When does Christmas start in your house?

[longtompot]

Every year since the dawn of time it feels like my dh and kids have asked when can they start on the Christmas nibbles and treats, and now all are adults, the drinks. Every year I say Christmas Eve and every year they grumble and moan.

There was a mention it should start on the 1st day of advent but I said we couldn't afford to start Christmas then.

Same with the alcohol. I buy it when it's on offer and save it for Christmas Eve onwards. One year I did say to dh fine go ahead open it and we ended up with not as much as I'd hoped

But, AIBU? Should they be able to start on the treats earlier?

So when do you start on these treats in your house?

The whole point of Advent is that it is a period of waiting! Christmas starts on 24th, obviously.

As soon as schools break up really! Dp is a teacher so it will probably always be that way! He has 2 weeks of total food indulgence 🤣

We enjoy the Christmas foods throughout December. Snacks whilst we watch the Christmas films usually.

Mince pies are available from the first day in Advent. And the chocolates from Advent calendars.

Nothing else until actual Christmas. But then available throughout the full Christmas period all the way up to 12th Night. None of this "Christmas is over and the decorations down because we've gone back to school/work" nonsense here.

Christmas Eve. Otherwise it's not special!

There have been some festive treats throughout December but DH finishes on Thursday and that’s when the first bottle of port will be opened. We have social plans all weekend so assume that will be us until the 3rd January then a few more normal days before school starts again.

We take Christmas slowly and stretch it over a few days. We don't like the big pressure to have it all on one day.

We don't really eat different food at Christmas.

This year I’m starting when DC break up, otherwise we end up with loads left over and everyone has had enough by then and I can’t give it away. I usually gift unopened bits to DH to take to work.

Christmas Eve. But I don’t buy tubs of chocolates, we only have them if gifted. But things like the Xmas cheese, drinks, party food start on Xmas eve.

Usually when work finishes, and relatives arrive for christmas, whenever that may be. This year the 22nd. Sometimes it's a little earlier.

Some things start anytime in december like mince pies. They can be eaten from end of November imo.

We used to start on Christmas Eve but always had too much left over and no one really wanted the Xmas food/drink in January. So for the last few years we’ve started slowly at the start of the month, go full throttle from Christmas Eve and have most things eaten by the end of the month.

This!

From the 20th

I am very perplexed by this but based on other threads I think I'm in the minority.
Do you mean you buy different foods specifically for the festive period? Are these in addition to your normal fare or a replacement?

I do buy different cheese, crackers and pickles but we'll have them as lunch as it is one of the few periods where we'll all be home so we can share it.

We're not snackers so we don't have those types of food traditionally associated with snacks and treats. How do you all avoid weight gain if you're eating more?

Christmas starts in our house when all the committments stop and we're together. This year it'll be around the 22 until the 6th Jan when we go back. We won't eat particularly differently but we'll go on walks, watch films etc.

I'm a big Grinch, but mince pies are available to freely consume from the 1st December, and the Christmas nibbles are out a week before the big day. There are also chocolates on the tree. DD is going to her dad's Christmas week and I'm off to my parents house, so we need to eat everything this week, poor us!

Bought our first mince pies yesterday and gluhwein last week.

Xmas chocs will come out when we all finish work and school this Friday, have to pace the kids with chocolate.

Xmas snacks; nuts / pretzels etc on Xmas Eve.

Bucks fizz is for Xmas Day.

Dh buys mince pies weekly from around September
We're not really baileys or any kind of festive drinks kind of people.
We probably have more treats in December generally, but things like the Christmas cake, biscuits etc I won't open until after Christmas Eve. From when we break up on 20th there will probably be more food/drink than normal but the specific Christmas food items I've bought are for specific meals over Christmas Eve to Boxing Day. I enjoy the brief period of gluttony but I don't want to do too many days of it because it makes me feel crap.

I’ve been making mince pies and we’ve all been eating them from November.
We broke into the Christmas cake last Saturday because the smell was driving me crazy 😂
We had pigs in blankets special crisps on Sunday watching a Christmas film.
I am trying to stave off opening big tins of biscuits/chocolates and I’ve hidden the After Eights. But the lebkuchen and stollen is there if anyone wants them now.
I find the build up to Christmas more exciting than the days afterwards - usually on Christmas Day itself I barely eat any treats as save myself for dinner.

We aren’t touching any of the expensive wines or cheese yet - probably not until Christmas Eve. Ditto Kir Royales- my Christmas Day afternoon cocktail. I’ve hidden the Chambord from myself 😂

When the kids break up from school usually.
My husband brought the vile tubs of roses & lack of quality street so they'll come downstairs on Friday.

I save the Ferrero Rocher and after rights until Christmas Eve.

DH and DD go to the London Horse Show for a mini break before Christmas, it's their ritual.
while they are away I get ready all the festive treats so when they get back the sweet table is out complete with Christmas cake, homemade gingerbread house etc. they are off Thursday/friday/Saturday so Christmas 2024 will go live on the 22/12
that said I've been making mince pies since 1/12

Thank you all, and nice to know I am not being silly with not having the Christmas snacks etc until Christmas Eve. I will say I don't tend to bake mince pies until closer to Christmas, so I will start doing those earlier in Dec and we can snack on them more through the month.

We opened the mince pies today! But we try and keep the cake, crisps, chocolates etc until Christmas Eve