A family that ditched the traditional Christmas dinner for an Indian curry three decades ago hasn’t looked back.
The Attle family were tired of having turkey and vegetables and all the effort to cook the meal, so they decided to head to an Indian restaurant instead, and a tradition was born that, 30 years later , is still going strong.
Stan Attle and his wife, Sue, both 69 and from Hartlepool, had no problem turning their backs on the norm and opting to take their children for an alternative treat.
Now their grandchildren often join them too, reports Teesside Live.
Her daughter Kay Attle, 35, said she was just a little girl when the tradition started, and she recalls the events growing to life, sometimes with up to 20 people in their party at an Indian restaurant on Christmas Day.
She said her older brother, Richard Attle, had lots of friends in his teens who sometimes dined out.
She said extended family and friends would also join in the fun.
Kay, who is mum to two boys, Noah, 15, and Cole, 9, said: “It turned into this big social event. Anyone who was struggling or lonely would just come along to the restaurant at first. , it was not necessary to book, because we were the only ones inside.
“Every year my dad’s meal comes in front of him on the table and every year he says, ‘This bhuna is better than any Brussels sprout I’ve ever tasted.’
Kay said they started by going to a then-popular Indian restaurant on Lynn Street in the city called MAS Agraa Palace, but it closed.
Since then, they have tried many different ones.
She said: “We’ve been to many different restaurants over the years, we’ve done it all. We’ve even had Indian takeout and eaten it at home.”
Although when she was young Kay said it was a pretty weird thing to do, now more and more people seem to be opting for the alternative Christmas lunch.
She said: “Last year my parents went to Sheesh Mahal on the marina and they said it was absolutely packed.”
Kay said her family always celebrated Christmas with gifts, decorations and the nativity, it was just that her mother didn’t like to cook and was fed up with the stress of preparing Christmas Day lunch.
She said: “My mum just said ‘that’s right, we’re going to an Indian restaurant for Christmas dinner’ and that’s what we’ve been doing for 30 years.
“When I was little, I sometimes felt like I was missing out on the tradition of my friends, but once I had my own family, I understood why they did it.”
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