Do you have a standard Christmas menu?

[Devo1818]

If so what is it?

Mine goes something like...

Christmas Eve - cooked breakfast
Lunch this year will have to be on the go as we are going into the city to see the lights and window displays
Home made ham (jerk/rum) with egg, pineapple and chips.

Christmas day - breakfast - kids have those selection pack cereals, me and DH have posh marmalade on sourdough toast with real butter

Turkey dinner with all the trimmings, dessert varies

Evening - cheese board, cold cuts, pate, crisps, chocolate, booze

Boxing day - boxing day sandwich
Lunch at mums
Dinner is a buffet with a sausage roll wreath as the main event

Then leftovers pretty much until NYE

I do - if I have things we’ll planned in advance, it helps me not get so stressed - though it doesn’t always work (just as ds2 about left-over-goosegate).

Christmas Eve, I do as much as I can of the prep for Christmas dinner - the veg, the gravy, stuff the goose, make the sauces, make brandy butter etc, so at the end of that, the evening meal has to be easy - usually the sort of party food that can just be shoved into the oven.

On Christmas Day, there is panettone or croissants for those that want it, then we have cheese and biscuits followed by Christmas cake for lunch.

Christmas dinner is roast goose, pigs in blankets, gravy, spiced apple sauce, bread sauce, roast potatoes and parsnips, sprouts and chestnuts, then Christmas pud and brandy butter - if anyone has room.

Boxing Day is cold roast gammon (I do that on Christmas Eve too), with coleslaw and baked potatoes.

On the 27th, I shred the left over goose (as long as ds2 hasn’t eaten half of it in a very tasty sandwich for his lunch), mix it with soy sauce, five spice and runny honey, then dry fried until sticky and served with rice.

Christmas Eve: normally have a Chinese takeaway for tea.

Christmas Day:
breakfast is normally bacon sandwiches or croissants.
Lunch: Roast beef dinner with all the trimmings.
We usually have cheese and crackers at some point in the evening.

Boxing Day: Cooked breakfast
then we spend the afternoon at my aunts and have a buffet.

Christmas Eve- out for dinner with a big group of our friends and their kids then to mass after.

Christmas morning- buffet breakfast cinnamon swirls, pan au choc, croissants, homemade Xmas granola, Greek yogurt, hot cranberry and orange compote, panatone and Xmas tree brioche.

Xmas dinner- Turkey and ham with all the trimmings

Boxing Day buffet with extended family

27th my day off pjs, tv, books and leftovers everyone helps themselves I do nothing. I also need to prepare my body for the next day

28th Italian Xmas day. We all go to my mums while she cooks up a huge Italian feast.

Christmas Eve Morning, a big fry up. We go to our local pub at lunch time for a couple of drinks. Always order a takeaway on Christmas Eve night when we are all showered and in our new pj's watching a Christmas movie.

Christmas morning we don't have a plan. Kids usually eat chocolate that Santa has brought them. Usually have dinner at 4pm, turkey ham,mash,roasties, stuffing carrots sprouts,honey glazed parsnips, gravy and cranberry sauce. For dessert we usually have three on offer. I let the kids pick their own desserts when we go shopping. Christmas night it's turkey and ham sandwiches with crisps.

Boxing day we usually have a big turkey and ham dinner again.

Always have lots of party food over the rest of Christmas along with lots of savoury snacks.

23rd DD and I sometimes go to London
We have a takeaway at night (Chinese for DH/DD/me , pizza for DS)

Christmas Eve - lunch is the main meal , fish fingers or chicken for DS , vegetable grills for the rest , triple cooked chips and dips

Christmas Day - Ds and the cats have a chicken breast roasted . We have Quorn roast and a nut roast bake
Roast potatoes
Roast parsmips
Sprouts and chectnuts
Vauliflower in cheese sauce
carrots
Red Cabbage
gravy

pudding - I have the Christmas Pudding from 3 years ago , I think it needs eaten

Boxing Day - pizza . I put the dough on the mix ( breadmaker) in the morning and let it prove . I make some pizza sauce and freeze ahead . Then its shape , sauce , toppings and cheese . Bake

Breakfast if anyone wants it , either pancakes and syrup or toast and scrambled eggs

We have a big cooked breakfast one day but it'll likely be in the week between

Non food traditions :
Dr Who The Two Doctors
A scary/spooky (not horror) on Christmas Eve
Late night trip to Lakeside/Bluewater with DD the week before
Not been to London on the 23rd for a while now , either Covid or me working .

Christmas Eve - family brunch at a harbour side restaurant (prob not this year as both dc will be working 😞)

Pantomime (again probs not this year 😞)

T bone steak and chips for dinner plus whatever crap is in their large bag from the Elf! Yes they are in their 20s but it's still required...

