Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in London

What do you consider a traditional Christmas Eve Dinner?

Are you aware public transport in London is shut down on Christmas Day?

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/whats-on/christmas/christmas-in-london-essential-information

You could go to St Pauls for Christmas Eve midnight mass but be prepared to walk back to your accommodation.

Thank you Claudia. We will be walking and staying in the West End area. I suppose there is not much difference between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner.

What's a traditional Christmas Eve Dinner?
Never heard of the concept

Christmas day dinner, mid afternoon, just finishing in time to move to the sitting room for the Queen's Speech, is a thing.

Christmas Eve dinner, not so.

You might try searching Open Table (as I did) for restaurants that are serving meals those days and times. Be aware the meals tend to be fixed price for Christmas Day and rather expensive. Open Table may not show you pubs that are serving Christmas Day lunch but they, too, need to be reserved and often well in advance. Pubs are likely to be less expensive and formal than the restaurants we experienced.

Can your hotel help out with advice on what is nearby and open? Maybe make the res for you?

Many thanks all. I will look to see the time of the Queen' speech. I am looking to make reservations this week and will try Open Table. We eat tamales and ham on Christmas Eve then Christmas mass and prime rib and lamb on Christmas Day. I wasn't sure if there were Christmas Eve meal traditions in England. Looks like Christmas Day dinner is the big meal.

For church services, we've been to Westminster Abbey a few times (generally Christmas Day, but there's an 11pm service on Christmas Eve as well).

In terms of transport, there's no public transport, but if you don't feel like walking, you can always get a taxi. In the past we've pre-booked a minicab to take us from our hotel to church, and then had a leisurely walk back after the service.

I wasn't sure if there were Christmas Eve meal traditions in England.

Christmas Eve traditions are popular amongst many European Catholic families. As someone with Polish heritage Christmas Eve was a big event for us and we all got together at my nan's for a very extravagant dinner. I've carried the tradition on to some degree and hold a family gathering at mine every Christmas Eve with plenty of food and it's actually a bigger event than Christmas Day however the English custom is very much centred around lunch on Christmas Day.

We were there in 2014 and went to service at Westminster Abbey on the 23rd, which required getting up very early in the morning the first day the tickets are available. We ate at a pub Christmas Eve and our hotel(Hilton near Charing Cross Station) on Christmas Day.

Many thanks to all. I grew up in a Polish/Czech home, and Christmas Eve was a very big event, more so than Christmas Day although Christmas Day was quite an event as well. These days, we enjoy pork tamales and a honey-baked spiral ham and mass. I've inquired about Christmas Day dinner, and it seems that most who offer do so earlier in the day. Looks like we will go to a grocery store on the 24th to buy a few snacks and eat an early dinner on the 25th then watch the Queen at 3. I'll need to figure out tickets for a service that's walkable.

For Westminster Abbey, only Lessons & Carols (usually the 23rd and 24th) and the 11.00pm Christmas Eve Eucharist service require tickets. The services on Christmas Day no longer require tickets (this changed a few years back).

I will look to see the time of the Queen' speech

3pm to 3:10.

BBC1.

We tried to get Christmas Eve tickets during the four times they were released in October, I believe. We did get four tickets for Christmas Eve, late afternoon, “ Lessons and Carols” on the last time they were available and it was such a moving, joy filled experience. Look on Westminster Abbey’s website.
A lot of restaurants were closed but we were able
to get into The Ivy at Covent Garden, good meals and atmosphere. With the help of London friends we searched for Christmas Day dinners. Only saw them offered at hotels, very pricey prix fix meals. We were staying in a rental with kitchen so narrowed our choices to three, two caterers and Whole Foods. We chose Whole Foods, picked it up 12/24 before noon, and it was so delicious and a traditional British Christmas dinner , turkey, mince pies and all. s mentioned upthread, no public transportation was running.

Thank you All. I have been looking at Open Table and the times available for Christmas Day are not available if booking through the restaurant direct. Some use OT, some don't. In one instance, I was told through the restaurant"s email to book at the end of September yet OT allows me to book with a credit card. I'm also not sure I understand VAT. Fixed menus mention it. A la carte menus don't in the instances that I've seen. Clarification on this would also be helpful as I am not familiar with VAT.

Don't worry about VAT, it's all included in the cost. The only consideration you may have is the more and more common 'service charge' which is supposedly an optional charge intended to act as a 'tip'. It's up to you whether you pay it or not. Typcally it hovers around the 12% mark.