What time do you eat at Xmas day?

[supercaliforniasurfer]

We usually eat at 3ish, but was debating about moving it to lunchtime this year as it sometimes feels a bit late for the DC.

Just wondered what other people do?

Currently
9ish - breakfast
3pm - the big dinner
7pm - buffet

I think dinner/buffet are too close together at the mo.

biddypop a turkey lunch and a turkey dinner? I'm assuming they're not both full-on roasts

no set times here but I do like to eat when its dark outside - so much more atmospheric....candles glittering - reflections on window etc.

but with little ones has been hard to spread it out - I find toddlers no fun at xmas as mine never have and wont sit at table.

We have a festive Christmas Eve dinner, followed by dessert and then opening of family presents, leaving the space under the tree empty for Santa Claus's over night visit. The DCs are now aged 15 to 26 but the proprieties are still observed. This year we may go to midnight Mass instead of the one at 6 on Christmas Eve that we have gone to for years.

On Christmas Day I usually have a pot of tea and some toast early, and then we all have a breakfast/brunch around 10, consisting of , cinnamon rolls, rashers, sausages, scrambled eggs, more tea, or coffee, then graze on Christmas Eve leftovers or leftover breakfast if we feel like it in the early afternoon, and I usually have pate and salmon and baked brie, etc. too. There is also chocolate, lots and lots of it. And of course plenty o' plonk.

We usually sit down to dinner around 6 pm, which is a little earlier than our normal dinner hour. We then leave a little time between dinner and dessert - so maybe about 8:30-9pm for that, after the dishwasher has done its first dinner run and been emptied.

I have always done Christmas that way, even when the DCs were small.

Clash You know what assuming does to you and me !

Actually - yes it is! DMIL and DM both cook the full meal for different times of the day. After the first 2 years of marriage, we stayed in our own house to escape it - and agreed that we'd do every second time switching when we were down again after that. So in theory, we were only to call and see DMIL the next trip, but "sure you'll have a small bit, it's a long time until you get dinner tonight" and the plates were piled high. The next time, we had "sure you'll have a small bit with us won't you, it's a long time since lunch", and the plates were piled high.

So we've just given in - we stay somewhere in between, we wear clothes with expansion room, we build in a long walk on Boxing Day (and Christmas Day if we get time), and take it very easy on food 24th and 26th. There's no point in fighting the inevitable! There was offence taken even when we DID take a small bit so now we just eat in both.

But we try and not go "down home" every year either as a result.

That is not meant to be envy - that's our faces at bedtime on Christmas Night....

The usually banned chocolate cereal for the DC and a cup of tea for me and DH at 6.30-7

Bacon sandwiches and pastries and chocolate at 9/10

Roast at 3ish

Snacky things in the evening if anyone wants them.

We have Christmas dinner in the evening, as it fits in well with the family.

DS2's, is long separated from his DP so his two small (ish) kids have lunch on Christmas Eve with their other DGPs, come to us for supper on Christmas Eve, usually something like a pierrade and/ or fondue, stay overnight here with their dad, open stockings and presents, their mum picks them up in the morning, and they have their first Christmas dinner with their DM's family, return for another Christmas dinner with all of us and their big brother and his fiancee in the evening, appetites seemingly still undiminished, then off to their dad's house.

This works very well for our family, as everyone gets on and DS and his XP always cooperate very well in the interests of their DCs. We are very lucky that family tussles are avoided, especially at Christmas.

For 20 odd years I had my Christmas dinner at lunchtime, after church (mum used an oven timer to switch it on while we were out). Always wanted it later - somehow it seemed a 'cooler' thing to do!

Then one year we tried it, dinner at 6. Was up hours digesting and didn't really enjoy it. Also waiting all day for it meant we grazed too much during the day, whereas having it at lunchtime meant we were ravenous when we got in from church having been up at 8 and no time for large breakfast, and were full up for the rest of the day and just wanted cheese & crackers etc at 7pm. Ate less overall.

Still eat at 1-2pm now. Will also be DS' first Christmas eating dinner (he was 4 weeks old last year) so will do it at lunchtime so we can get cleared up before bedtime.

Breakfast is about 8/9am. Christmas lunch at 12:30/1pm. Then tea about 6pm onwards. Sandwiches/cheese/crackers etc. Just eat when you want. Its just the 5 of us so its not regimented.
And a bottle of prosecco for me

Oh and I couldn't bear eating it later as we'd nibble through the day and ruin our appetite

We have Christmas dinner around 1-2. That way washing up is done and we are sat down relaxing ready for the soaps 😀

Simple breakfast for DS say toast and chocolate to give me time to get the turkey in and get dressed.

Christmas Pressies.

Lunch at 1pm - turkey and all trimmings.

DS Birthday card and present opening.

Then a Birthday sweet tea at Dr Who time of Christmas pud and cus followed by Birthday cake.

Nibbles from thenceforth.

3.10pm. After the Queen's been on.

Breakfast (croissants/bagels/fruit/yoghurts) here around 6/7 before present opening and then huge roast is at 12. We then tend to have pud about 2 and cheese/crackers/cold meats at around 5!
To be honest once Christmas dinner is done it's a free for all for the rest of the day!!!

We have done the same from the children being born, to now when they have grown and flown ( though we still all have Christmas together)
so
Pikelets and muffins for breakfast
Bacon sandwich for lunch about 12
Christmas meal about 5.30 .Don't do starters , just cook all sorts, so everyone has at least one of their very favourite things.