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Christmas Dinner Question

(15 Posts)
Seb1 Sat 14-Dec-24 17:12:07

We got into this habit a long time a ago and wonder if anyone else does similar. When my at the time elderly mum found a large Christmas dinner tiring and struggled to finish it, in fact we all did and there was always food wasted with people not finishing, we spread it out over most of the day. So we now have a couple of starters at lunch time, turkey etc at 4pm and dessert at 8pm This habit has stuck, it feels less stressful as you make one course at a time, clean up as you go along and everyone tends to finish each course. It has kind of stuck and I now can't imagine sitting down to a huge meal.

Aveline Sat 14-Dec-24 17:20:31

Sounds good. We have starters - smoked salmon, prawns etc then after a couple of hours, main course, long pause, lots of chats then pudding. About 4 hours really. Fine by me.

hazel93 Sat 14-Dec-24 17:34:36

Very similar here. Breakfast offered scrambled eggs with smoked salmon or do your own thing .
Prawn cocktails around midday then nibbles. Dinner always around 4pm depending on how much I have had to drink !
Pudding , homemade roulade with raspberry sauce and berries around 8 then if anyone awake later a cheese board

ferry23 Sat 14-Dec-24 17:45:11

We've actually ditched the starter. By the time it gets to the main event everyone has consumed plenty of crisps, nuts. olives, twiglets etc. etc. We have the main then a couple of hours later, pudding. Usually, all the bits and pieces I've stocked up with for the evening are untouched because everyone is too stuffed and I can't be bothered!

Allira Sat 14-Dec-24 17:49:01

We have starters and main course, then pudding(s) later on.

Jaxjacky Sat 14-Dec-24 18:39:42

We’ve never had a starter, so it’s the main course and pud when people want it. This year it’ll be Viennetta, mince pies or chocolate bread and butter pudding, no dramatically lit Christmas pudding, so easy for people to dip in as and when. The evening will just be us, so there’s cheese if we fancy some.

Babs03 Sat 14-Dec-24 18:43:05

We don't do starters, we just get stuck into the main course.
After this we do pudding a couple of hours later, depending on people's capacity to eat.
And about 3 hours after this, because we have xmas dinner about 1.30, we crack out the cheeseboard for anyone a bit peckish, with crackers, crusty bread, grapes, figs, relish, and salad.

BlueBelle Sat 14-Dec-24 20:04:09

Christmas Day swim then
Never had starters
Christmas dinner about 1.30 mains and pud
Then smorgasbord of bits and bobs about 6

RosiesMaw2 Sat 14-Dec-24 20:19:02

Surely everbody does their OWN thing?

Allira Sat 14-Dec-24 20:42:28

RosiesMaw2

Surely everbody does their OWN thing?

Yes.
But make sure you shut the dining room door if you put the starters out on the table.
Some 🐶 like to do their own thing too 😁

Ziplok Sat 14-Dec-24 21:05:03

We spread our meal out over the late afternoon into the evening, so fairly similar to you, but probably not quite as many hours. However, the starter doesn’t involve any cooking and the pudding is happy to sit in the slow cooker until we are ready to eat it. The cheese and biscuits are there when we are ready to eat them. So yes, like you, we spread it out.

RosiesMaw2 Sat 14-Dec-24 21:39:15

🐕 🐕 🐕

Cossy Sat 14-Dec-24 21:49:37

We don’t have a starter, Christmas main meal around 2-3pm with pudding etc a couple of hours later.

Primrose53 Sat 14-Dec-24 22:18:24

Very light breakfast, if at all.
Lunch always at 1pm.
Sometimes a starter but usually main and dessert.
Turkey sandwiches, pickles etc about 7pm.

keepingquiet Sat 14-Dec-24 22:28:18

Yep- no starter, main event, firing the pudding hours later!