What time do you eat your main Christmas meal?

[bantuknots73]

I don't celebrate Christmas but growing up I always loved hearing what other families do on the day. All the people that celebrate in my family usually have their Christmas meal around 8/9pm. Most of my friends and their family usually have their Christmas meal anywhere between 6-9pm. However my English friends tend to have their meal around 12-2pm.

It was always a running joke in school (and still now between us friends) that it's a black thing to have your Christmas meal really late in the day whereas white people tend to eat earlier on instead. Obviously this is just a generalisation based on our friendship group but I wondered what everyone else does. How does the eating arrangements work in your household?

Around 5pm on Boxing Day.

The ones that eat 5/6…. Don’t you then have a load of kitchen clearing to do when really you just want to settle down?

It's just a few pots and the plates because we clean the rest as we go. After dinner someone will hand wash the posts whilst someone else loads the dishwasher. It's a 10 minute job.

@santaclothes

The ones that eat 5/6…. Don’t you then have a load of kitchen clearing to do when really you just want to settle down?

It's just a few pots and the plates because we clean the rest as we go. After dinner someone will hand wash the posts whilst someone else loads the dishwasher. It's a 10 minute job.

How many people?

I do something at 12, yesterday it was caviar and blinis and salmon. Plus champagne!

Then the roast I served about 2, then pudding about 4. Then nobody wanted much else! DS (7) had some cheese and crackers and some fruit about 6.

Bacon butties and tea at 10am. Full roast at 2.45 (aimed for 2.15 but overran). Chicken sandwich at 8pm. We don't like turkey. I can't stand eating late in Xmas day. We always watch strictly and call the midwife together.

Until my DF died we always ate 1.30 or 2pm, as we did when I was a child. After that it shifted so now we have starters of party food and/or cold bits around 12 or 12.30, then present opening. The main course is around 5 to 6pm. I've just finished the clear up this morning.

We have ours after the Queen's speech - Dad does most of the cooking the night before so there's little to do on the day. Then we'll have turkey butties at 9ish and open some chocolates. It's perfect for us as we can do presents, pick grandparents up etc, without rushing too much.

How many people?

Just the 5 of us.

@santaclothes

How many people?

Just the 5 of us.

4 here but I have roasting pans for potatos, then one for the sausages etc, then one for the marinaded veg. The steamer The serving dishes etc Then of course all the glasses, plates, cutlery etc

So it’s two dish loads and hand washing!

I’m a single parent and my sister is often with children whilst I’m cooking, hence wanting it early, so then I have first load in by 3! I felt twitchy if kitchen not completely clean and tidy but if later works for you as all hands on deck whilst actually fdoing the cooking…brilliant!