Christmas Eve family dinner

[Amerimoon]

What are you having? Something with no faff as it’s a busy day!

@Amerimoon

What are people putting in these floor picnics/ picky bits please?? The kids would adore a house picnic but I don’t have time to be faffing with lots of tiny food items! Is it hot or cold?

We get crusty bread and cold fillings (ham, cheese etc) Pop some hot Christmas party nibbles on. Posh crisps, crackers, bread sticks / dips. Whatever else we fancy. Dead easy and what's not eaten goes in the fridge f5use over festive period.We put a big blanket down and it's help yourself (kids aged 21yrs and 11yrs)

I always boil a large gammon ham, mashed potatoes and carrots. There is lots of cold gammon for Boxing day to go alongside the turkey and beef I cook on Xmas day.

Used to have a bake gamm9n, carrots, broad beans in parsley sauce and roasties with smoked salmon for brunch on Xmas day.

Last few years have had smoked salmon, lovely salad, plus mozz pearls, cherry toms and black olives with basil and fabulous bread on Xmas eve.

Now do M&S canape bits for brunch on Xmas day.

We have Christmas lunch about 3pm.

Have the added complication that it's DS's birthday so forego the Xmas pud and have birthday cake and champagne at 6pm! He's 26 this year. Bloody he'll!

Either Macaroni cheese or a delivery McDonalds...will decide nearer the time

I like the idea of mac & cheese! Do you have anything with it?? It’s probably socially unacceptable to have it with our steak but I’d like to!

We’ve had fish and chips on Christmas Eve for years.

We're having Pizza on Christmas Eve because I want the least amount of faff possible!

@scotlass I’m going with the picnic carpet by the tree and fire idea, but what are your hot nibbles?

We usually go out so settling for take away pizza!

Crispy duck pancakes or veggie alternatives

@Amerimoon

I like the idea of mac & cheese! Do you have anything with it?? It’s probably socially unacceptable to have it with our steak but I’d like to!

You can definitely have it as a side with steak. Hawksmoor, the steak restaurant chain, do mac & cheese as a side and it is amazing.

That’s it - steak, mac & cheese it is! Plenty of champagne and a cheeseboard later on of course!

We have dominoes on Christmas Eve. Very little mess to clean up after I have cleaned everywhere!

@Nomoreboobs nice cheese, salami, smoked salmon, crisps, bread, sausage rolls, sometimes garlic bread, hummus, olives

DS3 will have a McDonald's (or Happy AnDonalds as he calls it) and when he's in bed, DP and I will have fillet steak, mccains gastro chips which are lush, onion rings and salad. Then watch Die Hard with Mulled wine whilst putting the presents out

Depends where we are - staying with my family, we would go out for Thai food (ordering loads of starters to share and a few mains between us).

If with DH’s family, we would have prawns on the bbq, a side of salmon and loads of salads (in Australia).

It’s the first year on our own & I’ve ordered a sushi platter for the two of us, that DH will collect on Christmas Eve morning.

OP if you wanted the Chinese I'm sure your toddlers would eat something, even if it's just a portion of chips. One chips only dinner won't hurt, and they will likely think it's The Best Dinner Ever (it certainly would be for DD2!).

@skankingpiglet ha ha I just couldn’t sit there with a big Chinese and give the little ones chips, I’d end up faffing around sorting them something else! We do like a Chinese, usually after they’ve gone to bed! Would ideally like to do the big meal at lunch time on Christmas Eve, as a whole family. Then we can have a few treats in the evening / cheeseboard/ popcorn or whatever and watch films/ get the presents down

Always fish pie in this family.

Fondues!

I'm working till 10pm and back in again at 7am Christmas Day morning so it'll be something quick and maybe a glass of sherry before I go to bed. Thought about getting some party food in which doesn't take long to cook and a couple of mini pork pies or something. My Christmas dinner will probably just be the same few things of party food and maybe a couple of slices of pizza. Perks of not having a decent break to cook a proper meal

We usually have lasagne or ham egg and chips.
I’m really tempted to do the full Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve though and just eat leftovers and buffet bits on Christmas Day.

Genuinely not thought that far ahead.

We are normally crazy busy and meet friends and go to a local event.

But its not on this year so fuck knows what we will do instead including for dinner. I wouldn't be surprised if its pizza though.

Taking a seafood platter and a charcuterie plate to my parents , some nice bread and butter and a bottle of fizz

Growing up we always had freshly baked bread baps, baked fresh that morning by my Dad, he would also fetch home a huge pork pie and some nice ham. We'd have a little buffet of ham sandwiches, pork pie, crisps, salad, coleslaw and potato salad and something like a Yuletide log for afters. If I can get down to town during my work hours I might just get a ham sandwich from cooplands. Or Higginsons if they're still open, a pork pie and re create my childhood Christmas Eve tea.