Which Christmas days do you make an effort to make special food?

[Brewde]

So I’m hosting for the first time ever. I’m just getting myself really confused. Have family staying 23rd - 27th.

Which days do people make an effort with nice food for? Obviously the 25th and Christmas Eve.

Im trying to plan out my cooking/baking for each day.

I will have a nice buffet on Christmas Eve with picky bits and a Yule log.

And normal Christmas Day food.

Nicer breakfasts on those days too with a bit of baking chucked on (I am a dessert lover)

Do you bother making an effort on Boxing Day? (beyond leftovers). I will be making a pie with leftovers and that’s about it

Boxing day is for leftovers, eating chocolate and mince pies and maybe...maybe a salad (a tub of coleslaw) with the leftover ham. But to be honest it'll be ham, egg and chips.

Christmas Eve is Santa Claus and snowman pancakes for breakfast and a big buffet in the evening. Christmas Day usually fresh pastries for breakfast but I’ve noticed in recent years they go uneaten so thinking eggs and soldiers would be a better hit with DC! Obviously Christmas dinner. Boxing Day is sort of just whatever is left. We tend to also do a buffet on NYE.

I would be doing typically 'nicer' food than normal family dinners if I had guests staying, or least up the number of sides I served.

But otherwise 'fancy' foods is christmas eve & day. Boxing day is for leftovers and zero cooking.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

Just Christmas Day - we have extended family staying for a week

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day only, Boxing Day onwards is mostly leftovers.

The first time I hosted at Christmas I did lots of elaborate menu planning for the whole period, but in the end we mostly ate leftovers, cheese and crackers and soup, partly to avoid waste and partly because everyone was still stuffed from Christmas Dinner!

I'll have some soup in the freezer, and normal staples in the house like pasta etc in case anyone wants anything more substantial.

Christmas Eve - normal breakfast, late lunch at a restaurant, cheese board and sausage rolls for supper.

Christmas Day - All the food!

Boxing Day - Bacon butties and the legendary Boxing Day Buffet.

Soup in freezer and nice bread just in case. Lots of cheese and biscuits. Boxes of chocolates so do not need to do loads of pudding. Easy food 23rd, probably a tagine, fish pie 24th, Christmas Day roast, 26th cold meats, salads, cheese. 27th when they go collapse and eat rubbish!!!

For us, Christmas eve is takeaway, Christmas day is traditional Christmas lunch and boxing day is leftovers plus buffet/party food.

23rd I would make a big pot of curry/chilli/lasagne etc for people arriving.

24th we do pancakes for breakfast then eat out for dinner.

Christmas Day is like most.

Boxing day we are help yourself breakfast then have leftover sourdough toasties and soup for dinner after a long walk.

27th turkey curry day!

Christmas eve= special brunch then nice but simple to prep dinner. Christmas Day is traditional turkey roast etc. Boxing Day we have a buffet, I specifically buy loads, and we continue to eat buffet food til it's all gone, giving me a break from cooking.

Big meal with multiple friends on NYD.

Depends what we are doing but this year takeaway Christmas Eve, Christmas dinner on 25th, leftovers and buffet on 26th and 27th. Eating out 28th. Usual 29th-30th and doing a buffet 31st only us at home but we'll graze from early evening whilst watching the NYE TV, a film or listening to music.
Not really breakfast people, kids will help themselves to cereal, toast etc and I'll have some pastries in too.

Just Christmas Day. Christmas Eve is a normal working day, so nothing special there. Boxing Day is leftovers.

Our menu:

Christmas Eve: huge homemade afternoon tea with sandwiches and savouries, scones/jam/cream, various cakes, biscuits and sweets. On the odd year when I don’t have time to make it all, we have a big Indian takeaway instead.

Christmas Day: croissants/brioche/pastries for breakfast. Christmas dinner, pudding later and then grazing.

Boxing Day: big fry-up for brunch. Buffet with hot roast pork, leftover turkey, all the cheeses/breads/salads/pate etc. Chocolate orange trifle for pudding.

27th: toasted panettone and jam for breakfast. Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for dinner, Christmas cake and Yule log for pudding.

28th: Stollen and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Buffet for dinner with cold cuts and a side of salmon. We save some of the cheeses/olives/salami/salads so it’s not all leftovers.

29th: bacon sarnies for breakfast. Gammon with mash, gravy and three kinds of cabbage for dinner. Roast chicken for those dislike gammon.

30th: croissants with ham and cheese for breakfast. Remaining buffet food, cold meat and cakes for dinner.

31st: takeaway and champagne.

Christmas Eve, Takeaway, normally a Chinese or Fish and chips.
Christmas Day, Breskfast of cream cheese and salmon bagels, Christmas dinner, dessert.
Boxing Day, Breakfast is pancake’s/fruit platter or Blinis with water cress and salmon mousse.
Afternoon I put out a buffet of left over Turkey/Ham, Roast potatoes, pigs and blankets, hot crusty bread, cheese board, chutneys, homemade sausages rolls, crisps, cakes and a homemade trifle and lots of Baileys.
Between the 27th and 30th we live of the usual Christmas picky bits.
New years Eve we go out to eat, normally Italian or Seafood.
New Year’s Day we go out for a carvery.