Going out for Christmas Day lunch?

[ErlingHaalandsManBun]

Moved to a new area and we have a lovely gastro pub 5 minutes walk away offering Christmas Dinner.

I am seriously considering booking in for myself, my DH and our 20 year old DD as it will only be the 3 of us.

The thought of no cooking, no washing up, no day being taken over preparing lunch really really appeals to me this year.

Anyone done this or do this regularly?

Any pro's and con's?

I would do it, if I had a nice pub / restaurant in walking distance. Especially if there are only 3 of you.

I haven’t but would love to.

Do it. I love breaking habits and traditions!

5 min walk for no effort christmas lunch sounds like the dream!

With all adults it's a no brainer.

I would love to do this, but with 3DC, they wouldn't want to leave their presents behind to get ready and traipse out for a long lunch.

Make the most of it!

If they offer more than one sitting then go for the first one unless you're happy waiting! We booked second sitting the first year we did this and didn't get seated until I think 40 mins plus after our arrival time and then it was similar again before we were brought appetisers. On the whole though it was a great meal and atmosphere. We've done it since somewhere there was only one sitting and again it was great.

It's not something I'd choose to do with younger kids but definitely has been great with teens.

That sounds great. I'd do it, if there were just three adults on the day.

Personally I would hate it.
Surrounded by strangers on Christmas Day. Just seems odd.
I would rather eat a frozen pizza on Christmas Day if I didn't want to cook.

I've done it and loved it! It takes all the stress out of the day!

In a new relationship for the last three years.
New partner is not hugely into Christmas, but has a large family who invite us.
We made the decision to go out, just the two of us, one year and have never looked back. We see the rest of his family in the evening for a Christmas Quiz - not as bad as it sounds.

After years in a previous relationship of in-laws coming the beginning of December and staying until new year (I'm not kidding), church Christmas Day morning and possibly Christmas Eve, decorating the house, cooking Christmas dinner etc etc etc etc. my new Christmas is a joy.

Try it OP, if you don't like it you don't do it again.

If you can accept the cost, then go for it.

Or consider having your Christmas dinner on another day.

Thanks for the comments.

We have done years of busy Christmas Days with children and grandparents so I feel ready to try something new.

I lost both my parents within the last few years and my eldest DD lives abroad and won't be home this year for Christmas.

It was just the 3 of us last year, and although we had a nice meal, it was glaringly obvious what we had lost and that there were people missing from Christmas and that Christmas was now going to be very different for us.

Now, don't get me wrong, no-one sat around being morbid or dull. We ate, drank, watched TV, called our DD and played games, and laughed a lot, because we always do, but I feel I am ready to try something different this year.

It all feels like so much effort just for the 3 of us and I think we would really have a good time if we went out. We could stroll up, and stroll back, and to not have to think about buying the turkey and all the trimmings and the stress that goes with that, and then cooking it all on Christmas Day, it just feels like a no brainer to me.

Will make the suggestion to them this evening and see what response I get. 😂

Thanks for the tip about booking first sitting also if that is how they plan the day. Will definitely put us down for the first one if we do go.

Nah! I will stick with our non-traditional but our usual Christmas dinner. Roast dinners are not all made equal!

Plus, I have an objection to eating out on Christmas Day. In my mind, if people book to eat out, that means others have to work that day. Rationally, I know that others may want to work that day, not celebrate Christmas, whatever but that would stop me from ever considering it.

I haven't and I wouldn't because I have never found anywhere that does roast potatoes as good as I want .
You will get loads of people saying " what about the poor staff made to work Christmas" . Some will not be there by choice but some might like it . My DS worked 24/26 and would probably have worked the 25 th if it was open !
You will feel obliged to tip well

Try it . If it doesn't work then at least you've tried it.
If you do go ahead , you'll need to book early 😄

Book it now if it's what you're wanting. Spaces fill up fast months in advance.

I quite like the idea of it but the pull of staying in where it's snug is stronger

We will do this if we find ourselves just the two of us one Xmas … or just one DC like you OP.

My only reservation is no leftovers but I think I could live with that.

Also it’s very expensive round here … £110 a head last year 😳, plus drinks …

I've worked on Christmas day and got treble pay in hospitality, I was very happy!

Go back on their trip advisor to find if there are any Christmas Day specific reviews. Even the best places can have blips on Christmas Day.

Yeah, I know there will be people very happy with the arrangement but it’s how I’ve always felt about it.

I’m also unwilling to be anywhere but at home for Christmas so I’ve never really challenged myself on the viewpoint.

I would definitely do this if I didn't have young children. Just the idea of getting dressed up and having a lovely meal is heavenly. I would feel a little guilty on the staff working on it even though they would be paid well, I'd feel I need to leave a decent tip so it would end up really expensive. I do also wonder if it would be nice and decent portion sizes; I wouldn't want to feel like I needed to cook again as hadn't felt I'd had a real Christmas dinner if this makes sense.

I would check online reviews from last Christmas before I booked. A friend of mine and her husband went to a place that they, I and many of our joint friends had numerous excellent meal. The food was poor and the service was not great. They had very little staff on and the few agency staff were rushed off their feet and could not keep up with the orders.

Ive done it at Mediterranean restaurants on Xmas Day. I dont like traditional Xmas dinner. We'd go about 4pm just the 2 of us.

I am a big believer in changing things up, and so sometimes do go out for lunch on Christmas day. There's only one downside (for me) and that is that you don't get all the lovely leftovers to eat over the coming days...

It's a no for me. But I have a 7 year old and no gastropub near.
All the menus that have the pubs around us are seriously lacking appeal and at least £100 a pop without drinks is a pass from us.

I've done it a few times when it was my siblings, nieces, parents, in laws and siblings in laws! Basically we aren't a very large family but all live in the same town so generally it was all or nothing to invite wider inlaws so no one was left out.

Cons - no nibbly leftovers for turkey sandwiches so once you're home it can be a little bit anti climatic. Can be noisy with big family groups, grumpy kids desperate to get home, tables stapped in like sardines. And, a biggy for me, feeling sorry for the low paid staff having to work when they would rather be with their family. No refund if you can't make it, we had to cover the cost for someone in our group who became quite poorly on xmas eve. They also refused to give us the meal as a takeaway to drop off for them. Funnily enough that was the last year we ever went having been for about 5 years in a row.

Big pro - sit back relax, no cooking or cleaning, nice healthy walk back home. Nice festive atmosphere. If my DH didn't have to work Xmas I would definitely be going out just the 2 of us.