A mum who refuses to cook on Christmas said she has the most “stress-free” day and won’t let other people change her mind.
Laura Melling, 36, stopped cooking the traditional roast dinner two years ago and will be sticking to her guns again this year.
The mum-of-two, from Leyland, Lancashire, switched her family to ‘picky bits’ on Christmas Day and said it was “perfect”.
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Sharing her experience on social media, Laura said: “I won’t cook on Christmas Day – it’s my one day that I do not cook.”
Laura’s husband has previously taken control of the Christmas Day meal, to varying degrees of success.
“The husband gets every single pan out, and there’s just a mess all over the kitchen,” she told What’s The Jam.
“We spend Christmas in here [the kitchen/dining room] anyway, so I could just see mess all the time.
“Put that together with all the wrapping paper and the presents and everything else that’s out, it’s just too much.
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“It stresses me out.
“So Christmas then becomes too stressful.”
Instead, the family switched to ‘picky bits’, which Laura said simplifies everything by being able to “shove it all in the airfryer”.
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Their options included cooked party food like mini pizzas, sausage rolls, cheese, crackers, ham, and fruit.
And they don’t even bother with sitting up at the table to dine as a family.
She said: “We last year changed it to picky bits – perfect for me, perfect for the kids.
“There wasn’t a set meal time, and we didn’t all sit down together.
“It was just take what you want, when you want.
“And it worked out amazing for us.
“It was the most stress-free Christmas ever.”
Laura said some people disagree with her choice to skip a roast dinner on Christmas Day.
She added: “Most people say that the meal is what Christmas is about and how everyone sits together.
“But we spend loads of family time together, so don’t see why it has to be a thing on Christmas Day.”
For others wanting to make the switch to a simpler Christmas meal, Laura said: “Don’t think about the food too much.
“Just enjoy what’s going on and take it all in.”
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