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??

Personally I wouldn't invite people over if I didn't plan on somehow providing a decent Christmas meal. I don't care if everything is premade and just warmed in the oven, that's fine. But for me, it wouldn't quite be Christmas with a take away curry! I do love a good curry, but that's a Saturday night treat rather than a Christmas meal :)

So not going for Hostess with the Mostess title this year then OP? I loathe even the smell of Indian food so being presented with the take away menu on Christmas Day would see me out the door. With all the pre-prepared stuff available it's hardly rocket science is it?

My sister-in-law had 8 last year and ordered it all from Cook - she was impressed with the standard of the food (she'd used them before for other meals so knew what their food is like).

Prepare everything and freeze..Buy a prestuffed turkey crown,y you can get gravy in cartons,frozen roast potatoes.Lots of drinks and the cook never washes up.
The more you can sort out(even do it this weekend)before the less anxious you will be and could have fun too.

Also no one will expect you to do it all without help so put someone in charge of the drinks,lots of guests means lots of people helping with the kids,to lay the table etc.I f you can afford it try some of the preprepared ideas for a Sunday roast dinner before to give you a bit if confidence.Some of the best meals I have given have involved imperfect meals,plenty to drink and people who are there to enjoy themselves in your company.When things go wrong for me I remember my mother's Christmas phone call at 6pm one year,they hadn't eaten as when the veg were cooking my mum went to uncover and baste the turkey to find she had forgotten to put the oven on.I think they had sandwiches for lunch while the turkey cooked.Everyone there remembers it as a fantastic day!

Personally I would buy everything ready made and use tin trays and chuck them afters!

I always pre cook my turkey now and reheat it in gravy - we prefer it as it stays hotter.

DHs family often had takeaways as a kid and we were asked to go there for one Xmas to have one - I refused - it was 2 hours late anyway!

I think the idea of cooking Xmas dinner is worse than it is - and buy ready made starters and puddings too.

I am either getting a takeaway this year or doing a buffet.

I have told my mum and sister who are coming to mine so they know way in advance. They all liked the idea of not having an Xmas dinner thankfully.

I want one Xmas day where we don't spend any time in the kitchen cooking.

Why not just order everything ready made and prepared from M&S? I m house the guests do the washing up so nearly no effort involved, and the M&S things come in foil containers anyway.

I've always wondered why more people don't do that rather than martyr themselves over Christmas dinner.

Mind you, the proper thing to do is order in Chinese:

www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/why-american-jews-eat-chinese-food-on-christmas/384011/

Either sounds better than turkey. By the time it's Christmas anyone with a job will have ploughed through the work Christmas do anyway.

Oh I like the idea of buying ready made food from M&S.

I bet it would cost a lot for 10 large eaters?

We always get an Indian takeaway. Our local one is superb!

A roast isn't a treat, it's a normal weekly dinner. Piles of washing up certainly isn't a treat (no dishwasher).

We maybe have one other Indian takeaway a year so it's definitely a nice change for us.

We've had my parents here several times and they've always enjoyed it.

It means I literally don't have a thing to do. I would definitely stress about making the 'perfect' meal for others.

I already have a menu so I can choose.

All this talk about M&S Christmas dinners put me in the mood for one, so I bought a frozen turkey crown with all the trimmings from there this morning to have on Sunday .

If my DIl invited me round for Xmas dinner then produced an Indian take-away I wouldn't be eating much of it, and I would be disappointed that I'd been invited for Xmas and was not getting a meal cooked by her for us.
I doesn't have to be a marathon in the kitchen, as PP's have said all the big supermarkets do the Christmas bits already prepared.
Frozen Roast Potatoes, frozen roast parsnips, frozen peas, frozen brussells, fresh carrots already prepared, stuffing, bread sauce, gravy, pigs in blankets. Turkey Crown etc.
It can/could be really easy, I'm sure Dh can give you a timetable to go by to help you out.

I have two one year olds so want to stay at home. I also do most of the work at Christmas but was left feeling stressed last year. This year I'm buying it ready done from cook! And I'm going to ask for a contribution to the cost. 3 hours later and no prep other than defrosting ta-da xmas dinner. Brilliant

Would an Indian be open? I enjoy hosting Christmas and have the capabilities to cook a wonderful meal and peel all my spuds on Christmas Eve. But life is too bloody short and I can't be arsed. I order our entire meal from M&S every year. It arrives, I chuck the bird in the oven first thing, veg, gravy, sauces can be microwaved, spuds, pigs in blankets, stuffing etc etc go in the other two ovens. Done. I can relax, it's absolutely divine and jobs a good' un. Look into it.

I think it's pretty awful to invite people round for a Christmas dinner and give them an Indian takeaway. Why not spend the day before preparing and get some pre prepared bits as others have suggested?

You need to ,at the very least, let them know. A lot of people really look forward to Christmas dinner, it's a highlight of the year.

a few round here are open but don't do delivery its collection only

I think it's mean of your family to come if your dp is working and you have young dc. If you are on your own effectively then someone else should host imo.

I don't think it is always about turns

Last Christmas Dinner I did I got it all the sides ready prepared from the Sainsbury's Christmas selection then just binged it all in the oven on the day. That way it's only the turkey and beef to worry about.

We'll be putting a chicken in the slow cooker on Christmas morning. No prep needed, just stand it on a couple of carrots and leave it alone.

Get a big bag of salad potatoes, no need to part boil, just sling in a tray with hot oil and roast for about 40mins. Season with salt and pepper if you want.

Microwave steam veg is available to buy, we just do peas, carrots and sweet corn.

Sling some ready prepared chipolatas in the oven as per the packaging and use instant gravy granules.

I work out all the timings on a bit of paper and use my phone for alarms and cross off on the sheet. I don't get confused then and you can do this all in advance.

Get people to help lay the table and sling the food in bowls for people to help themselves (no need to dish up then). Or lay the table the night before if not in the way.

Everyone helps clear up, just be direct and ask each person to do a job. I second using disposable trays and just bin. Use a paper table cloth and scoop it up and bin too.

Buy a pre-prepared dessert or two, or ask visitors to bring them.

Have a lovely Christmas.

Basically you can relax until about an hour before the meal, so plenty of time to play with the kids, just don't drink too much before dinner

Yanbu, my dp is working and i have a one year old, takeaway sound like a fab idea and anyone one doesn't like it can go elsewhere. I'd rather spend time with my little girl than in the kitchen!