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Original poster

To ask about weird Christmas dinners?

176 replies

EightChalk · 03/12/2023 11:13

And weird Christmases in general! My in-laws are totally normal, welcoming, the house is warm, and the festive food is entirely as expected, with no weird rules around present-opening or enforced games (and of course I think my own family customs are normal!). Grateful as I am for this, I love reading the threads about weird rules you've encountered at other people's houses, and was hoping that there would also be some tales from bizarre Christmases past!

OP posts:
mrlistersgelfbride · 05/12/2023 00:35

Thinking about it, my parents did some weird stuff when I was young.

My dad, who is an up with the larks kind of person every other day, used to lie in bed til 9am on Christmas day and Christmas day only. My mum insisted we wait for him to come downstairs before we opened any presents. Think he just did it to annoy us 🙄

We also had to wear whatever clothes we had been giving as gifts on the day! We ate one thing from a selection box, no gorging on chocolate - they were health conscious. .
Also they were very into having lunch at a set time, by 1:30pm. I was very surprised to learn some people have their Christmas dinner as late as 3 or 4pm! 😅

mrlistersgelfbride · 05/12/2023 00:48

sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea · 05/12/2023 00:02

I forgot that my mum was an absolute angel over Christmas. She ALWAYS hosted my very prim aunt & cousin, and my grandmother (her MiL) every year, all of whom contributed absolutely nothing & mostly just sat around as she worked her arse off, not making any conversation either.
The weirdest Christmas we ever had was the combination of those three & my Dad's friend who wasn't taking his divorce well, and brought along his ten year old twins. Divorced friend brought a swimming pool of wine, drank most of it, made a lot of awkward comments, and then fell asleep at the table. I was clearing the table when my aunt got up & wandered out of the dining room.

There was then THE LOUDEST FART I have ever heard in my life which seemed to bounce off every wall in the house and go on for about 30 seconds. A very stunned silence followed before we all burst out laughing. Aunt came back in, blissfully unaware. Drunk divorced friend briefly stirred and said 'I never guessed you had that in you Sarah' and went back to his snooze.

Mum & I looked at each other and said 'Right! Let's get the cheese then! Anyone for coffee?'

Oh my goodness! Absolutely hollowing at this (the farting and comment after!) 😂🤣

mrlistersgelfbride · 05/12/2023 00:51

Hohofortherobbers · 03/12/2023 18:08

Confused absolutely the weirdest one yet! You weren't allowed to open a present until the whole family had opened their bowels??? This sounds like it belongs in Royston Vasey!!

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Laughing about this is actually keeping me awake 🤣😂

Valeriekat · 05/12/2023 04:53

FelicityFlops · 03/12/2023 17:48

20 years ago on Christmas Day I had a (home-made) curry.
My husband had just committed suicide, his funeral was on 19th December. My lovely father said I should come home for Christmas, but I was in my own home.
I spent the day unpacking boxes from the we moved the year before.
Curry is about my most favourite meal as it is so adaptable.
This year I have been invited to spend Christmas with my fabulous sister and her family, including her grandschildren. Can't wait and looking forward to doing lots of cooking - although not necessarily curries :-)

Our family tradition is curry as well as Turkey and the trimmings.
Granny always cooked a vindaloo and Aunty bought homemade samosas!
Sorry for your loss.

sashh · 05/12/2023 06:10

I went to an ex's house when I was in my teens. Dinner came out plated up with fresh veg and gravy. It looked good.

I cut a bit of turkey and it was cold. I waited to see if anyone said anything.

Nope they cooked the turkey on Xmas eve and served it cold with hot veg and gravy.

Then on boxing day we went to his nan's house and had exactly the same meal again. Nan had been at the Xmas day meal.

Allthingsdecember · 05/12/2023 07:30

quicklybeendrivenmad · 03/12/2023 15:58

Having my In laws serve mushy peas on a Christmas dinner for me that goes with Pie or Fish

That happened to me the first year I spent with my in-laws too… I don’t even like mushy peas on fish and chips!

Also no table decorations, starter, or pudding and FIL ate his in front of the TV. Christmas dinner was always a big deal in my house growing up so I was a bit thrown.

Rosesarecolourful · 05/12/2023 08:31

When I was a child I was allowed my stocking early morning but not allowed to open any other presents until everyone else was up. Then we all took it in turns to open presents, which I actually enjoyed, it made the anticipation last longer. My grandparents put on Carols in the background, all very lovely really 🎄

ilovedoctorwho · 05/12/2023 08:55

Alohapotato · 04/12/2023 02:41

Why can't you do the same when his family visits?

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For religious reasons they find meat abhorrent.

Veggievic · 05/12/2023 09:25

My in-laws serve garlic bread with Xmas dinner. My now husband was not happy the first year I did lunch and refused to have garlic bread!!
They also presented a huge carrot cake covered in almonds ( the ones from Costco) as dessert one year there were only 4 of us plus my toddler who has a severe nut allergy. I nearly had a heart attack at all these flaked almonds falling off everywhere.

skyfalldown · 05/12/2023 09:38

Fully vegan Christmas dinner!

maddiemookins16mum · 05/12/2023 11:06

TheNewSchmoo · 03/12/2023 15:51

I know this may be contentious. But a friend had sweetcorn on her Christmas Dinner and I was clutching my pearls. No.

My sister did this once, even worse was the fact it was those massive frozen ones that we had to hold in our hand AND there was no butter! That said, DD then aged 15 months, sat in her high chair chomping away quite happily.

