Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

253 replies

NumberSixtyTwo · 23/12/2023 19:20

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?

OP posts:
Barnabusbear · 23/12/2023 20:13

Dotjones · 23/12/2023 20:02

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 intend to have ours ready around 4pm. Crazy huh?

AllAroundMyCat · 23/12/2023 20:15

Christmas morning we gorge on freshly baked croissants and sausage rolls with blinis topped with smoked salmon and cream cheese.
We then graze on nibbles whilst opening presents.
There's no way we could eat a roast dinner at noon. Takes a while to cook, too.

Having the big roast at 3 means that we're ready for it and we don't want to eat in the evening bar a few crackers and cheese.

It's one day a year and I don't feel stressed. I can get in the kitchen after the gifts and not feel stressed . I also get to see everyone open their gifts as opposed to nipping out every few minutes to put this on or check that.

There are no rules for Christmas Day, only your own rules.

brawnthesheep · 23/12/2023 20:16

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.

This is bizarre, have you never had a Sunday roast at home or in a pub at 3pm?!

LeggyLegsEleven · 23/12/2023 20:17

Children/elderly people/people travelling.

Personally I don’t want it early and I don’t want to have lunch and dinner. So it’s like afternoon brunch for me (brinner?). My parents ate at 12 which I always hated, in laws at 8pm and you had to starve all day, this was also shit.

CarolinaInTheMorning · 23/12/2023 20:18

Birdcar · 23/12/2023 20:04

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.

This. I'm American and it's the same for Thanksgiving. We eat a substantial breakfast, and then the festive dinner is around 3 p.m. Later in the evening, we put out things for people to make sandwiches, eat more dessert, etc. but it's not really another full meal.

MrsCobbit · 23/12/2023 20:19

We eat at 8.00pm with the rest of Downton Abbey

AvengedQuince · 23/12/2023 20:19

Dotjones · 23/12/2023 20:02

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.

The majority are having Christmas Dinner at the time you don't like.

To not understand why people eat at such strange times at Christmas?
existentialpain · 23/12/2023 20:20

I find it funny how several people have said they start the day with a large breakfast and then have Christmas dinner early to mid afternoon. If I had a large breakfast I couldn't eat a thing until into the evening, never mind a Christmas dinner.

mrlistersgelfbride · 23/12/2023 20:20

I do prefer Christmas dinner on the earlier side of things, ideally no later than 2pm.

It probably comes from my parents who did the same- they also like their regular Sunday roast in the middle of the day , at 1pm.
I'm not into waiting all day to eat.
Get it done, all dishes washed then it's cheese, chocolate and TV from the late afternoon til bedtime 😊

FijiSea · 23/12/2023 20:20

MissBuffyAnneSummers · 23/12/2023 19:29

This.

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

Show quote history

This.

brawnthesheep · 23/12/2023 20:21

I find it funny how several people have said they start the day with a large breakfast and then have Christmas dinner early to mid afternoon. If I had a large breakfast I couldn't eat a thing until into the evening, never mind a Christmas dinner.

🙄

theduchessofspork · 23/12/2023 20:21

NumberSixtyTwo · 23/12/2023 19:31

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.

Show quote history

It’s not hard to understand surely

It’s Christmas so the people hosting don’t want to get up early and turkey takes a while to cook, and the people travelling have to travel.

It’s like Sunday lunch but a bit more so, you just eat a late breakfast.

You manage to eat at slightly different times at the weekend and on holiday, don’t you.

Lovemusic82 · 23/12/2023 20:22

We will eat Christmas dinner around 2.30-3pm. My reasoning is because we have a big breakfast so we won’t be able to eat such a big meal until later in the day. We could have it later but then the dc would be hungry and would then eat and not want to eat dinner. Also I don’t want to be cooking and washing up too late in the day. Eating a big meal around 3pm means we won’t need much else for the rest of the day.

DD is autistic and finds it really confusing as she likes to stick to eating her meals at the same time each day, so I have to make her a schedule (on paper) so she understands what’s happening.

Fionaville · 23/12/2023 20:23

Relaxed morning, nibbles throughout the day. Then big Christmas dinner about 4pm. Buffet about 10pm. Perfect.

IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos · 23/12/2023 20:23

existentialpain · 23/12/2023 20:20

I find it funny how several people have said they start the day with a large breakfast and then have Christmas dinner early to mid afternoon. If I had a large breakfast I couldn't eat a thing until into the evening, never mind a Christmas dinner.

Ah the competitive undereaters of MN have arrived!

theduchessofspork · 23/12/2023 20:24

existentialpain · 23/12/2023 20:20

I find it funny how several people have said they start the day with a large breakfast and then have Christmas dinner early to mid afternoon. If I had a large breakfast I couldn't eat a thing until into the evening, never mind a Christmas dinner.

Quite impressed the competitive undereating didn’t hit till page 5

How many does your Turkey leg serve PP?

snoopyfanaccountant · 23/12/2023 20:25

It will be after 12 when we get back from church so no time to do a big lunch. My DM and MIL are travelling here so we don't want to eat too late for them driving home.

rochenutty · 23/12/2023 20:26

out of interest op - what are you doing over christmas… hosting? alone? A guest?

Andywarholswig · 23/12/2023 20:26

We will be eating at 3pm this year as DH has to work, usually would be more like 4pm. I think it’s perfectly reasonable especially if you go to church to have a late lunch and who wants to eat a roast dinner at 12pm, that’s weird in my world.

milveycrohn · 23/12/2023 20:26

Why does it bother you what time other people eat their dinner?
Eat it at a time that suits you.
we have eaten at different times over the years according to the age of our children.
When young, they woke early, so we would have a christmas lunch around 1.00 and another lighter meal early evening.
However, when the children got older, we moved our dinner back in time.
We once had dinner in the evening, but found this did not suit us.
Do whatever feels right for you.

AngelaRippingMyLegIntheAir · 23/12/2023 20:28

I start the day with a box of Maltesers. As I'm old Christmas Day always used to be timed around the Queen's speech.

BurbageBrook · 23/12/2023 20:31

@NumberSixtyTwo do you never have brunch? On Sundays we often just have two main meals: brunch around 10 then a lunch at 3-4. Then maybe toast or cheese and crackers last thing in the evening.

LolaSmiles · 23/12/2023 20:31

find it funny how several people have said they start the day with a large breakfast and then have Christmas dinner early to mid afternoon. If I had a large breakfast I couldn't eat a thing until into the evening, never mind a Christmas dinner.
I find Christmas dinner too overwhelming so find a bowl of muesli in the morning tides me through until 6pm when I might have a small piece of turkey and vegetables, on a side plate obviously because a whole Christmas dinner would have me uncomfortably stuffed for all of boxing day. It's perfectly possible to enjoy Christmas without overindulgence.

(Sarcasm obviously)

Scottishskifun · 23/12/2023 20:32

We eat about 4pm mostly because we have young children who don't generally eat big lunch and then 1 has a nap at 1.30!

It also takes hours to prepare I'm not starting the cooking at 8am for lunch time!

junecat · 23/12/2023 20:33

Having ours at 3pm as my sister is working until 1pm. We just generally do it when it suits guests.