What time do you sit down to eat Christmas dinner?

[KiwiDollar]

Just a quick lighthearted question! I want to serve around 5pm so it’s not such a rush in the morning to get everything done for midday. My mum always did this as it felt more Christmassy in the evening with all the candles, lights and fire on etc. What time do you usually aim for?

2.30/3. 5pm is fine but I guess it will mean you will need some lunch.

Supper at 6ish, bacon rolls for breakfast, starters for lunch- prawn cocktail, salmon blini, calamari, salad etc. none of us could eat a 3 course meal any earlier.

Around 4-5pm. Nobody is hungry any earlier and even then there’s no starter or pudding m. We save pudding until about 8pm. Boring perhaps but we are stuck in our ways.

About 3.30pm. I think 5pm is quite late to be eating the biggest meal of the year. Although not as mad as FIL who used to dish up at 7.30pm 🥴

Between 3 and 4pm. Usually nearer 4, but sometimes later than that. We're pretty chilled in our house.

I aim for 6pm now. Hate the rush to get it ready for lunchtime

we have a lovely relaxing day everyone enjoying their presents and lovely breakfast rolls & snacky bits lunch while everyone nicely slow cooks ready for the evening

1-2 ish. We then have pudding for tea (at 4/5 ish) and leftovers in some form of bread for supper (8/9ish).

I never cook a full turkey so dinner takes about 2 hours, popping in and out.

Edited to add: I have smalls, we're up at 6 and opening presents by 7 (delayed by stocking presents and breakfast). I have plenty of time to prep dinner! :)

We have a cold buffet (don’t like the traditional Christmas dinner) - start on it around 2pm

Brunch at 11
Lunch at 5/5:30

small people always had breakfast horrifyingly early so 11am brunch suited everyone.

4ish

Usually 2ish.

Then finished in time to go out for a lovely dusky walk with the dogs. Then back for pudding/cake trifle/another bottle of red wine.

This year no Xmas dinner to host and so we are having boxing day food instead - cold ham, half baked rolls, cheese and red wine. Lovely.

3pm

Starters about 12 with fizz and presents

We plan it so we have an early dinner/late lunch 5/6pm. We have canapés around 11am/12 and cheese around 11pm.

About 1/2, everyone is generally starving by then after early breakfast at 6/7

Between 2 and 3pm. I’m to exhausted to do it any later. We have breakfast around 9am ish (smoked salmon and scrambled eggs and pastries) which keeps us going until 3 ish.

Christmas dinner runs between 4-8. Its usual to be round the table for about 4 with drinks and chats and crackers etc and for the various courses and chatting go on for a few hours. By 8 it’s usually all away and it’s onto games and some people slope off for a nap kids to play and teens to whatever they do.

We don’t eat anything else on Christmas Day just the dinner.

2pm. I don't have much to cook, there's only three of us. I can't eat a large meal late as it sets my IBS off.

1-1.30 pm is my window. Then we have a cold picky bits tea about 7.30 ish..... depends on how hungry everyone is. My mum used to cook a full English breakfast in the morning then that lasted all day till dinner about 4 pm

I have teens, we are also up at 6-7, presents start immediately, and usually last until 10-10.30, then soon after that visitors are arriving and more presents and general socialising is happening , getting people to their rooms and settled and drinks on the go amid usual excitements. On repeat.

The turkey needs 4.5 hours or more plus resting time and that’s just the bird. I’d be sticking my arm inside a turkey before I’d had my first coffee if I wanted to serve at 1pm and half the guests would have only just landed.

It gets served 4-5pm so it can get in the oven during the 10-10.30am ish lull whilst all the wrapping paper from presents round one is being cleared and we are getting dressed and presentable for the visitors etc.

7pm,

Everyone’s full of chocolate so no one wants dinner early! And now my DS1 works until 6pm on Christmas Day so we're not going to eat without him.

Eating in the evening is much nicer, like you say, all dark and cosy and candlelit.

Will be up at the crack of dawn (as usual) with the toddlers, open some presents, bacon sandwhiches and then Xmas dinner probably about 1.30/2pm, pudding later on

Breakfast 9.30 ish, lunch 14.30 ish and then bits and pieces later for anyone that wants it!

We've done that since the kids were small - worked out well with small people eating meals at times they could cope with. Worked well with stockings too - fun with stocking contents in the morning, church, champagne and smoked salmon for an early lunch, family presents, then whatever people want to do - walk, telly, games - before slap up feed later. Works really well, with no stress.

All DCs grown up now and we still follow this ritual - there'd be a riot is we deviated from it if/when they come to us!

About 2 for the main course. With canapes served earlier. I'm surprised how many people do it much later. I think I would feel i was just waiting around before I could fully relax if we did that? Once Xmas dinner is done I can totally chill, have a few drinks, open the rest of the presents, play games, and not be thinking about about what time I have to put the food in the oven.

My siblings and their families arrive just in time for canapes etc. and most of the work is done before they arrive, calm and undisturbed.

Also this way we dont need lunch. Just breakfast, Xmas dinner, then some cheese and mince pies to pick at later. I dont find it a rush to have dinner for 2pm at all!

It's also what my mum always did.

Around 2pm. It’s Christmas lunch for us. Leaves the evening free to eat leftovers and the other lovely bits we get. If we did it the other way round I wouldn’t fancy a big meal at 5/6, and also love to settle down in the evening with some drinks - not be cooking and tidying away a three course meal.