Who has Xmas dinner and who likes to go out/have a takeaway?

[User727]

Will be having Christmas with the in laws this year. They don’t have Christmas dinner, they usually get a takeaway curry. Me and DH have been married for 4 years, together for 7. We have never spend Christmas Day going over to his mums. We have hosted a few times and she’s come to us, but usually we go to my family’s as his mum isn’t really bothered and doesn’t do much on the day.

This year we asked if she is planning anything for Christmas and would she like to spend it with us? She said yes and asked if we can go to hers, which we agreed. She text me the other day saying she has booked a meal out (curry). Now it’s not a MASSIVE deal. I’m not crying, I’m not throwing a tantrum or thinking she’s ruined Christmas or anything daft like that. It’s just one year and I will get over it. However i do feel a bit disappointed.

I never realised not having a home cooked Christmas dinner was a big thing. However these days I do know more and more people who are doing it as it takes the pressure and stress of doing the dinner which I understand.

Would you say having a Christmas dinner is an important part of Christmas for you, or do you prefer to eat something else/go for a meal?

I love takeaway and on any other day it would be fine but on Christmas day no, it's not Christmas without a roast and all the leftovers

If you enjoy the full Christmas dinner, cook on Boxing Day, or another day later. We had a couple of years when parts of the family were away, so we did Christmas dinner on around 29th December. But I still cooked for full works, and I think everyone truly almost forgot it was not Christmas day, it did not feel any different.

Plus which the cold meats and pickles lasted us into the New Year.

Where I live nothing opens so never really had to give it much though, if I could go out for dinner I guess I wouldn't choose a curry , we don't have many Indian restaurants mainly Chinese, not sure I could even have that as a takeaway on Christmas day. We do have some hotels who serve Christmas dinner at a rip off prices it rarely nice and sure you might as well have it at home , then you have the licensing laws for alcohol so you may not even get a drink in some places or if you do it's after 12.30pm

Christmas dinner is one of the main parts of the day for me! We will be going away this year to a cottage but will absolutely be doing a full on Christmas dinner there. I love a takeaway but it just seems wrong to me on Christmas Day! Totally appreciate others have different perspectives on this.

I have been out a few times for a traditional Christmas dinner in restaurants/pubs/hotels and I didn’t enjoy it as much as being at home. And I usually love eating out. I think we all tend to have our own traditions when it comes to Christmas, shaped by early experiences and also how we feel about Christmas now. I am admittedly one of those annoyingly festive Christmas lovers, but can appreciate it can be a very difficult time for people for a multitude of reasons.

I'd be fine with a curry but wouldn't want to have to go to a restaurant on Christmas day. I think inviting you to her house and then booking a table somewhere for you all would annoy me.

Delicious, and special because this is the only time of year I eat it.

Of course, Yorkshire!

I honestly wouldn’t go. Christmas Day is so important to me and I love tradition. Going out for a curry wouldn’t feel the same to me. It would honestly ruin my christmas. I’d see them on Boxing Day instead!

I'd love to go for an Indian meal. Christmas dinner is a lot of work for a roast. We went out one year....it was nice not to have to cook and clean up but dh did miss the leftovers.

Ooh no it's got to be Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day. I wouldn't be too bothered if it was out for a meal - although I do prefer being at home whether that's ours or family, but an Indian takeaway? I personally wouldn't feel right eating Indian on Christmas day. New year's eve absolutely and is actually my thing on NYE (Indian takeaway, not meal out) but not Christmas day.

We usually go to my mum and dads but last year dad was having chemotherapy and didn't feel like cooking or eating so I just visited for a cuppa then back home for a Chinese with DS2.

This year he has a scan on 10th and oncologist on 23rd so it's all a bit in the air what we are doing. Fingers crossed it will be the same as his last 2 scans and nothing has changed.

🤞

I personally love a homecooked Christmas dinner, as it's a special, once a year thing. I generally cook it and I do turkey, two different homemade stuffings, roast potatoes, honey and thyme roasted parsnips, spiced carrots, sauteed sprouts with chestnuts and bacon, pigs in blankets and Glamorgan sausages.

I can see the appeal of going out for a meal in terms of it being much less effort, but I love having leftovers for Boxing Day and sandwiches which I'd miss out on, plus I like the relaxed nature of the whole family eating at home, helping themselves to food and opening more wine etc, being able to have a break before pudding, etc.

And if I was going out, I'd still want a traditional Christmas dinner to the main option on the menu. I think that for me, the point of Christmas dinner is that it's a meal I don't eat at any other time (obviously I have the occasional roast dinner, but not turkey and all the associated festive trimmings mentioned above). So while I absolutely LOVE a curry, I probably wouldn't want it on Christmas day because I go out for a curry about once a fortnight all the year round and it wouldn't feel 'special'.

Absolutely each to their own though - people shouldn't feel they have to have a traditional dinner at home if they're not keen on that. I definitely have friends who go out or prefer to eat something different to the norm.

I asked my Italian colleague what he was planning for Christmas dinner last year and he said 'I have ordered an octopus'.

