Christmas lunch

Alexa Enjoy Christmas with your son.Do let us know how your meal goes.

Why do you think he can't cook,
he seems to have managed OK so far and not given himself food poisoning! If you think back to when we were young, we didn't have sell by or use by dates and we survived without them. I hope you enjoy your meal and his company, he sounds very caring.

You need to relax and eat in the company of a generous loved one.
It will be fine. I doubt he's negligent.

Well done you on raising such a thoughtful son. I suspect he realises you sometimes get anxious about things like hygiene and use by dates and was trying to reassure you by telling you the use by date was 27th.
Enjoy your Christmas meal. Use a thermometer or check the juices run clear to reassure you it's cooked
Honesty is usually best, so an honest but light-hearted apology is probably the route to take with your son.
I do wonder if you would benefit from discussing your anxiety in a bit more depth with a close friend or counsellor if it impacts on everyday life. Maybe even explain to your son how it affects you if it is causing you problems and you think he can handle such a discussion.
I hope you and your son have a lovely day. x

It is Sunday so phone and say you hope he has had a good weekend and tell him how much you are looking forward to being looked after on Christmas day.

27th December is 2 days after Christmas Day so what’s the problem?

Usually, use by dates err on the side of caution. I'd jump at the chance for somebody to cook my Christmas lunch. Just be grateful and accept.

Just relax and enjoy. Don’t make your son feel inadequate.

I was smiling to myself remembering some of my turkey “mishaps” in bygone days (before people were so aware of food poisoning). I can remember leaving the turkey outside for days! (Too big to fit in fridge). I remember seeing puncture wounds from gawd knows what .. and cooking it anyway! I remember trying to defrost in bowl of water and on radiator ?. I also remember our cats got tucked in one year, bite marks all over raw chicken!!! I don’t remember anybody getting food poisoning.

You will know if the turkey isn’t cooked thoroughly by looking.
Enjoy and what a lovely son.

I hope you have a lovely meal and an enjoyable time with your son. I have not seen my son on Christmas Day for over twenty years.

By coincidence, the question of how long a turkey crown will keep for came up for me. I bought one last Thursday, use by 26 December. Today we decided to cook it and eat some of it, not because I was anxious about it going off, but rather than defrost something out of the freezer. We will now slice up and freeze the rest for sandwiches, and have something different on Christmas Day. What does it matter? There is just the two of us.

I question his reason, unless asked by yourself, in giving you the use by date.Were it me, and lacked confidence in my son's capabilities, would provide the turkey myself
The choice is yours.

Have a lovely day, Alexa

If the use by date is 27th I am sure it will be fine. If it hadnt been bought it would have just been stored in the shop so there isn't really any difference than if he had bought it Xmas eve. I woukd eat it an Di am a stickler for dates. Much to my husbands annoyance I won't eat anything past its Use By date.
Enjoy Christmas with your lovely son.

Just read your post seacliff - completely agree!

You don't realise how lucky you are - how sad. I will be alone, my son is going to stay with my daughter & her partner & my granddaughter, & although they have asked me to join them I don't want him coming a long journey to collect me ( also not too happy about his driving ) & as I'm not well I can't contemplate driving myself at the moment. I'd be over the moon if he'd offered to come & cook me a meal, even if it was only a packet meal. Just be thankful & make sure he realises how much you appreciate him.

Maybe you don't realise how very, very lucky you are to have a son like him, prepared to come and cook for you and share Christmas day with you, in spite of your unwarranted criticisms. Many would envy you. He sounds lovely, and I hope you can lighten up and really enjoy and treasure the day with him, and show love and have fun together. Perhaps a Baileys or two early on would help! Enjoy.

I assume it has been in the fridge. I think you are being a bit paranoid about food poisoning.

Yehbutnobut, thanks so much for the form of words you suggested which I do like.

Dinahmo, I won't, Thank you for the warning.

Please don't confound your error by "supervising" him over the cooking, as all the others above have said, it will be OK on Christmas Day.

@Alexa as others have said, no idea why you’re worrying about food dated 27 Th, if eating it on 25 Th? You may not want him “coming to cook for you as a favour/help” & I get. But most of us have some family/in-laws/ex’s etc., that we don’t like or want to spend time with at Christmas. You either have to leave the area/country before Christmas or grit your teeth & get through it?

This isn’t aimed at you or anyone in particular, but many of the so called problems I see on here are what used to be known as “high class problems” & if that’s all you have to be concerned about, lucky you”? That’s just my feelings on it.

If I was your son I would be thinking "I just shouldn't have bothered"...you sound very ungrateful tbh...I would love someone to offer to buy & cook Christmas Day lunch for me.
Be thankful you have a thoughtful & caring son

You can tell a few people on here haven't ever been struck by anxiety or overthinking! Hopefully the kind comments will have eased your mind by now, Alexa, and you will enjoy your Christmas lunch. It is nice to see a story where an adult son wants to be with his Mum rather than the terrible stories of estrangement we so often read on here. You did say that you worry about his kitchen hygiene; think about how often he cooks for himself and how long he has been doing it for to put it into context...he's survived it all.
Have a good Christmas.

I agree with everyone that says you have a kind and caring son that has offered to cook you Christmas Lunch.

The date says to cook by 27th December so if cooking on the 25th December then that is okay. I am sure you will not get food poisoning or suffer any ill effects.

Perhaps an apology is in order to your son or just maybe he will not offer to cook for you again. Even if he is not the best of cooks it sounds like his heart is in the right place which shows you brought him up well.

Well I've got my Turkey crown in the fridge, use by date 27th. It's normal, stop stressing.

I agree with above. Apologise wholeheartedly and feel very grateful you have such a lovely generous son. And thank him. Good grief.

Monica. 'Alternatively give it to the neighbours for their cat or dog, although that seems a shocking waste of good food.'
What a strange comment! How is it a waste to give it to cats or dogs, who will enjoy it enormously. Where's your Christmas spirit?
We always buy a big turkey, so there is plenty for the dogs, who have it with vegetables etc. They love it.