What time is your main Christmas meal served usually?

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We tend to have ours at 1pm, and even though it's at lunch time, we call it Christmas Dinner.

Around 5 pm, makes for a more relaxed day for the cook, and in this house everyone’s that much more ready for it. We have a late brunch-y breakfast.

Traditionally speaking, dinner is the main meal of the day, no matter when you have it, so it’s fine to call it Christmas dinner if you have it at lunchtime.

Ours is roughly 4.30-6pm in the late afternoon - whenever its ready basically. A function of when we got home from mass and a visit to DAunt for a drink to put turkey on, and how big it is so length of cooking time. But we have some M&S nibbles and wine while opening presents as we wait (having had a decent breakfast, and been fed canapes with the drinks at DAunt's house).

We prefer not too late so we can go to bed not uncomfortably stuffed.

When we go "down home", the dinner is intended for 1pm (and is usually no later than 1.30 if delayed).

Then we go on to my DPs, where dinner is intended for 6pm, but is almost never served before 8pm and the latest time we had was 10.15pm start. There is a lottery amongst all the DCs, their OHs and now the older DGCs join in on what time it will appear at. In recent years, DM has allowed 1 special DC to do the cooking (so it's less late) but it was a number of years working towards that - and the rest of us were always accused of "pushing her out of her own kitchen".....so we just all made sure we had snacks in our bags, there were snacks in the stocking presents to each other, and there was a tin of spaghetti hoops in a bag when there was a small DC involved, just in case they couldn't last (DD literally had that 1 year as her Christmas Dinner in that house as it got so late - but had eaten turkey in DMIL's house earlier so we were not depriving her! And I think another DGC had the same in a more recent year so their turkey was next day leftovers.)

Usually around 1pm. DH can't sleep in so always up at 6am. Due to work I have to eat my lunch 10.30-noon, so used to eating early. That's my excuse.

I aim for 12, and usually hit between 4-6pm.

This year is going to be different! ...

Probably around 4pm this year as my toddler will hopefully have a nap till 3pm.

We have pudding in the evening once the dinner is digested around 6 or 7pm

@BiddyPop

Thats shit. Esp for the little ones. Who the fuck wants a big dinner like that at 8pm?
The days over by then.

I will do ours around 1 - 1.30 due to dc being so young. And i just want the cooking and washing up out of the way. We then do leftovers/treats/snacks later

Always at least an hour later than planned! .

I’m aiming for 2pm this year...so let’s say 3.30pm..

Usually around 2-2.30. We have breakfast around 9.00 - scrambled eggs, smoke salmon, croissants and Buck's Fizz - what with that and the odd bit of chocolate, we're fine until then. Supper is usually cheese and biscuits, olives, and cold turkey and salad, with Christmas pudding as we never have room for it at lunchtime!

@HazeyJaneII

Sometime between 1 o'clock and 5 o'clock depending on level of chaos during the day

^ This

Although the dc are adults now, so we are lucky to see them at all before about 11.30 in the morning.

Some sort of nice pastries for breakfast at around 9am, smoked salmon blinis at 12 and the roast dinner at 3. We’ll have cheese and biscuits and all the desserts in the evening

5 or so. I don't understand why you would waste daylight eating...

Used to be served around 12, as my grandmother insisted, even when we was bed bound we would have to take a meal to her (she lives doors away) so would have be 12. She died this year, and I know it sounds awful, but I feel such a relief and look forward to eating whenever we feel like. So probably 1-2ish I guess. Super looking forward to not stop watching and missing out on seeing the kids play with their toys (and stressed they are opening things and losing bits before lunch time)!

Depends if we’re with his family or mine. At
my sister’s the main meal is about 6. If we’re hosting the in laws they like to eat at 2.

Just us this year and I’ve not given much thought to when we will eat given we can totally please ourselves (well as much as you can with a 5 month old) - might split the difference and go for about 4!

Usually about 2.30

Around 6.30 for us. My son has autism and I keep meal times the same. I've learned from experience he won't eat a large meal like that for lunch!

1pm traditionally, but going to have it at the toddler’s dinner time this year with him at 5pm.

We’ll have our prawn cocktail starter with him at 11.30am as that’s his lunch time, but will probably do him something nice but slightly different for starter.

1pm ish

We are pretty laid back but prefer to eat when it’s beginning to get dark as I love twinkly lights and candles.

9am chocolate
11am bacon sandwiches
2pm canapés and gin fizz
4pm Christmas dinner
Evening cheeseboard, tablet, chocolate and port

8/9pm. We're Spanish and that's quite an early start I know families that won't start eating until 10. This year many will be forced to start earlier as there's a curfew at 12am, so you'll need to be back home by then.

@gotyerhat so glad it’s not just my in-laws! They try really hard to prepare nice food and we are very grateful but never enough of it and served early (the quantity has definitely dropped plus now more than double the amount of people with partners and children etc!) and then nothing else! I think they would be upset if they knew but we really struggle to understand how they haven’t realised and it’s no fun going to bed hungry at Christmas - however selfish that sounds!

[quote Hophop26]@gotyerhat so glad it’s not just my in-laws! They try really hard to prepare nice food and we are very grateful but never enough of it and served early (the quantity has definitely dropped plus now more than double the amount of people with partners and children etc!) and then nothing else! I think they would be upset if they knew but we really struggle to understand how they haven’t realised and it’s no fun going to bed hungry at Christmas - however selfish that sounds![/quote]
I’d have to bring a hamper of foods, either to eat in our room in the evening, or a bigger one to treat everyone as a roundabout way to pad out what’s offered...

Every year it’s an hour later than I plan,no one minds really. So any time between 2-3.30 pm.

When it's dark and the candles and tinsel are glistening

Always 6pm, for the candlelight!

Brunch of French toast and bacon about 10, then Christmas meal about 5. Cooking kinda kills the appetite but if anyone is hungry they can have pigs in blankets sandwich. Then picking the remains if hungry later that evening.