Is anyone else considering ^not^ doing the traditional Christmas lunch???

[guyFAwkesreQuiem]

DS1 likes his roasts, I'll have one if there's one going, DS2 is particularly fussed, and DS3 doesn't really eat enough to make an impact on what I do/don't cook.

Last year exH and I had duck, the DS's had pizza (and loved it).

I'm on my own with the DS's this year and tbh not really sure I feel like doing a big roast - especially as there's only really DS1 that is particularly keen on them.

So - should I keep with tradition and do a roast (probably Chicken)

or

Shall I have a chat with the DS's and see what they fancy for Christmas lunch and do something totally different??

I know so many people who don't 'do' Turkey, my sisters for instance have beef and duck i also know people who will so salmon or something.

I think what ever foodmakes you feel good and happy is the best thing to serve.

I am so used to doing a huge banquet but this year it is just mdp and i (and fil if he ever bloody shows up) and my 2 ds's who are toy uong to care what they eat at chrstmas, i am going to do a traditional xmas dinner but will have to restrain myself from going ott.

oh I've only ever done one turkey - and that the first Christmas after exH and I got married (was 2 weeks before Christmas) and his dad gave us an ENORMOUS turkey as a gift - it was a ridiculous size, and I had to cut it up before I roasted it as it wouldn't fit in my oven in full form

Other years we've had chicken, ostrich, beef, pork, duck - never a turkey.

Just don't know if I can be arsed faffing around with veg and roasts etc for us when it's not really a "family" favourite iykwim.

We haven't had turkey for years. It is easily my least favourite meat.

If it's not soemthing you will enjoy doing or you will love to eat then don't so it!

Were all roast lovers here so i will do a small ne but if we wern't fussed about a roast i would probably do a big chilli or lasagne or something similar, as long as its a bit special for christmas i can be anytihng.

(When i was in New Zealand we had a tragic christmas on our own with no family or friends nearby and my mum had been rushed into hospital for a heart operation, we ate KFT - Kentuck Fried Turkey from the KFC down the road!)

We've never done the turkey thing.

Last year we made Heston Blumenthal's chicken tikka masala (took 3 days!)

This year it's going to be lots and lots of dim sum.

"We", btw means dh

DH and I only did one 'traditional' christmas dinner. Since then we've either gone for a river cafe seabass thing (no starters, no dessert - neither of us have big appetites), or an expensive-readymade-nibbles thing. I don't see the point of slaving to make a dinner we don't really want.

That said, we do our own thing at Christmas, and DS is only 2 so has no opinion on the food yet - I think it's a different ball game if you have family pressures...

I'd probably enjoy doing it if I had children old enough to really appreciate the effort, or another adult(s) that would enjoy it - but really I can't see the point in doing it for the 3 1/2 (DS3 still classed as a 1/2 in my house as he eats so little lol) of us.

I'll never forget that turkey - my god it was so big - I've never seen one in the supermarkets here in the UK that would come anywhere close to it in size. It was a glorious sunny day (were in Zimbabwe) so we pulled the sofa's out of the front door (didn't have a dining table) and sat in the carport to have it - was great fun.

Do whatever you'll enjoy eating. No point otherwise. We all love roasts so have a roast but aren't that keen on turkey so do something else-last year it was lamb, the year before goose, this year I think it will be beef.

right that's settles it then - I'll see what DS1 and 2 want for Christmas lunch (not including the pudding which of course is obligatory ) - I can't see them wanting to sit and spend ages eating - they'll have unwrapped their main present by then and will be itching to play with it..........a Wii

I've always done a roast beef or lamb Christmas dinner as we're not ken on turkey and we all love roast dinners.

But, this year I'm thinking that we will be having a number or roast dinners either side of Christmas Day what with various dinner dates and family days so I've decided and everyones agreed that on the day itself I won't be cooking (and sweating, and stressing) over a hot stove.

We're going to choose something yummy that we all like that takes very little preperation (maybe an M&S Platter) which means I can spend longer in my jim-jams opening presents and we can all go out for a lunchtime drink without worrying about getting back for the meat cooking.

