Does anyone do a buffet rather a "proper" Christmas lunch?

[GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal]

Does it feel something's missing if you do? Just thinking I don't particularly feel like spending most of Christmas Day in the kitchen making a massive roast, and we really like all the tasty "party" food you get at Christmas, and thinking it might be nice for us all to spend the day relaxing and grazing on lovely tasty food.

But I'm worried if we do that the day will lack a "structure" and we'll get to the end of the day and think "oh, was that it?"

I don't even really like turkey - although tbf we had turkey last year, so this year would be a beef year - and we have plenty of roasts throughout the year, so it's not like the family are missing out.

No, I've no idea why I'm wondering about this on such a hot July day either!

But what do people have on their buffet? No-one in our house likes pigs in blankets so i am thinking things like smoked salmon blinis, mini beef and horseradish yorkshires etc.

I have quite a large family and can imagine having a big buffet would be far more hard work on Xmas day than a traditional Xmas dinner. Lots of things in and out of the oven taking different times, lots of little different salads etc to make, constantly replenishing things as they run out. We cook all the meats and prepare the veg on Xmas eve so really very little to do on the day. I'd really miss us all sitting round the table for dinner as well, always so much fun.

Roast chicken,
Cheese board
Baked potatoes
Chilli/Mexican beef (done the day before or so and the just whacked in the slow cooker)
Soup (as above)
Part baked rolls
Salad
Bulgar wheat with roasted veg.
Dips (I usually have nacho cheese, sour cream, salsa and tortilla wraps and then people can have burritos)
Prawn /salmon /crab/ lobster tails for those that like seafood.

(And I do honey mustard full size pigs in blankets, which for me is the best bit )

@BlueLobelia, cold turkey and gammon, cranberry sauce, chutneys and pickled onions, salad or homemade coleslaw, jacket potatoes, macaroni pie (delish) plus cheese and any leftover pigs in blankets etc.

We've done buffets. I like to be a bit of a rebel, and nobody else wanted to host Christmas so I said I'd do it, but it wasn't going to be a traditional dinner. It was good fun, and much more relaxing. I'm all for doing the same again. I love busting old traditions and creating new ones!

Roast dinner of some type, because : DD adores my roast potatoes, and DS loves my home-made chestnut stuffing (stuffing comes from a Paxo packet unless it's Christmas Day !). I make the pigs in blankets and stuffing along with other things on Christmas Eve. The meat is not turkey but usually pork leg. Hopefully some good crackling.

I have this on the table for 1.00-1.30, partly because we are sometimes hosting elderly relatives who like to eat then, to a PP it's really no hassle, DH preps all the veg and spuds and serves drinks. Including to me, I am getting quietly merry on sherry/wine from about 11 a.m.

After lunch we go for a walk, tea is buffet style. Warm mince pies and brandy butter, pork pie, crisps, cheese board, crackers. Always some smoked salmon. Christmas cake comes out but nobody starts it then. Candles are lit.

I think a Barbecue would be really fun at Christmas, I might do this for a change !

I'm in Houston, Texas and I'm on the Christmas 🎅🏼 board and I'm more than happy to discuss the details of a much cooler season because it's currently 95F/35C with 50% humidity so the "feels like" temperature is 108F/42C!!! We had our first 90F/32C day March 3 and the last is usually October 15th. Trust me, I'm always dreaming of winter!

I'm not English but when I lived in England when my children were young, we would have a quick breakfast of toast and eggs and then open the door to the living room to see if Santa/Father Christmas had been. It was the only time I'd get the fussy middle DC to eat! I'd just make a simple lunch of homemade soup and bread and dinner would be homemade pizza and salad or an M&S meat pie that I'd put in the oven with a side of peas and carrots.

My MIL used to be a trained chef so my DH's family of siblings and in-laws, grandparents and cousins would congregate at her house on Boxing Day where we would have a proper English Christmas buffet. I felt that she did it wonderfully and catered to special diets and the whole lot. She's such a star!

On NYE, I would host a cook-out/grill (I don't call it barbecue because that is slow and low meat on a grill over 12 hours, I wasn't going to do that!) and eat food from my Mexican culture and invite my DH's family to our house to eat fajitas, tamales and enjoy atole. My husband's family were happy enough to have plenty of tequila and cocktails.

OP, have whatever you want. No one is going to miss out on anything. If you're together and enjoying the day, it's enough! That should be your new Christmas motto!

No way! I find buffets a lot more work to be honesty. On Christmas morning, I just throw a nice piece of meat in the oven along with stuffing, roasties, pigs in blankets and Yorkshire puddings. I also steam spinach and carrots. That’s all put in the centre of the table on a serving board with gravy and we all eat together. The whole thing takes very little time to prepare and is really simple. For pudding, we just have a little chocolate mousse and some chopped strawberries. Most of it is bought in advance because I don’t want to spend the day cooking - we sit down at 1pm, lots of champagne flowing, everyone in the best mood and then we all go for a lovely big afternoon walk. If I did a buffet, id still be replenishing bowls/ washing up all afternoon!

I did a buffet one year and I actually felt I had missed out on Christmas Day. We have our meal in the evening now instead of lunchtime so it feels s bit more leisurely and I buy some items ready made from M&S to make it even easier for me.

If we have guests, I’ll def. do a buffet for Boxing Day, but the Christmas Day turkey dinner is sacrosanct here!

I usually do a macaroni pie for the buffet - like macaroni cheese but with added eggs and baked in the oven so it can be cut into portions. Always extremely popular and goes v well with cold ham and turkey, salad, etc.

I reckon by the time a seafood buffet from New Zealand arrived in might be a tad past its best...

We did a buffet Xmas lunch when the kids were young. It meant they could just play with their toys and pick at food through the day. It was usually the years it was just us at home without grandparents to visit on Xmas day (for a while we lived a long way from other family).

The children still feel a buffet is more traditional at Xmas although in more recent years we’ve had family over and a roast.

We like party buffet food too but that's a tradition for a different day of the Christmas period in our house like Christmas eve or New Years' Eve. Everyone (including me) would definitely moan if we didn't have the traditional Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day. I mean, it's why it's a tradition - because it's only done once a year. You can have a party buffet any day!