What time do you eat Christmas dinner?

[Theseptemberissues]

And is there a reason why? Hosting for the first time this year but also need to fit in visits from PIL as well as my extended family calling in and no idea what would work best!

My family have always eaten as a late afternoon meal 4-5pm. DH's family midday on the dot. When we've hosted we've aimed for about 1 and it normally ends up on the table about 3.

Just fit in in whenever feels good to you and works with your plans. Do as much prep and pre cooking as possible because everything takes so much longer for more people. Good luck hosting.

Around 5pm. All adults here, and we like a lie-in on Christmas morning. Also we never host, through choice, so don't have to consider anyone else's wants or needs.

About 3pm.

Breakfast is normally late morning due to present opening. I don't want to eat Xmas dinner late so that we can enjoy the evening.

We've always eaten around 3. When DC were little, they had brioch, milk and an apple when they got up as it would be quite early, then french toast or something about 10.30/11 and then main meal at 3 and we'd save dessert for having with a movie after clearing up and getting into PJs. Now we have no young DC, we tend to get up around 9, have something light and then main meal at 3 with dessert and a few drinks with a movie after clearing up, maybe about 7pm.

It works well for us but I guess you need to decide when would be good for visits, how old are DC? How long do you need free from visitors to prepare the meal?

I'd probably go with DC up and do presents and a snack, invite PIL and extended family over for about 10-11am for a "breakfast" buffet. Get rid of them all by 1. Prepare meal for 3-4pm and have meal guests arriving 2-2.30?

2pm ish, we end up having breakfast at 10ish then by the time we’ve done some presents, cooked and had a pre dinner drink it’s about 2pm by the time we sit down to dinner. We dont tend to go and see anyone and relatives who will be with us are staying from the night before so dinner is the focus point of the day

We do it about 6pm. If we do it earlier the dc don't eat it...they're too busy with their new presents.

We usually go out for Christmas Dinner at a local restaurant 5 minutes walk away. We book it for 1.00pm

On the odd occasion when I have cooked it I aim for the same time and we will usually start eating between 1 and 2pm.

Around 1pm. We have little dc who are still up at 6am to open stockings, so breakfast is early, gifts are all open before 8am and theres plenty of time to get the turkey on.

Last year was our first with just us 4, no grandparents or uncles etc visiting, so we asked the dcs what they'd like for an evening buffet and had everyone's favourite snacky food around 6pm.

I'm actually hoping we get away with it just being us again this year !

1pm plus or minus 5 minutes.
Cleared away in time for Queen's message.
We are usually hosting, and we don't have anyone to visit on the day.

About 5:30-6pm. I like that it’s dark and we’d never eat a main meal at 3pm any other day so why on Christmas Day? We have bacon and/ or sausage sandwiches for breakfast, leftovers from our Christmas Eve buffet for lunch and the main meal at tea time. We’re usually too full for pudding 😫

For many years, not until around 5 - 5.30.

Far less of a rush for the cook and leaves plenty of time for a walk in daylight. Still worked well with small Gdcs last year.

Late breakfast/brunch, no dinner starters - canapés about an hour before dinner - and nothing really needed later - everyone too full, though there's always the cold turkey and gammon to pick at, mince pies, etc.

Varies year on year depending who we’re hosting or visiting, how many there are (bigger turkey cooks for longer). I adjust breakfast accordingly. Dinner at 1pm would be a light breakfast, at 3pm onwards would be a full fry.

I timetable it around MY needs, so that I have enough time to get showered and dressed properly as well as harass dc into clothes and off to mass, fit in visitors, Skype calls, open presents, set table and enjoy my dc. The years when I let other people dictate their preferences were disasterous. Chef rules.

We've always eaten at usual dinner time, so pre-kids it was 7-8pm to allow for a later wake up, leisurely present opening and a long walk.

Now with DC, we eat around 5pm and have forgone the Christmas day walk which I really miss. But it makes it easy to pop in on family members who we aren't having Christmas dinner with.

I've never eaten Christmas dinner before dark!

Around 2pm. So it can be finished in time for the queens speech at 3.
It also gives us a chance to walk it off before it gets dark.

Always used to eat around 3 ish growing up - presents first thing - no lie ins as we were young and then my father would go to church and once back my grandparents would come over, always meant we were too full for a desert later on with whatever film we watched

Around 3pm, I'd not want to eat too late as they'd be no room for the cheese board!

Between 2-4pm. We don't host so just take our time cooking. Can't think of anything worse than being stuck in the kitchen for hours on one of the few days a year we are together as a family with no time constraints.

4-5 pm. We’re very chilled about it, we just eat when it’s ready. But it’s just the two of us and my grown up daughters so no issues with needing to accommodate loads of visitors and varying needs.

My mum offers everyone an Irish breakfast Christmas morning but no one usually takes it, too busy opening presents and getting stuck into the chocolate goodies. We have dinner whenever it is ready which is always between 2pm and 3pm.