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AIBU?

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Original poster

Christmas Day would be better without Christmas dinner

147 replies

BackwardsGoing · 26/12/2020 08:34

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?

OP posts:
SidekickSally · 26/12/2020 10:18

I love Christmas dinner, the planning, the prep, the eating. The cooking is the easy bit but I have friends who make it soooo complicated. I don’t bother with a starter, make pretty much everything in advance, enlist help with prep. And that is doing a meat and a vegan option. It was quiet on the cooking front apart from the last 20 minutes where everything comes together. It is easier now I have older kids, granted, and I don’t put too much pressure on myself to do multiple fancy options that no-one really notices or needs.

AliTheMinx · 26/12/2020 10:20

Agree! Not a huge fan of roasts, but DH loves tradition and is keen for us to have a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Neither DS or I care much for turkey, so it all seems like a monumental faff (for me!). I like decorating the table and all eating together, but the food itself is usually very average - despite costing a fortune! Would secretly prefer a nice bolognese or a steak, but can't see DH going for that... A buffet would also be amazing!

MistleTOEboughski · 26/12/2020 10:21

I like Christmas dinner but we are the sort who have a roast most Sundays so this is not a big deal for us to just up the quality a bit. I think a slightly better version of what you normally have is the way to go.

EagleFlight · 26/12/2020 10:23

Surely one of the main things about Christmas is to have a day with family or loved ones that that you enjoy, which includes food.

heseesyouwhenyouaresleeping · 26/12/2020 10:24

I get everything ready made, just need to put in oven or in a serving plate.

If you love cooking, great, but I can't think of anything worst than wasting my Christmas time in the kitchen.

and leaves you uncomfortably full Confused
Unless it's your only decent meal of the year, why on earth do you need to over-eat? It's just food.

I don't understand the need for Christmas "rules". If you fancy lobster or lamb, have that, if you want turkey with all the trimmings go for it. We tend to have a Christmas lunch, but plans depend on how many people are around that day. (not many this year unfortunately)

SoftSheen · 26/12/2020 10:28

Just have whatever you and your family enjoy. No need to overeat, whatever you choose.

I am quite happy to make a traditional Christmas dinner, but I also look forward to Boxing Day, when we can enjoy most of the same things (leftovers) with minimal cooking effort.

CrunchyNutNC · 26/12/2020 10:33

We did big meal on 24th this year, it was much better and will do that in future years where possible.

  1. I could enjoy cooking lunch as I wasn't missing anything.
  2. I wasn't cooking a big meal whilst sleep deprived and a bit hungover (christmas eve drinks, kids up at silly-AM.
  3. It made Christmas eve feel like an event in itself instead of a waiting day.
  4. We were sitting down to a big meal having not pre-loaded on chocolate, booze, fancy breakfasts etc - we were actually hungry and enjoyed the meal so much more for that.
  5. Christmas day - no real cooking needed (or wanted to be honest). Family had a big bacon-butty breakfast without worrying they'd eat to late and spoil their lunch. Didn't need to think about timings, ate when hungry. Didn't miss anything.

I made sure we had lots of the right sort of leftovers (pigs in blankets etc).

CrunchyNutNC · 26/12/2020 10:36

PS - I'm not cooking today either, fridge still full of leftovers, nice cheese, ham etc.

user1497787065 · 26/12/2020 10:44

I love the cooking of Christmas lunch. That's the best part of the day.

StrictlyAFemaleFemale · 26/12/2020 10:52

We have our dinner on xmas eve as dh is danish but keep the british opening of presents on xmas day, turkey sandwiches for lunch. It definitely takes the pressure off xmas day.

lavenderlou · 26/12/2020 11:00

Christmas Dinner is a right hassle. I was in the kitchen for 3 hours yesterday and I'd prepped some bits the day before. It's Christmas dinner though and to me it wouldn't feel right doing it another day or with fewer dishes.

It also has the advantage that I can escape to the kitchen and DH has to put together any of the complicated toys the DC got!

Original poster
BackwardsGoing · 26/12/2020 11:01

I actually really like the idea of a Christmas Eve dinner.

Putting the word "just" in front of a mammoth list of cooking tasks doesn't make it any less work Grin it is a bit more work than a normal roast, with the added pressure of guests, hyper kids and semi drunkenness from breakfast mulled wine Wink

This year for the first time we outsourced a lot of the work to M&S (prepared vegetables, desserts). Previously Christmas preparation started in March with the planting of the parsnips! But depending on the layout of your house someone is still stuck in the kitchen and not able to join in chat and fun for a part of the day.

