Have any of you gone to a resturant on Xmas Day?

[exasperatedmummy]

Every year we say we might do this, every year we don't. Mostly it is because we are broke, but im sure i can con my mother into paying - i wouldn't feel guilty about this really, BUT i would want to feel it was WORTH IT.

I can just imagine that you could end up paying through the nose for not very good food if you are not careful - just wondered if anyone done this and what sort of atmosphere there is?

Once when staying with pil - was lovely. Lots of decorations, everyone in a good mood and a lovely meal.

I did this when I was younger, with my family. It was ace. We actually went to the local pub of my sisters, which was in the country and happened to be known for serving fab food. They did a great roast, I have no idea how much it cost as I was too young.

But the atmosphere was great, lots of people all up for enjoying themselves, music, lights, trees, and NO WASHING UP.

Do it, if its not for you, don't do it again.

We do alternate Xmas's at my parents and at the IL's. My family always eat out at restaurants for xmas dinner. Its a different kind of day, but lovely in its own way. I really enjoy it!

For the last couple of times we have been skinflints though and booked the meal out on boxing day instead (half price!) and just had easy food on xmas day and saved the big meal for boxing day!

Thinking about this this year as DD will only be 4.5 months and we've invited both sets of parents to us [madness]

We've done this in the past when the children were little, 3 under 4 years, I felt it was the only way anyone would get dinner.
However for me, DH and MIL and three little ones it would cost £240 for 5 courses (dips, starter, dinner ,pud, coffee and mince pies). The amount of M&S wack it in the oven food I could buy with that would feed us all for a week.

We go out to a fab hotel for christmas day lunch. Its stupidly expensive (£55 per head, £30 for ds) but its worth every penny. We spend every christmas with my parents, db, sil and niece and we always used to go to my parents. My mum is very traditional and also a control freak in the kitchen so she was unable to let us all do it so she could relax, we just did jobs as she delegated them to us so a good chunk of the day was spent wrestling vast quantities of veg, a humungous turkey and enough pots and pans to shake a stick at!! (if you were so inclined!!)
Then 7 years ago mum and i spent one and a ahalf hours stood in the aisle in morrisons just waiting to pay and when she came out she said sod it, next year we're going out!!!
So since then we all put £10 each away a month and thats paid forthe meal and drinks. And its truly wonderful, we can get up and enjoy opening our pressies without one eye on the clock then we get all dolled up, go and meet everyone at the hotel, have an amazing meal then come home, get changed into our jeans and t-shirts and we all enjoy the rest of the day. No stress, and NO WASHING UP

(dh still can't believe we pay all that money for one meal but he just shakes his head and goes with the flow....)

We went out as a family the Christmas after my Father died as nobody felt like cooking and if we had stayed at home we would just have missed him even more.

The food was lovely but I remember feeling sorry for all the staff who were working, still, we did tip well.