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.

We usually eat our meal at around 13.30.
It's just the same as a Sunday lunch really but with goose rather than a joint.
Neither of us like stuffing, pigs in blankets or bread sauce etc so there's none of that to prepare or cook.
Starters is cold sliced salmon with salad. I just buy a small pre prepared salad, so that takes less than five minutes to put on plates.
We don't bother with a dessert.
For breakfast we have our usual cereal.
I've always refused to host or to go to other people's homes on Christmas day.

I agree. We have a big brunch and then dinner in the evening.

We always had it after the queens speech as a child

Nowadays we have sausage and bacon rolls with Bucks Fizz around ten Gentle morning of more Bucks Fizz. Chocolates. Etc. Then main meal staggered out from fourish. Leftovers in rolls later if required.

Eat early Christmas lunch…leave room for cheese board, salmon and nibbles in the evening…

We were always eating during the Queen's speech as a child. As an adult, I aim to eat around 3.30 - 4 too.

We have a large brunch at around 11 - usually eggs benedict or whatever and so eat later. I also don't want to spend the morning cooking a meal, I spend it with the children opening presents and drinking coffee and then champagne.

it does mean we miss out on a Christmas tea but I can live with that. (that's for Boxing Day).

No, your main meal of the day is dinner whenever it's eaten.

Not in a million years am I wasting precious daylight cooking and eating Christmas dinner. I like to get out for a good walk and it's dark at 4.

I like reading what everyone else does. I've hosted since I left home coz my DM is an appealing cook, so we do everything my way!

Coffee made, pastries in the oven, presents. Bits of chocolate and nibbles too. Then we have a nibbly starter when family arrive at 12-1 ish, pate, toast or antipasti, then the main event about 2/3 ish. I prep everything the day before so it's not ridiculous work (massive oven helps) and then dessert an hour or so later. We don't gulp it all down, so it all takes a good hour or two, with time for cheese, port and nuts in front of the telly later. Everyone potters around, sofa and table in the kitchen, music blaring, drinks in hand so it's quite social. I wouldn't manage two meals, and can't sleep when stuffed!

Appalling. Oh for an edit button.

We don't have breakfast on Christmas Day (except chocolate of course) so always hungry by lunch. Like to have it all cleared away by afternoon when we inevitably fall asleep on the sofa...

Then it's the best meal of the season for dinner in the evening, turkey rolls!

Usually around 2pm. I prefer this to having it in the evening as otherwise it feels like I spend the afternoon cooking.
Breakfast early, pastries and snacks mid morning then a late lunch. Then all the cooking and clearing up is done and we can relax for the rest of the day.
I usually prep the veg first thing and put the meat in after breakfast and then it’s easy to pop in and out of the kitchen while we’re opening presents.

We eat Christmas dinner around 6pm too. Leisurely brunch, then presents. Go out for a walk early afternoon, back for mulled wine and cheese, then start cooking dinner around 4pm. We don't do turkey, so usually doesn't take more than 2hrs prep/cooking time.

I prefer to eat later, around 5 or 6, as I wouldn't want to miss any of the morning excitement because I was in the kitchen. I don't do a fancy breakfast for the same reason - DH grabs coffee and pastries, and we eat it in the living room while opening tree presents.

The kids aren't up especially early, and we do stockings in our bedroom first, so it normally takes us until 10 or 11 to open presents, and get batteries in everything, etc. Then we get dressed, phone family, and start building lego and playing with toys.

It's normally 1-ish when we get lunch, usually cheese and cured meats with fruit. Sometimes we would go for a walk after. Then I stick dinner in the oven.

We would have a couple of hours for more lego building, board games or a film, before I need to go to the kitchen, get a glass of wine and start dishing up dinner.

Can't wait 😊

We would always do a Sunday roast even later though. I have never really got on board with big meals and drinking wine at lunchtime.

We eat later as having it at lunchtime kills all the daylight and makes for a very long evening.

