People say Xmas is ruined because of no turkey

[Mokel]

IMHO, that is very extreme. For Christmas to be ruined, you have a break in, home is flooded. Not because the turkey wasn’t in the online order, Christmas pudding was mouldy etc.

You have a roof over your head, you have other foods to eat.

One year I couldn’t be bothered to do a turkey. Dc loved it. I made sure we had two types of stuffing and pigs in blankets and Yorkshire pudding (which weren’t part of my Xmas dinner as a child), cranberry sauce, gravy and lots of veg. The turkey’s the least nice part of the meal. This year I have a turkey thing from cook for two people - there’ll be four or us. No one will complain.

I agree op. My cousin has just been burgled (4 days ago) and has lost 3 mountain bikes, 2 televisions, an Xbox ... the list goes on. Her children don't even have a small stocking each for Christmas morning. My friend has an operation for his cancer on the 27th. Perspective is everything.

Cut them some slack OP. Many people find Christmas stressful (often connected to "real" problems) and not having the main part of a meal to feed guests on Christmas Day as planned would be stressful.

We have gammon. Cook a crown but eat it cold on Boxing Day.

That’s like saying that you can’t be pissed about your shopping not turning up, because someone, somewhere, is poorly.

Don’t be ridiculous.

One year I moved house a few days before Christmas and the electric cooker wasn't connected. We had a turkey but nothing except the microwave to cook it in. A man from East Midlands Electricity turned up to connect it on Christmas morning. We were so grateful.

The very easy + simple solution is to do your own shopping. Baffles me that so many people these days needlessly rely on supermarket deliveries and then kick up a fuss when things go wrong.

I get it would be stressful, especially if you have family coming to feed, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it would 'ruin Christmas'. There are alternatives and you have to make the best of things in this kind of situation. I always keep chicken breasts in the freezer. We would just cook those with all the trimmings. It would be just as nice and I don't really think my lot would give a flying feck.

I had a vegetarian at my Solstice meal on Saturday so did vegetarian pigs in blankets instead and sacked off the meat.

I’m not even sure anyone noticed.

I do think you have a point, the only time we’ve had shopping delivered is when we both had Covid. I plan to go on doing my own as long as I am physically able and mentally capable of doing so. Pushing a trolley round the supermarket and back to the car is good exercise. I accept however that other people may have time and other constraints that I don’t.

No turkey might be a godsend for whoever’s cooking.

However if you bought a turkey and it gets wasted somehow then that is annoying because of the expense. Also it is understandable to be embarrassed if you have guests who expected turkey and at the last minute there is none, but, as you say, it does not ruin Christmas.

I used to get worked up about this, I had a melt down in Sainsbury's a few years ago and cried and cried. There are only two of us, my OH sat me down and asked why do I do it to myself. Ever since I still buy too much but we chill. Today I need to clean the house he has gone to his sister's to go shopping and then wrap and drop presents there. I am sat on the sofa with the neighbours dog, looking after it whilst she is shopping drinking hot chocolate. We have nearly a month off and it feels wonderful.

If something is missing we will make do. But I have empathy for those that have big families to cater for. And the meat is the centrepiece.