What do you have for dinner on Christmas Eve?

[chicaguapa]

We're going to the GPs for Christmas Day & Boxing Day. We have bought DC a popcorn maker which we'll unveil on Christmas Eve to make some popcorn and settle down to watch a Christmas film with before bed.

So we can't work out what to do for dinner for just the 4 of us. Part of me doesn't want it to just be a normal mid-week dinner but we'll also be under time pressure to set up the popcorn maker and get the film on.

I'm at work during the day so we can't have a big lunch instead.

What are your traditions?

I've often done fillet steak. Its not an every day meal and is very quick to cook once the guests arrive. Also easy to do for 4.

This year we're 14 plus for Christmas eve, but its the only meal of the three days i'm doing. We're having festive canapés, chicken and ham terrine, four way pork, new york cheese cake, fresh truffles and a cheeseboard. Accompanied by too much alcohol no doubt.

Takeaway, quick easy and no pots to wash

Usually roast ham and then we have leftovers for after Christmas!

Usually DH and I have vegetarian grills (I love the sweetcorn Tivoli ones ) we're vegetarian. DC have fish fingers.
Chips
Salad

This year we have DF/DM/DBro/DSil and SIL can't stomach the thought of sweetcorn ( I won't be so mean as to make the sweetcorn grills) so we'll do pies (LMc and Quorn and I'll make a steak pie) + fish fingers for DS.
Chips
Peas
Pudding

We have ham too. Usually with eggs and real chips. Not something we have often and then have leftovers for the Christmas period.

Chinese. Or possibly an Indian. That's our tradition. Nothing that requires any effort whatsoever!

Whole ham - slow cooked and glazed in the oven with a chutney. Cauliflower cheese, some sort of potato, braised red cabbage, possibly some broccoli. We're then planning on panettone bread and butter pudding. I'm not sure whether we will actually get it all done as we are at work until lunchtime. But it's worth a try for the leftovers alone.

A mini buffet, no cooking apart from using microwave and toaster, paper plates.

Chinese takeaway usually, once dc are in bed we open the booze and pig out

Cold fresh fish platter, naice bread and lots of bubbly.

My DM usually buys Christmas party food you heat up in the oven, usually from M&S no matter how many people she has over.

King prawn salad, baguettes, sauce. No cooking basically.

We will be having a buffet on Xmas eve. I'm going to buy party food to heat up.

So far, I have lobster, crisps, duck spring rolls and chicken skewers.

Always a takeout

There was a thread about this last week and someone said they were going to have. hot roast beef sandwiches and hohomemade soup, which I think sounds perfect - so that's what we'll have. Quite easy but really tasty and simple - perfect preparation for all the rich food we'll be having the next day!

Chinese, might make some homemade stay and 'bits' to make it more special as mil is coming over.

Indian takeaway with a group of friends. We have done thus with the same friends for several years.

We always have takeaway Christmas Eve. Kids usually have McDonalds and we have Chinese later.

We're having a Mexican feast, tacos and fajitas.

We always go for an Indian meal

DH and I will probably just have wine Christmas eve. If we had a popcorn maker dd would be happy with popcorn for her tea.

DH and I are having canapes, baked camembert and some crusty bread - yum!

We go out for lunch and a show with friends, so just some nice soup and rolls and nibbly bits usually.

We always have a small buffet. Party food & cheese and crackers etc.

My parents always treat us to a very nice Christmas Eve lunch somewhere quite posh. Later on they all fire round to my house for drinks, nibbles, junk food and Christmas Vacation