To consider not cooking the full works for Christmas Day?

[SouthernNorthernGirl]

I love a Christmas dinner, I'm just not sure I want to do it this year.
I'm thinking about putting out delicious food, buffet style. Pigs in blanket, Yorkshire pudding with smoked mackerel pate, cheese board, nuts, twiglet's, matchmakers etc etc, and being done with it.
DH is horrified at this
AIBU?

I like my Christmas dinner, sorry. I would feel cheated if I didn't have my turkey, pigs and parsnips

But your DH needs to learn to think outside the narrow lines: if he wants a full roast, he should cook it himself (for once?).

If it's just you DC you won't need a turkey - just get a chicken. Unless you're catering for loads Xmas dinner is just like cooking a Sunday roast only with pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce and bread sauce. Get everything prepped the day before and it really isn't that big of a deal. However, if DH is the one who wants it and you're not bothered, he should definitely be the cook.

I much prefer buffet to Christmas dinner. Christmas dinner is just glorified Sunday lunch.
I'd be happy with a plate of pigs in blankets and stuffed jalapeños.

Re Yorkshire puddings: I like the mini ones baked with a slice of roast beef and white Stilton in them.

OMG I love a buffet!

I wish that was a traditional Christmas meal! But there is no way I would be able to stop my dad cooking his goose haha :)

If your cooking OP do what you want! YANBU

It's not unreasonable no, but do agree what you suggested doesn't sound so great, even with the later additions and I think it needs to be agreed with your family.

Xmas dinner doesn't need to be hard, you can buy a turkey crown and everything prepped and just shove it all in the oven. In fact often a buffet can be harder. No reason uour hubby can't help out and uou can share the workload or you can tell him what to do and leave him to it.

If we weren't going away this year we were going to have Xmas Dinner on Xmas eve and leftovers with bubble and squeak on xmas day. but instead I'll be lying on a sunlounger drinking cocktails

DH will be pleased. I normally do the cooking Christmas day, although he is the main cook for the rest of the year.

I was thinking of a way where it would be less pressured on the day, although if I think about it, I would also feel a bit meh at no sit down dinner.

MN jury, I accept I am BU, and even more so for my apparently odd combination for an alternative.

I'd happily be a guest at yours. The pigs in blankets would sell the idea to me! Sounds lovely, go for it.

Make a cheat version, I have ordered beef wellington and dauphinois potatoes from Cook and am only going to make a few vegetable sides and a pudding. Easy for you but you still get the full Christmas dinner feel.

We are having steak and chips this year. It is five of us and TBH the DC are not into roasts and whoever cooks doesn't then eat much so it not worth the effort.

I don't get why people make the Christmas dinner into such a production. Most of it won't get eaten anyway. Make the few extras that everyone really loves and cut the rest back. Prepare in advance as much as possible.

My Christmas dinner involves me preparing veg the night before whilst drinking so that come the cooking it's a matter of switching things on at the right times and making some gravy whilst necking sherry . It all gets done and nothing gets wasted except me .

We're just having chicken this year so it's less stressful. A normal Sunday dinner but with pigs in blankets added.

And I'm not busting a gut doing loads of buffet food for tea like I usually do either. It'll be cheese and crackers and not much else.

It feels liberating.

We're having kebabs Christmas Day. It's our first Christmas with just us, no extended family, so we asked the kids what they wanted and they said kebabs . Nice ones, I'll slow cook a leg of lamb and we'll have flatbreads and salad and figs and Parma ham and all sorts of goodies.

I just put my foot down this year, said either DH was cooking, planning, buying, preparing or we were going out. Going out would have cost £600 (not many choices where we are).

His mum is now cooking...

I find a buffet can be more of a pain than a proper meal tbh. Keep forgetting and thinking this will be so easy and laid back only to remember when it's too late especially if you are making everything

Why not do a deal with him - he cooks this christmas day, as you're fed up of it and not feeling it - and you take on something for him.

Well I've been at friends the last couple of years, so I'm quite looking forward to having my daughter home and cooking a nice Xmas dinner, with a starter and dessert, Xmas crackers and bubbly and making a bit of a production of it.

Will cook all the trimmings, from pigs in blankets to the dreaded Brussels sprouts.

Plus really there isn't a huge amount else to do on Xmas day, so we may as well have a lovely family dinner together and make an occasion of it.

DP is working Christmas Day until 2pm. We've already decided no massive roast dinner this year, we're having nibbles and fizz to start, rump steaks, potato dauphonoise (M and S probably) and salad/veg and a posh shop bought pudding for afters. Nibbles will be blinis with prawn cocktail (thanks M and S) spooned on top. Little effort required but still something nice.

I'm not really a fan of any roast dinner especially the Christmas one but dh loves them. Luckily he usually cooks them too so I can't really demand what I want if I'm not cooking it!

I think I'm doing a sort of brunch. It's only the 4 of us and my Dad (everyone else lives in different countries), so I've ordered a dressed ham from Waitrose an I'll do avocados on sourdough etc, then maybe a nice walk by the river and cakes in the afternoon.

Juts do the proper dinner but much later. Give yourself the morning hours with the family and gifts then 11am get yourself (and the rest of the family!) In the kitchen and start prep.

Gorge on crap all morning, then eat your main meal at about 6pm.

I'm an Aussie so Christmas Day will likely be very hot. We've rented a big beach house with friends who, I've just found out, love a traditional Christmas lunch and aren't inclined to compromise. We prefer seafood and salads, especially when we're having a hot December as we look like having this year. I've no idea how it will pan out but I've always said when it comes to big family meals it's cooks choice ... perhaps a mixed buffet could be the compromise?

i usually cook for 20 people - start taking orders from mid-nov then will start cooking xmas eve. I love it. It's one day in the year - might as well make an event out of it.

Delegate. If they're set on a traditional Christmas dinner, they should all chip in. I worked full-time including Christmas Eve, so got my ex to do all the food shopping for the meal. How old are your DC? Could they peel some veg?