Christmas Day for two

[MLMbotsgoaway]

So for the first time in my life ever, I think Christmas Day will just be me and DH.

I really love seeing my DPs and in-laws etc but for various (and obvious) reasons it’s just not going to happen this year.

I did look last week at going overseas but in light of what’s now happening tbis isn’t going to happen either.

I can’t quite bear the thought of doing Christmas “normally” but scaled down so thinking about how we could make it a totally different sort of day.

Aibu to ask for any bright ideas - whether it’s different food, a new routine etc.

One warning.
Be careful. You might enjoy it too much😁

I have to admit that I still don't understand why people willingly put themselves through stress of having such a big gathering when they have to cook for all guests and stress about everything going right. That sounds to me like nightmare Christmas.

So we have Christmas Day for two every year now. Wake up to a beautiful breakfast with Bucks Fizz. Watch a film. Dog walk. Dinner. More fizz. tv. dog walk. nibbles and fizz. music. no hassle all relaxing -
Try to think of it as a luxury

I’m doing a big full English breakfast for me, scrambled eggs and croissants for partner then having a christmassy meal with our favourite food in the evening. We are making special and unusual cocktails during the day.

To the person who mentioned baked Camembert you can buy a small jar of sliced black truffles for about £13 if you excavate the centre top off the Camembert before you bake it and add some good salt and a layer of truffles and a little fresh garlic then add the skin back on top it makes it even more luxurious.

@GazingAndGrazing, have a look at the "Cook" for Indian takeaway meals. They are actually really good and they're frozen.

www.cookfood.net/

It’s been a bit like doing the okey Cokey this year.. going to family..no we’re not..going to eat out..no we’re not..family coming here..no they are not!
So finally we have decided it’s just going to be us two. The plan will be..
Christmas morning sleepy sex
DH will do breakfast of real coffee and bacon flatbreads
We both dress up posh
Make the family calls then open pressies
I open the sherry whilst prepping the veg. I’ll have a little cry about lost loved ones.
We’ve found a nice local walk over lockdown, so we will do that weather permitting
Lunch about 3 with fizz and or red wine. Full turkey dinner.
Sofa with whatever crap is on telly..
Zoom call to family abroad
Early night with new books and chocolates.

I feel like we've been cooking nice dinners for 2 for months already this year (adult dc and dgc who don't live nearby, so just us for most of the time).

We're going to go away in our campervan. Setting off after tea on Christmas Eve. We're not going very far, staying within our own county, but a lovely remote spot. Xmas eve we will have mulled wine and chocolates (the van has heating) and watch a Christmas film on the laptop. Campervan will be decorated with fairy lights and a mini tree.

Christmas morning we'll open our stockings, have smoked salmon and scrambled egg, and a mini bottle of champagne. Then we'll go for a lovely walk - even if it's raining. We're planning on taking little Tupperware pots with prawn cocktail and salad in them, and turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce. We're going to cook our turkey a couple of days before Christmas. When we return from our walk we'll have turkey soup to warm us up, and maybe fried slices of Christmas pudding with brandy cream.

Then we'll drive home, open the rest of our presents, and drink lots of wine.

We just want to do something different so we're not sitting around missing the company of our family.

We have done a few Christmases together as a couple as our families are overseas.

We wake up late and have bagels with smoked salmon & cream cheese, and Buck’s Fizz.

We then go all out with a early evening dinner - usually beef Wellington with veg sides and something nice for dessert (probably sticky toffee pudding this year).

Rest of the day is spent watching movies, chatting and chilling on the sofa. It’s nice but not Christmassy.

@20bloodypumpkins

I feel like we've been cooking nice dinners for 2 for months already this year (adult dc and dgc who don't live nearby, so just us for most of the time).

We're going to go away in our campervan. Setting off after tea on Christmas Eve. We're not going very far, staying within our own county, but a lovely remote spot. Xmas eve we will have mulled wine and chocolates (the van has heating) and watch a Christmas film on the laptop. Campervan will be decorated with fairy lights and a mini tree.

Christmas morning we'll open our stockings, have smoked salmon and scrambled egg, and a mini bottle of champagne. Then we'll go for a lovely walk - even if it's raining. We're planning on taking little Tupperware pots with prawn cocktail and salad in them, and turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce. We're going to cook our turkey a couple of days before Christmas. When we return from our walk we'll have turkey soup to warm us up, and maybe fried slices of Christmas pudding with brandy cream.

