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.

Are they any good? I find the insides of frozen roast potatoes go a strange texture. This is why I can't even make them the day before and reheat as they taste different. I'm too picky clearly

I'm very picky about roast potatoes.

I only like my ones and my mums

It’s not even just the day and dinner

It’s the run up

So much pressure with schools/work/on tv etc. I scale down a bit further every year.... nuts to crack,cards,tree chocs, decks,xmas crackers,xmas cd.....all gone. Little extras that nobody cared much about but felt ‘essential’

We're having a baby in January. Next year I am 100% staying at home just me, DH and our wee girl. DH will make amazing, expensive steak that we could never justify any other time of the year, go for a walk by the sea, drink a big pot of coffee, and watch Christmas movies while working our way through a big box of luxury chocolates. I cannot WAIT and wish we could do it this year, even though I love my in-laws who we're spending Christmas with.

My parents are going to flip but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it...!

My brother and sister are twins. They are adults in their 30's now and they still love being called the twins - they even call themselves twin 1 and twin 2 as nicknames and sometimes "the twinnies" . Don't be ridiculous of course it's not at all offensive. They have their own very separate identities and names and even other nicknames too but they love to play up on being "the twins" from time to time -it's a special and unique bond just for them. Can't see it's worth getting offended about x

Please stop referring to them as 'the twins' I find it offensive

(Please stop referring to them as 'the twins' I find it offensive)

fucknuggget award of the week

Please stop referring to them as the in-laws. I find it offensive.

Dinner for 2 adults and 2 little kids can hardly be called a big christmas! Even with your sister and BIl that is a very small affair.

Just buy ready made stuff from one of the supermarkets. You can get everything in trays for the oven. It's hardly a big deal is it, it;s just dinner?

Treat yourself and order everything in from marks. No prep, little mess, delicious.

Our local gastropub does takeaway Christmas dinner - it's amazing! And there's enough left over for Boxing Day too. Might be worth seeing if anywhere round you does the same? Pre-order and then pick it up on Christmas Eve, and stay for a drink on the house

I have twin girls - one of my friends calls them 'The Twincesses' or used to until I told her to put a sock in it

I second ordering it from Cook if you're in the right area! I did when my "TWINS" were the same age as yours last year. BEST MOVE EVER! Nicer than I made :D

As stated previously I do on occasion call my pair twins, but I have remembered that sometimes one of them objects to being called "good boy", this is because she is female. Other twin, cat and dog are all male so I get over used to saying boy.

Why would you be offended at what someone else calls their children? Stop looking for offence and the world will be a much nicer place....

Back on track pre-prepared all the way. Christmas is a time everybody seems to ramp up what's on offer so I would and will just get loads of picky bits to devour at my leisure

At my twins' first Christmas DH went and did the Christmas food shop and came back with a fucking salmon. Like, a whole fish, with eyes, and scales, and a backbone. I said to him get us something easy we can stick in the oven, and that's what he brought. SMH.

The year after that I did the Christmas shop so we had a big chicken and shoved a bag of Asda sprouts and carrots in the microwave. I think we made potato wedges as well as neither DH nor I has ever mastered the art of the roast tattie. The kids loved it, and then went for a nap.

My dad used to do all the cooking. The first Christmas after he died, we all felt a bit fragile and so had an M&S Christmas dinner (we made our own roasties, there's no comparison) and it was delicious and stress free. We followed that tradition for a good few years

I'll be doing Christmas dinner for only myself and my 12 year old son. We'll be seeing family in the morning then more in the evening, but dinner will just the 2 of us. It takes no longer than when I make us a roast chicken dinner. If we're having soup for starters, I'll have that in the slow cooker the night before.

at "the twins" bring offensive, pmsl

Please cease to use all collective nouns to describe a group of people immediately. Please describe each person in detail instead, out of respect for their individuality.

And yes, cut back on Christmas dinner.

Buy the meat ready cooked and sliced at your local butcher. Just heat in the oven when needed. Makes it so much easier and the meat is delicious.

Christmas dinner is meat veg and potatoes.

How can it be so hard to do it scaled down

You don't have to have an actual roast if you don't want to though
One year we had the entire selection of m&s Christmas party food as a buffet
The two years before last have been an Indian restaurant on Christmas Day night
Last year I had a McDonald's
One bad year I had a pack of dry roasted peanuts as nothing else left long story

If you really want a full roast, I would throw some money at it and just use m&s or booths or Waitrose

(Please stop referring to them as 'the twins' I find it offensive)

Sweet Jesus

Please could everyone stop saying "the turkey", I find it offensive. These turkeys had lives and personalities of their own before they ended up in your ovens.