NO Christmas lunch on Christmas Day!!!

[Staringatthetiles]

Has anyone ever done this and if so what was your alternative?

I don’t want to go into the reasons why but would love to hear if anyone opted out of cooking Christmas dinner especially any creative alternatives that will appeal to a family of 5 with 2 preteens.

I did one year and it was great. Meant I could play with children.

Might do it this year and have curry takeaway in evening.

We once did so we could go around and see all the relatives and we sorely missed it. I was lucky enough to nab a Christmas dinner sambo in one house but dh wasn't and we both went on about it for a good while after!!

Steak, M and S Dolphinose potatoes and a salad. Bloody lovely.

Family of 5, 2 are not keen on a roast dinner so we got for a meal we will all enjoy.

We do a different theme every year -

Chinese
Indian
BBQ
Cheese and meat (fondue/Camembert type meal)

Key thing is to go all out still, not just make a curry and rice but have 2-3 different curries, poppadoms, naans, tiger beer etc for the bbq, we had steak and chicken fillets and kebabs as well as burgers and sausages.

Haven't decided on this years theme yet....waiting to see what the food shortage is/next crisis before we commit

@maddiemookins16mum

Steak, M and S Dolphinose potatoes and a salad. Bloody lovely.

That is just what we're thinking of having this year. Tasty, easy, just a little bit out of the usual run of things.

Think we might swap the sausage and mash for this !

Sounds great and no stress!

Sounds yummy, we should be able to eat what we want!

I once had Mcdonalds on Xmas Day but we was in the Canary Islands and had gone there to get away from the events due to our daughter working abroad

I read a similar thread on Mumsnet about 10 years ago and as a result decided that we would abandon our traditional meal that year and have a buffet instead. There was much eye-rolling and muttering but everyone reluctantly agreed to try it and chose their favourite buffet food. It was a revelation and we've never looked back! No more paying over the odds for a turkey, frantic supermarket shopping for sprouts and parsnips, hours spent slaving away in the kitchen. I've had some good life tips from Mumsnet over the years but this has to be the best!

[quote me4real]**@Staringatthetiles IDK if this would help you, but I get the deli counter sliced turkey so I don't have to do a turkey, which makes a big difference. It's the same or better quality. Also Aunt Bessie's everything possible, which is actually really nice.[/quote]
@me4real i have done this in the past with roast beef!! Ab fab!

@Staringatthetiles Thoroughly recommend. Ask for it to be cut on No6 - a good generous slice.

We had curry….a banquet from a frozen delivered place, agreement from our younger kids , out right war from two in their early 20’s. Emails, phone call complaints.
They got their grandmother and uncle to phone me up and complain
Ridiculous behaviour.
We had curry, it was delicious

@Agadorsparticus

We've had Indian takeaway for the last 5years. Still have the Xmas crackers and dressed up table, but no cooking and much less washing up.

This is exactly what we do - the table is very Christmassy but instead of turkey, potatoes and veg that nobody is interested in, we get a takeaway.

We love it and so must a lot of other people and the delivery time on Christmas Day is way longer than a usual weekend (not that it matters - it's Christmas Day so timings go out of the window!)

M&S curry on Christmas Day last year, cooked in the microwave. Might do the same this year as it's a long weekend.

We have traditional Christmas Dinner every other year and on the in between ones we do something different. The first time we did this we had Indian meal, the second time it was Mexican and this year it is going to be Lebanese. It is not less work, the Indian one in particular was much more work but we had enormous fun preparing and cooking together and doing a bit of themed decor ( blow up plastic cacti for the Mexican meal) My sons are grown up but not married and both love cooking so it was very bonding. Here's hoping the perfect falafel recipe doesn't cause too much argument in arriving at this year.

A couple of years ago we ended up having so many 'Christmas dinners' either side of Christmas Day itself, and were planning to cook a big roast for family a few days later, so on the 25th we had macaroni cheese with pigs in blankets baked in to it. It was incredible - highly recommend.

We prefer pizza with potato wedges and onion rings and breaded mushrooms ourselves. Occasionally we buy individual veggie wellingtons from Lidl

We don't do Xmas any more. It's great. Sometimes we have Xmas dinner. Sometimes we have Chinese Take away.
Your choice!

I know a lot of people who go for a curry on Christmas day, which I'd happily do but not sure if pre-teens would be keen.

@Staringatthetiles

Has anyone ever done this and if so what was your alternative?

I don’t want to go into the reasons why but would love to hear if anyone opted out of cooking Christmas dinner especially any creative alternatives that will appeal to a family of 5 with 2 preteens.

yup, when i ws having my second son, he was born 29th dec but i had been going into full labour since mid november nd on drugs to stop it, it was becoming increasingly hard ! i couldnt face coooking or the smells of it all, so we just had some soup! nice soup but soup non the less

We are ditching the traditional Turkey and the trimmings this year and have a Rib of Sirloin on order from a local farm shop.

When I went to order it last month I asked if they could guarantee the order considering the recent scaremongering about Christmas supplies.

They said ‘yes of course and if you got to the back field I will show you the herd’

Good luck on what you choose, I think more and more people are getting a bit fed up with tradition, it’s your Christmas so do what you feel best x

We did barbecued salmon with salad and new potatoes one year (in the snow!) with a box of chocolates for pudding. It was great.

@yoshiblue

This year we are having Christmas dinner on Xmas eve and a curry feast on Xmas day with my ILs. I'm fed up of spending hours cooking on the day itself so I'm going to do it on a more relaxed and smaller basis. I'm having a rest on Xmas day and DH is in charge!

One year we went away on a tour to Germany, we had a German style meal on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day we were taken out for the day, managed to find a Greek restaurant open and had a wonderful lunch. What we hadn't realised was the hotel then put on a full English Christmas meal in the evening, we were utterly stuffed!

Hi! I might be going against the grain here, but I’ve always thought of Christmas, as whatever you want to make it. I grew up in a small family, parents and one child. Christmas dinner was Bernard Matthews turkey round, soggy mash and overcooked Brussels sprouts. My mum hated Christmas so made no effort. My family Christmas is, turkey crown, veggies & roast potatoes but with everything being on servers so we can help ourselves. Christmas Day is relaxed, no pressure and just us.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, Christmas feasting etc will be what you make it, as long as you’re together with your important people, it doesn’t matter how it flows 😁

On holiday we have had it on Xmas Eve before and then we had pizza on Xmas day I loved it but then I wasn't cooking so of course I did...