Christmas Day - rolls with bacon/sausage/black pudding following/ followed by selection boxes.

Snacky picky lunch of deli things.

Christmas dinner around 5-6 ish. Seafood platter followed by full on Turkey roast with pigs in blankets, roasts, M&S croquettes, gravy, veg and yorkshires.
Christmas pud for those who want it or some nutty, chocolates creation for everyone else.

Cheese and biscuits/crisps/nuts/sweety tins for later if anyone can manage. I usually manage some baileys for call the midwife!

Xmas eve - Chinese, including crispy duck and pancakes

Xmas Day
bake at home pastries
Turkey and all the trimmings, trifle, Xmas pud
Cheeseboard

Boxing Day
Cold Xmas pud and brandy butter for me!
Leftovers in a sandwich, possibly toasted, with soup
Baked ham and home made chips, leftover pud

Extended Family lunch
Cottage pie
Another trifle!

Are you really seriously discussing xmas? You do know it's September don't you?

I'm a bit stumped this year - my oldest DS is 5 and last year I did a big roast lunch with all the trimmings and he wouldn't eat a bite of it! I eventually had to get up cook him a bowl of cheesy pasta in the end, which was fairly gutting.

Me and DH enjoyed it but youngest DS isn't yet 2 (wasn't yet 1 last Xmas, obvs!) so only ate a few mouthfuls - he's still like this and picks at his food then gets bored and wants to go and play.

All in all it was a frustrating Xmas last year food-wise and I'm not sure if I should just give up the roast for a few years and make pizza instead? Both DCs prefer that significantly! And it's much less hassle and expense!

But I suspect I'd probably be a bit sad on some level - Xmas dinner was a real family tradition growing up... Just can't get my head around the hours of prep (and clean up!) for neither of the kids to eat more than a mouthful.

It's the Christmas board!

Xmas Eve - crispy duck and pancakes

Xmas day

Breakfast - pain au chocolate and croissants baked from frozen, Buck's Fizz

No starter, straight in to rib of beef and everything, mums trifle, Christmas pudding for those that want it, something chocolate for the kids

Antipasti and cheese

Boxing day

Bubble and squeak
Boxing day sandwiches
Ham egg and chips

Always one. Discussing Christmas on the Christmas board is fine all year round! Infecting chat and aibu with it , perhaps not (although, even then, I often wonder why posters just don't open the threads that don't interest them! )

The 23rd- I make the gravy and brine the turkey

Christmas Eve - I joint the turkey- bone out and stuff the legs, butter the breast, and make the trifle. We eat tomato soup , a few pigs in blankets and fresh baked breads (those part cooked ones you finish at home )

Christmas Day- breakfast- bacon sandwich (I'd like smoked salmon and cream cheese on toast but get out voted annually)

starter - pate for those that like it, soup (again) for the one that doesn't.
Main- full turkey roast with cranberry, bread sauce, stuffing, sprouts, carrots, parsnips, roast potatoes, green beans, and swede mashed, Yorkshire's too, oh and pigs in blankets. Trifle for afters.

Evening meal- the most anticipated sandwich of the year! The Christmas leftover sandwich- toasted.

Boxing Day- ban mi with leftover turkey and pate, Brie, crunchy slaw, chilli and coriander. Fresh and zingy, it's the second most anticipated sandwich of the year.

Evening- cold cuts, chips and what ever veg I have to steam. Sauces and pickle's alongside.

I cannot wait. Only 96 days to Christmas, and 72 days till we open our advent calendars- when the season, for me at least, really starts

Christmas Eve , breakfast as normal, lunch as normal like sarnies. Christmas eve dinner usually meatball lasagne.

Christmas day mince pies whilst opening presents
Then smoked salmon or bacon with scrambled eggs
Bucks fizz, or orange juice or cava depending on who is drinking.

Christmas dinner chilli and garlic prawns or red pepper soup
Turkey with too much stuffing, roasties , roast parsnips, sprouts, carrots and red cabbage.

Pudding Christmas pudding p!us 1 other , either not eaten or eaten later in the evening

If anyone is hungry in the evening fridge raid

Christmas Eve - wurst with potato salad and sauerkraut

Christmas Day - prawn cocktail / prawn ring; roast goose, roast potatoes, red cabbage, carrots, stuffing and pigs in blankets; trifle of some kind.

Boxing Day - ham and leftovers!

When we're home and hosting:
Christmas Eve - Chinese takeaway

Christmas Day - toasted thick white bread with real butter and jam for breakfast
Lunch is turkey, sausage meat stuffing, roasties, mash, pigs in blankets, carrots, red cabbage, parsnips, green beans, sweet corn and DHs amazing turkey gravy.
There's usually trifle or cheesecake for pudding.
If there's room for more food in the evening there's a cheeseboard, crisps and chocolates. We did nachos one year and that was nice.

