Christmas Day has traditionally been a time to be in your own house enjoying a home-cooked family dinner.
But for many who are too busy or find it over stressful, there is a growing appetite for having the turkey and trimmings prepared for them.
Growing numbers feel the cost of dining out on the big day is worth it to avoid the hassle of shopping and cooking.
There’s also more interest in buying in a pre-cooked, restaurant standard dinner.
Some of Inverness’s best-known hotels and restaurants say their Christmas Day sittings are either sold out or going fast.
Christmas dinner in Inverness
Two of the leading hotels in Inverness – the Kingsmills and Ness Walk – both sold out for Christmas Day dinner sittings by early October.
And bookings are strong for other city venues, including Lochardil House Hotel and the Macdonald Drumossie Hotel.
The Drumossie is offering a gourmet four-course Christmas lunch at £125 per person (over 16s only). They also have a carvery option at £95 each (£32 per child)
General manager Stéphane Portès said: “Bookings are currently slightly ahead of where we would expect them to be at this point.
“Which would suggest that there is a growing trend towards eating out on Christmas Day.
“It may be about someone else doing all the preparation and tidying up.
“But I think there is also a growing number of people who see Christmas Day eating out as a well-earned treat, and a great way to bring people together.
“And no-one needs to worry about the washing up.”
Taking the hassle out of Christmas cooking
The Lochardil will be celebrating its first Christmas under the Highland Coast Hotels banner, having been bought over in February.
It has already taken a number of group bookings for parties of five or more people for a four-course Christmas dinner costing £95 a head (£40 for children).
Robert Ratcliffe, the hotel’s general manager, said: “We think this offers great value for the local community who are booking well in advance to celebrate in style with family and friends without the hassle of having to cook and do the washing up themselves at home.”
Christmas Day at the Kingsmills is priced £115 (£40 per child) for a four-course lunch or £95 for a festive buffet (£33.50 per child).
Ness Walk, part of the Kingsmills Hotel Group, is £135 per head (£55 per child) for a five-course lunch.
Angus Macleod, marketing manager for the Kingsmills Hotel Group, said: “We’ve built a great reputation over the years at both properties and we are selling out earlier year on year.
“The welcome from the team, the atmosphere and buzz, the stunning menus and of course the not having to do the dishes are all reasons, I would say, that guests choose to join us.”
Christmas dinner to your door
For those who like having Christmas dinner at home, but not the actually cooking, there is another option.
Inverness catering company Redshank, which has two businesses in the Victorian Market, can deliver a solution.
For £50 diners can choose a pre-cooked three-course menu which can be delivered or collected.
This the fourth year the Redshank has offered the service and it is growing more popular.
It has already exceeded last year’s bookings and expects to make around 80-100 pre-cooked dinners this year.
Some orders are for charities and carers.
Owner Jamie Ross said: “For many people it’s the time involved (in cooking dinner) that takes away from the family.
“This takes a lot of the effort out but you still get the home-cooked experience.
“We are also pretty generous with portions, so there is plenty left over for midnight picking later.”
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