Christmas Day Lunch and i want it to go well

Thanks everyone I am feeling more relaxed about it all now and confident I can do it.

Bridgeit : You are right to say get out the booze and relax, such a boring old fart that I am I do not generally take much alcohol but am partial to Baileys and my son said he is buying us pink champagne so by the time the dinner is cooked I will not know what I am eating.
Nico97 Yes I have done this many times first few years after loss of mum the family went to restaurant but so expensive now and anyway it is not the same as at home.
Also eldest daughter and her partner cooked the main lunch for Christmas for us all but they split up two years ago, he was a lovely guy not sure what happened.
I mentioned that middle daughter with the grand-children is not talking to me and also my son has been trying to be positive and communicate with her but she cold shouldered him and said he was to stay away from her. I told the eldest daughter she should be with the middle daughter Christmas day as I really think daughter is on a burnout and someone needs to keep an eye on her particularly with having the children.
So yes that is what we are all doing and I am feeling better about it by the minute.
Most of food already bought except fresh type vegetables and potatoes but freezer already has some Aunt Bessies potatoes and some frozen parsnips.
Now where is that bottle of Baileys oops not yet it is too early.

My tip would be, get 2 nice dishes, one for spuds and one for an assortment of veg. Herb butters served alongside the veg make it more interesting.Put you veg in these dishes and your " guest"can help himself.
The main meat , I would cook the day before and heat gently in gravy.
Frozen button sprouts are surprisingly tasty btw.

Chillax - you must have done this countless times over the years so try not to put yourself under too much stress. Crack open a bottle of bubbly - it's the best relaxer there is

If you have limited oven space, don't forget that the turkey crown will be best rested for an hour after roasting. This gives you room for roasted potatoes, parsnips and stuffing to follow it. If you are doing pigs in blankets they can also be squeezed in.
My family all like Delia's Parmesan Parsnips which can be prepped the day before as can the potatoes.
I hope the day goes well for you and is stress free, enjoy your son's company.
www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/root-vegetables/parmesan-baked-parsnips

I find my steamer invaluable for cooking multiple vegetables, then concentrate on the roast potatoes and gravy is a doddle. I always do my turkey the day before. You already sound stressed just thinking about it. My eldest son stuffed my freezer full of desserts from Iceland last week and he isn't even here for Christmas day. The Pecan roulade was gorgeous and so light.

You have known your son since birth, I am guessing you are at ease with each other & that your experience of bringing him up will have left you with quite a bit of knowledge about him.
Get out the booze chill out have fun?

GrandmaMoira yes thank-you my son will help with the work as lifting heavy dishes etc is not so easy for me anymore. He will also be on call for washing up and helping with that.

It is just as well that neither of us likes mince pies or Christmas pudding so it will be trifle and cheesecake courtesy of Iceland, simple enough.

Hi Tanith,

Thank-you for your help. I know it should be frazzle free for two. I do not even want six roasites as three is enough for me.
My Christmas stuffing is special recipe passed down from mum and always done for Christmas and it is yummy so like to do that. Saying that I can do that the day before good idea.
Also like to pour the juices of turkey into the gravy tastes nice, although I could pre do gravy but when I have done that in the past it always went lumpy
The reason it seems I will cook a lot of food is because although my son is fitness coach he specifically does hard core muscle /body building and although food is fuel to him it builds his body in muscular shape. He does not eat Christmas type roasts throughout the year but bulks up on pasta and rice for his carbohydrates and uses special supplements that are mixed with milk or water for strenuous workouts.

So yes I do want to relax and enjoy the day with him as often he is so busy. You have given me some ideas now so I can plan better in advance.

If your son wants extra meat it makes it easier to cook that on Christmas Eve then it just needs reheating on the day. It should not be too difficult for just two of you. I hope your son is going to help with some of the work.

If it’s just the two of you it should be frazzle free. Will you really need two trays of roasts? With all the other vegs 6 roasties each should be more than enough. Do stuffing balls and just place them round the turkey Crown, mash and gravy make in advance and then it can be reheated in the microwave at the last minute.

You are over thinking a roast dinner for two, just relax and enjoy the day with your son.