Can anyone else not be bothered to do a turkey roast just for immediate family?

[HTH1]

We’re probably not seeing anyone else on Xmas day and I’m guessing we’re not the only ones. What is everyone doing for lunch as not sure if it will be depressing not to do the traditional thing (or maybe someone has more fun, better ideas)?

Just me and my 4yo DS for Christmas Day - no way in hell I am spending the day cooking! My mum lives locally and is going to cook some turkey for me but other than that it's a cold buffet that I can put at out lunch and DS and I can pick at all day. Meal times can be stressful at the best of times so I don't want his Christmas day to be stressful!

OP, turkey is not compulsory! Have whatever you fancy, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else is having.
I always do turkey, even though most years there are only three or four of us, because it’s so easy to just stuff it with apricot and chestnut stuffing, wrap it in whisky soaked smoked bacon and pop in the oven - it cooks itself while we have our Christmas walk round the local loch.
I also appreciate having so much spare meat for easy meals on Boxing Day, and several days thereafter. We have Indonesian style turkey with peanut, chilli and coconut, curried turkey, turkey salad, casseroled leg meat in red wine with mushrooms, and eventually spicy turkey soup from the carcass. I don’t need to go shopping again for about a week afterwards!

I actually quite like spending time in the kitchen getting away from the family .

Babdoc your stuffing sounds delicious, apricots and chestnuts are two of my favourite ingredients - do you have a recipe?

I tried to suggest no turkey this year because DS1 is veggie so there will only be three of us eating it and turkeys are vast. But DH won't hear of it. I don't mind that much. It's been a rubbish year so whatever spreads a bit of joy.

@Pomegranatespompom
"I’m wondering if reasonable to eat trifle all day."
Trifle for Boxing Day breakfast is the best bit 😋

There's only ever 4 of us, we all do veg on Xmas and hubby does a roast chicken dinner and a cashew, mushroom and lentil loaf.
None of us get the pigs in blankets love...

Colin The Caterpillar has long replaced Yule logs and Xmascake ...

We’ve ordered a three bird roast from our local butcher for us four. Turkey duck and pheasant. Easy to carve and not too huge. I’ll do a ham for Boxing Day although we may see the PIL as they’re local and the new arrangements permit it. We always have a lasagne on Christmas Eve and I’ll keep that tradition.

@pollywollydoodler yes you are so right about Boxing Day breakfast.

That’s inspired re Colin, why have I never thought of that 🤔

Having a turkey breast so easy to cook together with sausages, bacon and stuffing.

Turkey is horrible tbh I haven’t had it for years

We always do Christmas just the 4 if us (2 adults, 2 kids) and always have a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings! I can't imagine not having a full xmas dinner on xmas day! I think dd1 would be most put out!

We normally celebrate Christmas on Boxing Day as for the past 12+ years DH has had to work Xmas eve/Christmas day.

Christmas Day in our house is normally the big fresh pizzas you get from the counter in Sainsbury's,a cake and snacks.

Boxing Day we normally go out for Christmas dinner at the pub with the FIL as he lives alone.

This year I'll be cooking Xmas dinner,I normally cook a roast on Sundays for the family so this is no big deal;the only difference is I'll be cooking pigs in blankets as well.I don't usually cook anything that come on the bone as it's a pain in the arse to carve so we have a variety;chicken/turkey breasts:sometimes I'll add stuffing inside then and wrap in bacon,pork loin (this is fairly cheap from Aldi and I poach it in cider in the slow cooker),pork chops (often topped with a layer of apple sauce and then a layer of stuffing before hitting the oven,minted lamb chops,sausages,faggots (my favourite),gammon etc

Ragwort, it’s dead easy and I’d hardly call it a recipe!
You just get a vacuum pack of ready to eat soft pitted apricots, and a pack of unsweetened chestnut puree.

Coarsely chop the apricots, and combine in a mixing bowl with the chestnut puree. Add powdered cumin and powdered coriander to your taste - I like it lightly spiced, but not so much as to drown the flavour of the apricot and chestnuts.
It’s best made the day before and kept in the fridge to let the flavours mingle. Then on Xmas morning just ram it up the turkey and off you go!
If I can be bothered I also make a plum and ginger stuffing, with powdered clove and cinnamon. That’s also a doddle - a tin of red plums in syrup, some white breadcrumbs and the spices, mixed up with a little syrup from the tin to bind it, then stuck inside the turkey. You can do a different stuffing at each end, or they can share the main cavity side by side, so you get some of each as you spoon it out when serving.
I also soak streaky bacon in whisky for a few days pre Xmas, then layer them over the whole turkey skin including legs. It keeps everything basted while cooking, and the bacon crisps up at the end when you open the foil and turn the oven up for the roast potatoes going in.
It means the rather plain turkey meat gets lots of flavour added, and the stuffing makes it go further. As I said, it’s dead easy, and you can forget about it in the oven while you go and do more fun things than cooking!

I didn't grow up eating meat, so it was always fish, or occasionally nut roast type thing. Now we are a family of 7 and no-one likes turkey, so we will do beef, or ham or duck.
It's all about the sides though really,. we will have about 10-12 side dishes and that's what we all love.

We always have a turkey and all the trimmings, no matter how small a gathering, although it's been years since we had a small gathering. This year there we've got less but still 10.

We’re having a fillet of beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and lots of vegetables, followed by home made Christmas pudding. Left to my own devices I’d just eat chocolate and mince pies all day!

@VinylDetective we seriously deliberated getting a rib of beef for this year but DH went for turkey. I’d looooove a roast beef joint right now!

Thanks Babdoc I will make it this weekend as I am doing a Turkey Thanksgiving meal .

I have done a u-turn! Now planning to buy the full shebang (stuffed turkey crown, ready prepared veg etc) from M&S food to order.