My simple hack makes Christmas completely stress-free – I don’t spend hours in the kitchen but not everyone’s convinced
AFTER the long lead-up to Christmas, it can feel like the big day passes you by in the blink of an eye.
This rings especially true if you are in charge of the festive feast, which can soak up hours of valuable relaxing time.
Host of the Girls Overheard podcast, Ash Reid, blew away her co-presenters Lauren Fairbairn and Eilidh Wells with a friend’s clever hack for making the most of the day – saying she “may actually have fixed the whole blueprint for Christmas“.
Ash told the girls: “She has her Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve.
“And then see on Christmas Day?
“They get up in the morning, do all their presents, have nice bacon rolls, and then it gets to about three or four and they go ‘we’ve got all of our Christmas dinner still’.
“So she has no stress on Christmas day because she’s made her turkey, she’s made her ham, they have loads of roast potatoes, and it’s no stress.”
Gobsmacked by the thought, Ash asked her co-presenters: “Is that not the best thing ever?!”
Eilidh replied: “I love this!”
The idea of preparing and serving your main festive meal on Christmas Eve is well-rooted in other Western countries, but almost unheard of in the United Kingdom.
Poland, for example, eat their “Wigilia” supper on Christmas Eve, a meal which typically consists of 12 servings and includes fish, mushrooms, and gingerbread.
The Czech Republic also eats their festive meal on December 24 – usually consisting of fish soup, fried carp, and potato salad.
Scandinavia also focuses their festive celebrations the day before Christmas, sitting down to enjoy roast meat, potatoes, red cabbage, and gravy, alongside pickled and fermented vegetables.
But the United Kingdom doesn’t share the tradition, instead keeping our Christmas dinner to the December 25.
And viewers of the Girls Overheard clip were divided, with one writing: “Done it for years. Cook the turkey before Christmas and prepare all the veg/gravy on Christmas Eve.
“Just a case of heating it up and eating.
“Too many years watch my mum miss out on Christmas day growing up.”
Another person wrote: “I’ve done this for years! It’s amazing, get to relax with the kids.”
And someone else joked: “I wouldn’t have anything left from Christmas Eve to eat on Christmas day, I’m a gannet!”
While another person wrote: “Been doing this for 6 years now, kids can do as they please and we can enjoy sitting with them and playing games without cooking a dinner.”
However, not everybody could see the positive side, with one user writing: “You’ve got the stress on Xmas eve though! Pointless.”
Most popular Christmas specials
- Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol – 2010
Starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, The Doctor and Amy Pond have just one hour to save a crashing spaceship on Christmas Day before it’s too late.
- The Office: Christmas Party – 2005
Office boss Michael Scott is determined to liven up the Christmas party and keep it from slipping into boredom.
- Gavin and Stacey: A Special Christmas – 2019
The Shipmans and Smithy head to Barry for Christmas. Uncle Bryn is in charge of the Christmas dinner and Smithy welcomes his new girlfriend to the group.
Downton Abbey: Christmas at Downton Abbey – 2011
Downton Abbey throws a Christmas party, but rising tensions and John Bates’ arrest cast a shadow over the celebrations.
- Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special – 2004
The Wests travel to Billaricay for Christmas, but Gavin and Stacey have some news to tell the family and it doesn’t go down as smoothly as they hoped.
- Modern Family: Undeck the Halls – 2009
Claire and Phil choose to cancel Christmas for their kids, Haley, Alex, and Luke, while Mitchell and Cameron take Lily to visit Santa.
Friends: The One With the Holiday Armadillo – 2000
Ross decides he wants to teach Ben about Hanukkah when the costume shop runs out of Santa costumes.
- This Is Us: Last Christmas – 2016
Jack and Rebecca have an unexpected reunion with an old friend, while Kevin, Randall, and Kate navigate their own holiday challenges.
- The Office (UK) Christmas special part two – 2003
Tim’s world is turned upside down when Dawn stops by the office. Despite Gareth’s stern warning and Keith from Accounts offering some advice, Tim gets his hopes up again.
- Downton Abbey Christmas Special – 2015
Mary attempts to mend her relationship with her sister as Edith’s secret continues to pose a threat. As Henry adjusts to his new roles as a husband, finding his place at Downton proves to be more challenging.
- Black Mirror: White Christmas – 2014
Matt and Potter share an unusual Christmas meal together while confined to a remote cabin on Christmas Day, exchanging stories about their past lives in the outside world.
- Outnumbered Christmas Special – 2012
The Brockmans host a Christmas party, but Pete is far from thrilled. Ben eagerly volunteers to help with preparations, and Pete ends up stuck in the bathroom with Jane after the door handle breaks off.
The Office (UK) Christmas special part one – 2003
David has been struggling in his career but tries to reconnect with his former employees, as he seeks validation. Tim still has feelings for Dawn, as all eyes are on them as they reconnect at the Christmas party.
- Friends: The One With the Girl From Poughkeepsie – 1997
Monica is struggling to stand up to her kitchen staff, so she hires Joey to fire him in front of them to show authority. Chandler tries to set Rachel up with his colleague.
- Outnumbered Christmas Special – 2011
The Brockmans hope to get away for the holiday over Christmas, but their grandad falls ill – and an emergency trip to the hospital puts their festive plans on hold.