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.

My parents are Chinese so we usually have hotpot (like DIY cook your own meats in broth) and other pickings for dinner. And the prep takes 2 days which we all get stuck into - eg dumpling making etc. We get a few strays for dinner somehow somewhere turning up from 4pm. Lol

Then they have roast beef on boxing Day because it's a bung in the oven job for close family and cousins.

We usually have a cheese, smoked salmon and some picky m&s bits for brunch with champagne on christmas morning with close family.

Presents arent usually a big thing even though there are tonnes for the kids, they seem to be looking forward to the food more 😂😂😂😂

This is the first year in 14 years it's just dh and I. I couldn't do it again this year, all the running about the prep then the cooking all day. I don't even really like a roast!

We're having a mammoth fish finger sandwich on thick homemade bread this year. Boxing Day we're having a BBQ with other family members.

I don't think I'll ever have a traditional Christmas again. It's so overrated and what a waste of a day hovering around the oven, unless you absolutely love it.

[quote Inastatus]@ThePoisonousMushroom - yes, I understand that some people might prefer to eat other things. What I don’t get is people saying they cba with cooking a roast on Christmas Day so they do it on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day or they cook something else not because they prefer it but because they think it’s less work.[/quote]
Be wise Christmas Day is full of other things to be doing, especially of you have children. Want to enjoy the day, play games with the kids, chill out and have fun. I'd rather be stuck in the kitchen another day which makes it less work as I'm not trying to achieve a fun day for the kids as well as doing a full on roast and trying to have a bit of family time.

When i was a child one year my parents decided we were staying home just the 4 of us. they had steak and me and my sister had fish fingers, best christmas ever

Sorry haven't RTFT.

If I wanted to do something really special I would make sure everyone had their favourite dish :) What I would do myself is order in a big chinese banquet, favourite dishes, lots of sides, and have a load of favourite sweet treats in the house. Prosecco and nice cocktail ingredients too.

I am tempting myself :D

NRFT

One year we had cocktails, followed by a huge salad with prawns and lobster and an ice cream sundae to finish … then again we were on a stunning beach 🏖 in Barbados 🇧🇧. Heavenly.

We had a beautiful rib of beef last year but otherwise we're real sticklers for the full turkey on Christmas Day. Except the year we were the US and had food poisoning and all I ate was a tin of pineapple chunks.

We have our favourite food. This year it will be scallops, prawns, black pudding and samphire as a large starter followed an hour or two later by Thai pork with loads of crunchy vegetables and mango salad then later creme brûlée and Christmas pudding. Can’t stand turkey.

This thread has inspired me to do a cross between a Christmas dinner and a party buffet, it's going to be so much more relaxed I'm really looking forward to it :)

One year our lunch got ruined. Fondue was the improvised substitution. We loved it so much it became a tradition.