In our area no takeaways are open. There are 2 pubs open but one is basic and the other is expensive.

Last year we had roast lamb in Indian spices and reheated veg from a takeaway.

This year we're considering Paella unless we have DGS

I get that, and was inclined to do the same. But in all these years we have only spent Christmas with them twice, and neither of those times was at her house. She wants us to all go over and spend Christmas with her. There’s lots of people going, and they never really have Christmas dinner. It’s their family’s tradition. I really think it would be unreasonable of me to say nope im never spending Christmas with you because you have curry. Or making everyone change their plans just for me. I can cope for one year. However I do agree with you and usually my Christmas Day revolves around my dinner! It’s not going to feel special without it but I do think it’s selfish to not join in with them this once

We always have Christmas dinner at home. That way we can take our time preparing it & relax afterwards without having to eat a pudding when we're all still full. We don't do turkey either. Probably pork this year. We're going out for a nice meal on Christmas Eve & also with extended family on 27th

I quite like a Christmas dinner out in a decent restaurant but I wouldn’t happily swap Christmas dinner for curry, in fact I’d be very disappointed. I also buy some Christmas food and have later in the week if we aren’t at home, otherwise I feel like I’ve missed out on leftovers.

I like Christmas dinner either at home or in a restaurant. However I think not having Christmas dinner at home would make catering for the next few days a lot harder. We eat leftovers in different forms (bubble and squeak, pie, soup, sandwiches etc) and I’d have to rethink that. I have all those leftover dishes down to a fine art now.

We don't always have turkey but we would never have a take away. Went out one year and it was very disappointing not to mention ridiculously expensive.

Last year we had mexican at the request of the kids which worked well, this year they have requested roast beef. They missed the roast potatoes last year.

My DM has done most of the cooking of the stuffings, pigs in blankets (using sausagemeat), mince pies, mincemeat slices (a recipe she found on a calendar one year), brandy butter and cake.

Just needs to pick up the turkey crown on XE along with the veg and cream.

Try to put the turkey in a roasting bag, don't stuff the turkey with stuffing as that dries it out. DM puts onion and a sliced up lemon underneath the crown.

If my parents were offered a free CD meal out, they will turn it down

YANBU. We like a traditional Christmas (even in our warming climate) and no way would I want to go out for curry on Christmas Day.

Next time invite her to yours and you and DH cook the works. This year, why not cook a proper Christmas lunch for yourselves when back at home on Boxing Day?

Well done though for offering to go to hers at least; it’ll mean a lot. So often one family gets overlooked in favour of the other side on Christmas Day; it’s nice to share it with both families.

I don’t get the obsession with Christmas dinner. It’s basically Sunday roast with silly hats. We stopped cooking a few years ago. Bought in M&S finest one year, have had a curry the last couple. Anything that involves not cooking works for me, I want to spend the time with people I care about, not slaving away in the kitchen.

I often do Xmas dinner at home and invite in-laws, my bro and his family etc. Last year there were 11 of us and I was fucking knackered by 3pm on Xmas day. This year I fancy a break so we're going to the Toby Carvery. It won't be as good as my home cooked Xmas dinner and the quality of the ingredients won't be the same as I usually go all out on posh ingredients from Waitrose etc. But a roast dinner is a roast dinner and I'll be happy to accept a slightly mediocre one for not having to shop, prep and clear up myself. (Family do usually help but I do the bulk of it myself).

I do like the traditional meal though- wouldn't want curry on Xmas day as although I like curry, I don't love it.

My children asked last year if they could pick their fave bits and if we could have a buffet instead. We had Mac n cheese, southern fried chicken, yorkshires with Philadelphia and beef. Cooked meats, crackers pate cheese etc. fruit salads, pork pies loads of desserts and just picked all day. They loved it! But i really missed doing Xmas dinner and it did feel like something was missing. I’ll be cooking one this year!
we have also committed to not seeing family on Xmas day too the last few years and we just visit or they come to us on Boxing Day. Sooooo much better, the kids can play with their new bits all day, and we don’t have to worry about hosting.

Christmas dinner was a highlight of the day when I was a child and my mum cooked it all. When I had my own kids, I really wanted it to be as special for us. Unfortunately it wasn't. The kids aren't really keen on roast dinners and I'm not really keen on all the prep, cooking, and cleaning.

These days I tend to cook something we all like. Last year it was jambalaya, and the year before it was lamb shanks.

We've been out for Christmas dinner once, and I wasn't keen. The place was crammed with other people, the whole thing was rushed, we didn't feel like we had enough of the things we liked, gravy was rationed, it was expensive, we felt sorry for the staff who clearly didn't want to be there, and I suspect they wouldn't have approved if I had unzipped my trousers and had a lie down somewhere.

I probably wouldn't mind a takeaway curry though.

Definitely not for us. We spend much of the day in pyjamas, Christmas dinner is ready when it's ready, I don't find it stressful to make what is essentially a glorified roast dinner particularly. I buy some stuff pre-prepped. I wouldn't want a takeaway or to get dressed up and go out.