To not understand why people eat at such strange times at Christmas?

[NumberSixtyTwo]

I really don't get why so many people choose to have Christmas dinner at times they'd never normally eat a meal. Like many seem to have it at 3 or 4pm. Normally no one eats at that time so why do it on Christmas day?

Why not have it at a normal lunch time, like about 1pm, or a proper evening meal time?

Having it in between normal meal times surely just means you're too hungry or not hungry enough?

Because it's not a normal day. HTH.

Totally agree. I’ve heard friends complaining about having to get up early to put the turkey on so they can eat at 12 🤷‍♀️
We have always eaten Christmas dinner about 5 - it’s slightly earlier than we’d usually eat dinner but good for the kids & means we can relax during the day.

Surely you've eaten at least a couple of selection boxes to tide you over til a late lunch though. And you want to be nice and hungry for a big Christmas dinner

I will eat my dinner at 3am. I'm a night worker this month

Hope that's ok?

We’re having a cooked breakfast so dinner will be about 4/5ish. Who wants Christmas lunch at 1!

Agree it’s weird. Light smoked salmon type breakfast lovely roast at 1 ish then all afternoon to play games open presents and picky tea of cheese / sausage rolls that no one has to cook. Can’t understand having massive heavy meals at weird times like 4pm or something..

Because we want to have a lie-in and need to walk the dog before we can even think about cooking Christmas dinner.

I have it in the late afternoon as a combination of lunch and dinner.. because its a very filling meal and takes a long time to cook. If I were eating lunch then having it later as dinner it would be too much food.. and also we'd be eating really late...
If I had it as lunch I'd have to start cooking too early and I want to sit and enjoy the present opening etc

Well, a big turkey can take a long time to cook for a start. I'm not going to get up ridiculously early to get a start on the cooking. I like to spend a lazy morning drinking Buck's Fizz and opening presents before thinking about cooking.

I think people just do what suits them. We often eat Sunday lunch at around 2/3 pm as I don’t start cooking till we get back from Church. Christmas dinner is the same.

Usually been awake since the middle of the night, had breakfast then snacked all morning. Nothing is normal, all bets are off.

“Proper”. That’s rather judgemental.

People can do what they like and for many it’s a relaxed day. Why should people eat when you think they should?

We want to eat with our small children so will eat at 4.30 when they want to eat. I draw the line at having it at 11.30 which is their lunch time!

Plus means we only make one meal

We eat Sunday lunch at about 4-5 and will probably eat Christmas dinner at a similar time. Late breakfast then canapés into the afternoon, then pudding at about 6.30/7, then charcuterie, cheese and crackers at tenish if anyone gets peckish later.

Because people are travelling to come to said lunch/dinner
Because people have lots of activities to pack in during the day or family visits or both
Because doing a full on Christmas dinner with turkey and all of the trimmings takes a long time
Because people are allowed to do what suits them!

Cos there’s loads to fit in on Christmas Day - presents, church, usual stuff like dog walks etc - and the meal takes a while to do because it’s bigger than a normal roast. Why does it matter when anyone else eats - we all just do what suits, surely, and everyone’s happy?

My mum does this, except there are small children she always invites and they're obviously not able to wait and get starving like the adults

We usually eat our dinner at 6pm.

However my parents are elderly and eat earlier and will be having dinner with us so we eat at 1.30/2pm. we need to drop them home before it gets too late also.

Then we go visiting my husbands family in the evening.

I don’t think anything is odd at Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

I agree. It gets very confusing and it’s hard to work out what to eat while waiting.

I agree. We'll be eating at lunch time.

This.

We have a huge breakfast about 10-11, Xmas dinner at 3pm and then just graze in the evening.

We have Christmas lunch on the table sometime between 2pm
and 2:30pm which is the same time we would typically eat Sunday lunch. If I told my family to come for a 1pm lunch they would think it too early.

Weirdly if I invite family or friends for a lunch on a Saturday it would be at 1pm and everyone would be happy with that.

It takes too long to prepare and cook to be easily ready at 1pm and it's too much to eat starting later than 6pm. A feast suits a two sit down meals in the day arrangement, I wouldn't want three meals.

Why does it matter when anyone else eats - we all just do what suits, surely, and everyone’s happy?

It's a discussion forum... you don't have to click on a thread if it annoys you.

This is exactly it. Everyone is in a routine of breakfast, lunch, tea at certain times and then because it's Christmas you're suddenly hungry hours later than normal?

I don't get it at all.