What time do you eat on Christmas Day?

[WalkingWolf]

I'm hosting my first christmas this year. This is our fourth christmas as a family and the first time we will be staying at home to eat.

Probably a bit early to be thinking about this yet, but I don't know what time to serve the main christmas meal (Turkey ect)

What time do you have yours?

Lazy breakfast with pressies, very light lunch at 12:30pm ish. Both sets if Grandparents arrive at 3pm (carrying toyshops) much unwrapping (with Christmas cake and mince pies)

Dinner at 5pm ish. Usually put kids to bed at 8pm ish while GPs help with tidying. Coffee/mints etc after that.

1pm. The 4 year old is usually up between 5 and 6 so plenty of time to get stuff cooked! Everything is prepped and put into trays in the fridge with a time table pinned up in the kitchen. Runs like a military operation, last year I was so organised I scared MIL. She usually fusses and procrastinates so they don't eat until about 5 despite aiming for 2! The worst year was when we arrived for tea at 6 (as arranged) having had lunch with my family and they were just sitting down to their Christmas dinner. Everyone was starving and really grumpy and there was a revolt when MIL tried to give us our presents before they ate. Guess why I host now!!!

We aim for about two.

Then I get pissed and it comes out at about half-three four-ish.

We don't have breakfast, usually see relatives for champagne and canapés at some point in the morning. We only get a turky breast type thing so only a couple of hours to cook.

We usually eat in the evening around 7ish - DS is an only child and is used to fitting in with adults' eating time - in theory I would like to eat around 2pm and go for a walk afterwards but we tried that once and by the time we had finished eating it was practically dark so we didn't get out for a walk. We have church in the morning so it would be a rush to get the main meal ready for 1pm although I might try this year as we haven't got any guests.

Aim for about 2.30. Had it really late 6.30 once but it was too late.

At pils - 1pm strict. Not usually any booze. Just like any other mealtime. Finished and cleared up by 2pm

pils are usual the strict ones .

we like to eat when its darker so can have twinkly lights and stuff, no set time, we go with flow.

Ours is going to be a bit different now we have little one so I'm thinking:
Breakfast about 8 (croissants, scrambled egg and bacon)
Loving the idea of canapés mid morning with bucks fizz.
Lunch 2ish
Cheeseboard and sandwiches after little one gone to bed about 8ish

So excited! !!!!!!!!!!!

Up late, breakfast is croissants with posh coffee. Open stockings and go for a walk.

Open presents.

Snack on gifted food a bit during the morning.

Lunch at 3 for however long it takes, sometimes we chat and eat until 6.

Relax with gifts, watch a gifted dvd.

Light dinner later of fruit and nuts, crackers and cheese, more chocolates

We don't visit relatives on Christmas Day, but might meet them for the walk. Boxing Day is for visiting, getting out of the house, riding new bikes etc.

I've been busy making presents and stockings and decorations already, I'm very excited! (I have a very busy 3 months before Christmas, every year, and also need to spread the cost).

We eat between 4 and 5 much less stressful. no one has to piss around with starting dinner really early and no one misses DC opening their presents. last year the DC ate their main meal and then despite a bit of disapproval from certain people I allowed them to leave the table (they were 2 and 6) to go and play while adults carried on eating and getting sloshed

I like things to be special and fun but not too formal. making young children sit at the table for ages when theres a room full of their new stuff next door to play with just coz the grown ups want to drink and eat loads seems unfair to me.

Brekkie early, after stockings and before pressies, because my parents and sister like to get here before the kids see what they've got.

We generally have the starter as lunch, more or less, and the main course an hour or two later, say 3 or so.

Dessert will happen around 5, maybe.

I'd really prefer to run a bit later but my parents live half an hour away and have a thing about driving in the dark, so they generally leave really early. Actually this year I'm hoping to have passed my driving test, so as part of their pressie I might pick them up and drop them home so they can relax a bit more and dad could have a glass of wine for a change.

5 or 6pm. We have a Champagne breakfast after Mass, about midday.

Canapés and Prosecco at midday
Eat about 3
Snack about 7

But this year, for the first time in 11 years since children, we are off to SILs for lunch.

Total, utter, bliss. Laters, turkey.

Last year was the first year we had it at home (DS2 was only 12 days old). We got the M&S dinner which was fab - just turn on oven and bung in, and it was actually really nice. We had a big breakfast of croissants, cinnamon rolls and the like, then just picked at a few bits for lunch. DS1 was too excited to eat then anyway as he was having a great time opening all his presents, and not cooking for lunchtime meant I didn't miss anything. We had the big meal about 3.30/4ish, by which time DS1 had calmed down a bit and ate the lot. Pudding was for supper at 6, then me and DH scoffed a cheeseboard after kids bedtime.
It was great and we'll be doing the same this year. DH gets a massive meat hamper from work on Christmas Eve, so I might just get the veg and accompaniments from M&S and do whatever joint/bird he gets. Can't wait!!

