Daughter’s Culinary Christmas List

[PinkTigerLily]

Dd (6) asks Santa for specific Christmas dinner items every year. I mean out of the box stuff - spinach, pasta, meatballs…

She is well fed with homemade dinners every evening, made from fresh British produce with typically 3-4 fruits/vegetables, 3 days vegetarian, 3 days meat/fish, and then a (homemade) pie or a roast on Sundays. Minimal butter/oil (2-3 tbsp per meal). Lunches from school catering, so she’s getting fairly round meals too. She’ll eat everything. I guess my point is, she’s not starving or deprived of fresh, healthy foods. She’ll ask for specific meals now and again if we haven’t had it in a while (she loves mushrooms, for example).

She’s not asking Santa for cr@p. She’s laying out her ideal Christmas dinner. See attached photo. I’m just… 😐The cheek of it! I’m the one who cooks it! Not Santa! Nor does he order in the groceries! I’m not gonna say anything to her though… She’s still young, right?

Anyone else’s kid(s) do this? Or did they ever at some point? If so, when or how did it stop?

I feel 😳 for this OP. What a misfire!

When my dd was little she only got turkey dinosaurs and chips when her granddad cooked them for her. Her first Christmas dinner at pil’s house she burst into tears when she was given a proper Christmas dinner because it wasn’t what she was expecting! I was mortified. PIL leaped up to put dinosaurs and chips in the oven for her! It’s one of her most vivid memories of being tiny-how grandad understood.

I seem to have stumbled into Humblebraggers Corner.

Could you make a ‘voucher’ for meatballs from
santa? So she can give it to you on a day she wants them? Terms could be she must give you 24 hour notice.

And then she have a Christmas dinner like everyone else on Christmas Day.

I’m not really sure what you’re asking either as it’s a bit unclear whether you are happy about the situation or annoyed with it, but I think it’s a cute thing if you do it on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day. Christmas Day is complicated enough without adding in personalised meals!

Regardless of whether it’s Christmas Day or not, you cook one meal, if she doesn’t like or want it, there isn’t an alternative. Start creating good eating habits . Santa has nothing to do with the food on the table.

What's the big deal?
Cook some meatballs the day before and heat them up for Christmas meal as a side dish, like you did before with her previous requests. Spinach takes minutes to cook and skip the chicken.
You'd already have everything else and mashed potatoes are not a big deal to prepare. You sound like an experienced cook so it won't be any real trouble for you.
It's a lovely little tradition she might continue throughout her childhood. I think it's sweet what she asks for.
I'd be seriously worried about the cat wish though! How is that coming along?

I’m with your daughter! Part of our Christmas tradition is everyone choosing exactly what they want to eat for Christmas dinner, some have pasta, some have pizza, dh and I sometimes have steak, sometimes have a roast

@Parker231 it looks like the child already has good eating habits.
I don't see any harm in having a special meal request for Santa. And it's normal family food not something like ice cream mixed with McDonalds takeway, laced with whisky.

Who does the “cooking”?

It doesn't read like a Christmas present request to me - more like a 6 year old going off on a tangent and describing what they think might be for dinner. I really wouldn't take it seriously.

If you stick to whatever is traditional (for you) then that will be her image of Christmas dinner in future. If you keep adding random items she'll probably laugh at your weird dinner choices when she's older, completely oblivious that they were based on her "requests"!

Think about how strongly people often feel about what is in a Christmas dinner - for example I am pro-yorkshire pudding as they are bloody delicious, but completely anti-mashed potatoes - probably shaped by whatever their parents/grandparents served. I'm going to duck out now before the anti-yorkie crew come for me

I think it’s very cute.

So you encourage healthy eating. But when your daughter asks for spinach it's odd.

You have previously let her put meal ideas on her Christmas list and shes put a meal idea on her christmas list and you think it's odd.

You say santa doesnt cook or grocery shop, yet you've let her think it previous years and this year you think it's odd.

You only cook with a couple of tbsps of fat, cook veggie meals and meat meals all from scratch and she eats a well rounded diet and yet she didnt want a stick of celery in the cafe and you think it's odd.

Another child who was being fed KFC from next door stole said celery and you dont think that's odd.

Im going out on a limb here, but I know what's odd.. .I think it may be you. Are you odd? Or do you think we are all odd?

I feel like I'm interacting with AI here. It's almost - but not quite - making sense.

OP - this is what Christmas Eve is for. Everyone knows you get the food you want then, regardless of what that might be.

My daughter is not great on roast so had something different last year. I don't see the harm in it. It is Christmas after all.

The only foodstuffs Santa can bring is very small amounts in e.g. chocolate coins, other small sweets. The elves would scoff everything otherwise, and he’d be tempted, and he’s fat enough anyway.

If you're making stuffing balls then those pretty much are meat balls. Spinach could be a nice side for Christmas dinner. Presumably you're making gravy, carrots, potatoes and chicken/turkey in any event.

Imagine trying to ragebait on Mumsnet. There’s no reason to engagement-farm if you’re not getting paid for it. Now, if you’re not, honestly not sure why ever there would be a problem discussing cooking Christmas dinner on Mumsnet. It’s a task parents often do. Is feeding your children healthily a touchy subject? I’d love to understand the perspectives of the people who jump straight to, “she’s talking about spinach!!! She’s bragging about spinach!!!” Like, is it that unusual for a kid to eat spinach??? Or to have favourite vegetables???

ARFID is real. Kids can be picky, and it is hard. I was anorexic as a kid because of this. People really attacking me for mentioning I’m working on preventing that fate for my child, before people assume I’m starving her or dredging everything in fat? Do you think it’s normal to starve your kids or dredge everything in fat?

She just sounds like a child who enjoys her food. Nice for her.

I would treat it as a Santa shopping list... Get all the ingredients in but have 'santa' explain that it wasn't the meal for today - but for her to help mummy cook tomorrow or whenever works for you.

If she hasn't already got one get her a little apron and chef's hat to go with it?

No - normal is the vast middle ground. If she wants meatballs and spinach then give them to her on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day, it's no big deal.

With kindness, do you think your earlier anorexia might cause you to overthink food?

Agree it seems an off post OP. It doesn’t seem odd to you becuase you have a history of disordered eating and a different frame of reference around food to most people which now you’ve explained that makes sense. Sorry you went though that .

id nip the food orders in the bud now and just in passing say’ oh sorry there were no meatballs at the supermarket but I got you x instead’ big smiles and hugs

its infuriating we’re all psychoanalysing posts on mumsnet . I find my friends in real life are polite and will generally nod along and laugh to mark things , mumsnet doesn’t do that! You’ll get hard honest responses.

Your reaction to this is a bit odd, op. She’s just telling Santa her wishes- it’s very sweet.

You don’t need to comply- just say you’ve already ordered the turkey or whatever but how about having her meatball idea for Boxing Day?

If you find it a faff to cook her extras (I would!) just gently tell her that she can have meatballs and pasta (or whatever) on either Christmas Eve or Boxing Day but Santa doesn’t bring the food, so you’ll be having turkey/nut roast on Christmas Day.
Job done. Don’t overthink it!

I’m afraid your follow up post just adds to how strange this thread is @PinkTigerLily