......to buy ready prepared food this Xmas?!

Flaxseed you deserve a medal. We have 7 this year and I am bricking it! That’s with DD doing most of the cooking. If I had 13 expected I’d be away with the fairies by now. We are doing it as easy as possible, frozen veg even! If it had just been me cooking we would have gravy granules, as it it DD is doing proper gravy. Good luck with your dinner, it will be fine, as will you after it’s over!

Go for it! No need to feel guilty or to be a martyr to cooking etc! Do what you like it is Christmas!

I think you are being sensible. Enjoy. ?

In the old days (ie when I was considerably younger!!) I did everything bar the cooking the night before. All the peeled veg are fine just in water (never tried the bread thing) prepped carrots and sprouts can be stored in plastic bags.

Nowadays it M&S for everything except the roast potatoes. And, I make enough of my bread sauce to feed an army for other people's freezers - apparently mine is 'to die for'! I wish it wasn't!! I make myself some GF bread sauce and the butcher makes GF pigs in blankets for me. M&S turkey gravy is lovely - I just add a slug of alcohol to it.

Alternatively Christmas this year - DH and I are going away.........on our own.

Don't try the bread trick if you have a coeliac coming for dinner though.

I will be making my own cauliflower cheese
M&S cauliflower cheese is just fine (nearly, but not quite, as good as home made! You can decant it into your own dish and sprinkle a bit more grated cheese on top

I used to make everything from scratch, including stuffing etc but ready-prepared is so much better these days. Carrot batons etc.
The only thing I don't buy ready-prepared is sprouts (and probably not roast potatoes although I think they are just fine as I've eaten them) because I always end up peeling them again!

J52
I never knew about the bread trick!
I’ll remember that for future functions

J52
I have prepared things on Xmas eve before but this year I am working until 8pm

Auntieflo
Any one of my guests would help me which is lovely, but can be annoying having people in the kitchen asking what they can do/where things are.

My mum has offered to cook the meat but from what I remember from years ago - she does rather overcook things!

I never have to wash up though

I’d do it with no hesitation. We see our family on Christmas Day, but DH and I have Christmas dinner on our own. ( for various reasons the other GPs get Christmas dinner)

We have prepared delicacies from Waitrose and M&S, it’s so relaxing.
When we did do the big Christmas dinners, I prepared the veg the day before and put then in water with a slice of brown bread. The bread seems to keep them perfectly.

Yes definitely ok to do as much prep beforehand and use ready prepared - who wants to stand all morning in the kitchen!

I am another who votes for ready prepped wherever possible. I have even been known to bend the truth when asked if I have made something which I have not - shsh!. I have had decades of making meals and want it a bit easier these days!

I like M&S ready-made celebration food and it is better than I can make myself anyway and always nice.

So do whatever you can to make catering for your large party a bit easier. I am sure they will tuck in and enjoy it whatever.

Absolutely the right idea Flaxseed, saves time and stress. I bought the complete meal one year from M&S as I was working and my daughter's American in laws were coming. I hid the wrappings in the bin and took all the credit, my daughter knew but kept quiet.?

If I had thirteen people coming for Christmas dinner, I would do everything I could to cut down on the preparation. My daughter does it right down to the gravy. The only thing she doesn’t buy ready prepped is roast potatoes. I don’t blame her a bit.

You are no longer BU. Just sensible. Your guests won't know the difference. :-)

I would do whatever makes you feel happy.
I would say though, that if I decided to cut back on the food prep, I know that my family would like to offer to help by bringing some things themselves, rather than just arrive to find pre-prepared.
I assume you've already thought of that?

I think you are unbelievably marvellous to cook for 11/13 people even if every item is ready prepared.
Make it as easy as you possibly can.

I would if I needed to. We have been invited to DD this year. For years in the past, I used to do as you did, 17 for dinner was not unheard of. So do not in any way feel guilty. I wonder how nay offers of help you will get? So go ahead, order it all in, stash it away in the freezer, make a time plan, and enjoy your family Christmas.

sounds like a good idea to me

I don't because I have only been cooking for 2 poeple for some times but I certainly wouldn't feel at all guilty if I were cooking for a crowd.
Make it as easy for yourself as you can.
YANBU.