To not want to do a big Christmas?

[TammySwansonTwo]

I love Christmas. Frankly though, it's the most exhausting day of the year if I'm hosting. Since my mum died, it's either been DSis and BIL at ours or us going to theirs. Last year our twins were tiny so they came to us and kindly did most of the cooking. This year we've decided to stay home with the twins and they want to stay in their new house - we would go to them but can't fit everything we need for the twins in the car, let alone Christmas presents too. My sister is totally fine with this.

So it will just be me and DH and the twins. I really want to enjoy it and don't want to spend the whole bloody day cooking for the two of us plus the boys who will mostly throw it on the floor. I know when they're older Christmas will be even more exhausting so this might be the last time I get to take it easy at Christmas for a long time!

I don't want to totally forego a good Christmas dinner though - how can I do a mini version that requires less time? Any tips greatly appreciated.

Op, to answer your question - since I had my twins I have been preparing all food (including cooking the turkey) on Christmas Eve. Makes things a lot quicker on the day and dh and I are free to take things out of boxes and put in batteries which appears to be our sole purpose

just buy it in if you can! M and s all the way. Not everyone cooks! Dh usually does Xmas day meal, but if we are tired etc we can just buy it ready made in.

Thanks everyone - really appreciate all the tips! I tend to go a bit nuts at Christmas so I need to pare it back. Getting everything from M&S sounds like a plan - have to make my own roast potatoes though, never found a good premade one yet!

And calling them the twins was shorthand for "I have two babies who are 14 months old and therefore neither of my children are old enough to know different or care or eat it properly anyway". Is that acceptable?

Mmm, roast potatoes in goose fat - isn't Christmas without them

Agreed! Easily the best part of Christmas dinner!

Not sure what we are getting the boys for gifts yet - probably some sort of keepsake gift each and then lots of things they need anyway (car seats maybe )

‘The twins’ isn’t at all offensive. I’m a twin, I’m a very different person from my sister, but I loved being called ‘the twins’ growing up, because it’s a huge part of who I am. It felt very special to have a twin.

Anyway, it could be worse. I often call my three kids ‘the boys’, which would be ok, except the youngest is a girl !!

OP, I agree with buying as much prepared as possible. You can also make things in advance - home made frozen roast potatoes are lovely!

Hilarious to be offended by the word twins.

I can understand the concern if I only ever referred to them as the twins but I don't - simply shorthand for an anonymous forum. They're vastly different, non-identical as far as we know (that's a bit complicated in our case), there's no risk of anyone thinking they are or treating them as the same person - if anything people are more surprised that they are twins at all.

We’re having Christmas at home this year, DH, DS & I (our names will be mud but I’m not arsed).

We’re not having Christmas dinner, just M&S buffet food to graze on.

Christmas party food is almost as good as Christmas dinner - almost!

(By which I meant, that sounds like an awesome plan and I'd happily live on pigs in blankets, mini burgers and the like throughout December and January)

Yanbu.

I’m trying to convince DH that we should just stay at home this year too. We have one toddler dd and I’ll be 8 months pregnant by Christmas. Not up for a big one at all.

I have bought it all from M&S twice, and Sainsburys once. Both good, and every time it has meant I get to enjoy Christmas day too.

I talked to my uncle about buying it all in, and he got a bit misty eyed about the M&S Christmas dinners they used to have when their children were small (all in their twenties now). Best and most relaxing Christmases they ever had apparently!

bythepowerofra oh bless you. I had my boys at 35 weeks and I couldn't even stand up for the last 5 weeks, I definitely wouldn't be cooking Christmas dinner! Only had a lovely dinner last year because my sister turned up and cooked it (we were living in our childhood home, waiting for it to sell and it was really special to spend the boys first Christmas there so I'll really treasure that) - the boys were three months old but one had been in hospital two month, home for a couple of weeks then in with whooping cough for two weeks so there's no way I could have done Christmas then!)

I know when they are older I'll be going absolutely crazy for Christmas and it will be exhausting so might as well try to enjoy it now!

cordelia that does sound good - going to look into it today. One year we did get a few bits from there and it was good.

This year I'm doing Waitrose via Ocado. I'm a good cook, and enjoy it, but there are so many things I want to do more on Christmas day that something has to give. I'm probably going to make Swedish cinnamon and cardamom buns for breakfast weeks in advance and freeze them, and I'll make a dinner for some guests on Christmas Eve, but apart from that I don't want to be doing any fiddly cooking on Christmas day. Or boxing day either! That's what leftovers are for.

When the twins were little, DH and I decided that we would stay at home and did so until they left home.
Everyone was welcome to visit, and as they got to be teens we would visit them but present opening was always at home.
You do Christmas how you want - there are so many great tasty ready prepared things now there is no need to slave in a hot kitchen for what is, in effect, a gloryfied roast dinner.
I recommend a ready stuffed turkey crown and the profiterole tower dessert from Aldi.

Op I'd also recommend Morrisons. They do a nice Christmas range very similar to m&s and our local one is much less busy for the pick up slots. We got lots of food from there last year and it was lovely cakes and cheeseboard were huge. This year I've ordered most of it from there stuffed turkey crown, ham, stuffing chipolatas etc and some veg for sides, cakes' trifle, pate and cheese. I'm planning on making a pot of soup on Christmas Eve and doing the ham in the slow cooker on Christmas Eve and the Turkey crown in the morning on Christmas Day and should be easy enough. I'll do my own roasties and cauliflower cheese. We've just got MIL and PIL and they are easy going guests . We are going out for a meal on Christmas Eve with our kids (13 and 10) and neighbors so am hoping to be organised enough to be able to relax and enjoy that.

Okay, am now drooling over the thought of Christmas food. It's absolutely critical to roast a joint at least twice as big as you need (leftover Christmas sandwiches are probably better than Christmas dinner!). Yum. I shall start investigating my lazy Christmas dinner today!

We do one year at my parents, one year at our house, taking it in turns. On the years we are not at home I buy a posh chicken, stuffing balls, chipolatas etc, and cook the lot on boxing day morning just so we can have sandwiches.

Haha brilliant!

‘The twins’ is offensive?? I have LITERALLY heard it all now on MN 😂😂😂😂

OP buy a turkey crown and all the veg from M&S as PP said. Do your own roasties in a disposable foil tray (pound shop) and buy a nice pudding. You can even get one of those little cheese boards for you and DH with cheeses already laid out!

Get loads of M&S ready done stuff, and do your roast potatoes on Christmas Eve after the twins are in bed.

farkin hell 'the twins' is offensive?!

marvellous

Aldi sell frozen roast potatoes in goose fat