Xmas Day - Lunch at 4pm - AIBU

[Moonshine5]

Following heated debate and reading a variety of threads. What say you Mumsnet community?
🎅
AIBU - that's a ridiculous time for Christmas lunch
YANBU - perfectly normal you heathens (note this is a light-hearted thread)

We always used to have it at about 1pm at home but DP prefers it later at 5pm. We try and aim for about 4ish, and normally have sausage rolls except late morning/lunch time

We plan to eat at two, get stuck into the booze, (completely legal to have fizz in the am at Christmas!!!) may get the starter at 2.30, then lunch at 4-6??? Pudding about 8? Cheese and biscuits, possibly 10ish…….who cares! It’s Christmas, do what you like☺️

We call it Christmas dinner regardless of what time its eaten 😅 We sit down to starter at 3.30pm usually. So actual roast probably at 4pm.
We like to have a relaxed morning with the kids, opening presents etc. So the guests (parents and siblings) don't come until 2pm. Then we say our hellos and exchange/open gifts with them. By that time everyone is really hungry and ready for a big meal. It works for us.

You are correct @Fionaville. Dinner is the main meal of the day whatever the time.

After theKings speach here

Light breakfast when we wake for us.

Lunch about 3

Cheese & meats/chocolate once DC in bed and will have a couple of drinks.

We usually get up 6/7 do presents, breakfast, grandparents visit ( they life across the road ) then dp takes the kids to grandmas ( in-law) while I get on with the cooking it’s usually ready about 2/3 then we play with toys/watch a film and dessert. By 5 everyone is full, tired and happy.

We have had it all sorts of times depending on things like when people are working. We have had it as early as 12 for people going in on a late shift and as late as 5 for those working earlier in the day. If it's going to be late we have a big cooked breakfast at around 10 and if it's earlier we just have something like so home baked croissants or bacon sandwiches. Either way the kids have chocolate for breakfast once they open their stockings and no one goes hungry at any point. It's not really a big deal, just pick a time that suits you and others can work on when they eat around that.

I'd just be grateful that you even have a choice, some of us won't be with our family on Christmas day to have a lunch together. My son is 6yrs and I have never had a "proper" Xmas with him due to my job and many people don't even have a family to spend it with.

We have ours after the King’s speech so I think 4pm is acceptable

Anything goes - as long as all family guests know and can attend.

Yes. And it always sounds odd when some people call it “Christmas lunch” - turkey, potatoes, sausages, pudding, brandy sauce… that is definitely a dinner!

Formal present opening in the morning and a one o’ clock dinner is difficult. When I was a child we had all presents unceremoniously ripped open before dawn and then got on with playing with them. Christmas Eve for dinner and Christmas Day for presents sounds like a good idea.

Just because you don't get to have the debate, doesn't mean nobody else should!

We’ve had Christmas dinner (always been called that in my family and by others I grew up around, maybe a Scottish thing?) at 3pm for as far back as I can remember. I’m in my mid-forties with my own family now, and we eat at 3pm on Christmas Day too. Works for us!

I think you are are us!

We eat at 4.30pm on Xmas day.
we get up mega early with the kids, have a light breakfast with presents, have a big brunch and then Xmas dinner is basically their teatime!

but what about Christmas breakfast... bacon butties, poached eggs, salmon...

brekkie 10
Lunch 1
Dinner 5

snacks 10

😆

Yes, if that isn’t a hot dinner I don’t know what is. Calling it lunch is a bit like saying ‘hevver’ instead of ever. It’s wrong and slightly ridiculous.

Lol … but nothing is worse than ‘we was’ 😱😂

3pm (or thereabouts) for us, so we can enjoy some present time with the DC in the morning. 4pm seems fine to me.

Lunch at 1ish
Dinner At 6ish (the roast)

I find 4 weird. Do you have another meal and when. Don’t people get hungry and snack before if that’s their lunch?
Do eat again after or go to bed having just eaten crap all evening?

Late ish breakfast, posh canapés (thanks Waitrose!) about 2pm to keep us going, main meal at 4pm. No pressure to get cooking done early (though we’re organised in advance so very little prep), everyone gets a relaxing morning with presents, there’s time for walks/pub for anyone that wants it, and then we’re done and cleared up in time for evening TV.

I think it just depends what you’re used to growing up. At my parents it was light breakfast early , Christmas lunch at 1, cheese and nibbles for supper if hungry. At my husband’s it was breakfast at 10 and Christmas dinner around 3-4.

With kids we’ve more often done it at 5-6 as there was a small child napping over lunch for so many years. This year will probably do for lunch. It suits our kids much better to stick to normal meals times.