# What day is your "Christmas Dinner" on?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-day-is-your-christmas-dinner-on/995081>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 24, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-day-is-your-christmas-dinner-on/995081 "2023-12-24T15:49:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-day-is-your-christmas-dinner-on/995081/21 "2023-12-25T22:25:34Z")

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> [@FairyChatMom](#):
>
> My inlaws would do dinner on Christmas day, generally a big midday meal, and no gifts were opened till after, much to the tortured consternation of their kids (and later grandkids.)

Wow. I’m surprised there was never an insurrection.

> [@FlikTheBlue](#):
>
> When I was growing up, we had Christmas Eve dinner with my father’s family, and Christmas Day lunch with mother’s family.

My mom’s family was over 2000 miles away, so we always had Christmas with my dad’s family.

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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2023, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-day-is-your-christmas-dinner-on/995081/22 "2023-12-25T22:33:41Z")

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> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#):
>
> We have gift-giving on Christmas Eve, but the dinner on Christmas Day.

Same here. The roast is in the oven as we speak,

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2023, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-day-is-your-christmas-dinner-on/995081/23 "2023-12-25T22:45:38Z")

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In my family, the Eve was always the big family time with the gift-giving, but the food then was always casual party food. “Christmas Dinner” was less solemn but more formal, on the 25th, and was likely to involve friends or neighbors.

That said, I know that there’s enough variation between families that if someone invited me over for “Christmas dinner”, I wouldn’t assume anything, but would just ask.

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [December 25, 2023, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-day-is-your-christmas-dinner-on/995081/24 "2023-12-25T23:53:25Z")

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Christmas Dinner is on Christmas Day. If you try to have it on Christmas Eve, your boss will not yet have been visited by the three Spirits, repented of his miserly ways, and sent you the prize turkey from the poulterers.

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**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2023, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-day-is-your-christmas-dinner-on/995081/25 "2023-12-26T00:19:14Z")

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Wot? The one big as _me_?

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