Christmas Dinner - How do you do yours?

[Alwaysdisley]

Am very excited that my mum has decided to do a full Christmas roast tomorrow as she still has a crown that we didn’t use at Christmas due to COVID changing plans, will be the first mince pies of the season too 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
So we always eat at the table, whether there are 4 of us or 10. I set the table and we have Christmas themed crockery and placemats. I also add little gifts to the crackers, I slide a scratch card into each and then a small gift.
My mum of the chef but we all help and the final prep is a group effort. We peel and prep veg on Christmas Eve then pop the turkey in when we get up. We serve all the veg in serving bowls on the table so it’s easy to keep left overs for bubble and squeak on Boxing Day. We carve lots of turkey and serve on a plate.
Last year I brought some great glass decal decorations from Etsy that personalised everyones glass too.
I love Christmas and reading this thread makes me so excited for this year!

[Floridatilly]

Originally Posted by MrsBC

I've always done it from when we first married (1977!) - they are usually something small I can wrap nicely and sit on the plates when I set the table. Sometimes just a whisky or baileys miniature, or the small Hotel Choc / Thorntons mini boxes of chocs or small treats. Tiny joke toys when the kids were small. Anything not too expensive, they can all be the same or individual as long as they're wrapped nicely.
I've used the very large gold wrapped chocolate coins as coasters (about 4") and no one realised till halfway through the meal
I also put things in the crackers too - lotto cards rolled up, a few quality street etc. DS only realised a few years ago, that it was me - when he was growing up he just though we bought very posh crackers!

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Oh my word! Thats just magical. I am sorry but I am certainly stealing this idea 🥰🥰

[skinnybaby]

Some absolutely wonderful ideas here, i love all things christmas and im always thinking of things to add in or do to make the time special. Always dreamed of having my own children to spoil and make memories with and now i have my little baby girl

I have the tiniest kitchen imaginable, hardly big enough to fit 2 people standing so we bring out a table into the living room for christmas dinner.

I want to set my table out family style so on the lookout for some lovely christmas table decorations, plates, bowls, serveware, everything if anyone can recommend anything.

[EssexSue]

Originally Posted by Floridatilly

Oh my word! Thats just magical. I am sorry but I am certainly stealing this idea 🥰🥰

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One year we all had pyjamas from Alderhay hospital as table presents, even the dog.

[snowbelle]

Originally Posted by Floridatilly

Oh my word! Thats just magical. I am sorry but I am certainly stealing this idea 🥰🥰

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I stole it from here a few years ago , I buy the little hotel chocolat mixed bags, a scratch card and will be pinching the little bottle of liquor idea.
I bought about ten little felt stockings from Poundland just big enough to fit a knife fork and spoon and the gift in.

[MrsBC]

Originally Posted by skinnybaby

Some absolutely wonderful ideas here, i love all things christmas and im always thinking of things to add in or do to make the time special. Always dreamed of having my own children to spoil and make memories with and now i have my little baby girl

I have the tiniest kitchen imaginable, hardly big enough to fit 2 people standing so we bring out a table into the living room for christmas dinner.

I want to set my table out family style so on the lookout for some lovely christmas table decorations, plates, bowls, serveware, everything if anyone can recommend anything.

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Asda, Tesco and Matalan often get affordable but nice Xmas crockery etc in. For unusual pieces / serving dishes etc look in TKMaxx, or you could use plain white crockery with a Xmas tablecloth & placemats.

[Floridatilly]

Originally Posted by EssexSue

One year we all had pyjamas from Alderhay hospital as table presents, even the dog.

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They were putting Christmas stock out yesterday, some lovely stuff 😍

[Gryff]

We’ve always had table presents when we were young many many;moons ago it be something like a colouring book and pencils to keep us amused between courses
As we got older things like a lip gloss for us girls or for my brothers golf tees a golf ball
The great grand parents a favorite tipple or sweet when my mum did Christmas her favorite table gift was always a mini picture of the grand kids for her purse
Me I love and I get it and it’s free an IOU for free hugs and kisses even from my 15 year old granddaughter or something handmade by someone who’s with us
My favorite napkin rings were a table gift years ago
I buy cheap as chips crackers and table gifts that are personal
DIL 1 this year she’s got measuring cups she’s just got/into backing
DIL 2 an actual physical photo in a frame of her whole family taken on my phone being totally silly at a bbq dogs included in a pound shop frame
Our youngest sons partner loves total trivia so she’s getting a home made set/of total trivia cards about our family even the boys will need to think about the answers
One year I got a spurtel it caused great hilarity because only me my mother and grandmothers knew what it was and I still use it to make porridge stir sauces
Table like the silly stocking gift should be personal I’ve even wrapped a lottery ticket in layers and layers of paper and played table pass the parcel ( I always have this in reserve to hide kitchen issues ( nobody notices the gravy is a tad lumpy or the Yorkshire pud is missing )
In my table pass the parcel I include a coin or two in every layer from a penny to a £2~coin randomly this keeps it exciting. And I have at least 2 layers for every guest gives you grace to sort out. The kitchen issues

[MillyMoo]

We dont usually have a big Xmas dinner. I find Xmas day such a rush and actually a bit stressful, Xmas eve an boxing day are my favourites!
We usually just have a buffet for lunch on Xmas day, although last year we had pizzas with nice sides! After lunch we visit my mum and then after that we visit the inlaws, get home and then it's not far off of bedtime for the youngest. We found that having a big roast was a bit much for us all, I missed out on family fun in the other room and by the time it was cooked nobody really wanted to eat it!
I still love the idea of a proper roast and family around a table, it just doesn't work for us

[MrsBC]

Originally Posted by MillyMoo

We dont usually have a big Xmas dinner. I find Xmas day such a rush and actually a bit stressful, Xmas eve an boxing day are my favourites!
We usually just have a buffet for lunch on Xmas day, although last year we had pizzas with nice sides! After lunch we visit my mum and then after that we visit the inlaws, get home and then it's not far off of bedtime for the youngest. We found that having a big roast was a bit much for us all, I missed out on family fun in the other room and by the time it was cooked nobody really wanted to eat it!
I still love the idea of a proper roast and family around a table, it just doesn't work for us

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Since my nieces were babies, my sister has always done her xmas dinner on Boxing Day for the same reasons. They're adults now and take their own little ones to her house for Xmas dinner on Boxing Day.