Do you have a Xmas Eve food tradition?

[cristeen]

Just curious what it is, as DH and I contemplate such a tradition. We have a xmas breakfast tradition, but the Xmas Eve tradition i was raised w doesnt particularly appeal to DH (and i'm not attached to it).

[Alyantavid]

We've always gone to my Grandma's and had clam chowder with my mom's entire side of the family.  However, last year, I made the clam chowder and took it and this year we'll be going to my uncles, so no clue on what we'll be having.

[HollyBearsMom]

For the past 4-5 years we have had venison tenderloin but our friend only bagged on deer this season so we are mixing it up. Also our son is singing at church for the first time so we have less time to cook.

On the docket so far is fondue, either meat or cheese with good bread and a simple salad. Of course some champers too! So simple and quick that I can see it becoming a new tradition.

[JamieCatheryn]

We do the big family feast on Christmas Eve. Sometimes it's been turkey or ham and turkey, I've started serving goose yearly now, and lots of sides. Christmas day we had been at a loss for something that wasn't too much work but would be nice to celebrate with just us, DH likes me to make lamb roast so I do that plus a veggie and potatoes.

[jeanine123]

We have crab legs and steak on Christmas Eve with baked potatoes and green beans.  I'm planning on making a chocolate orange cheesecake to use as dessert on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  The steak will be grilled as long as the weather cooperates, it's been pouring buckets here the past few days.

[la mamita]

The traditional Peruvian xmas eve meal is spaghetti with red sauce or no sauce and chicken/turkey/duck, with fried plantain chips on the side. Dessert is Paneton, similar to Italian Pannetonne (not sure if spelling is right for that) which is a sweet yeast bread with nuts and dried fruit, imagine a fruit cake crossed with a bundt cake...

[just_lily]

That last couple of years I have done roast beef with yorkshire puddings.  Usually my MIL makes dinner for Christmas day (turkey) so I can go all out for Christmas Eve without feeling overwhelmed.  We also usually invite friends who have nowhere else to go, so I like to make a nice meal.

This year we will be attending an early church service at 5pm, and I found a Paula Dean recipe for Prime Rib recipe that calls for cooking the meat for 40 minutes and then turning off the oven but not opening the door for 3 hours, and then turning the oven back on for 30 minutes before serving.  I hope it works out because it would be very convenient to leave it in the hot-but-off oven while we are at church, and then I will turn it back on and do up the sides when we get home.  Recipe here:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/foolproof-standing-rib-roast-recipe/index.html

For sides will be yorkshire pudding, of course, as well as mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts and another vegetable.... probably dill butter carrots.  In our house we are always debating mashed potatoes (me) versus roasted potatoes (my British DH) but I can't figure out how to coordinate cooking meat, potatoes, and yorkshires all in the same oven.  My MIL can do it, but she has two ovens!  So mashed it is.  We will have roasted potatoes with our turkey dinner, so DH won't be deprived.

[Lisa1970]

Growing up it was always Lasagna. With dh and I, it was always lasagna or spaghetti. This year, though, oddly, dh says he does not want that. No clue why. He wants a ham he says. I am allergic to pork. I have never served pork or made it or otherwise, so my children have never had it. So I think dh's idea of what to have for dinner is a rotten idea. So here we are, left with no dinner menu. Maybe I will try the roast beef. 

[dbsam]

We do not have a tradition now, but growing up my father was a wonderful cook who loved trying new recipes and loved entertaining. 

On Christmas eve we had a meal from a different culture each year.  We had an early sit-down dinner and then open house into the late night with food/cocktails out all night.  It was really great.

[gmvh]

D, I love that tradition!  If our current plan ever falls through, we may have to adopt your father's gig.

We live at least a thousand miles from family and choose to stay home for Christmas.  We've spent the past few years at another family's house and their tradition is "snack dinner" or oodles of apps.  It's been fun!

[_ktg_]

We try to make it as low key as possible, so we order take-out chinese from our favorite restaurant in town.  We did it last year, and it was so easy, nice and kept everything low key (i.e.  mama was not stressed out from cooking and then trying to prep for cooking on xmas).

Though the tradition in my family growing up on christmas eve was speghetti & meatballs - in the slow cooker.

[AllyRae]

We're Catholic, but due to shellfish allergies, we don't do the Feast of the 12 Fishes.  However, DD is Vietnamese-born, so we celebrate the Vietnamese reveillon.  It is a lovely mixture of Vietnamese food with a French influence. 

[dbsam]

Originally Posted by gmvh 

We've spent the past few years at another family's house and their tradition is "snack dinner" or oodles of apps.  It's been fun!

I'm a fan of appetizers for dinner.  Prior to having children we did that on New Year's eve (and many Friday nights).  We would get together with 2-4 couples, eat appetizers and play board games, often crash at their house or in the case of NYE hire a driver to get us all home. 

A little OT to New Year's eve, but growing up my parents had and early fondue dinner with us.  Then they would go out with all their friends while all the children stayed at one house and slept around the Xmas tree. 
 

[mamadelbosque]

IDK. DH's first suggestion was pizza, which sounds great to me... but as ds1 is currently in a 'I don't like pizza' phase... IDK!!

[onlyzombiecat]

Our only Christmas Eve food tradition is baking and decorating cookies. Our dinner menu changes every year.

However, our New Year traditional food  is always making Chinese or Japanese food.

[WorldsBestMom]

I dont really have any apart from wrapping presents and ensuring I  have everything ready for Christmas.

[laura-belle]

We have dungeness crab (we're on the west coast) and ravioli with marinara sauce (because my brother has never liked shellfish). Dessert is Christmas cookies and whatever other assorted Christmas goodies are in the house. Christmas Eve in my family has sort of evolved into the young peoples' Christmas--informal, disorganized, and a lot more fun than the formal Christmas dinner we have the next day.

[Lillitu]

When I was with my ex, she is Italian American, so we did feast of the seven fishes, west coast style (sashimi!). I really miss that.

I need to create a new tradition, now that I have a child, so I really appreciate y'all sharing yours!

[MoonStarFalling]

We always have oyster stew on xmas eve. It's a plus that it's easy to make and we all sleep great after sucking down all that warm milk.

[Shantimama]

We always make tacos. DH is a minister and I am a musician at a different churcg so it is a very busy night at our house. I can prepare everything ahead of time and just pull the bowls of cheese, veggies, salsa, etc out of the fridge and I have a vegetarian filling and a meat filling staying warm in the crock pot that I set up in the morning.

It is the perfect meal for our family. The kids love how red and green everything is and I love that it is a meal packed with fresh veggies, fibre and protein because I know they will eat nothing buy chocolate and gingerbread for breakfast the next day!