I am big on tradition for various reasons. We always have hot lunch and used to live somewhere cool. Then moved to Qld but kids didn’t think salads are at all exciting so thank goodness for air con.
We always have roast pork, chicken and baked ham with vegetables and pudding. If there is a big crowd, a pavlova as well. Only a small group this year, with 3 kids still overseas. We have traditional accompaniments such as choc coated fruit and nuts, mince pies and so forth. Always choc money at the plate and of course the crackers. Some years we add prawns to the mix but the idea is to keep it special but streamlined and a well oiled machine that is largely stress free. Now that kids are grown, they always organise cocktails. We don’t eat a roast for ages before xmas so it becomes special and it is the only time in the year that we have roast pork and crackling anyway These days on a normal day we eat a traditional mediterranean diet for longevity and are largely vegetarian so a plate of meat is definitely out of the ordinary for us. More about spending time together, playing games and having naps than trying new things to eat, or eating things that we can make for a myriad of other special occasions. A musical family so always a bit of a jam session at some stage.
Our tradition involves lots of prawns, mangos and avocados, all together in a great salad. Fresh cooked prawns from the fisho so much better than ‘thawed for your convenience’. This year another of those turkey meat rolls in a box. Purists will howl but always juicy and succulent. And lamb chops marinaded in honey soy ginger garlic. The pineapple traditions!
We stuck with the traditional turkey (buffé only as there’s only 2 of us!), roasties & sprouts (with bacon bits obviously!) with cranberry sauce. Our new AEG steam oven cooked the turkey more quickly than anticipated - so we got the proper dry turkey experience 
But we’ve kept the Sunday roast tradition going since we moved her 13.5 years ago - even on a 30+ day 
Welcome to the forum Rachel and thank you for your input .
A nice cool Christmas trifle is a mainstay every year as well as cold salads (potato, garden).
Christmas lunch - Our spinach, beetroot, eggs, potato salad, coleslaw, banana; purchased 4 bean mix, pineapple, brie, mixed nuts, blueberries, grapes. An elderly friend with dementia made tomato relish & poor man’s sauce (the only Christmas present we got) and I had a dab of relish on the banana. I have over 200 bananas ripening, so it is banana every day.
The second photo is the two things Mr Z requested - a steamed plum pud without the fruit (but now says he would like a little fruit next time) eaten cold with milk - and cornflake biscuits with crunchy cornflakes throughout (I did a shortbread batter and cooked in a slow oven for over an hour).
Both deemed a success.
A very attractive plate.
