Is it strange that I’ve never cooked a Christmas dinner at 36?

[Crouchingdragonhiddentiger]

When I lived at home my mum cooked it, now I’ve been living in my own house for 10 years with my 7 year old DS and my partner, we go to his parents or mine on alternate Christmases.
We also have a very small house so in no way big enough to host for family & friends.

Just wondering if I’m alone in this, because my Christmas memories were of my mum out doing the Christmas dinner from morning until we ate.

Well I must have done 50. Not this year though and probably never again.
One year, young children, slogging over a hot stove, my then husband said don't do the washing up! Followed quickly by, you can do it later.

I'm 37 and have cooked 2 (and contributed to a handful of friend/flat mate early Christmas dinners).

We are hosting this year as have just bought a house and will be cooking with a hot plate and an air fryer 😄 (the kitchen is only half done).

I was 36 I think before I did Christmas dinner, I’m 42 now. I’ve been cooking Sunday roasts since my uni days so it’s not that much different but we’d always gone to my mums. Now our DC are a bit older and we have a bigger house I prefer to host but my mum helps a lot. I always helped cook dinner before as well. I don’t think it’s strange at all. I’d think it weird if someone had never cooked a roast before though!

@Mrscharlieeeee why do you think it's weird that someone has never cooked something they never eat?

I'm gobsmacked at the nonchalance of some posters, and how they're wearing it like a badge of honour that they CBA to cook for anyone, and have never cooked a Christmas dinner, or any roast meal ever. I'm even more gobsmacked at how some posters seem proud of how incompetent they are!

😂 oh do chill out!

Bet you're one of those Christmas martyrs who insist on being in control whilst complaining about having to do a simple roast.

You should join us on the sofa with a G&T and a box of After Eights and learn how to be a gracious guest.

How dare we be nonchalant about not cooking Christmas dinner 😂, it’s a matter of life and death!
I am absolutely nonchalant about it. Never had any need to cook one or any interest in it. I don’t think I’m going to go to hell for it or anything. I make a good gin and tonic.

I’m 49 and am a hopeless cook. I’m good at other things though.

Lucky you op,running about like a blue arsed fly getting timings correct and plating up and getting it on the table whilst hot is definitely overrated.

Not really weird, because lots of families just do the same thing for Christmas every year. My parents host, my dad has always cooked. I always do the washing up/table setting and whatever else needs doing. I could cook one if I needed to, but he's the kind of person who won't stop interfering if other people are trying to cook, so we tend to just leave him to it.. it's easier for everyone concerned!

Same here and I'm 54. We sometimes go to relatives' for Christmas, but if we host dh cooks.

I’m 42 and I’ve never cooked one. When I was a kid my Grandparents did it and since I’ve been an adult I’ve realised that I don’t much like a turkey roast and DH isn’t British anyway so we have something decadent that we actually like on Christmas Day. Usually an expansive cheese board with charcuterie and a few bits from DH’s home country.

My sister’s nearly 68 and she’s never cooked a Xmas dinner.
this will be my 34th. One year we went to a restaurant. Two years I went to my BIL’s.

my first was at 21. I was already pissed by 11am and it did not go well. But I fondly remember that first Xmas in my little hovel of a flat in south London.

I cooked Christmas dinner every bloody year from age 19 into my 60s, sometimes for a few, sometimes for many.

I stopped when my sons had enough space to invite us and each other’s families and their in-laws and I don’t miss it one iota.

I’m 53 and never cooked one, we went to our parents alternative years when we were first married, but now we are older our parents come to us. DH always cooks Christmas dinner. I hate to say it but I don’t really like Christmas dinner especially turkey.

I think I was mid-20s when I first cooked a Christmas dinner, atlhough only for 3 people so not a really huge affair! I have made them on and off over the years.

I’m 56 and have cooked plenty of Christmas dinners over the years, with help from my DH and sometimes my DM or my MIL help. I have to admit that I sometimes quite enjoy the opportunity of hiding in the kitchen when both mums are with us, so I don’t always want much help. (Although I have less energy since I developed Long COVID, so things have changed somewhat now.)

49, no partner and never cooked one. Don’t really cook. Always have one thohgh

I totally understand people getting invited to relatives, or their partner cooking Christmas dinner but....
I find it totally unreasonable that they didn't help their parent out / do most of the hard work of cooking Christmas dinner in their family home once they were late teens/early twenties? What fully able adult would let their parents work preparing a dinner for them on Christmas without doing most of the work? I was making stuffing and preparing the turkey by 17, cooking dinner by myself by the time i was 23, with my mother only giving advice.
The first year I was married I went to my in-laws for Christmas dinner in the afternoon. My 30-something SIL who had stayed with them Christmas eve so plenty of time to help, complained multiple times to her mother that she hadn't done roast potatoes. I nearly fell off my chair.

More fool you. I just chug the champagne and eat the canapés. As does everyone else surely….

I’ve cooked Christmas dinner every year (except two years) since I was 20 which was 36 years ago.
I always do a practice one mid November to try out any new sides/dishes I want to try.

I worked Christmas Day from 18-22 (when I was at uni) in a restaurant so my dinner was usually ready for when I got home. Then moved abroad for a couple of years and my parents came to visit me for Christmas (we ate out as my kitchen was the size of a cupboard). Then I met DH, and he cooked. We host my parents every single year now though (DH cooking!) so it’s swings and roundabouts I guess. In fact I think we’ve now hosted them for more Christmas dinners than they cooked for me!

I've never done the whole meal but I have contributed, usually either doing some meat, veg or stuffing. In the years when we went to MIL I wasn't allowed to help but my Mum has always appreciated a hand in the kitchen. Some years even when I wouldn't see her on Christmas Day I would cook up a ham for my Mum on Christmas Eve so she'd have less work to do for the meal she hosted.

43 and have never cooked one! I get given jobs of peeling, chopping and clearing up and have on occasion made cakes the day before but we mostly do Xmas at my mums who doesn’t like people doing things in the kitchen on Xmas day!

When we’ve done Xmas at my partner’s family’s house my partner has done most of the cooking while I made cake, did chopping and made bread sauce. I am pretty okay with being the assistant, when we eventually start hosting Xmas dinner I am pretty sure my partner will keep doing main courses (he is the better cook and more into it) while I potter about with sides and desert!

I've done it since I was mid 30s. And thanksgiving too. I like cooking.

I hate people in my kitchen "helping" me. Other than my now adult children who are great at doing exactly what I want so I'll call them if I need them. Otherwise stay out of the kitchen and enjoy a drink and appetiser in the living room. I'm not a collaborative cook.

The thing that annoys me most in the world is families where the mum puts dinner on the table every single day without much fanfare or thanks but the dad takes over for christmas and gets all the praise for that. Ditto barbeques.

Just the one post from the OP ...