I feel so free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have a nice rib of beef on christmas day, i find turkey very dry, or that could just be my cooking of course

We have big breakfast, open presents, put potatoes in oven then off to the pub at midday for two hours.

Our Christmas dinner is fillet steak with salad and baked potatoes followed by Baileys Haagen Daz ice cream or some other yummy M&S pudding.

No preparation needed & tiny bit of washing up afterwards.

I will not spend all day in the kitchen.

I think we've only had turkey a couple of times in the last 15 years (dh doesn't eat meat)

I'll probably do roast beef this year (again!) but I need to work out how to do Yorkshire puddings properly

If I were you OP, I would get the kids in 'treat' stuff and get yourself a really nice ready meal from M & S or something. Minimal effort but will be yum!

We will be having a nice breakfast (pancakes and lots of sugary, sticky stuff) and prob some fruit (only healthy thing we'll eat all day)
Going for a curry for christmas lunch as its just the four of us and dd is 3 and ds will be 15 months. We'll enjoy it - no cooking etc and dd and ds can eat chicken, rice and naan bread. Not too worried what they'll eat as we can feed them later or earlier. They're too young too be bothered about the food.

I'm really looking forward to getting dressed up and going out to lunch. Did the whole traditional thing last year for 8 people and it was busy and manic, hoping this year will be less stressful and we can enjoy christmas with the children -play with toys, make a mess, watch tv and eat loads of selection boxes!

i considered it last year as 'twas only me dd ans my sis, but i just couldn't do it!! Closer the day got them ore we looked forward to it!

we are going to have a roast as it is a joint fave in the greyskull house but DH doesn't want turkey. we are thinking of venison instead.

I will insist we have a little Christmas pudding because I LOVE IT and only really get to eat it once a year but we will also have another option as there are 6 other people who have to be taken into consideration!

I love turkey I love the whole 'eating it for a week' as well. I buy a feed 10 joint for the 4 of us. But this year I've bought Ginea Fowl, Its tiny and I obviously have to have another bird to serve with it. I wanted to stick with the game theme so I was thinking pheasant or something like that.

I love the bird within a bird within a bird within a bird but I think it'll be too much for just us and I don't know where to buy them from either

FAQ do you know what you are having yet? [nosey]

I personally would do a roast but that's because all my family love a roast If you're not that bothered then just do whatever everyone will eat maybe with a special dessert. It should be a special day not a chore.

Last year was DD's first Christmas and we spent Christmas at my parents. My Mum got so stressed out about the cooking and spent all morning in the kitchen with my Dad stressing only for us to demolish the meal in about 15 minutes flat and then Dad spent most of the afternoon doing dishes. They wouldn't let us help at all but that meant we hardly saw them and they missed a lot of the excitement with DD when she saw her presents. I decided then that cooking such an elaborate meal with small children in the house at Christmas is such a waste and we/they should be spending more time with DD.

We are having Christmas at home this year and have already agreed with DP that we're going to do something simple so we can spend the morning with DD helping her open her presents and playing instead of sweating in the kitchen. Don't know what yet mind.

Oh yes, thinking about pizza, seriously the whole day is wasted, running from here to there, then cooking, then cleaning up, gets to about 8 and it finally sinks in it christmas, and thats that till next year! Bloody crap, I want to do nothing, pizza, and party bits i think will be the order of the day in my house this year.

Haven't done turkey for years. We have a huge 'full english breakfast' at around 11 and then have lamb and roast pots cooked in the oven with various salads at around 6pm.

My parents stopped doing Christmas dinners when I was about 12

We had in the following years paella, coq au vin, chicken curry and beef stew.

All very nice but it wasn't the same

I missed her dry overcooked turkey and the huffy way my dad tried to hack carve it, the rows over the soggy potatoes and curdy fat laiden gravy.

I am a true traditionalist, I even drink sherry ...
and I bloody hate sherry

roast beef here

we don't eat poultry, partly because we have pet chickens so it doesn't feel right, and partly because the poultry industry in this country is fucking abhorrent