Boxing Day - leftover Turkey and stuffing, fresh chips or roasties & bread for a sandwich.
Lots and lots of cheese, puddings, sometimes party food. All ok the table to eat buffet style.

27th, DH chops up the leftover turkey, keeps some for sandwiches and turns the rest into his amazing Christmas pie filling which we freeze.

If we're away, anything goes food wise. Our Christmas dinners have included steak & chips, Chinese and spiced duck and mash. I like the different ones almost as much as the traditional at home ones

Yep. Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day to become a tradition. I could literally cook it all with my eyes closed

If I ever suggest trying something new, they all look horrified

Christmas eve - probably just DH and myself as all 3 young adult DC will be out partying...especially as I've booked tickets for matinee panto 😆

Christmas morning will be bacon sarnies for the hungover.

Smoked salmon and prawns with fizz around midday.
Turkey, goose fat roasties, carrots, sprouts, cauli cheese, pigs in blankets, Yorkshires, cranberry sauce and gravy will be when it's ready...probably around 4.30/5. Christmas pudding plus something for non pudding lovers.

Cheese, sausage rolls, sandwiches etc. later.

Boxing day, gammon done in coke then spice glazed, baked pots, salad etc.
Can't wait!

Ooooo what are your Christmas Eve and Boxing day dinners??

All of these replies are making me both hungry and very excited

So...?

Christmas Eve we have party food for dinner

Christmas day we have pancakes for breakfast mid morning. Then roast chicken, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, parsnips and sprouts, with gravy about 5-6pm.

Cheese and crackers are available for supper.

Boxing Day breakfast is usually bacon rolls and tea. Then 4pmish is a BBQ, just a sausage sizzle really.

pescatarian house with so much fish my brother’s girlfriend realised she’s intolerant to sea food (threw up due to fish overdose)
Christmas Eve dinner is bigger than Xmas day . This was because my dad worked Xmas day every few years but he hasn’t for 6 years now. It’s a tradition now!
mussels
some type of fish with roast potatoes Brussel sprouts and honey roasted carrots/parsnips lots of Prosecco
christmas breakfast
stocking chocolate
Smoked salmon and blinis with fruit/yogurt and more Prosecco
Christmas lunch generally 2pm
soup
Either veggie mushroom wellington or more fish with similar sides plus red cabbage (traditional reminders and complaints about the time my mum forgot to cook the cocktail sausages 12 years ago despite the fact no one eats meat anymore)
late afternoon picking
cheese and biscuits plus chocolate
evening at 7ish
30 person buffet with crisps, canapés, picky bits plus galleons of shloer
this bit is dry because my granny doesn’t approve of drinking
Boxing Day used to be another Christmas dinner (3 in 3 days) with other side of family but covid + my auntie downsizing has sadly put an end to that. Not quite sure what a non covid Boxing Day looks like. The last 2 have just been leftovers, vegetables and big walks/tv days.

Yup, whatever the hotel is serving!

Actually always go for Carvery for Chrismas Dinner as that is my DDad's favorite and we do it for him.

In addition to above - DDad always makes a meat loaf for Christmas Eve. His own recipe, he makes it the way he likes it. It's pretty good for a man who never cooked a meal until the day he was widowed.

Christmas eve is gammon and pineapple with Jacket potato's.
Christmas day breakfast we always used to flow my family tradition of a full English with bucks fizz but we've stopped doing that recently as we all want to be really hungry to appreciate Christmas dinner! So the last two years breakfast has been fresh croissants. We always have turkey with all the trimmings - bread sauce, pigs in blankets etc. DH cooks dinner, I do deserts and usually do something like pannecotta or hazelnut cheesecake as well as Christmas pudding for those who prefer the traditional.
Boxing day is always a curry with left over turkey. Korma for the kids, Madras for adults. Boxing day is probably my favourite day - pressures off!

Christmas Eve - slow cooker boeuf bourguignon, mash, carrots, green beans

Christmas Day breakfast - everyone fends for themselves. And Bucks Fizz.

                          Lunch - smoked salmon pâté parcels or cauliflower and stilton                        
                          soup to start. Then turkey, roasties, carrots, red cabbage,           
                          sprouts, sage and onion stuffing, pigs in blankets and giblet 
                           gravy. Xmas pudding.

                           Evening: My favourite bit because it means no more cooking      
                           for a while! Cold turkey, gammon joint, left overs, pickles, 
                           crisps, cheese, sausage rolls, party food, anything that looked 
                           nice when I did the Christmas food shop. All on the table buffet 
                           style. This stays on the menu until we're sick of it. Mostly we 
                           don't eat much of it Christmas Day, but the days following we 
                           do, supplemented by fresh roasties if anyone can be bothered.