The Long Christmas Dinner (German: Das lange Weihnachtsmahl) is an opera in one act by Paul Hindemith, with an English libretto by Thornton Wilder based on his 1931 play of the same name.

The opera was first staged in Hindemith's own German translation and conducted by him at the Nationaltheater Mannheim on 17 December 1961.

[1][2] It was then performed in the original English on 13 March 1963 at the Juilliard School of Music, New York City, also conducted by the composer.

The opera opens with Lucia, wife of Roderick Bayard, setting the table for Christmas dinner.

All three wonder aloud how long they've resided in the Bayard house, remarking on how quickly the time flies.

Again, the action moves forward in time to a later Christmas dinner where an ailing Roderick, Lucia, and Brandon, are now joined by a grown-up Charles and Genevieve.

The men give a toast to the firm owned and run by the Bayard family, and the women join in on the merriment.

Sam, on holiday leave from the military, joins the family for Christmas dinner along with his twin sister, Lucia II.

Charles berates Roderick II for getting drunk and making a fool of himself, and reminds him that he will soon enter the family firm.

Charles writes his son a letter, forgiving him for tarnishing the family name and refusing to carry on with the firm.