What is your timing schedule xmas day?

[Molly333]

Hi all im trying to fit a tea in at xmas but usually everyone is too full . My timings work like this-breakfast is usually me and hubby only, as kids are not really interested . Guests arrive and dinner at 2 which can take 2 hours, then no one really wants tea later as stuffed . How does yr day pan out please?

Breakfast 1030, dinner epm, anything after that is hatever rhwee is eg toasted cheese, roll on cold meat,etc, dont specifically buy anything.

We have Christmas pudding at tea time. No pudding at lunch because there's usually enough food and we're also eating chocolates all day.

We always go and see who we need to see in the morning, then come together to watch the Queen and eat at 3pm. So, we're really not hungry for a proper tea later, however there's always turkey butties and chocolate for anyone who wants it much, much later on! I would find that easier than buying 'tea'. Just make sure you cook more than you need - leftovers are the best!

Wake up whenever, but normally early. Cup of tea.

Eventually DH & DDs - 20 & 18 - wake up. DDs still have stockings so they open them. Light breakfast - toast/bagels or cereal. DH & DD1 go out around 9.40 for the Christmas Day dip in the sea. Depending on the size of the turkey and when it started cooking, I might go & watch/laugh/take photos. Home & sort turkey by 10.30. Prep veg.

DH & DD1 shower. DF comes round from next door. Glass or several of fizz whilst we open tree presents. Beverage of choice may change to gin, vodka or sherry depending on individual preference - last year I had 3 different gins by 11am

We aim to start dinner around 1pm but don't stress if timings slip. I try to have the turkey ready for 1 so we can let it rest whilst we eat our starter. Meal is finished so we can watch the Queen at 3 then doze off. Anyone who wants more food can help themselves to turkey, bread, cheese as they fancy.

We do lunch around 1
Tea around 7

We don't have specific timings: things happen when they happen! Up and present opening at 8 ish, breakfast of cereal or toast or croissants or whatever after then, visitors come at around 10 (or whatever they turn up), then we start dinner when they've gone. We probably have our main Xmas meal at 2 or 3 I think but before then we graze on fruit, bread, chocolate, sweets, mince pies etc etc so we're not hungry. After that it's just more grazing. If other people come then they can graze as well. We're not going to squeeze another meal in just because it's what we'd do on a normal day!

We get up when the DC wake up, thankfully it's getting later as they get older. We open presents and have a small breakfast. Family arrive around 11am. At half 11 we have a big fry up. Open more presents, then mooch around until dinner at 6. We have pudding late, around 8 before people leave.

Why are you trying to fit it in. Don't bother. No one needs food when they are stuffed. Just get plenty of sweet and savoury nibbles.

Just have a piece of toast for breakfast. Christmas lunch at 1 then Christmas tea around 6.

Have our lunch at 12:30 ish, then puddings and chocolate into the afternoon. Tea consists of whatever is left from the dinner with some salad bits, cheese, pickles, etc added in. Nothing complicated, as we're generally not hungry, just greedy!

Another not sure why you are 'trying to fit tea in'.

Just make sure you have some bread and whatever your choice is - salad bits or pickled onions or whatever - and people can get themselves a sarnie or some cake or whatever as they fancy during the evening.

Mil is obsessed with 'tea' - she must spend an absolute fortune on it and it doesn't get eaten. If we have a roast dinner on any other day at lunchtime we usually have toast or crumpets in the evening. Just because it's Christmas I can't squeeze in pork pie, sausage rolls, pate, a million cheeses, cold cuts, pickles....

I'm hosting this year, we'll have croissants for breakfast, canapés after church, main meal around 5. Cheese and desserts at 8.

Turkey sandwiches if anyone can squeeze them in much later.

This year will be a bit different for us. DH is working Christmas Eve so we will go pick him up about 1:30am. The plan is to get home and open some presents then (Dd is 10 and knows the truth about Santa).

Because we are up late we will have a relaxed morning, probably get up late and have coffee and something to eat.

Head over to inlaws about lunch time for a few hours. They will have some nibbles out so that will cover lunch.

