This festive season, many home cooks are at risk of forgetting essential items for their Christmas dinner, with a recent survey revealing that the most commonly overlooked item is cranberry sauce. According to research conducted by OnePoll, 23% of adults who cook Christmas dinner have forgotten a key ingredient at least once. The survey, which included 2,000 participants, found that 44% of those who missed something realized it on Christmas morning, while 31% noticed the absence only once cooking was underway.
Commonly Forgotten Items
Aldi has compiled a definitive list of the most frequently forgotten Christmas dinner items, highlighting that cream for the Christmas pudding and stuffing for the turkey also rank high on the list. Other staples that often slip the mind include crackers for the table, cheese for the cheese board, and after-dinner mints. Interestingly, 11% of respondents reported running out of carrots, while the same number admitted to serving a meal without gravy after forgetting to restock the granules.
Rachel Geary, a spokesperson for Aldi, emphasized the importance of planning ahead. “Christmas dinner is the most-hyped meal of the year. While people sometimes miss an item when there’s so much to think about, there’s nothing worse than getting to Christmas Day and realizing you’ve forgotten something,” she stated. Geary encourages shoppers to take a page from Santa’s book: “Check their lists twice, just to make sure they don’t miss anything off their Christmas shop.”
Patterns of Forgetfulness
The survey also revealed that many individuals do not learn from past mistakes. On average, those who have forgotten a crucial ingredient for Christmas dinner have done so on two occasions. Nearly a quarter of respondents admitted to consistently forgetting the same item year after year. For 19%, this could be attributed to the ingredient being something they do not use throughout the year, while another 19% cited distractions from gift shopping instead of food preparation.
Additional factors contributing to this festive forgetfulness include feeling overwhelmed by the numerous tasks to remember during the holiday season (36%) and failing to write a clear shopping list (29%). Alarmingly, over a quarter of respondents (27%) finish their shopping only a day before Christmas, increasing the likelihood of overlooking key items.
When something is missing, a third of participants (33%) reported attempting to find a substitute, with examples such as using mayonnaise instead of butter or crushed biscuits in place of breadcrumbs. This situation has led to one in five respondents saying that family and friends continue to joke about their past forgetfulness during festive meals.
The OnePoll data also highlights the most crucial components of a Christmas dinner. Roast potatoes topped the list, with 79% of respondents claiming it as essential, followed by turkey at 66%, carrots at 62%, and pigs in blankets at 61%.
Geary advises hosts to start their preparations early. “The best trick is to start early and build your shop around the staples, then add the finishing touches. Write a clear list, check it twice, and keep a couple of freezer backups – it can really take the stress out of the big day.” As the holiday approaches, thorough planning may be the key to ensuring a successful and stress-free Christmas dinner.
