Family Xmas food/drink that you thought everyone had

[Gobolino80]

I'll go first. Roses's Lime
Cordial. There was always a bottle at Christmas but never any other time of the year (probably because it's quite ££. See also actual Ribena) and I was allowed it with lemonade with Xmas lunch. I buy it all the time now but every now and then I still get an instant nostalgia head rush when I taste it. DP could not fathom what the fuss was when explained we MUST have a bottle on our first Xmas together and I couldn't get over that he'd had 37 Xmas's without it! And no, supermarket lime cordial is definitely not the same!

Campari

Advocaat.

Shloer!

Definitely Advocaat but also Jellied Fruits.

@Mummsnett yes! I remember Schloer being proper fancy when it first came out. Always went to a (loaded) family friends house every Boxing Day and I'd feel really grown up drinking that.

Yes Bold Advocaat! And Harvey's Bristol Cream sherry.

Bols not Bold!

Marzipan fruits

DP was shocked that I'd never had a Snowball before as they were an Xmas family staple for him. I'd never tried Advocaat before either so we made Snowballs on our 1st Xmas. Still not sure I like it.

@Flyingbymypants or "margarine fruits" as they are known in this house as I couldn't bring myself to correct my (then) sweet 5 year old.

Nuts. And a nut cracker. We never ate nuts needing a nut cracker at any other time of year. I've just talked my mum out of buying a shit tonne of nuts that she would normally bin in January because we all cracked 1 nut and then ignore them.

Chocolate covered Brazils
After Eight Mints

I assumed everyone had shortbread... but nooope.

We make it every year for Christmas

Growing up we always had a tin of Danish biscuits at Christmas. I thought they were well fancy.

I got some a few years ago and they were so dry and boring.

Bread sauce with Xmas dinner. Pretty much my fav part of Xmas dinner along with stuffing! Couldn't believe my partners family don't have it.

Newberry Fruits and "mixers". These things never made an appearance the rest of the year. I always thought everyone bought ginger ale, tonic water and newberry fruits for Christmas...

For me, bitter lemon. I don't even like it but it's just one of those things I associate with childhood Xmases
Due to the above, the first time we hosted PIL I kept asking if there was anything specific that they wanted. No, no just the usual stuff. So I was a bit surprised when I went to get the Christmas pud out and FIL says "I'll have that later and just have some jelly for now". Jelly!! Where did that come from? Apparently, he's always had jelly on Christmas Day ever since he was a little boy. It also has to be tangerine jelly.
The following Christmas, I made sure that there was a tangerine jelly. He had died by the following Christmas but we still always have a jelly.

You have to have dates and the orange and lemon slices!

Satsumas, nuts in shells, and cherryade

@lebkuchenforxmas it's so lovely that you still have a jelly for Xmas in his honour

@hugoagogo my Nan always had a box of dates at Xmas, I always avoided them (I think I'd got them confused with prunes for some reason) and hadn't actually tried one until last year. Boy have I been missing out. Amazing.

Mushy peas 😂. I’ll never forget the look between DH and BIL the first time they came to my parents’ for Christmas! And every year DH asks if I want mushy peas (secretly yes I do 🙈).

Another one for schloer here when we were kids
We have it with sunday roast occasionally too.
4 bottles in fridge ready for christmas .got it when on offer. 89p a bottle

Brazil nuts secreted in dates.
I suffered a broken tooth & bleeding gums for days before I was eventually taken to a dentist that was open.

Campari and soda
Martini and lemonade
Blackcurrant brandy
3 types of stuffing
Eat Me dates in a long box with a plastic pick down the centre
Turkish Delight
Marzipan fruits
Satsumas with silver and green and blue sparkly papers wrapped around them