A family Christmas dinner or Christmas lunch is a major part of the holiday season. Yet, deciding where to go is often very challenging, meaning the booking process is frequently left to the last minute. Christmas can be a stressful time, and you don’t want to add unnecessary pressure to the event. Pre-booking your Christmas dinner can eliminate some of that stress in advance. This article aims to help you determine the best option for a Christmas dinner meal and outlines the benefits of staying ahead of the game and getting it booked in good time!
You can have a date in the calendar
Generally, a family Christmas dinner out does not happen on Christmas Day but during the Christmas period or the build-up to Christmas. Therefore, the number one benefit of pre-booking a Christmas dinner is that you can make sure that everyone attending has the date reserved in their calendar. Often, if the booking of the Christmas dinner is left until late, it can be hard to find a date that works for the whole family without clashing with other plans. Organising well in advance minimises the likelihood of other commitments being made. This is particularly relevant for larger families, where the potential for conflicting schedules around the holiday season is higher and annual or holiday leave may differ.
If you are planning to celebrate dinner on Christmas Day, the obvious benefit of booking in advance is a better selection of venues with significantly less competition. The longer you wait, the fewer available slots you’ll find.
Finding a venue and a Christmas menu that you all like
Another great benefit of booking in advance is that you can look at multiple different menus and venues.
This means you can decide on something that works for everyone’s dietary requirements or desires. For example, you may all want a traditional Christmas dinner, but have some people in your party who are vegetarians or pescatarians, have people with food allergies, or have people who don’t like certain elements that they would like to remove. The more time you have to look through different menus before the holiday season, the more places will be available that suit everybody.
The venue itself is an equally important factor. Many families live in different parts of the country and have to coordinate a convenient meeting place that satisfies everyone. On top of this, you want a destination that feels festive – after all, this only happens once a year! Here are a couple of options in England:
- Christmas in the Lake District is a popular choice, as the natural scenery and snowy mountains set a perfect Christmas tone. Many great restaurants and inns provide a wide range and fantastic quality ingredients (as the Lakes are surrounded by farmland).
- London and other major cities are also great options for Christmas dinner. In the Christmas season, large cities are full of lights and decorations, and there is a huge variety of restaurants and venues. The downside is how busy these places can get at this time of year, but pre-booking will at least get you ahead of the game in the booking process.
Pre-booking could save you money
An organised approach to booking also has a financial benefit: you won’t be forced into an expensive option simply because it’s the only one left. Booking in advance gives you time to budget and discuss preferred price ranges with friends or family attending. You can then work within that budget without having to settle for an overpriced choice.
Often, you can even pre-order your meal during the booking process, allowing you to figure out how to split the bill well in advance and eliminate any hidden costs.
Why not book your Christmas dinner now?
Given all these advantages, why hesitate? The sooner you book, the more benefits you’ll reap. Don’t delay – you won’t regret securing your Christmas dinner plans early!