OP posts:
GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 26/12/2020 11:01

@Stealthpolarbear - an hour to make breadcrumbs??

Get yourself a small blender - I’ve got a mini Kenwood after my ancient ditto packed up - takes 5 minutes!

Ilovegreentomatoes · 26/12/2020 11:03

Mine was easy.Gammon in the oven and m and s roast potatoes ( which were better than the ones I cook!) Pre made stuffing pigs in blankets in the oven and then just cooking the broccoli so easy! Can not be bothered making everything from scratch but do buy all my sides from m and s as they taste the best!

Saz12 · 26/12/2020 11:05

We had Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve for several years, and it worked really well for us. DC slept well afterwards, no nagging about eating sweeties before dinner, noone cooking when they’d rather be hanging out with everyone else, and lots of leftovers (including untouched desert, cheeseboard, etc) to eat through Christmas Day. We’d then go to elderly relatives on Christmas night, cook their favourite (steak), which is much quicker and easier.

We stopped because relative passsd away, and this year there was only us, so there was no “need”, but next year I think we’ll go back to Christmas Eve Turkey.

It only works if no one is working Christmas Eve, and personally by Boxing Day I’m looking for a rest from rich food.

Original poster
BackwardsGoing · 26/12/2020 11:05

Unless it's your only decent meal of the year, why on earth do you need to over-eat? It's just food.

I'm small. I don't have a massive appetite so a three course meal is always a challenge. A meal with two meats, potatoes, five different vegetables, stuffing, PiBs and gravy will always make me feel uncomfortably full even if I only have a small amount of everything. And apart from a shortish walk with elderly people and pets we don't tend to exercise much on CD.

OP posts:
Kimakima · 26/12/2020 11:06

We got a HelloFresh Christmas dinner. Fuck me we won’t be doing that again. I spent about three hours prepping on Christmas even then a good couple of hours in the kitchen yesterday. It was absolutely delicious but we’ll be reverted to M and S bung in the oven stuff next year. It was like some kind of cooking marathon 🤨

diddl · 26/12/2020 11:12

Do some people have a turkey that needs 6hrs & spend all the time that it's cooking in the kitchen??

I'm sure we have a simple lunch compared to a lot of people on here.

For me it's worth it to not have prep/cooking take over the day.

notanothertakeaway · 26/12/2020 11:14

Mary Berrry's Christmas book is full of tips to prepare food in advance. For parsnips and potatoes, you can book the day before, roast for 25 mins, leave in a cool place overnight and then just finish in oven the next day

nosswith · 26/12/2020 11:16

One of the reasons I never stayed with family for more than a couple of days after December 25th was to avoid eating too much.

YANBU to want minimal food.

Original poster
BackwardsGoing · 26/12/2020 11:17

@notanothertakeaway

Mary Berrry's Christmas book is full of tips to prepare food in advance. For parsnips and potatoes, you can book the day before, roast for 25 mins, leave in a cool place overnight and then just finish in oven the next day
This is just moving the work. Also, I work right up to Christmas. I don't have days off or the inclination before Christmas to prep veg.
OP posts:
ivykaty44 · 26/12/2020 11:19

I have friends that do the Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve at 7pm and then enjoy Christmas Day with all the left overs

I make light work of it by preparing everything to put in the oven, but I enjoy a bit of cooking

ErrolTheDragon · 26/12/2020 11:19

Last year we went for a walk with a picnic on Xmas day, we did have the Xmas dinner on Boxing Day.
This year with just the two of us we didn't bother. It was lovely.Grin

Stroan · 26/12/2020 11:20

We had our Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve, I'd have happily skipped it but DH loves turkey and ham. Then a takeaway curry on Christmas Day. It was a complete game changer. Had a lovely long walk, not hurrying back to put something in the oven. Played with all the kids toys, minimal washing up and didn't have to nag hyped up kids to eat a fancy roast dinner.

We've agreed we will do it this way until the kids are old enough that they don't want much of our time on Christmas Day.

ivykaty44 · 26/12/2020 11:21

This is just moving the work. Also, I work right up to Christmas. I don't have days off or the inclination before Christmas to prep veg.

I work full time up to Xmas day, but did the braised cabbage on cauliflower cheese Monday, Tuesday, the roast potatoes on Wednesday
Bird was stuffed and so popped everything in the oven at the right time

Or jyst but ready made

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