Then we'll drive home, open the rest of our presents, and drink lots of wine.

We just want to do something different so we're not sitting around missing the company of our family.

Fried slices of christmas pudding? Fried? That sounds weirdly amazing!

We had this one year and had sirloin steak and ate when we wanted. It was bliss tbh. Thinking maybe getting fillet steak as we might be on our own again.

2 here too. I will cook lunch, then do light buffet for a supper . If weather is fit, a walk. Some telly, or a film to watch. Open presents too obviously

@20bloodypumpkins

I feel like we've been cooking nice dinners for 2 for months already this year (adult dc and dgc who don't live nearby, so just us for most of the time).

We're going to go away in our campervan. Setting off after tea on Christmas Eve. We're not going very far, staying within our own county, but a lovely remote spot. Xmas eve we will have mulled wine and chocolates (the van has heating) and watch a Christmas film on the laptop. Campervan will be decorated with fairy lights and a mini tree.

Christmas morning we'll open our stockings, have smoked salmon and scrambled egg, and a mini bottle of champagne. Then we'll go for a lovely walk - even if it's raining. We're planning on taking little Tupperware pots with prawn cocktail and salad in them, and turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce. We're going to cook our turkey a couple of days before Christmas. When we return from our walk we'll have turkey soup to warm us up, and maybe fried slices of Christmas pudding with brandy cream.

Then we'll drive home, open the rest of our presents, and drink lots of wine.

We just want to do something different so we're not sitting around missing the company of our family.

This sounds so fabulous!

@madcatladyforever

I'll be on my own this year with the cat. I'm going to have a nice long bath, good food and spend the day on my lovely new comfy sofa watching sentimental christmas films and doing craft projects with the heating turned up. It will be lovely.

Envious.

if I self identify as a cat may I join you?

(seriously I will only meow, will happily eat a bit of raw salmon and will curl up and sleep beside the radiator. and I promise not to shred the new sofa. but you've probably already been told that)

Highly recommend a big walk, OP. It's very cheering saying Happy Christmas to everyone & surely pubs will be allowed to serve outdoors?

@20bloodypumpkins that sounds absolutely wonderful.

@20bloodypumpkins Not jealous one bit...... 😞

Forget turkey and Xmas pud;; make it your first Christmas NOT spent in the kitchen. Marks and Spencer is your friend; go to town on their delicious nibbles. , caviar, seafood and cheese platters or whatever. Washed down with cocktails in front of the fire /by candlelight/ in pyjamas/in bed or whatever takes your fancy.
If the sun shines, a pleasant walk. If it doesn't, some great films.

Here is some inspiration for folk taking it international 😁
www.google.com/amp/s/europeisnotdead.com/european-christmas-dinners/amp/

A second forgetting turkey🤮😂

Bollinger - forget the prosecco
M&S food -not Iceland
Lovely walk
Christmas films

Ill do prosecco and other supermarket food and the walk.

Enjoy!

We had most of Christmas Day just the two of us last year (apart from a brief visit to grandparents). We ate chocolate in our PJs watching Christmas specials, drank Prosecco and baileys and had a very nice chilled out dinner. It was really good. My husband wants to do it every year now!

We’ve done it many times. Sleep in. Presents. Nice meal, occasionally we get it brought in instead of made. Watch movies (not Christmas movies because DH hates those) it’s a nice day.

We love it fillet steak Christmas Eve, nibbles Christmas Day then Boxing Day a dinner with chops for dh, turkey for me pigs in blankets, ready roast spuds so an easy dinner.

Thank you all for this thread, I'd been feeling really down that this was supposed to be the first time in 4 years that DS would be at ours rather than his in-laws. That's looking unlikely now.

So we're used to being just the 2 of us, but I always feel that we're missing out and everyone else is having splendid Dickensian Christmases with massive families.

Reading this thread has inspired me to have a much more positive attitude, and I'm loving the sound of some of these amazing dishes!

So we're used to being just the 2 of us, but I always feel that we're missing out and everyone else is having splendid Dickensian Christmases with massive families.

See, this is why I don't like the local obsession about having anyone remotely related in no matter what. There is absolutely nothing wrong on small unit Christmas and visits of others around the time.

Make it yours, people! 😁

Warning: doing Christmas Day as a couple is addictive. Don't be surprised if you never want to go back!