'Not' Christmas Dinner

[GinFuzzy]

Anyone else not 'do' Christmas dinner? Just 2 adults and one fussy child, we has a Chinese last year! Considering a soup/party food/pudding type of day...

Anyone any suggestions or experience? Will we feel cheated?

You'll feel cheated. The dinner is the best part!! How can you not have a lovely roast
Dinner yummy I can't wait for mine! It's worth the effort.

In the past we've had an Italian antipasti spread and that was yummy and so easy, just made a warm potato salad and baked some ciabatta. Also had beef wellington which is epically good. None of us like turkey, Christmas pudding or mince pies etc so why not have whatever you do like?

We're going out for Christmas eve lunch, so chance for turkey then!

We do party food all day (and we are BBQing some bits this year!). I'm doing a roast (lamb) with all the trimmings on Boxing Day.

For a few years when the kids were smaller, we had a buffet, joint of pork, hot potato salad and lot of other bits. Amazing how much they ate when they could help them selves.

When I lived with my parents, we’d have Christmas dinner Christmas Eve as they are not from the Uk. Christmas Day food varied from Chinese, to sausage, egg and chips 😋

Now I’ve married an Englishman, we don’t have turkey, but have a huge gammon which gets snaffled up. It’s now our tradition not to have turkey.

We’re having venison wellington. Bloody hate turkey.

So many people hate turkey because they cook it wrong and it's too dry, if you get it right it's delicious and so succulent.

We have what we like, just me, DH and DS. So this year as usual, Chinese. Sesame prawn toasts, crispy duck pancakes, seaweed, rice, desert probably some type of ice cream concoction. We used to live in a country where crispy duck was unheard of, it was a real treat if you could get it, so we have just carried on with it being Christmas dinner although we get it all the time now. Boxing Day we have a more 'traditional' roast type dinner but never turkey - live in a different country now where Turkey isn't traditional. I would feel more cheated if I was made to eat something I didn't want - just have what you like.

So many people hate turkey because they cook it wrong and it's too dry, if you get it right it's delicious and so succulent

Hmm I’m not sure. DH is an excellent cook. FIL is a chef. I’ve eaten turkey at a variety of places, including very high end restaurants. I have never cooked it myself (I rarely cook).
I just don’t like turkey. I also don’t like pork, and I don’t think I’ve only ever eaten that cooked ‘wrong’ either.

That great that doesn't apply to you personally pp but it does apply to a lot of people and I was one of them. Since I've tasted it cooked correctly I love it!

Pork not quite the same...it's more turkey that gets the bad rep due to the reason I listed.

mentioned* that should say

What I was saying is that it’s quite possible to dislike turkey just because you dislike turkey, not because you haven’t cooked it correctly. If someone says they don’t like lamb, or pork, or chicken, you don’t get people telling you that you would like it if only you learned to cook it properly.
I just don’t like the taste of turkey.

That's fine pp I wasn't meaning you personally, I said 'alot of people' merry Christmas

And 'so many' enjoy your venison

No big dinner at all here. We realised several years ago that a big roast meant dh spent most of the day either in the kitchen or out visiting relatives. We're so busy the rest of the year that we just want to relax and spend time with the kids.

So we buy masses of party food from m&s and just shove some in the oven at various points in the day. Means we can focus on building lego, watching a film, reading a book or playing a board game.

We have our 'lazy' day on Boxing Day. We eat loads of chocs and left overs from Christmas Day; I love it.

That's exactly why we do the same, @SamPotatoes. It's much nicer for everyone, we've found.

We do a 3 year rotation so one year visit my parents, 1 year dh's and then the 3rd year is at home on our own (2 adults 2 teens). We get turkey when we visit parents but when it's our Christmas, we always do something different and choose as a family 2hat to have. This year it is chicken satay with peanut dipping sauce and Thai green curry with coconut rice. Yum!

I’m doing a not Christmas, Christmas this year as I’m working a 12 hour night shift Christmas Eve and stbxh is taking the 4yo away for a week leaving me with a teenage boy and 2 adult vegan children. I have cooked and hosted Christmas for years. We are getting an Indian takeaway Christmas Eve to warm up Christmas Day instead, coupled with dizzy juice when I get up

Dd1 is having dippy eggs and soldiers for christmas dinner. We're not turkey fans, I'm not keen on the taste and texture (my mum is a great cook definitely not over done I've just never liked it, I'm fussy with meat) and DH isn't a huge fan either so we get a local chicken from the farm shop nearby and it is glorious, delicious and we really enjoy it. I've bought m&s sides this year as am absolutely knackered one way and another so I'm just cooking the chicken/roast potatoes and stuffing and the rest is all done. Bliss. It's our first ever Christmas just at home, us and the kids, no visitors or visiting on Christmas day, can't wait to just relax and play and eat and drink!

DD7 has requested either pigs in blankets with cucumber (the only veg she will willingly eat) or (if I want to 'make her Christmas') pasta and green pesto. Tbh I am going for that as I'd rather she enjoyed her meal than I have to listen to her moan about how she doesn't like it.
The rest of us are having the full works though!