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?

As a child, Christmas lunch was always late because we went to mass first. And it's a big meal to make! We didn't have microwaves/air fryers etc to warm prepared stuff up quickly.

I think another reason in some families is Church

No I think it's quite acceptable to eat a bit later in the afternoon. I would think it odd to have Christmas meal at 1 pm. Three or four o'clock is far more civilised.

I'll eat when I want thanks

YANBU, either eat it about 1pm or leave it til at least 6:30. Scheduling it at 3pm or 4pm is idiotic, it's a sign of laziness or incompetence - they intend to have it at a normal time but they fuck up the timing so it's a very late lunch.

I remember walking along our beach when my children were young in the 80’s and looking in the cafe at people eating ( was poor so we never went in) about 3 o’clock and thinking “whatever meal are they having at 3pm?” It was so alien to me because of my rigid upbringing!
Ive fully embraced any time eating now though!

No different to any other weekend day here.

Breakfast is later, so lunch is later. On a Sunday / Christmas Day it's not unusual that we only have 2 meals, a late and substantial breakfast / brunch and then a roast dinner mid-afternoon. Snacky stuff later if anyone is still hungry.

Not everyone lives by a strict routine (although arguably those with young kids may well do).

Or maybe it was intended to be then to allow for a lie in and a later start to the day? So much bile being spat out of your post....

I’m panicking a bit about making the roast potatoes in my brand new Ninja though
so dinner might be unintentionally late!

We’re aiming to eat around 3ish.

Because we want to have a leisurely morning opening presents and having all the excitement with toddler DD, then it will take a good couple of hours to get the main meal ready.

I don’t want to rush presents/ say no to having a play with her favourite ones because I’m having to rush into the kitchen. I also don’t want to eat any later because I want it all tidied and cleared away nice and early so I can relax the rest of the evening. I can have some time to play with DD before her bedtime and then I want to get a good few hours sitting on my bum in front of tv which I haven’t managed once yet this December!

It’s not actually that unusual a time for us on a Sunday when we often do a big, cooked breakfast and then a late lunch/ early dinner and that’s it.

It's a big meal. More of a feast. You don't need 3 meals if one of them is larger than normal. It's kind of lunch and dinner combined.

@NumberSixtyTwo

I really don't get why people are saying that a cooked breakfast fills them up enough to not need lunch either

You've obviously never had a Full Scottish breakfast.

This is also madness to me!

A full traditional Christmas dinner is just such a bugger to prepare...it is ready when it's ready, basically.

It takes longer to cook.
People often have a large, late breakfast on Christmas Day so aren't hungry at normal lunch time.
There will often be nibbles/chocolates out throughout the day.

What a crazy thread which doesn’t take into account normal practices, preference, distance of any guests or number being catered for.

FWIW I never eat breakfast, lunch is between 11-2 depending on hunger, dinner is between 4-7 depending on whether I bothered with lunch. Rest of family have different eating habits.

Christmas Dinner is 2-3 as we like to be rebellious once a year and it stresses anal people out.

I’m not sure you’re required to ‘get it’.

3pm is perfect for us. It’s too big of a meal for normal lunchtime or dinner time so late afternoon suits for between a nice breakfast and a snacky ‘dinner’.

BBC good food says 2:30pm

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/your-christmas-timeplan

Do you genuinely have so little imagination that you cannot conceive of a world in which people don’t share your personal routine and eating habits?

For example, on a Sunday I’m not even awake before 9am, let alone eating breakfast. At 10am I’m probably still having a cuppa in bed. Might have some brunch around 11-12ish.

I really don't get why people are saying that a cooked breakfast or some smoked salmon fills them up enough to not need lunch either

Maybe their breakfasts are just bigger than yours? Has that crossed your mind? Or maybe they have their breakfast and then graze on Christmas treats? Or maybe they want to be a lot hungrier than usual for their dinner on Christmas Day because it’s the biggest meal they eat all year? None of this is difficult to imagine. It really shouldn’t need explaining to you that not everybody follows your personal daily meal schedule, and yet here we are.

This reminds me of the time, years ago, when I was invited to join a friend and her adult family for Christmas lunch and told to arrive around 1.30pm for lunch at 2pm. Which I did, bearing several bottles of wine and little gifts for everyone, only to find that my friend was the only one up and dressed and all the other young adults (two girls and their boyfriends) were upstairs, showering and dressing. My friend sat me in the living room for half an hour, then came back to say that they wouldn't be eating till four. I said I'd go home and take the dog for a walk. At 3.30pm she called to say they'd only just put dinner on (nut roast) and she thought it was likely to be 5.30pm by the time they were actually ready to eat. I tried to excuse myself from going back but she got quite offended that I might be trying to sneak out of it, so I had to go back at 5.30pm and when I got there the young people had gone out to visit friends. We waited till 7pm, when I had a drinks do with another friend to go to, and I left without any dinner.

Possibly because it’s usually quite big with lots of snacks before and after that people don’t have an actual evening meal, so try and space it between lunch and dinner.

I bet you’re a real joy to have around

Because Christmas day is usually the one big meal, if you ate it at lunchtime you’d have to do a proper meal again at dinner time and who wants to do that after all the faff!

Brunch, picky stuff until dinner then cheese and other cold bits throughout the evening, a second go at dinner if anyone can be bothered to reheat a plate 😃

1 is too early. Not long had breakfast. Can't eat a big meal after 5 or will be up half the night with indigestion. The older you get, the earlier you end up eating.

Or early, if you get the settings wrong