle them later or the next day while you sit and enjoy time with your family.

[SistersOfPercy]

Cheats method....

Christmas Eve: Cook Turkey Crown. Save all meat juices.

Christmas Day: In roasting tin throw Aunt Bessies roasties in with meat juice and roast for the time on the bag. Remove them from juices and put back in oven for half an hour on high to crisp, chuck pigs in blankets in with them for the last 15.

Add boiling water to juice, make gravy with bisto and cornflour

Buy all pre prepared veggies. Cook those in the half an hour roasts are crisping.

When everything is out and you're serving, put mince pies in oven on lowest setting. When dinner is done, retrieve now warmed mince pies and serve with cream.

Sit back and watch crap TV with feet up.

[SistersOfPercy]

Actually that could be simplified further.... Buy ready made Turkey gravy!

[Katy07]

Salad on Christmas Day?! Salad?!!!! Dear gods, I'd rather have curry

[BarbaraofSeville]

Those of you who buy from Cook or M&S, what are portion sizes like?

One advantage for me of cooking Christmas Dinner is all the leftovers meaning I don't cook again for about 3 days.

Looking at the weights supplied etc, I always expect the ready prepared things to be quite small, and I would be disappointed if I'd spent a lot and there was no leftovers plus BIL eats a family sized amount of roast potatoes to himself so would need a whole pack just for him.

[Herschellmum]

I have no idea why you would invite someone around for Christmas dinner then decide not to. You do need to inform people of your plans ASAP.

If that was the plan from the get go then great, otherwise it seems a bit odd to me if I were imvitied somewhere and the suddenly we have having takeaway. But then I have never had take away on Christmas Day or would even consider it. Your still going to have all those dishes you seem to be stressing about, unless you planning disposable?

Frankly you can get easy to cook food form likes of m&s to make things easier, we do most prep on Christmas Eve so that's much easier too, and as for the mess, despite being a control freak Christmas Day is meant to be a little different.

I am not against the idea as long as people are aware, I am just trying to wrap my head around the idea why you invited them if it brings you this much anxiety.

There is something awesome about Christmas dinner, but I guess you could always do it another day. Have you considered explaining to your guests and inviting them for an actual dinner one day your husband is off? Boxing Day? New Years?

I have friends who do Christmas dinner in different days, Christmas Eve often. So Christmas can be a eat left overs and multiple chocolate organes type thing. Do what works for you, but let our guest know today so they can decide if that is what they want to do.

[BarbaraofSeville]

I agree Katy Salad with turkey (in the UK in winter at least) for Christmas lunch is an even worse suggestion than curry.

I'm surprised that the people suggesting Aunt Bessies roast potatoes are getting away with it. Someone got a right roasting for that some years ago.

[Bubblegum18]

To be honest I would be surprised if an Indian is open to order I used to work at one and we shut Christmas because people wanted Christmas dinners. I agree why invite ppl if your not prepared to cook it, it's not as hard as your making out a lot of the prep can be done the night before.

[iseenodust]

Ok.

Get the M&S brochure & order online turkey, sausages, stuffing & the microwaveable bags of veg. - saves worrying about timings as you ping as your dad carves.You ace the roasties !
Choose a collection date of xmas eve morning if your DP will be around. This means you can store the turkey outside/in garage if not cooking day before & it will be fine (as fridge space will probably be full of prosecco!).
Buy frozen desserts or get others such as brother to bring.
Cheeseboard nice option of third course if can't face prep or timing of a starter.

[NuzzleandScratch]

Do you have a Cook near you? It's all frozen, but it's like home cooked food, really delicious. They do all the pre prepared stuff for Christmas. With it being frozen, you could prob buy some of it now.

[SistersOfPercy]

The thing with Aunt Bessies is if you cook them to the pack instructions they tend to taste pretty horrid.
If you chuck them in with the meat for a few hours in a roasting tin, let them absorb all the meat juice, then crisp them up they are a completely different beast altogether.

[ssd]

so what you're saying is, you invited all these people over thinking your dh would do all the work and you'd waft about filling up the drinks...as you want to enjoy it and can't be arsed.....would he enjoy it then

you sound bloody hard work.