What time do you eat Christmas Dinner?

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

I usually host Christmas, and am doing so this year. Just dh, ds1 and 2 and my parents.

Ideally we'd get up late (ds are 18 and 20, we are lucky to see them before 12!), have a brunchy type thing (bacon rolls, maybe eggs) late morning, and then Christmas dinner late afternoon/early evening.

However, my dad is an insulin dependent diabetic and needs three meals a day. So we tend to get up, eat a normal breakfast at 8, then eat Christmas dinner at about 1pm, it usually means I have to get up really early to get the turkey out of the fridge, oven heated up etc.

The good thing about doing it that way is that in the evening we can just pick at a cheeseboard whilst loungi g in front of the tv. We also usuallygo for a walj after lunch which is nice.

Hiwever, the dc are moaning about having dinner at lunctime, and asking if we can move it to evening which is when we would normally eat. I'd be happy to do so but really don't want to the have to provide a lunch, at a table.

Does anyone have Christmas dinner in the evening and still have a lunch at lunchtime? And what do you have for lunch? I was wondering about doing the starter at lunchtime (usually blinis with smoked salmon, prawns in filo pastry etc) which people could eat in the living room, then going for a walk and then having evening dinner? My dad could always have a roll or something at lunchtime if he needs it. Thay way I'm not cooking/preparing anything extra, just splitting the starter off from the main meal. Would that work do you think? Obviously I'll check if my parents are happy with the idea.

We have ours about 130 so it is finished before the Queen's broadcast.

If with my parents we eat at lunch time as my dad is diabetic and finds having his big meal at lunch easier. If with the in laws normally eat about 4pm.

About 2pm here

In an ideal world we would have Xmas dinner at 3/4ish but that doesn't work best for small DC (3 and 4) who need 3 meals so we will have breakfast at 8ish, then something brunch-isn (bacon rolls, or maybe smoked salmon) at 12ish and Xmas dinner at their normal tea-time (5/6ish). Getting up early to stress over the turkey isn't how I want to spend Xmas day (although DH is usually the cook around here).

We prefer having it later too as you're so full afterwards you don't want to do anything, so feels like a waste of a day if it's spent in a food coma! Gives you more time in the day and not a mad rush through the morning to get the food ready too.

We also do a brunch, nibbles through the day and then dinner later.

I think you're option of the starter for lunch is a good one, like you say you can bulk it out with rolls, plus whack some sausage rolls or something in the oven during the afternoon to keep your dad going.

Thanks for the replies.
nervoussam I like the idea of sausage rolls - the ds will definitely be up.for that.

My mum will spend the afternoon refuson food as "I couldn't possibly eat now and then have a meal later" but the rest if us will scoff to our hearts content

I think I will suggest the idea of starters at lunchtime, main and pud in the evening, leftovers and cheeseboard on Boxing Day. That way I don't create any more work for myself.

From your description of the day, could you go ahead with your original plan if your dad has normal breakfast?

We tend to eat a slightly late lunch so I'm no use to you.

As a child we used to do nice slightly late breakfast of pancakes, then smoked salmon on bread around 12, then main meal around 3/4.
I still think with that you have an issue with teenagers asleep and your dad needing food.

Yes, Dad can eat a normal breakfast at 8ish which will fit in with his routine. He usually has something like soup and a sandwich at lunchtime so blinis, sausage rolls etc should be fine for him.

I'll have a chat with my parents.

We do breakfast normal time then some sort of M&S starter and M&S posh nibbles at about 12:30 ish then main course at 5ish followed by pudding. Cheese board out in the evening if anyone wants it. It feels very relaxed and doesn't feel we are in a rush to cook plus it stretches out the fun all day. I personally don't understand people opening all their presents first thing in the morning then lunch at 12:30. Then surely it is all over and you have hours to fill with all the exciting bits done.

We have a similar issue. I decided this: Breakfast at 8 = normal cereal; Lunch at 12 = bacon bap; Main meal at 5 = Christmas dinner.

5 ish here, as I have to drive to the stables to tuck the horse in for the night so can't have my festive tipple until after that.

DH is insulin dependent diabetic. We do breakfast around 9, small nibbles as starter around 12, dinner around 2 and graze in the evening, however he does the new technique (DAFNE) carb counting so he adjust his insulin very flexibly. The main thing for him is that he needs a good teo hours between main meal and bedtime. So for him it would depend what time in the evening you were thinking for dinner relative to his bedtime. I'd start by asking your DF.

For many years we've had it around 5. Far less of a rush for the cook(s), and it leaves plenty of time for a walk in the park before it starts to get dark. I do find people are more ready for it later, too.
We have a late breakfast, usually bagels and smoked salmon/cream cheese, nice and easy. No lunch thus needed for adults, though would provide something simple for any little ones.

I'm in awe that your teenagers don't still get up and coming bouncing in to you at the crack of dawn! Mine is 16 and when I suggested he might be getting a bit old for a stocking he looked at me like I had grown another head.

We eat around 1ish. No breakfast.

It is much more relaxing to have Christmas dinner at about 5. Then the morning and early afternoon can be spent opening presents and fitting batteries :-/

Thanks for everyone's input. I've decided to definitely do what would have been the starters at lunchtime, then main dinner and pud in the evening. That will be similar to parents usual routine and to ours. We wil be able to fit in the usual walk between lunch and starting to cook veg dinner.

I guess we'll then do presents in the morning which will feel a bit odd, as we usually do them after lunch and walk. Plus ds may not be up by lunchtime! But I'll figure that bit out. I'll ring parents later this week to confirm plans, but think the new timings will work really well.