To prefer Christmas dinner rather than Christmas lunch?

[SparklyMistleToes]

A bit of a pointless post really, but saw another post discussing Christmas meals and the majority seemed to all have their Christmas meal earlier in the day. I grew up eating Christmas dinner in the early evening (so let's say 4:30pm onwards, but mostly 5pm-6ish). Now that I cook it I tend to serve it between 5-6pm as well.

I couldn't imagine having our main Christmas meal at lunch. Each year we have a decent size Christmas brunch followed by an afternoon of cooking and a relaxing while the children play with their toys. And then dinner between 5-6pm.

Why do people prefer a Christmas lunch? If you eat so early don't you get hungry again in the evening?

Also what time do you all get up and start cooking for your meal to be ready at lunch time?

Does anyone else prefer a Christmas dinner to a Christmas lunch or AIBU? I just feel like it's so much more pleasant and relaxing to end the day having a nice sit down meal followed by dessert and watching TV and then relaxing and winding down. I think I would feel a bit lost if I had my meal at lunch.

Think it is a very English custom. Queen's Speech? Never had Xmas lunch . Only eating breakfast at 10 or 11 , can't imagine eating turkey an hour or two afterwards.

We always have Christmas lunch at 1pm. Time in the morning to have breakfast, stockings, a couple of presents and then get lunch prepared. After lunch, everything into the dishwasher before spending the rest of the day opening presents and having a good time without having to go into the kitchen and prepare food.

The children were up at 6am, older relatives didn't like to eat late so it was easier to feed everyone earlier. The children still had some energy ditto the older generation and they left earlier too.

We’re not English and don’t watch the Queen/Kings speech

We do it around 4-5pm, and tend to survive on chocolate until that point 🤣

3 pm for us. Then coupons wine after lunch and a charcuterie/ cheese board in the evening

We eat Christmas dinner about 6.00 p.m. I grew up eating Christmas dinner about 1.00. I may be unreasonable but there is no such thing as Christmas lunch.

We did it your way when I was a kid. Husband always did Christmas lunch and that's what we've gone with for our own family. I much prefer it actually. Spend the afternoon relaxing, cheese and cold meats for dinner, boardgames and booze in the evening. It's nice to get the work bit of the day, the cooking, done early doors.

Yes we eat at 6ish. Can’t imagine eating a big meal at lunchtime really, I just wouldn’t fancy it at 1pm.
We have brunch at around 11ish then a fairly leisurely afternoon. Don’t have turkey so nothing needs preparing/cooking massively in advance.

This is my preference. I love eating vast quantities of cheese/cold ham in the evening and I'd hate to be too full for that. We don't tend to have a big breakfast though, maybe a bacon sandwich if we're up early enough.

I do mine for around 2 or 3. Bacon or sausage sandwiches in the morning and then our main meal in the early afternoon. If we feel a bit peckish later, then we'll nibble on leftover meat or christmas treats etc.

We always had our Xmas meal in the evening when I was a kid, but tbh I haven’t carried that on as an adult as I find it less stressful to prep everything and get it out the way if I do it for lunch about 1pm ish. Once I’ve done it I can relax and kick back with the chocolates.
But each to their own- it’s good to do what works for you.

We normally eat at about 7 and just have soup/salad for lunch after a biggish breakfast and all the mince pies in the world.

We eat Christmas lunch leftovers for dinner.
When my kids were young they woke up at silly o clock so went to bed early on the 25th. They are more likely to be grumpy at 5pm

^This is why I serve up around 1pm. Mine are teens now and still up at the arse crack of dawn every Christmas Day, my leisurely, late 6pm Christmas Dinners will never happen, I fear.

Between 1800-2000 for us.

Haha, I would say there’s no such thing as dinner being eaten at 1pm. That’s lunch time, so anything eaten at that time is lunch.

I like Christmas pizza and as little cooking as possible 😂

We eat between 6.30-8. Normal dinner time.

Champagne brunch around 10am and chocolates in-between.

We used to have ours mid afternoon, but when DS was young we started having it early and now everyone much prefers having the big meal around 1.30pm so it's still light enough for a walk outside and all the fabulous left overs can be wheeled out with some bread later for sandwiches in front of the tv.

I grew up having Christmas lunch but far prefer to have Christmas dinner. not allowed to choose though, there are family traditions to be observed and if it's not in my house I can't dictate what happens when. so I volunteered to host one year and it turns out I can't dictate what happens when if it's my house either.

Oh I am quite surprised by the replies so far. I really did think I was in the minority with preferring a Christmas dinner to a lunch.

I think I have been quite lucky in that my children don't wake up early, so we don't start to do presents until 9am ish. Then a nice cooked breakfast / brunch at 10/11ish once the gifts are all unwrapped.

Then we don't really eat a meal again until dinner aside from some nibbly bits of bread, meat and cheeses to tide anyone who's a bit peckish over to dinner.

Couldn’t imagine eating a full Christmas dinner @ 6pm or later, we would find it too large of a meal for that time. We eat at 1ish and then cold meats and nibbles later on.

I did this for the first time last year-I usually served at about 2pm, but after a late breakfast we weren't that hungry. So last year we had it at about 6pm. Much better.

Mine get up at the crack of dawn but we still have dinner at 6pm ish, our normal dinner time. They don’t really get grumpy on Christmas Day!