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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Xmas Day - Lunch at 4pm - AIBU

349 replies

Moonshine5 · 19/11/2023 18:56

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)

OP posts:
PeloMom · 19/11/2023 19:27

We eat at around that time but call it dinner.

Bagpuss2022 · 19/11/2023 19:28

We usually have it at 3pm. Such a stupid time in my opinion I’m usually not that hungry as we have brunch at 11. However we go to my mums so I suck it up she cooks for 20+ people.
This year we are having a big change going out for a Indian and I was out in charge of booking so it’s booked for 5pm!

Missingmyusername · 19/11/2023 19:28

YABVVVU 🤣 We eat at 2/2.30pm. I’d have wasted away by 4pm!

atsasnuffothat · 19/11/2023 19:31

Make it last all day! We have our starter as breakfast, around ten o'clock or so. Then the main course is at lunchtime, one or two pm, and then pudding and cheese as "supper" at seven or eight. Each served with the appropriate wine, of course

ChristmasCrumpet · 19/11/2023 19:32

If you're doing a big fancy breakfast, or canapés, then you won't want to eat much before 3 anyway. Then such a large meal at 4 negates any evening buffet bits. So it's doable.

Depends on your day. I'd actually rather do that, giving it some thought. Probably eat more like 5 would be ideal. Hour and a half for 3 courses, then DC would be ready to go to bed by 7.

Ours is actually served at 2pm. Early breakfast (young children who are up at bastard o clock) of fruits, yoghurt, honey and pastries, then champagne and mince pies when guests arrive around 11. I'm properly hungry for my lunch by 2pm, but having been up since the crack of dawn, the excitement, then the cooking, and overeating, I'm in a food coma and nodding off by about 4. Put the cheeseboard and charcuterie out around 6pm, and people pick throughout the evening.

You can eat whatever time, Christmas is always a flexible one depending on your personal family schedule.

welshweasel · 19/11/2023 19:33

Always had it sometime between 3 and 5! Big breakfast then canapés at lunchtime. Last year we did it on Christmas Eve at 5pm, which worked brilliantly, so will be doing that again this year, then eating all the cheese on Christmas Day. I don't think 4pm is a weird time at all (and we would usually eat dinner at 8).

Chardonnay73 · 19/11/2023 19:33

Usually about 4ish? Have eggs Benedict for brunch at 10.30 ish. Then salmon canapés at 2pm. I love having Xmas dinner when it’s dark with loads of candles.
My dad would prefer it at lunchtime but I cook so it’s my rulez 😆

sandalsinthebin · 19/11/2023 19:34

For us it varies year-to-year depending on the mix of guests, where they're travelling from etc. In the past we've had it as early as 12pm and as late as 9pm

bjjgirl · 19/11/2023 19:37

We will do it at 4 this year as I am working the morning shift.

Usually it's around 1

Mylovelygreendress · 19/11/2023 19:37

CremeEggSupremacy · 19/11/2023 19:03

4pm is one of the most bizarre times I’ve ever heard - too late to be lunch, too early to be dinner, surely makes the whole rest of the day awkward food-wise

Why is it bizarre ?
Different things work for different people.

AlltheFs · 19/11/2023 19:38

Ours is usually ready about 3, but it could be as late as 4

Matilda1981 · 19/11/2023 19:40

We always eat around 4 - big brunch in the morning and then canapés/nibbles from half 2 ish and then main course around 4 - no need for any evening meals then! Gives family that are coming round time to enjoy their mornings with the kids without having to rush to ours for an early lunch!

Torganer · 19/11/2023 19:41

Both growing up, and now hosting as an adult, we have always had Christmas dinner around 1800 (apart from the times my in-laws have hosted and it’s been around 1500). A lot earlier than I would otherwise like to eat my dinner as we usually eat around 2100, but now I have children I can see why a bit earlier is better.

I don’t like a big meal at lunchtime. We usually have a seafood platter and canapés at 1300, so that tides us over. We will also have cheese/bread/crackers/port at 2200.

Mumof2teens79 · 19/11/2023 19:41

A number of family members work shifts including Xmas day, so we eat at whatever time works that year.
5pm for a Sunday dinner isn't unusual for us

4pm works well for a longer lie in, and late brunch.

FirstTime8717 · 19/11/2023 19:41

Perfectly fine if you wake up late, have a nice big brunch, do presents, drink etc then 4pm is great

ColleenDonaghy · 19/11/2023 19:41

We have our main at about 4, but our starter around 1 when PIL arrive, then soup and a long gap, then another long gap between the main and dessert. Lovely long slow day.

We also ate around that time growing up, because we visited multiple family members in the morning.

UsingChangeofName · 19/11/2023 19:41

I'd have faded away by then, or stuffed myself to the point of being sick, with nibbles, chocolates etc, then not want a big dinner but if you are the host, I guess it is up to you. As long as you warn any potential guests so they can make their own arrangements for lunch.

MasterBeth · 19/11/2023 19:42

CremeEggSupremacy · 19/11/2023 19:03

4pm is one of the most bizarre times I’ve ever heard - too late to be lunch, too early to be dinner, surely makes the whole rest of the day awkward food-wise

It's Christmas! It makes the whole rest of the day special food-wise.

ChocoChocoLatte · 19/11/2023 19:43

Was always after the Queens speech!

DiscoBeat · 19/11/2023 19:43

We eat at two but if it suits everyone there then have it whenever you like!

NeverDropYourMooncup · 19/11/2023 19:44

Don't remind me of one of the greatest bones of contention between me and DP.

For me, Christmas should have a light breakfast around 7-8am with all of the overpriced fruit (and quite possibly pancakes with lemon curd and yoghurt), followed by making sure everything is prepped ready, getting outside and then sticking it on to be done by 2pm so that the rest of the afternoon is spent on the sofa eating and bitching about the TV, leaving enough room for further overpriced fruit, cheese, pickles and salad stuff in the evening.

DP's version is to complain about how full he is from the lasagne he made the night before (which I don't particularly like), complain about the state he left the kitchen in, cook about five meals' worth of fry up and no vegetable matter, leave all of that over the kitchen, then declare it is impossible to think about cooking a dinner and wouldn't it be better to not bother with anything but a chicken thigh and two potatoes because he's got to clean the kitchen up 'in a minute'.

To make this worse, he also mistakenly believes that because a single slightly larger Sunday Dinner needs to be cooked once in late December, this means that no roasted meats or vegetables should be prepared or consumed from November 7th - February 14th.

For the OP to have lunch at 4pm (which will probably turn into 6.30pm), that means breakfast will be had around 10-11am and everybody's going to be starving for hours, IMO.

Iwant2beJessicaFletcher · 19/11/2023 19:45

We eat around 12.30/1. I'd have eaten my own arm if I had to wait until 4pm! Granted, I don't eat breakfast so eating at lunch suits us much better.

Happytimes123456 · 19/11/2023 19:46

I think that is fine. Maybe have a brunch as well as Christmas dinner.

waterrat · 19/11/2023 19:47

We have always eaten at around this time - seems perfectly normal to me - it's just getting dark - can't think of anything worse than wasting a short winter day eating for hours! Need a bit of time to cook/ get out for fresh air etc.

It's basically kids teatime so there is time to fit in brunch and early toast etc before that.

BettyOBarley · 19/11/2023 19:48

We host and I do lunch around 1-2pm
It works well for us as parents come over fairly early and then MIL goes to another family members for an evening buffet
(and I put my feet up in front of the TV with cheese & crackers!)