We tend to do late afternoon into early evening and then there's space to graze on mince pies and chocolate later. Plus I don't need to prepare another meal on top of spending 3 hours in the kitchen.

I l’m not massively fussed.

If I’m cooking, I do it for around 2-3pm.

Late enough to allow for a decent breakfast, early enough to have the evening to lounge and watch TV and go in for more food - a cheeseboard or Christmas sandwich 😆

Going to parents this year and they have Christmas dinner at 7pm, like dinner every other day. It’s fine, we’ll have a big brunch at home first. Happy to go with the flow.

Xmas morning
up and fires lit hot chocolate / bucks fizz made and them we all sit by the fire opening stockings. This can be anywhere between 7&10 am. Followed by breakfast which is whatever everyone wants - kids usually opt for chocolate brownies and ice cream. The chill out time/xmas movie and if wanted getting dressed and eating their chocolate. Prep all done night before incl table setting. Few pressies opened and set up amd played with. More shloer/bucks fizz. We have our starters at lunch time so usually smoked salmon and wheaten bread, prawn cocktails and snacking platters for the kids between 12&1. More pressies, gamesl/possibly a walk in the woods and more pressies followed by xmas dinner about 5/6 then few pressies, xmas tv, drinks, face times with family abroad and maybe late night turkey sandwiches! B chilled here and things happen when they happen. Only rule on xmas days is properly dressed for xmas dinner!

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.

Except that in many places in England, the midday meal is called dinner and the evening meal tea.

That’s why I said ‘I’ would say. People do get snippy about this sort of thing. I have breakfast, lunch and dinner so to me, if it’s eaten at lunchtime then it’s lunch.
Other posters have mentioned that ‘dinner’ refers to the main meal of the day, whenever it is eaten. As I always eat my main meal in the evening, then dinner seems the best word for it to me.

Just the two of us these days.

Do whatever prep necessary on Christmas Eve. Get up when we are ready on the day and DH will have his cornflakes. I don't eat breakfast. I'll put the meat in a slow oven and we'll set off for a walk and miraculously end up at the village pub. Have a couple of glasses with friends. Get home about 1.00, put the roasties in and get the veg done. I'll usualy have a prawn cocktail and DH some soup. Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, then I'll usually have made a cheesecake or lemon tart for dessert. All washed down with a bottle of champagne.

Clear up, put stuff in the dishwasher by about 3.00 then that's it. Dozing in the armchair for a couple of hours. If we feel peckish later in the day we'll put a couple of mince pies or sausaage rolls in to warm or have some cheese and crackers.

I like to get the main meal done an dusted and then just chill out.

To me it’s always Christmas dinner, no matter when you have it. Traditionally the main meal of the day was dinner (us older ones had school dinners, not school lunches) and if the trad Christmas meal isn’t a ‘main’, I don’t know what is.

For many years we’ve had ours at 5 or 6 anyway - far less of a rush for the cook, which has usually been me.

We probably have ours around 2 or 3pm and then just a few crisps/dips /chocolates in the evening

I'm not snippy on my own account - to me, 1pm is lunch and evening is dinner. Normally. But for me, Christmas dinner is just called Christmas dinner, whatever time it's served! Apologies if I misread you. I thought you meant 'I'd say' as in 'That's my opinion' rather than literally 'That's what I personally would say'. So many posters are very southern-centric and sneery about how things are said in other regions.

I've never done a fancy breakfast on Xmas day. We would just have cereal/toast whatever we would normally have

Growing up it was always Christmas dinner. It gave all the family time to spend at their own homes through the day at a leisurely pace then congregate at my parents for dinner. My DM wasn't a cook by any stretch of the imagination and the rest of the family were so not sure why she was always the one left to host Christmas!

I am surprised by the variety of times stated. I do not know anyone who does not have Christmas dinner between 2 and 3 pm. And, yes, it is called Christmas dinner, no matter what time of the day it is served. The only day in the year to have this rule 😀