This is how early Americans start cooking Christmas dinner

Americans start cooking Christmas dinner at 9:36 a.m., according to research.

A poll of 2,000 adults revealed how early households start to put together the much-anticipated meal, with it taking just over three hours to prep the entire thing.

The ideal time to eat it is 3:45 p.m., and it will take a further three days to eat up all the leftovers before food boredom sets in.

It emerged 16% say the best thing about the festive season is the preparation of the Christmas Day dinner, despite 44% finding the food aspect the most stressful above any other national holiday.

Commissioned by bakery brand St Pierre and conducted by OnePoll, the study found nearly four in ten (38%) claim to be the most creative with their dishes during this festive time. 

However, 54% admit to feeling uptight whenever they have to think about prepping or cooking food for this or any other national celebration.

Despite this, Christmas was voted as the most favorite holiday of the year by 49% for reasons including spending time with family (35%), enjoying exchanging gifts (28%), and taking pleasure in decorating the Christmas tree in the lead up to the big day (23%).

“We were surprised to see how early people start prepping their Christmas Day meal, but it is a dish that is taken very seriously and it’s important to get it right,” said a spokesperson for St Pierre.

“For a lot of families, keeping up with seasonal dining traditions is part of what makes the every holiday season so special – with food appearing in the top ten most enjoyed aspects for Thanksgiving, Halloween, Easter and of course, Christmas.”

The study also quizzed respondents on other national holidays and saw Thanksgiving take second place (20%) – followed by New Year’s (7%), Halloween (6%) and Independence Day (4%).

When it comes to decorating, Christmas takes the top spot as the favorite holiday to decorate for (64%), with 19% voting for Halloween – putting it in second place on the list.

Meanwhile, 61% will leave their festive decorations up for the longest duration compared to the other well-known holidays.

Of those polled, 46% say they are the most experimental for the December holiday when it comes to decorating, costumes and parties.

Santa Claus takes top spot for the most loved national holiday character, with The Grinch (12%), Michael Myers (6%), and Santa’s Elves (8%) also featuring on the list.

“The excitement for the big day is well and truly here, and people will be doing their annual food and present haul if they haven’t finished this already,” the spokesperson added.

“Food and festivities can bring people together like nothing else. Food is more than a meal on your plate; it’s the nostalgia of family recipes, it’s the shared experience with loved ones and it’s memories created to be treasured.”

TOP 10 FAVORITE AMERICAN HOLIDAYS

Christmas

Thanksgiving

New Year’s

Halloween

Independence Day

Easter

Superbowl

Veterans Day

Juneteenth

Memorial Day

AMERICA’S FAVORITE NATIONAL HOLIDAY MASCOTS

Father Christmas

The Grinch

The Thanksgiving Turkey

Santa’s Elves

Mrs. Claus