Christmas dinner police

[Namechangesecretsignature]

Can’t sleep and endlessly reading MN. Oh how I loathe the Christmas dinner police. Policing what “should” be on a Christmas dinner, calling it Christmas lunch (urgh), all the formalities and “musts”. Reminds me of my ex DP who was aghast for about 4 years straight that no one in my family liked turkey so we had beef for Xmas. His mother called my mother to clarify it was true (after a drink) and I’d go round to theirs over the Christmas period and the whole (large) family would be saying things like “I can’t believe you don’t have turkey on Christmas dinner.” “It’s not Christmas dinner without” “without turkey it’s tasteless” (????) “you must buy a turkey and a ham for Xmas even if it doesn’t get ate its tradtition” from the same people who buy 3 turkeys (Xmas day, New Year’s Day redo, then another on Easter(!!!!))

anyway I digress, I loathe it!

I hate the word “lunch”, belongs in the bin with moist etc.
Also a maverick here having beef and Yorkshire puds.
My daughter hates roast dinners so will make herself a salmon poke bowl.
Definitely YANBU

What do you have at, er, lunchtime then?

I want to agree with you but MIL once poured mushy peas all over my Christmas dinner so maybe a bit of policing is a good thing 🤷‍♀️ (apart from it being an odd addition to a Christmas dinner, I hate mushy peas... which she knows!).

I used to do that! with a splash of port, and orange zest! I also used to make my own bread sauce....but I take a few more shortcuts these days 😊

If you eat it in the afternoon it's Lunch, if you eat after 6pm it's Dinner.
You do what you want.

Rubbish!

Dinner is your main meal of the day regardless of what time it is eaten.

I voted YABU because this is a TAAT. Try to have some original thoughts OP.

Erm, have you ever come across the word "hyperbole"?

If you’d read the thread you’d see this is only the case for some people.

My mother was a Londoner. She said breakfast and tea, and thought lunch was for ponces (so we never had any unless we were at school). I thought that was normal until I was older.

I have really enjoyed learning about other people’s Christmas Day traditions on MN, haven’t seen any ‘police’ I must say.

I'm easy with most combos and choices however I've never understood:

Beef gravy (bisto) applied like a thick varnish to poultry.

Sweetcorn served with a roast of any kind. Fine when served alongside fish fingers and potato waffles.

We always have Danish roast belly pork, served with pickled prunes and cucumbers. This year we're having it with scalloped potatoes, roast parsnips, and braised red cabbage, mac and cheese and a green bean casserole. Oh and yorkies - because why the hell not?!

If you host then no one should say any judgemental comments but fair enough talking about what they do.

Of course most of us don't have turkey in general but on Christmas day we do, also along with 2 other meats so a choice for all.

It's so sad spending a day together as a family can cause so many unnecessary fallout. There will always be a reason for those who instigate them, whether the meat, time, what you name it...

I don't care what you have for christmas dinner, as long as you make the bloody gravy (or sauce if having fish, etc.)

Well that depends on where you come from! It’s dinner for me…and everyone I know…if it’s in the middle of the day. We have breakfast, dinner and tea 👍🏻

My Christmas dinner will be salmon fillet,roast potatoes,sage and onion stuffing,vegetables (peas,Brussels sprouts, carrots),Yorkshire pudding, and a horseradish and dill sauce. waits for the pearl clutchers to arrive No point having a ruddy great turkey when it's just me and the cat here for Christmas day dinner! I do have a more traditional dinner on Boxing day when I go to my DD's.

Not a massive fan of roasts in our house, my daughter has a Crosta Mollica sourdough pizza which she tops herself with olives and we are having lobster mac and cheese, scallop and king prawn gratin and lots of yummy side dishes! Followed by cheese, wine and charcuterie in front of the tv later on.

That sounds bloody lovely! I have just looked up the recipe. I have 6 to dinner New Years Eve I think I will make that
along with my own recipe for lemon potatoes which always go down a treat,
so thank you! if you want the recipe for lemon pots then just ask…,

Never had school dinner?

Dinner is, by definition, the main meal of the day.

"Up north" we have breakfast, dinner and tea (or maybe supper).

"Darn sarf" (where I come from) we have breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Regardless of whether it's in the middle of the day or the evening, dinner is the main meal of the day.

See, it hacks me off that turkey is so cheap throughout the year, then extortionate at Christmas! Its a pain in the arse to cook- basting, foil on/ off, basting, hours in the oven, more basting...then no one actually really likes it! Whar a ballache! Goose- not enough meat on it for my lot.
Fillet of beef, OK expensive but same price all year, and a real treat. Loved by everyone in my family. Its a no brainer

It does sound lovely, except when eaten on Christmas Day, and then it’s nothing but a perversion! (Unless you’re actually from the Persia region!)

And this matters why? 🤔

Yeah, I'll allow that

I think I was brought up with breakfast, dinner, tea (WC London parents) but lunch is OK to mean a light midday meal.

Supper is alien to me. Either northern (e.g. biscuit before bed) or posh (e.g. Nigel Slater).

Ah well we love our yorkies with our turkey dinner! When dd was about 3 or 4 all she wanted for Christmas from Santa was ‘roast puddings’ for her dinner so she got them! And they have stayed a staple of our traditional feast ever since. We have lost others like bread sauce along the way as no one except my dear late granny and my dm liked it but dm isn’t bothered so it’s gone!