We start the day with frozen pastries (croissants, pain au chocolat, pain au raisin and chocolate twists) which are eaten warm straight out of the oven. Yummy and really special, but very easy and quick while I get the turkey in the oven. Everyone has juice, and sometimes the grown ups top their juices up with some fizz.
We don't have a starter as such, but we have a nibbles tray going all morning - little dishes of different nuts, (usually a selection from salted pistachios, salted cashews and peanuts, honeyroast cashews and peanuts, marmite cashews, smoked almonds and spiced or caramelised nuts - we stock up at Lidl for many of these, as the nuts there are great value and really tasty), crisps, twiglets, pickled onions, small gerkhins or cut up larger ones, spicy peppers, olives and so forth. Very seventies, but very popular and the children like taking the dishes round to everyone and topping them up as necessary. We have a glass of Winter Pimms whilst getting the dinner ready (warmed with apple juice) and then have some fizz with the meal. (I like mine as a Kir Royale with cassis, Mum has a Bucks Fizz.) All except my Dad who will have a red wine. The children have a fizzy drink or juice. All of us use our best glasses (even the children) as we don't often have formal meals to get the use out of them. The last two years we have made a lovely fruit punch with red and white grape juice, lemonade and a shot of neat orange squash, with lots of sliced fruit. The children all love it and feel very grown up.
Numbers on the day vary between 7 and 20. Dinner incorporates bits and pieces from both sides of the family, but is fairly traditional overall - turkey, ham, roast potatoes and parsnips, different stuffings, pigs in blankets, bread sauce, gravy (made in advance and enriched with port and redcurrant jelly), steamed carrots, and sprouts with pancetta, chestnuts and marsala. We don't often make any variations, although over the whole Christmas period (we have 2 family birthdays as well) and New Year we try lots of new recipes and also some supermarket ready prepared dishes to make it a holiday for everyone. We make the table look really lovely, too.
Pudding is a small Christmas pudding for those who like it, flamed, with brandy butter, custard and cream; and a huge homemade pavlova with raspberries (usually frozen from the garden in the summer, with some fresh ones from the supermarket added) and a marscapone cream filling. Normally only the over 70s have the Christmas pudding, everyone else has the pavlova.
No Christmas tea as such, but cheese and biscuits or fresh bread, with port for the grown ups, and Christmas cake, mince pies and Yule Log. The cake and the Yule Log will be homemade, but Mum always brings the mince pies - always Lidl as she says they have the best flavour and good, short, crumbly pastry. We are always too full for the cheese after dinner, but it is very welcome at about 5.30/6 after a walk. We spread it all out in the lounge and pick at it all evening in front of the fire.
I love the chocolate names on the puddings, and the story about the turkey leg has made me laugh.