Christmas Eve family dinner

[Amerimoon]

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

Picnic by the tree as always.

Cheese, pizza, crusty bread, hot Indian snacks, pickles, hot cocktail sausages, meats etc

[quote Nomoreboobs]@scotlass I’m going with the picnic carpet by the tree and fire idea, but what are your hot nibbles?[/quote]
Whatever we fancy - sometimes Indian stuff (haggis pakora / Samosas), sometimes breaded mushrooms, sausage rolls, mini burgers. DH is partial to a wee M&S treat so I normally pick stuff up when I collect the turkey on the 23rd.
I can't wait - favourite time of the year ever.

Picnic. Also known as "scraps" when I couldn't remember the word
Dad got a phone call from school and had to explain they were M&S canapés and I didn't just eat scraps for Christmas
Literally anything you want - nice meats, cheese, pickles, bread, crackers, dips, nachos, sweets, cake, biscuits, chocolates, salad, potato salad, coleslaw, cocktail sausages.....

We're having pizza this year, a famous local type, as one of the DFs is bring a boyfriend who has never been to this neck of the woods before or sampled any of its famous culinary offerings.

Plus pavlova and gingerbread cookies.

We’re getting food from our local takeaway which is a chippy/Chinese. We’ve already got it planned as we’re so excited for it
I’ll be having crispy aromatic duck with pancakes, salt and chilli chips and curry sauce, DS will have sausage, chips and beans, and DH will have a Chinese prawn curry, chips and sweet and sour chicken balls. I can’t wait

Another one who bakes a Christmas ham. Have it with crusty bread, cheese, dips, crackers washes down with a good red wine

New potatoes, peas and a side of salmon with a herby lemon butter sauce. Really effortless to make and quite light as we don't want to eat any too heavy. I usually make Mary Berry's chocolate roulade for dessert as its looks good, tastes even better but again is quite light.

The markses halibut thing with chips!

Lunch is Christmas ham on bread rolls and salad.
Dinner is fish and chips followed by mince pies and cream.

Platter.
Open fridge, pull out packets of cooked and cured meats, smoked salmon, cooked shellfish, cheese, tubs of olives and cherry tomatoes, hummus, bag of washed salad etc.
Open cupboard and pull out crackers, breadsticks.
Slice bread.
Peel and chop a couple of carrots into fingers (usually grab a couple from the pit of already peeled ones for 25th - the family does all prep together in the afternoon of 24th), and chop a couple of peppers into fingers also.

Put everything onto plates/into bowls - nothing very decorative, just neat - and put in the centre of the table. Side plates, knife and fork, a glass and Christmassy napkin at each place.

(If feeling festive, put a couple of candles out).

Sit and eat

We usually go out for a fancy lunch with family but that won't be happening this year so we're thinking of going to our lovely local Chinese restaurant instead. We need to check their opening hours on Christmas Eve and book a table.

I will cook the ham on Christmas Eve night too as always and we'll have freshly baked ham and bread with pickles and chutney for supper very late - this is our tradition.