what do you eat on Christmas Eve?

[Onedayinthesun]

Trying to decide if we should eat out and save the mess and stress, order a takeaway or cook something scummy?!

We are family of four and try to get together by 3pm on Christmas Eve and start our family Christmas once work and last minute bits & pieces are done.

Interested to hear what you are all planning to eat on Christmas Eve?

This year we are having ham with salad and picky bits,making sure there's enough ham left for Christmas day.

We're having pizza, wedges and garlic bread this year. And DH and I have a box of Quality Street for when the dcs are asleep.
In the past we've had party food, hot dogs, and take away.

We have Christmas pie at lunchtime, and them cold leftover Christmas pie with things like salami, cheese etc for dinner.

We take the DC to the children's mass which gets them home at around bedtime. So it works better for us to have a main meal at lunchtime then something quick for them to have as an early tea which we can have later when the DC are in bed.

Christmas Eve was always a really nice steak and potato dolphinose (we call it that on purposes) in our house, usually washed down with too much vodka and wine. Curry this year though.

We have Nigella's Macaroni cheese deluxe. It's disgustingly delicious. I'll also do her ham in ginger as, although I'm vegetarian, I'll have lots of omnivores in the house this year.

Spend Christmas with my sister and family. Go to family mass at teatime then meet other members BiL's extended family at local Indian restaurant for dinner. Last year DH was working late so I had to leave to collect him then went back to pick everyone else up, this year he's off so will have him and dsd with us too!!

picnic. or kids will have pasta. dh and I will pick. and then once the kids are in bed we have a turkey sandwich with a bottle of beer.

We have our Tradition of:
fish fingers (for the DC)
vegetarian grills (for DH and me)
Chips (homemade)
salad/dips

pudding is usually trifle, ice-cream type.

Not that I'm bitter - but domino's are a franchise so not all offer 50% NHS discount. My local ones offers 25%. Grumble.

We have take-away, usually indian on Christmas eve.

In the last few years its been carpet picnic of chinese/indian bits and bobs followed by a copious amount of wine/whiskey and around midnight the ceremonial attempt to take/fill/return stockings without waking ratbag children.

I can't see it changing much.

We have homemade pulled pork sandwiches which are just amazing, usually have a bit of spice to them and just put it all in one pot and slow cook all day.

We never have turkey on Christmas Day, it's usually a lovely cut of beef from the butchers so we don't ever feel like we have spent two consecutive days tied to the kitchen!

We have frozen party food and shloer. It's great as it's so easy to just bung everything in the oven but still feels special.

we have takeaway fish and chips
might make a dessert (hazelnut roulade was a big hit) if feeling like everything is in control for christmas!

Ham and mushroom vol au vonts, with potatoe dauphinois and a lovely fresh salad....um can't wait, though last year making it landed me in hospital with contractions

I need to come up with a nice easy pudding to go with it!

Out for lunch / brunch (depending on whether we're working) and then fish, chips and fizz for tea

Fish n chips the day before Christmas dinner? Not for me, way too heavy.I normally keep it light, say a roast parsnip soup and nice bread. A few glasses of bubbly too.

I can't believe some of you already know what you're having....

I cook a ham but we always have a takeaway....and I always drink baileys while I do some more wrapping up!

green I know what we're having because we have the same every year

The only alteration is if we have company or not.
(I'll do proper fish for my guests, not fishfingers)

I don't do any new trendy variations.

Fillet steak with pepper sauce,mushrooms,jacket potato and salad here.We eat quite late by candlelight after ice skating in the afternoon and stopping off at the village pub for some carol singing at 6.30 on the way home.We have to turn up at dinner in the most hideous Christmas jumper we can find and there is a suitably tacky prize [selection box!] for the winner as voted by all of us.5 grown up DD's all come home for Christmas so we are a huge clan and do our best to enjoy ourselves as sadly no small DCs yet! I like the idea of a takeaway though.......

We have a takeaway curry too.

We have smoked salmon and blinis from m and s, salad and nibbles. Oh and cava. Something light before we overdo it on xmas day

We have takeaway for the evening and order platters of treats for the daytime as well as Boxing Day. Less cooking, less washing up and no hassle.

We always go to the cinema on xmas eve and then to pizza express

I've booked me and DS (3yo) a hotel by the beach christmas Eve, so he'll have sausage, chips and mushy peas, and I'll have fish, chips and curry sauce on the beach. Cannot wait