Not to have an actual meal on Christmas day?

[Broodywuz]

So inspired from a post on another Christmas thread I've been thinking about Christmas Dinner. Last year was the 1st year we've done it home ourselves and plan to do this from now on, only myself, DH and 2 DC, ages 5 & 2. Last year i did a big picky breakfast around 10am which then sat out to nibble on, and full works 3 course Christmas Dinner 4pm. It was nice but DC didn't eat a huge amount probably because of all the chocolate they'd consumed and we have roast dinner most Sunday's so it didn't feel like that much of a novelty, we were also so full after that we didn't really enjoy pudding and just wanted to sleep after. This year I'm wondering about still do the picky breakfast but rather than a proper turkey dinner, have 2/3 small starters throughout the afternoon then nice nibbles for the evening. Anyone done this? Do you think it be a let down for christmas day?

We do this as we both used to work Christmas Day….. for loads of nibbles in and did a bit of a rolling buffet throughout the evening!!

One of my favourite things going to each supermarket and picking what we were going to have!!

We didn't have a traditional Christmas dinner last year, we instead bought all of the picky party food you can imagine, and cooked all of that instead. It was just us as a family of 3 (me, partner and our daughter (4)) and it was brilliant. I'd love to do it again this year!

Up to you, I know lots with small kids that do the big meal on Christmas Eve because they want to spend Christmas Day with the kids and watching them open and play with presents rather than spending ages in the kitchen cooking!

We have an elegant Christmas Eve dinner & do charcuterie, cheeses,veggies &dip, pickles & olives, breads,all sorts of finger foods throughout Christmas Day. With plenty of champagne.

So relaxing.

Hot chocolate with a side glass of Chambord to start the day.

Just me and DH, we have a buffet heist as day, cheese board etc and then go to a local restaurant for a Christmas dinner on Boxing Day!

That sounds nice. I might do that this year

Oh I'm so jealous of everyone who does this! I would be so happy to have some more flexibility with the Christmas day menu but my DH absolutely loves a traditional Christmas dinner, so it's a bit of a non negotiable (albeit we aren't big meat eaters so we often don't bother with the central bird/joint - it's just ALL the trimmings and lashings of gravy, which is a bit easier). We don't have the flexibility with time either due to a large, segregated family. Christmas eve is spent with FIL and his family (and this is buffet/party food/curry or similar), Christmas day is alternated between my DM/Sis and MIL and her family - we all take it in turns to host and therefore cook, so no-one has the annual burden. The other side (DM/MIL) is slotted in elsewhere.

We've developed a family tradition of an 'anything goes' breakfast, which is always fun. Last year, IIRC, we had pancakes, ice cream, a cooked breakfast, and a McDonald's style muffin meal.

Maybe one year we'll do it differently, but in answer to your question - if everyone is on board then go for it! If it doesn't feel right then revert back next year.

There's no rule you have to eat a turkey dinner just because it's the 25th Dec, you can have whatever suits you! I know someone who has takeaway on Xmas Day so that no one is stuck in the kitchen all day and they get to enjoy playing with the kids new toys, and then they do a family roast later in the week. I can't remember the last time we ate pudding on Xmas day itself, we're always too full so usually save it for another day and have cheese & biscuits instead for supper.

I always saved these breakfasts for special days. Birthdays, mothers/ Father's Day, good report from school. Tried hard etc. Just a lovely little surprise.
As for Christmas we live Christmas dinner. But love the M&S bits with lots of cheese. It's easier when the kids are older and eat more. And make sure you get out for a walk.

In order for us to have a decent roast dinner we don't eat breakfast and sit down proper hungry about 2pm

We don't do roasts often (too expensive) so it's a treat for us

Ooh I'd love this. Hate Christmas dinner

We did a year where we had a massive brunch, with everything from danish pastries to warm sausage rolls and bacon butties. Then about 4pm, I did a buffet - baked potatoes, warmed bread, large joint of gammon, cheese board, salad, pates, olives, loads from the deli counter (mostly all shop bought). Kids didn't touch much as they were full from selection boxes, and it was really enjoyable. I did splurge and make a massive cheesecake so pudding felt a bit more indulgent.

Very seriously considering it this year again, am so bored of Christmas!!

Do what you want, it’s your day! My kids would go feral if breakfast was left out and they grazed all day, they’d end up both full and hungry at the same time, and whiney with it. Christmas is bad enough for the whining.

