Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve?

[ShellsandSand]

I'm sure this has been done before on a thread but wondered if anyone does or is planning on having their Christmas meal on Eve and having a buffet style lunch on Christmas Day? This idea really appeals to me as I always seem to spend hours in the kitchen Christmas day but obviously with tradition I would like to hear from others.

I don't see that cooking Christmas dinner needs to be massively stressful

I totally agree with this. Some people like being martyrs to what is after all a glorified roast dinner.

Do what you like OP and enjoy

I have never found cooking it stressful but I've only catered for four. I think the people who feel it a lot are probably cooking for more than 6...perhaps way more.

I always did the veg the day before...and we made fun of it...do it together with a drink. Let it all sit in cold water.

I've prepared everyone that when I take over Christmas, this is how it will be. I don't like roast dinners anyway, whenever I've cooked a roast dinner I never want it. As long as there's mountains of pigs in blankets and roasties then I'll do a turkey roll so there'll be a semblance of a Christmas dinner for the puritans. But then cheese, bread, dips, salad etc not that I've thought about it

We've done this for the last few years and I love it. We eat around 6pm (I don't work Christmas Eve) so I have lots of time to get everything ready without missing out. It means that on Christmas Day we can have bacon sandwiches after pressies then all the lovely party food and CHEESE!!! When we ate the main meal on Christmas Day I would do all the prep on Christmas Eve anyway so it feels no different except I get to chill out more.

We normally do this, but am hosting this year so doing it on Christmas Day. I prefer it as DH is at work all day so comes home and we have it by candlelight. Then we have party food and relax on Christmas Day.

We have Xmas dinner anytime between Nov and Feb. Sky hasn’t fallen in yet.

We are doing it this year for the first time. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m REALLY looking forward to no major cooking on Christmas Day.

We are having our big turkey dinner, Christmas pud etc for early eve on the 24th.

On the 25th we are having a big brunch - leftover ham, bubble & squeak, eggs etc. Planning to graze later on - leftovers sandwiches, cheeseboard, trifle etc. I’ll have party food in the freezer in case anyone wants anything else.

I’m just really looking forward to not having to worry about timings and being totally lazy / spontaneous. We might go to the pub, maybe a walk on the beach, maybe just watch films all day - who knows? .

Very common in European Countries - Christmas Eve is always the bigger deal in terms of the meal for DH's family when we are over their for the holidays. Do it. Big buffet on Xmas Day to pick at as you chill out and actually play with the DC's etc. - We still do glorious boxing day soup with the left overs though (That's my favorite bit!)

We go to a carvery Christmas Eve and have sausage and mash Christmas Day!

We do this every year. I love it. It means I can enjoy Christmas instead of cooking a time-critical meal. We have a big buffet on Christmas day.

I want to do this. My husband is very resistant to it, he thinks it won’t feel like Christmas without the dinner on the day.

I am doing this but that's because I'm a single mum and the kids are going to their dads xmas eve and done eat xmas dinner, so I'll make my own xmas eve and we'll have a buffet on the day. Don't see why not, its up to you how you celebrate

@EmmaGrundyForPM It's like this here in Spain. And no, the 24th is not a bank holiday. Most business let you go at 14.00 we leave at 13.30 but then, Spanish dinner is not at 7.00 pm it's at 9.30 or 10.00 pm so plenty of time.

I do, started the tradition my first year as a single parent. Our Christmas eve consists of a day out, whether that be to the forest or beach then home early afternoon for our Christmas roast, baths and pjs. Then Christmas day is all about being together, we open the presents and are actually able to play with things. We then p[lay a family board-game or two in the afternoon. Means I get the best of both worlds.

I would have loved this when the DC were small, but now they are older (nearly 8-15) they are not so demanding of my attention and present opening is much quicker so I don't see the difference. We have a big Christmas dinner on Christmas afternoon and a buffet with more family on boxing day.

I don't see how it's any different than cooking it on Christmas Day plus you need all the leftovers to gto with bubble & squeak on Boxing Day. It's my favourite meal and having it on Christmas Day would be all kinds of wrong. Unless you're catering for twenty, as a PP said, it's no different to a roast dinner.

We went on a coach trip to Germany, we had a traditional German style meal on Christmas eve then on the 25th we were taken out on a trip to a lovely village where we found a Greek place open and had lunch. On returning to the hotel we realised that a full English style Christmas dinner was being served, the company had brought out puddings, mince pies etc. We could hardly move for days!

We never have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day, we've always had a buffet. When the children were small we had dinner after they went to bed (they chose their buffet food) and, as they have got older, we all go out to dinner on Christmas Eve and do our usual (much more grown up these days) buffet on the day itself. It's a lot less stressful.

Christmas Eve in France is the main event. Usually seafood.
I have a friend who always puts her Turkey on low oven overnight on Xmas eve,I assume after a boost of heat.

I love it, we've done it several times with a large family group and without.
The best part is you have the meal slowly with drinks and nothing is rushed, you get to spend the following day more with kids and less in the kitchen, everyone goes to bed happy tipsy and stuffed. If you do mass then it's nice to go out for mass after the Christmas Eve meal.

I don't think I would like that at all.
We eat out on Christmas Eve and then cook the ham in the evening. WEr make hot baked ham sandwiches with pickle and mustard late Christmas Eve night.

We eat our Christmas day dinner in the evening so plenty of time to open presents with coffee / cake / biscuits. Then a cooked breakfast with champagne and more coffee.

I usually don't start cooking the dinner till lunchtime and we eat at about 7pm.

It's a lovely chilled out day with lots of food and drink and I have never felt that I couldn't spend time with dc or presents etc.

I would not like my dinner in the middle of the day at all as I am not used to eating a large meal then and I feel it would be a rush to get it all done and then the evening would drag on..

I imagine we'll do both: big meal Christmas Eve, big brunch Christmas morning, big meal Christmas afternoon.

I love Christmas. And food.

We do it! Have done since I was tiny. Big dinner Xmas eve then cheeses/leftovers etc the next day!

Maybe I'm doing it wrong but i usually cater for 12 people and am no slave to the kitchen. Veg is prepped the night before. After present opening turkey goes in. Then the hour before we want to eat roasties & stuffing go in. Then turkey comes out & rests and the final 10 minutes i cook the veg.

No slaving required.

I’m so stuck in my ways I just couldn’t not have Christmas dinner on the 25th and then buffet on Boxing Day , I’d miss it.
Dh and I prep day before anyway so don’t have to be shackled to the oven