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

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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 actually love Christmas dinner. It’s no more difficult than a big roast and I think I’d miss the tradition of not having it. Also as I’m in good aul catholic Ireland I’ve literally no other choice. Pubs, takeaways and restaurants don’t open here on Christmas Day so you cook or starve 🤣. There is the option of going to a hotel if they’re open but they’re usually packages that are for a few days and extortionate per person. Couldn’t think of anything worse than being in a hotel over Christmas. I want the comfort of my home with fluffy pjs and a roaring fire

Also I’ve not to blow my own trumpet but I’ve never had a roast out that I enjoy as much as my own. And then there’s the leftover sandwich which are elite

Re the people working on holidays. I used to run a few restaurants in London some years ago. Most people working there were from far away and some didn’t even celebrate Xmas (they celebrated Chinese new year or other holidays). If they didn’t work, they’d be alone in their home as they wouldn’t travel back home (usually too expensive, or they had planned to go back at a different time).
about a month before the holidays every staff member would put their wishes for if and which days/ times they’d like to work over the holidays and those were always honoured. There were more volunteers than shifts.
And the people who wanted to celebrate were off work and those who didn’t could spend the day(s) with other coworkers. We always had a meal together after closing for those who were interested to stay and socialize.
all that to say, I believe most people who are at work on holidays most likely want to be there. There’s no way to force someone to show up if they don’t want to work.

This is us. We have a 3 year old who couldn't give a monkeys about a roast/Christmas dinner, and a will be 4 month old. I tried to do a big dinner last year and it was such a waste of time.

We're doing a buffet on Christmas and then we're going out on boxing day where I can order my christmas dinner and my small kiddies can have sausages or whatever they want and I don't have to wash up.

There will be a season in life where I do a big Christmas dinner again but I prefer everyone happy and plenty of time to play with toys.

I always cook a traditional chicken dinner, turkey ham etc.
Last year for a change we got an Indian takeaway. My parents declined to come
It was nice and so much easier but I missed the traditional dinner so this year we'll be back to normal

I'm Scottish and christmas dinner is a huge deal because we don't really have roasts 😂

My sister is married but his family get a curry delivered so he goes there and she makes a Christmas dinner at hers for all of us.

It's set in stone. DP joins us because I told him I always have Christmas dinner with my family, you can come if you want. We see his family on boxing day.

I love a proper traditional home made Christmas Dinner. Unfortunately I'm a bit too decrepit to do it to the standard I would like (I'm autistic so need to do it properly) and we haven't been invited to go to anyone else, so we're going out to lunch instead.

Christmas Day dinner should not have any Aunt Bessie's stuff on it. Leave that for the rest of the year.

I do worry about myself when my parents are no longer alive. In their mid 70s and got no family to attend to.

I've always cooked Xmas dinner with my mum. Except for two years, once where we went to a Pakistani grill restaurant with a group of about 25 and once where we spent it in Spain at my cousin's gf's family home.
The Xmas dinner in Spain was amazing. So different from here. So many courses. I can't even put into words how exciting it was!
I love my own Xmas dinner though 🤣

Reading this thread makes me wonder what is actually more important to people....
The traditional Christmas dinner (turkey etc)
Or
The Christmas "table" environment - crackers with silly jokes and hats, nice decorations , relaxed atmosphere where bored children can wander off etc.
With the second one you could all eat beans on toast because to me the environment is what makes it Christmas - not the food.
People saying "oh I couldn't eat a curry on Christmas day" would you be happy with it if everything else was traditional Christmas stuff?
Do people really prioritise a roast dinner over the comfort on their own homes?
Genuine curiosity 🤔

Shes rude for not asking if you wanted to go for a curry, and just telling you she'd booked it.

I also don't agree with eating out on Christmas day, it means people have to work it. If they don't celebrate Xmas thats a different story.

I'd feel uncomfortable about the chefs and waiting staff having to work on Christmas day. Perhaps some do it by choice. But I'm sure some don't...

Definitely both for me. Having any other food but a traditional Christmas dinner on Christmas Day would just feel wrong! Even more wrong with crackers and party hats etc.

Unsure what your last question means.

@Plastictrees I meant if for some reason the meal couldn't be a roast would people prefer alternative food but at home with the crackers and hats etc or they MUST have a roast so they'd go to a restaurant.

We always did Christmas dinner whilst our kids were young, but there all grown now, so we usually have a takeaway curry now, after cooking it for 40 years, was sick of doing it lol

Big turkey and ham dinner with all the trimmings , no takeaways or restaurants open in Ireland. You can book dinner in a few places but not local to me .

Oh no @Needmorelego that’s a stressful thought 😂I think I’d consider eating out in that instance but only in a place that was suitably festive!

xmas dinner to me is just a sunday roast with more veg.
I dont do xmas anyway hate it.

@Plastictrees oh see I'm the opposite. A few years ago our oven broke just before Christmas. I went up to Sainsbury's and got everyone a microwave meal (in laws were there) as we still had the microwave.
The oven ended up being fixed but I would have definitely chosen a microwave meal over going out.
I would hate the environment of a restaurant on Christmas Day and would prefer to eat a sandwich if that's all there was at home.
(I think father in law would have preferred his microwave cottage pie.....he loved them)

Ever since I moved somewhere that it's a possibility, I've always wanted to just get a takeaway delivered for Christmas Day.

It hasn't happened yet, as someone always wants to cook - which is lovely but it always involves more effort from everyone, not just the person that wants to do the cooking. Maybe next year...

I hate roasts and I particularly hate Christmas dinner. The most boring food all to be served piping hot to loads of people on a day when I've done a thousand other things. It's shite.

I'd love to have a curry.

The turkey/goose roast is totally essential in my house.

Curry is my favourite food but not for Christmas dinner.

I would not want to go out to eat either. Roasts are never as nice in restaurants as you can make at home. The roast potatoes and yorkshires, in particular, are never as good.

Me and DH go to my family but we cook as none of the others like cooking. We cook for 16.

I've had a traditional Christmas dinner once in my life!
Indian meal out twice, really nice and they don't put the prices up so was reasonable
Not sure what I'm having this year

@Tintackedsea yes I dislike roast dinners too.
The rest of the family like them so they have it (husband cooks) and I improvise.
To me Christmas dinner shouldn't be about what you eat....but the environment you eat it in.