They both also love roast dinner but don’t get it often as I CBA with the faff and DD in particular shouts that Christmas is “presents and fancy roast dinner!” (Fancy because I make my mother’s stuffing recipe and we have pudding too, and candles.) I do do a lazy M&S/Waitrose/Cook version where it’s all prepped for us, aside from the fancy stuffing (takes 10 minutes on Christmas Eve while listening to carols from kings.)

If they didn’t love drinking gravy and crooning happily at roast potatoes I’d not bother, though I think I’d miss the ritual of it, and I like having a tradition and familiarity to build on for the years to come.

I get the "ick" at the phrase picky when it's used with regards to meals.
What does it actually mean anyway? It sounds to me that it just means a buffet.

Why does the word "picky" used with food on here always make me want to 🤮 - always think about picking noses, spots and scabs! Never heard it used with food in RL.

Make it a rule that nobody is allowed to pick their nose until they have picked their choice of food. After that everybody is free to pick their own nose or anyone else’s if that person is agreeable.
😉😁😁😁

I think you should cook what makes you happy.

I do cook a traditional roast dinner, I enjoy cooking it and don’t find it very hard.

I must say I don’t really understand having one on Christmas Eve instead, you are just cooking it on another day…. Unless of course that’s when you celebrate Christmas. Personally I love Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day, all the excitement and expectation still to come.

@Badbadbunny , Christmas dinner is certainly not outdated. However it’s only a major faff if you’re disorganised and/or cook umpteen different veg:/side dishes instead of keeping it fairly simple.

Personally I don’t find it a big deal at all, especially since we started having it at 5 or 6 instead of at a late lunchtime.
To me it’s not a proper Christmas Day without the smell of the turkey cooking - and of course there are always lots of lovely leftovers, so hardly any cooking for the next day or 3.

Ive stopped doing a sit down meal. We usually have soup and then a buffet table. I was slogging away cooking for hours and never enjoyed my day. Much easier this way and everyone likes it

Agree there are existing words out there to use - buffet, self-service/self-serve, help themselves or even pick and mix, absolutely no need for made up twee words especially ones that have a completely different meaning or off putting connotations.

Just to add, we do a roast pretty much every Sunday and have already said we'll do a couple of Christmassy Sunday lunches in December. But I'm really looking forward to a buffet lunch for a change and I'm usually super traditional with things like that.
On my list so far is:

Smoked Salmon Terrine
Bread
Cheeses
Patè
Crackers
Roast Ham
Salad
Antipasto wreath
Sausage and cranberry wreath
Pork Pie
Chicken Skewers
Crisps
Nuts
Salad
Dips

Christmas pudding & custard?
Ginger and Orange Trifle
Mince Pies

We have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve too! Have done since kids were small and I missed them opening presents whilst cooking dinner - never again! Now they are older (17 and 12) they still request it, means Christmas Eve has a point to it they tell me and then Christmas Day is presents focussed!!
We have a mix of things on Christmas Day including nice buffet/nibbles, Christmas related afternoon tea, last year Japanese buffet. It's what we want and enjoy so there is no feeling of 'letting anyone down'!

I really like having the full roast on Christmas Eve. Turkey sandwiches on Christmas day!

We didn't do Christmas dinner last year and instead just did a buffet with loads of party food throughout the day, it was just us and DS and it was a lot more enjoyable.

I've done a grazing board and it went over well. It covered the dining table with all kinds of dips, hummous, meats, cheeses, crackers, breadsticks, olives, pickles, raw veg, stuffed eggs, bowls of berries with cream, skewers of steamed prawns with sauce, etc. It was all bought/made beforehand, so on the day I only had to put it out. I included a few gourmet items I would not usually spend the money on to make it more special.

Last years list it's not a fancy buffet but we like it.
CHRISTMAS BUFFET
cold pizza
Scotch eggs
M and s crisps
Chicken dippers
Quiche
Cous Cous
Pate
Melba toast
bread rolls
Original ritz biscuits
Beef slices
Cheese
Salsa
Ready cooked chicken
Cucumber
Pepper
pickles
Doritos heatwave
M and s crisps
cocktail sausages
Mini rolls
Cakes
Shleur
Snacks in box
Wheel crisps
Pigs in blankets
frozen mini sausage rolls
Lancashire cheese
Cheese and pineapple
Cocktail sticks
Pork pie
breadsticks
Xmas cake
Mince pie
Trifle
J20
Kids fake fruit shoots
Vinetta
Cheesecake
Custard
Xmas pudding
Doritos
Salsa
Cream crackers
Pringles
Samasos etc
Veggie spring rolls
Chicken skewers
Plastic plates and bowls
Flakadela aldi
Prawn crackers
Thai crackers ad
Sausage roll wreath
Ham
Cheese balls
Pepperoni /salami