Notamum12345577 · 05/12/2023 17:23

NovemberAutumn · 03/12/2023 16:08

A few years back we were invited to a neighbour's house for Christmas dinner. She suggested that we contribute £50 per person (regardless of age) for food (so £200 for DH and I and a 7 and 4 year old) and bring the champagne for 12 adults as a starter. So there were 16 adults (including the hosts) and 4 children which meant that if the hosts did not contribute the £50 each themselves (my suspicion) the cash amount handed over was £800 ex alcohol which was brought separately for everyone by us and the other adult guests who had been issued instructions about bringing wine for main and dessert wine for pudding etc.

So- we paid £200 for food. Plus brought 4 bottles of Veurve Cliquot at about £120.

The food was all frozen and heated up stuff from Iceland with the exception of a one serve nutroast from M&S for DH.

I think they probably made (taking wine into account) a fair whack of profit that day.

That is so cheeky I’m actually impressed! 🤣
They would have made hundred in profit that day!

BellaAndDave · 05/12/2023 17:39

My DH’s ex MIL always served spicy onion rings and peas mixed with sweetcorn with Christmas dinner as the only veg. Every year he checks we have “proper” veg ie brussels, carrots, parsnips 😂

ToffeePennie · 05/12/2023 17:44

Mine is probably weird to most, but then I find it incredibly odd to have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day. The one time we did it, I was so freaked out we made a deal to never ever do it again.
I have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, lamb not turkey, sweetcorn and everyone around the table has to get a table gift from the hostess

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 05/12/2023 17:46

lovinglaughingliving · 04/12/2023 03:42

Stockings in the morning here and main presents after lunch,
Other wise it's all over for the kids and they don't actually play with anything and just go about manically ripping off paper!
We do try and take turns a bit and get the kids to appreciate what they have (and it allows me to write down who got what from who!) but sometimes, we fail!
Our sons birthday is on the 20th so it's a very exciting time in our household generally!

This is us. Stockings when the kids wake up (or woke up, they all have their own houses now and we alternate Christmas in the house of whoever is feeling strongest) and then present opening spread out throughout the day. Otherwise, with me as a single mum to five, it was just utter chaos and fighting with no idea who had what or from whom, plus the excitement of Christmas was over by 10am and the rest was just a normal day with a bigger dinner. So I learned to spread the present opening which kept the excitement level high throughout the day (there was always the outside chance that one of those unopened presents was a pony).

sprigatito · 05/12/2023 17:48

All you sweetcorn perverts should be made to live in a colony. Where you can't upset normal folk with your little yellow nubbins of indigestible gack.

With gravy ffs.

stepintochristmas1 · 05/12/2023 18:31

I don't believe sweetcorn should be on the Christmas menu as it is not a winter veg - so there .

Elvis1956 · 05/12/2023 19:05

Christmas dinner was the only roast meal my dad ate with mum and me. Usually on a Sunday he'd be in the pub! We got up early I opened my presents the thinking back they never had any, even the ones I bought a bit later were never opened in public! Dad popped to the pub. We had lunch. Dad and I would watch crap on tv, mum would visit dad's cousin for a drink in the afternoon (George was gay and lived with Dave and adored my mum) she would come home tipsy. We'd have turkey sandwiches for tea. We'd sit down for Morecambe and wise.

strangest Christmas ' at sil. She insisted on cooking dinner despite being a crap cook. One year she broke a plate and had full blown hysterics! The next year she s he sat down, drank a bottle of wine in 15 minutes. Insulted everyone in her normal passive aggressive way. I was lucky to have paid my mortgage off...despite the fact I did it because my parents had died! The worst was to her parents in law who she told, in as many words, that she couldn't wait for them to die so she could inherit their house!

Mirabai · 05/12/2023 19:10

sprigatito · 05/12/2023 17:48

All you sweetcorn perverts should be made to live in a colony. Where you can't upset normal folk with your little yellow nubbins of indigestible gack.

With gravy ffs.

Nothing wrong with sweetcorn - I love a corn on the cob with fresh lime juice and coriander - however not at Christmas! Nor mashed potatoes, nor cauliflower cheese - or any other such abomination.

sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea · 05/12/2023 21:44

It is incredibly snobby, and very dated now, but I highly recommend 'How to Survive Christmas' by Jilly Cooper for some true horror stories. One of my favourites is the hostess who decided to clean her oven a few days before, but didn't realise she had to wipe the spray off, so served up turkey that tasted of nothing but Mr Muscle.

BellaAndDave · 05/12/2023 22:33

sprigatito · 05/12/2023 17:48

All you sweetcorn perverts should be made to live in a colony. Where you can't upset normal folk with your little yellow nubbins of indigestible gack.

With gravy ffs.

Some actually mix them with peas! DH mentions it every Christmas Day and we’ve been married for over 20 years 😂

NoThanksymm · 06/12/2023 00:17

We go to the in-laws to celebrate Christmas and they ‘already celebrated’ with the favourite child, so decorations are down, no Christmas food.

yep! Shitty tradition. Neglect my partner.

Bordesleyhills · 06/12/2023 14:24

Driving 40 miles with a young child for a cup of tea at 4pm- little one was in bed for 6.30pm- cup of tea was served after two hours, 5 mins before we went. Also been given presents and not allowed to open them- they are for home

sweetpickle23 · 06/12/2023 14:27

I know someone who's ex's family had baked beans with their Christmas dinner.

OutOfSyncWithReality · 06/12/2023 15:00

NoThanksymm · 06/12/2023 00:17

We go to the in-laws to celebrate Christmas and they ‘already celebrated’ with the favourite child, so decorations are down, no Christmas food.

yep! Shitty tradition. Neglect my partner.

Similar happened to me, except it wasn't the ILs it was my own parents. Golden child wasn't visiting that year so it was cancelled. I was though. It took me 7 hours to get there, got home just before midnight on Christmas eve. No lights, decorations, tree. Beef stew for dinner Christmas day.

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