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)

I don't want to get up & start cooking really early & eat just after breakfast.

I've always cooked dinner at dinner time (20.00) , whatever day it is.
Why do people swap dinner for lunch on Sundays & holidays ?

Does it matter if they don’t eat ‘real’ dinner for one day?

Ha! We eat at about 7pm.

We do parkrun, then have a big brunch, long walk and pub then back to nibbles and a cocktail two then dinner.

We always have fish so I just prep before we go for a walk/pub and it only takes a hour or so to cook when we get back.

In Scotland it's probably quite standard. Well any of my family, friends and colleagues it's the normal time. Some might start a bit earlier at 2pm and some start a bit later at 5pm. I think most ppl here start at 3-4pm. It's not Christmas lunch here more dinner or somewhere inbetween.

We usually get up at 8ish but don't have bfast until 10/11am. We have family that come round to see the kids about lunchtime or we go see them. I start preparing food after that and we try to start about 3pm. There is no lunch, it wld only spoil the appetite. U want to be starving for the many courses I'm going to serve 😄

Well 4pm isn’t lunch, but it is an early dinner.

We usually aim to eat around 4pm on Christmas Day. We don’t have lunch, but have a later breakfast / chocolates etc

We once invited our lovely, elderly neighbour as he was going to be on his own.. he couldn’t get his head around our eating time. We told him to come for 2pm ish as we were eating at 4pm.
He had always eaten at lunch time when his wife was alive. Different families have different traditions, I suppose.
We found out, that he had actually eaten his lunch at 12 anyway so wasn’t that hungry by 4pm… ( he normally eats dinner at 5.30pm).
We explained to him that we tend to have a late breakfast and skip lunch to leave room for dinner. It blew his mind…

I think it's an excellent time when you have no small children.

Lie in, substantive brunch, Christmas Dinner, nap/walk/film, pudding and cheese and chocolates. Heaven x

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

Not really. We have a nice breakfast Christmas morning, some light snacks if anyone's that hungry, then a three course dinner at 3 or 4pm and cheese much later.

I mean… just have it when you want? I don’t get why people feel strongly about this. Surely it just depends on what your plans for the rest of the day are and what else you might be eating. If I was up at 5am with little kids and having breakfast at 6am, I’m sure I’d happily have lunch at 1pm or something, but as I’m more likely to be getting up at 9am, having bucks fizz and croissants and having a more chilled out morning, then I’m probably going to be dishing up Christmas dinner at 3 or 4ish. Apart from anything, it’s a colossal meal that benefits from being eaten by people who are properly hungry.

I’d obviously make sure any guests arriving knew the score beforehand re timings, so they could consider that when it came to their own breakfast or whatever, and I’d also happily put a tray of nibbles/canapés out for anyone who was peckish. This year we’ll have my lovely MIL to stay and I guarantee she’ll eat more chocolate on Christmas morning than any child, so she’s unlikely to be ready for a festive feast at 1pm anyway, bless her.

I like it around 2ish so I have space for nibbles in the evening. But whatever works for you!

We eat at 4pm every weekend... fits with DH's incessant sport watching.

So Christmas Day, all of a sudden , is 1 pm.

As you do.

4pm is one of the most bizarre times I’ve ever heard

I’m always fascinated by people who seem utterly shocked and confused by the notion of people doing things slightly differently to the way they do them. It’s a 4pm meal, not an alien landing. Calm down.

It's all good as long as it doesn't get in the way of the King's speech

We have Christmas Dinner at about 7. How very heathen is that?

Breakfast, light lunch (smoked salmon etc) , dinner with candles, twinkling lights, port into the evening. Plenty of time in the day for presents, a walk, fun with different generations, cook in passing everyone lending a hand throughout the afternoon… perfect!

I’m surprised that people actually watch this. It’s never been part of my life. I’d laugh if someone suggested it!

yabvu. Christmas dinner is at 3pm

We invite guests, or go to family for 1. Canapés, champagne and presents and eat about 2.30 then have a break after main course and usually end up about 5/5.30 but somehow all ready for some cheese and crackers by 8

About 5pm
start cooking it soon as getting in for pub just after 2

4pm is perfect! That's when we eat. It means that we have a good long morning to open presents and prepare the dinner without rushing but also it's early enough that we can skip lunch and just grab snack like a sausage roll or two. It also allows us to watch The King's Speech and then get the starter ready after it. Also, everyone is stuffed so no evening meal required, but time enough for it to go down before evening drinks and snacks.

We have always had Christmas dinner at 4pm. Church for us and family was always 10.30/11am. My dad visited from 70 miles away before heading home for his own late afternoon meal. The in-laws picked up DH's gran and a hanger-on and arrived at ours in time for the Queen.
We have muffins for breakfast and some soup or pasta after church to keep us going.

Same! Plus recording/catch up are both things. Even if you want (inexplicably) to watch it, it doesn’t have to interfere with how you run your day!

I live on my own, so sometimes by 4pm I'm ready to eat my 'evening' meal. Other times its 5pm or a little later, but usually I'm done by 6pm and settle down for the evening.
Mum usually hosts, we walk the dog in the morning between half ten and half eleven, or twelve, then back home for Christmas lunch at 1pm. We have a snacky tea later on at 6pm.

But if you don’t eat dinner till 4pm, won’t you be so full of Quality Street by then that you’ll be sick.

Well the kids will be up at 5am so it’s a midday lunch for us. Three courses, done by 2.30/3-ish (including all the tidying up). Then I can put on my pj’s and do fuck all for the rest of the day.

We have pastries for breakfast, and tea is turkey/ham sandwiches, cheese board, Christmas cake. Have whatever you like from the fridge (I’ll not be getting up). I like the idea of a later lunch but I think I’d be cooking/cleaning up all day.

Only if you a)eat Quality Street and b)can’t stop yourself eating too much Quality Street.
I like snacks and sweet things as much as the next person. More probably. But a late breakfast/brunch then dinner at 4 doesn’t leave a huge hunger making gap.