Back home for Christmas dinner. I’m vegetarian and DD is lactose intolerant so it’s just easier to make our own food. I will have prepped stuff the day before so it shouldn’t take too long to assemble. Making a nice glazed ham for DH so that’s fine to cook up Christmas Eve and store in the fridge overnight. I will do some type of vegetarian main. Not decided yet. Roast potatoes will take the longest to cook so probably prep as much as I can for them in the morning. Once that is finished we will see how we feel.

Might go to my aunts house for the annual party they are having if we aren’t all too tired. Both DH and I are working Boxing Day so need to be up early to drop DD with my mum in the morning before work - she’s 25 minutes away in the opposite direction from work so it will be an extra early start for us that morning and don’t know if it’s worth having a late Christmas night. We might pop along for a couple of hours in the evening to see everybody and make an appearance but I want to be home for 10ish at the latest.

Our Christmas plans start with beef sandwiches and movies Christmas eve. In the morning I make pancakes for the kids breakfast. Open a couple of presents. Head out to the in laws for around half 10 to see them for a bit. Home by 1 to finish cooking dinner. The kids open their main present, we relax after eating and then we go to my dads in the evening. I take the foodstuffs I make every year, cake, sweets, jams ect, and my dad puts out crackers and other little bits for everyone to munch on as and when.

When we host, like this year, we have breakfast around 9 or 10, then gifts and mimosas. We have light lunch (usually party food type nibbles) around 1 and go out for a walk. Dinner usually around 6 or 7 which is a little earlier than usual. I prefer to have the biggest meal of the day in the evening whether or not it's Christmas.

Breakfast around 9/10 maybe
Lunch (only one course soup and bread rolls) 1pm
Dinner 2nd and third course 5pm

Kids are up at 6/7am.

Stockings and presents done

I put the turkey in around 8 am (have a stupidly small oven 🙄)

Breakfast will be bacon and Brie or bacon and sausage baguettes aim to have eaten by 8.30 am.

Then it’s back to opening presents and playing with toys!

We aim to eat for 1-1.30pm. The entire meal can take up to 2 hours...I have only 8 people this year to cook for so it’s quite small.

Puddings will about 5/6pm.

I will have cheese/breads/hams/pates for a bit later depending on how hungry we all are.

Thanks everyone for putting on here yr plans , its been really nice to read and helpful . Hope you all have a lovely day and Merry christmas to you all

No kids so we get up at 8 or 9. People arrive around 1pm and dinner at 3pm. We put a buffet out at 8 or 9 and people have what they want. We don't have massive portions of dinner though so people are normally peckish later on.

Oh, we don't have breakfast or lunch

Pancake breakfast around 8.
Soup and lovely bread at 1-2.
Dinner at 6/7pm.

Includes one long dog walk and two quick dog pees around the block.
Time enough to open and enjoy presents and not get bogged down with cooking/washing up while you could be playing games. Well wash up when DS is in bed.

Just the three of us. Verrrry chilled I love it. The thought of cooking for ten makes me want to run screaming into the sea!

My timing for lunch is 1.30pm. The whole family know that it's always after the Queen's Speech in reality lol

Hubs does pick ups for the day so does the round collection trip at one so he can have a drink.
So usually breakfast is biscuits chocolate and pastries.

Lunch is Christmas lunch obviously

Dinner is whatever people fancy from the kitchen.. it's a dig in meal

I'm not actually looking forward to Christmas this year, in reality this will be Moms last Christmas with us and she has decided to go to a friend's for the day. (I understand as my house is always bedlam anytime of the year) but it still hurts

Trying to figure out the timings myself, can't decide whether to eat the Christmas meal as lunch or as dinner. We'll have breakfast around 8 or so, depending on when the toddler wakes up, and we have Father Christmas coming at 3 o'clock to give out the presents so if we have the main meal as lunch we'll probably have it around 1 o'clock and then need to eat again in the evening (prob just sandwiches though, no way am I cooking another meal), or then we'll eat after Father Christmas and have a snack around midday.