Christmas Day would be better without Christmas dinner

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Presents, nice fizz, nibbles, smoked salmon on brown bread, chocolates, more nice booze, games, family, a walk, cheese board, Christmas telly. That's all that's needed for a great Christmas Day.

Cooking and eating Christmas dinner just takes up too much time and is too much work and leaves you uncomfortably full. AIBU that we should just leave out that part?

Could you do the dinner Christmas or Boxing Day if you’d prefer? There are no rules!

We do exactly as you described. So much better

@Wingingthis I could, happily. Need to convince the rest of the people in my life

@MrBloomsLeftVeg living the dream!

Which is why we don't have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day! Buffet is much easier / more relaxed for us.

You make so much sense! I only enjoy the bread sauce

I love the dinner and don't feel it's much work- it's a Sunday lunch at the end of the day. I also think the sitting at a table to eat brings the family back to each other away from presents and their own interests, to celebrate the togetherness and shared meal. But each to their own. No one has to do anything in one way, crack on with what's best for you

Yep. We did Christmas dinner on Christmas eve and it made so much sense. Yesterday we relaxed, had a nice walk and ate loads of cheese and party food. We'll do christmas this way from now on.

There would be a mutiny here if I suggested no dinner, its everyone's fave part. I have scaled back what I make though and so it's really no more than a big roast lunch.

Christmas dinner was the best bit here yesterday. Just the 4 of us, 2 teen sons. DH is poorly, so didn't do anything, but he did manage to sit at the table and eat something, which was very good news in his current situation.

DSs were amazing, each made an element of the dinner, it was fun working together and DS1 had cooked Chirstmas eve dinner, so I sat in the kitchen and prepared the veg while he cooked the night before.

Everyone enjoyed the food and we sat at the table laughing for a good couple of hours.

We did decide not to do the pudding though, so we still have that took forward to.

If you did that then Boxing Day would be crap with cooking and no leftovers.
It's the perfect day, more relaxed, tree presents to open and no cooking.

And that’s exactly why Christmas dinner is on Christmas Eve in our house. Then we don’t spend 3hours + cooking a roast dinner, clearing up, feeling over full. And we were able to give 100% of our time to our kids!

It took us 45 minutes to prep and pull together. We spent longer eating it!

I love Christmas dinner! I love being full and watching a film afterwards! That said if you'd don't enjoy it there's no law to say you have to do it. Could you not just do a roast chicken, pigs in blankets and sprouts? No trouble to make and less filling? Or simply don't bother at all if no one enjoys it.

Absolutely!

It can take as much time and work as you make it. Here the turkey was cooked on a low heat on Christmas Eve. All the trimmings were M&S so stuck in the oven or microwave and it was served. No hassle at all but was important as a family to eat that meal together

I would be really sad to have no Christmas dinner! The key is to make sure everyone pitches in to help.

Make everything in advance! Parboil potatoes, cauli cheese, gravy, red cabbage all done day before. Then just beef and two veg to cook on the day and roast the potatoes while beef is resting. Simples. One plate of food then everything in fridge for today.

Me and DS(4) has a picnic for christmas dinner. Did all the cooking on christmas eve - sausage rolls, frozen breaded chicken selection, pannetone, pigs in blankets. Perfection!

Yesterday we had ours delivered from a local restaurant. Total game changer.

I also know someone who cooks and plates up everyone’s meals on Christmas Eve then microwaves on Christmas Day and hair makes fresh gravy.

If you’re cooking from scratch I like the idea of having it Christmas Eve as a PP has done.

Depends how much of a faff you make about Christmas dinner. We had a delicious roast chicken with roast potatoes, buttery carrots and sautéed sprouts. Husband prepped the bird and put it in the oven. I prepped veg then we chilled out with wine and games for an hour before 20 mins or so finishing it off. No big deal. Dishwasher took care of the plates.

*just makes fresh gravy. No hair involved!!

@MrsMiaWallis when you par boil the roast potatoes how do you keep them overnight? Presumably not in water?

We also have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. I enjoy Christmas Day much more now it's buffet all the way! It also spreads Christmas out a bit longer.

Do whatever will make your Christmas Day go the way you want it to, OP! As pp have said, there are no rules, just do your own thing, start your own family traditions!