Should Oklahomans Avoid Cooking For Christmas?

It never ceases to amaze me just how good my mom's cooking is every year. The holidays are my family's perfect excuse to completely indulge in the cooking we definitely took for granted when we were younger and we all lived together.

Unfortunately, I don't think the gift of giving people good (or even edible) food runs in the family - I'm a living example of that. Some of us absolutely flourish in the kitchen, and some of us should probably just eat out on Christmas Day.

Cooking fires are the most common on three specific days of the year: Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. Most cooking fires are caused by accidents and underestimating how quickly and easily they can start. Should some of us avoid cooking for Christmas?

Over a quarter of Oklahomans are single or living alone, is cooking worth it?

Believe it or not, it can be more difficult for just one or two people versus an entire family, especially when it comes to big holiday meals. While most of Oklahoma's households have a decent amount of parents and children, there are quite a bit of people here who're single or living alone.

READ MORE: Major Closings for Christmas Day In Lawton, Oklahoma

According to infoplease.com, 31% of Oklahomans live in a non-family household, or over 420,000 people. When it comes to cooking for just yourself, is it really worth dragging all of the food out for the holiday?

Major fires caused by cooking accidents in recent Oklahoma history.

Although Oklahomns luckily aren't in the list of states that are guilty of having the most cooking fires on Christmas, there have still been significant fires recently. Just two years ago, a family in Oklahoma City lost their home to a grease fire on Christmas Day.

Oklahoma City's Fire Department reported earlier this year that around 52% of all structure fires in the country are caused by cooking accidents or mishaps like leaving food unattended. It may sound simple, but if you expect to have a house full of guests and can't focus on the food, is it a good idea to cook for Christmas?

The leftovers, the fuss, the clean up - isn't easier just to eat out?

After all of the hassle that comes with Christmas, like cooking all day, picking up and collecting the trash from gifts, preparing the house for incoming guests, it's easy to see why some families choose not to cook for Christmas at all.

Luckily, there are places in and near Lawton that will remain open for Christmas Day for families who choose to save themselves the trouble. Click here for the list.