How to prolong Christmas dinner in a fun way for teens?

[soontobeslendergirl]

I love the preparation and eating of Christmas Dinner. We tend to spread it out a bit and have a starter as an early lunch and have the desert for supper with a movie. So, essentially the sit down at the table bit is really just the main course.

There is only the 4 of us and the boys are 13 and 12.

What the boys tend to do, is come to the table, wolf it down and shoot off and then OH and I chill on our own at the table for a bit before clearing up.

I don't see any point in keeping them at the table if they are only going to moan, but it would be nice if they stayed a bit longer.

One year I got table fireworks - they were fun, but they set of the smoke alarm, burned a plate and a set a table mat on fire.....

Anyone got any suggestions?

Last year Sainsburys had Table Trivia Cards (little boxes with questions) you could put one on each place setting?

Mine are 14 and 11.6 and my DS has never 'got' eating TBH. It's something he does as a function rather than an enjoyment.

Do you do any traditions?
We introduce a new one every year.
Dress up nicely was last year (so no skanky PJs)
Everyone has to each at least one sprout.

You can either go the "It's only once a year, you will sit there" or
"It's their Christmas too"

I love the cooking. I faff about with the TV on (all the rubbishy soaps) we eat dinner when it's dark.
And we only do main course at the table, pudding later when it's gone down.

And it has to be eaten before Dr Who

Trivia thing might be a good idea - they are happy to play board games etc but that would mean clearing the table and by the time I did that they'd be off!

I really wouldn't come the heavy handed "you must sit there..." etc. but it would be nice if they wanted to :o

We always have a nice day - they have (so far) always come out for a walk before the main course, but now that it seems to be mainly computer games etc on the agenda, they just want to go and do their own thing and enjoy their gifts for the most part, and I can't blame them for that.

We just do a "No ipods etc at the table" rule

My DS will try to eat as many Yorkshire puddings as he can and no veg but grudgingly eat a few roast potatoes.

I don't think I'd ever make my DS want to sit at the table (he thinks it's Child Cruelty to make him sit Christmas Eve /Christmas Day/ Boxing Day ) but I think as older DC they should appreciate the effort you've made.

I do party poppers and Christmas Crackers at the table, but mind the candles

Table presents, we have them every year after the main course and a bit of a chat. DM gives us all a small gift, mostly novelty, but it is always a highlight as it is usually something quite personal. Nobody leaves until they are delivered, opened and discussed/ridiculed. (DH got a mankini last year but at least we had something to talk about. (and he modeled it well)

we always have a no ipods at the table rule. We also have no books unless it's the weekend or a holiday (not including Christmas!).

We have crackers usually but it's a hard age I think - too big for kids crackers but they don't really appreciate the the things in grown up ones either.......we always do the jokes though :o

We are currently having a Turkey v Duck fight debate

Oh that's an idea, I could keep a wee something back to be opened after dinner......I'll have to wrap up something for myself so I don't get left out!

This is no help at all- but for the sake of others reading this thread, you should have started when they were little, and had chatting over Sunday lunch as something to look forward to. I think kids don't realize that it's nice to chat and eat chocolates, and chat.......unless they are used to doing it. You can't expect it to suddenly happen because it's Christmas...

I bought crackers from Aldi the other day that open out into a penguin race track and each cracker has racing penguins. Dd and dh will be utterly unimpressed but might keep them there a tad longer?

curlew, yes, you are right, and we have tried from time to time. Our eldest is really really quiet and it's like pulling teeth trying to draw him into a conversation :( younger son is okay and will tell us a bit about his day, basically they eat fast and when their plate is clear they just want to leave and if we make them stay, it ends up in them fighting so it was always easier just to let them go.

When we are out eating, we never have the same problem, we either chat or play eye spy etc, but eye spy isn't so much fun in your own house somehow.

DF always gets something for DM, it's usually her main present as a thankyou for the lovely dinner. Ask your DP to keep something back for you as a surprise.

Christmas quiz based on movies or music or sport - whatever they're into.
Get each boy to be team
Leaders and let them choose their team ( 1 person each)
You can get quiz online. Google quiz generators. Print off the answers but hide so you can play too.

We always open presents left under the tree from friends and family after dinner.
If you don't want to do that do a secret Santa with jokey presents for after dinner.

Friends and family presents will be a pile of cash/vouchers for the kids and a bottle of wine and tin of biscuits for us, so that's probably not going to work. but think we may either keep something back, or we could do a day in town and issue everyone with £5 to buy a gift for a nominated person at the table. I'll try to source some better crackers and maybe get some trivia questions too.

thanks all for your help

Last year I bought celebrity masks from the fancy dress shop, put them on each person and everyone had to guess who they were. I chose (in)appropriate ones so Ds2 who is a proper indie kid got Justin Bieber, ds1 Boris Johnson etc. They grumbled a bit at first but finished up really enjoying it. The only problem was I didn't have one myself! (My boys are 20, 17 and 15).

In my local TKMaxx they had crackers with egg and spoons inside for an egg and spoon race round the table. Maybe that?

We do a family secret Santa (me, DH & DCs aged 13, 11 and 9) which are opened at the table after dinner. On the Christmas shopping thread there was a link to a "colour it yourself" tablecloth which I might get this year. After that we play Newmarket or Pontoon with real 1p coins which holds their attention fora surprising amount of time. I'm a slattern though and the table is only cleared into the kitchen when we finish eating - the washing up gets done much later!

We usually leave the Christmas dining table with everything still strewn with bits of cracker and finished plates and play board games on the coffee table in the sitting room for a bit. The teens nibble on a left over roast potato as they walk past the dining table to the kitchen for drinks.

We like to play Sherlock Cleudo or whatever new games we have got, we play board games and maybe start a jigsaw for a few hours before watching a film in the evening.

Our girls are used to chatting at dinner every evening about their day though and discussing life and the universe. They all like to be heard so family discussions are frequently loud and heated. It must be hard with quiet teens (though easier on the ears).

We play a game too before settling down with our dessert and a movie, but I want them to chill and enjoy their dinner and a bit of chat at the table rather than just abandoning it to go elsewhere, even if we go too!

would having something to fiddle with like corkers help? There are various different types.

Then when they get up tell them to take a dish/pile of plates to the kitchen and deal with it

Those conkers are excellent. Just ordered a dozen!

Those look cool - but just wonder how much wine you think two of us will get through in a day!!! when most of it is now screw top

QOD I got them too in the hopes of prolonging our meal!

Yeah big Tilly mint! We can do virtual racing

Start saving up corks now!