I've just been lying in bed quizzing DH about this much to his disgust! My DM's coming up to us this year (the past 3 years we've gone to hers) so there'll be 3 adults and 2 DC (5 and 2) plus my DSS (13) will probably pop over at some point but he'll have his main meal with his DM. At my mum's she always did lunch for 1.30/2 but I found this too late for the DC who are generally ready for lunch around 12 regardless of what time they have breakfast so I'm thinking of doing dinner at 4/5. Provisional plan for the day is:

7am: Stockings in our bedroom (letting DM have a bit of a lie in)

8am: Breakfast (hopefully later if DC can be kept sufficiently amused by stocking fillers)

8.30am: Main presents, play, get dressed at some point

12pm: Picky lunch selection boxes

1pm: Lovely walk along the beach (turkey in oven with timer set beforehand so cooking nicely while we're out)

3pm: TV will now be allowed on, DC can play with DM while DH and I get on with prepping dinner (hoping to get most of it made and frozen in advance so just a case of microblasting/reheating on the day)

4pm: Dinner

5pm: Pudding followed by more tv and games

7pm: DC in bed, booze and canapés for adults if there's any room

Some years ago my daughter and I were discussing stress in general and she said the Americans have their Christmas dinner Christmas Eve. We thought a relaxing Christmas Day sounded pretty inviting. So we tried it and have continued doing the same for the last fifteen years. Here it goes. Meal about six thirty Christmas Eve, great blow out, trying various alternatives over the years. Beef Wellington for a change last couple of years. On Christmas Day we have another simple type Christmas meal consisting of starters, meat from a turkey joint I cooked as an extra the day before, etc etc while my daughter favours a seafood platter from Waitrose plus more wonderful desserts. Christmas Eve is busy but Christmas Day is lovely. We just make sure there is plenty of champagne, lots of food and it is great and it suits us. My daughter, with my help, organises Christmas dinner and I do New Years Day. Hope all of you have a great time whatever!

Got to add, it's best with young children. Really miss that now.

Last year we had DH's side for breakfast (luckily just 4) then my side of the family here for dinner... 10 adults, 3DC's and a newborn (not ours!).

We split the day like this:

8am (our kids love sleep!) stockings in our bed.
8.30am presents under the tree.
10.30am Inlaws arrived, presents round two with a glass of presecco, toasted pannetone and fruit.
1pm picky lunch of ham, cheese, bread etc.
3pm my family descend. presents round three with more prosecco.
5pm dinner
8.30pm everyone left!

12:30. The sooner the better as we then take DH's aunt home. So we can spend time with the kids. She doesn't have any kids and doesn't really like them nor know what to do with them but I love it when they drive her bonkers with their noise!

starters at 12.30 main just after 1, then a break before pud at about 3. think I will try and push ds through with no nap this year so he has an early night.

We eat around 2-3pm and then have MORE food in bubble & squeak about 6pm for dinner.

When we stay home as a family (even before DD arrived, we had a couple of Christmases just DH and I - to avoid eating 2 turkey dinners in 1 day) - we split the difference between our family traditions!!

We always have loads of extended family visits to make on Christmas Day (we live 3 hours from our immediate families, but both have various people within 20 minutes of our house here) as well as going to Mass in the morning. So we do stockings, breakfast, and leave the house before 11am, get back between visits to put turkey in, and get home properly about 4pm. Put on the potatoes and veg, light the fire, and open a nice bottle of something and some nibbles, before opening presents and then sitting down to eat around 5-6pm. It's a little fluid, some years we get the turkey sorted in the morning and set the oven to turn itself on but other years we need to come back and do that (we always leave it on the timer though, so it will turn itself OFF if we are not back on time - never yet an issue but it's been close some years). We can leave spuds large if we are home early, but chop small if late home and want to eat faster.

When we are at "home", we eat in DH's parent's house at 1.30pm, and my parents serve in the evening (there is usually a bet on amongst the "children" as to what time we will sit - the earliest in recent years was 8.15pm, but the latest was 10.10pm!!) - my mother apparently always times it for 6, but the turkey is never ready and she always sits at least another 45 minutes after it is ready having another pre-dinner drink!

7:30 pm with no Kids! Is V. poncey though, because my pain in the arse mother likes to pretend we are a County family WTF, as opposed to what we actually are, which is the state educated kids of a retired teacher, who invested VV well in the late 80's and early 90's and a part time nurse. Candles, silver, dinner suits and gowns. Kids have 'tea' at 4:30pm under the tree Off to my sister's this year though in the North and can't wait. Parents going skiing, because my Mother is offended, because obviously my nephew is just being selfish in growing so big that his Dad can't lift him up 4 flights of stairs anymore! He's 15, 5 ft 6 and has severe CP, btw.

We go to DH's fab family in Berlin from the 28th for a week.

We usually eat at 4 - close enough to dinner that it's not odd for dd but early enough that people won't need a huge lunch.

I usually ask people to arrive at 1 and have cava with chilled fruit, nibbles and home made mince pies ready

I love Christmas!

3/4 ish as well