Share your Christmas/holiday menu with us....

[mommy212]

This is our first year 'doing holdays' on our own. At my home we had a different food every year, but always special things we coudn't normally afford, like steak, crab, etc. I have no idea what to do this year! I am planning on making a few varieties of cookies spanning the season (some will go with my husband to work, soldiers love cookies!) but really have no idea what else to do. I would love to hear what everyone else is serving! My husband wants a huge sweets-fest all Christmas long, like pumpkin-cinnamon streudel pancakes for breakfast, pumpkin cheesecake, lots of cookies, hot cocoa etc but that doesn't sound do good to me- I think I'd at least want dinner!

[cristeen]

We had traditions for Xmas food growing up.  To this day, we still hold to at least some of them, even though we haven't celebrated the holiday in almost 10 years. 

Xmas Eve dinner was either chili or Texas style enchiladas (with a fried egg on top).  Grandpa was responsible for this meal.

Xmas breakfast was steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy.  This was a joint effort, as grandma would make the biscuits, grandpa the steak (nothing fancy, just round steaks, the kind that are tenderized at the butcher) and gravy and dad did the eggs.  Mom watched us kids (we weren't allowed to open presents until after breakfast).  There was usually a fruit of some kind on the table also, to round out the meal, although it was rarely eaten.  This was the "big" meal of the day, and eaten at brunch time.

Lunch was snacky stuff, cookies, chex mix, whatever was lying around, since most of us weren't terribly hungry for a meal.

Dinner was something simple, followed by grandma's pies.  I honestly can't remember what we ever had for Xmas dinner, that's how non-momentous it was. 

For "fancy" or "special" foods (crab, prime rib, etc.), we always have those on New Years Eve. 

But even when we no longer had the family together for the holiday, we still held to the Xmas breakfast tradition every year.  This year will be the first year we won't get to have it in my memory.

[Megan73]

The meal that I'm responsible for every year is Christmas Eve and I always make exactly the same thing because it's just nice to have a tradition and I love the leftovers!
I buy a big, bone in ham - which is great for the budget, too - and make scallopped potatoes (just sliced potatoes, nutmeg, salt and pepper and whipping cream), a green salad, sliced bread and an assortment of pickles and mustards. Dessert is cookies, shortbread, Christmas cake, a fruit platter and usually one big dessert - my favorite is a big New York-style cheesecake with a cranberry compote from Fine Cooking magazine.
I serve it buffet style because we can't seat everyone.

[kitchensqueen]

My husband is Norwegian, so I like to do Norwegian style food on Christmas day. While the pork rib roast is standard Scandinavian fare at Christmas, I usually do meatballs with dill sauce, mashed potatoes, ligonberries and bread stuffing. So a Norwegian-American version. 

[AnnieA]

Our Christmas meals depend on when the older kids are home. For years when we have them until Christmas Day at 1 PM, I make a special Christmas Eve dinner that we eat before we go to Mass. In the past, I've made this special casserole that the kids love along with mashed potatoes, lima beans and a fruit. For Christmas morning breakfast I make monkey bread and sometimes breakfast burritos. For years when we get the kids on Christmas Day at 1 PM, I've done a variety. Sometimes I make a couple of different soups because I know they've already eaten a bunch at their mom's house earlier so they don't want anything too heavy. One year DH asked me to make a ham so I did that and had other things to nibble on. This is one of the years when they will come at 1 PM so I need to figure out what I'm going to make! Oh and there are always cookies, brownies, red velvet cake and the matriarch's famous cheese ball!

[catnip]

We used to do ham or turkey, mashed potatoes, cheesy mayonaise sauced cauliflower, ambrosia salad, dinner rolls, etc. most years when I was a kid. Over the last decade, as my generation has grown up, we started doing beef stroganoff. I make a lentil, nut and mushroom stroganoff for the vegan and vegetarian faction and we roast brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes on the side.

Last year for Christmas we had tamales, beans, guacamole, salsas, chips, a big salad, Mexican hot chocolate and fresh churros for dessert.

For the winter solstice, we almost always have lasagna or some other pasta dish.

[Alyantavid]

We've always had Christmas Eve dinner at my grandma's with clam chowder, veggie trays, rolls, crackers. etc.  The last few years, we've all pitched in so my grandma doesn't have to cook.  I'm not sure what I'll be responsible for this year.

Christmas morning, we do lox and bagels.

Christmas lunch is usually at my dad's and he does ham, mashed potatoes, rolls and green beans.

Christmas dinner is at our house and we always do prime rib.  This year we're having roasted green beans and brussel sprouts, rolls, twice baked potatoes and something for dessert.

[Storm Bride]

On Christmas morning, we have ham hash & eggs (what's normally called a "skillet" on most menus I see these days). It's very filling, although probably not super healthy, and has enough protein and fats to carry us for the day. The rest of the day, we pretty much snack on baked goods, candy (from stockings, and a few chocolates we have in the house) and oranges. Dinner is always at my mom's. The menu there (for approx. 20 people, about evenly split between adults, if we count the two oldest of the next generation, and kids) is as follows:

Turkey with stuffing (plain bread stuffing, with onion, celery, parsley and poultry seasoning - as a group, we don't like giblets, walnuts or fruit in our stuffing).

Glazed ham

Boiled turnip and carrot (this is traditionally mashed together, as I understand it, but mom doesn't like it that way)

Brussels sprouts

Roasted potatoes

Roasted sweet potatoes/yams (there are regional differences in which label is used for which tuber - we use the yellow ones, not the pink ones)

Potato casserole (potatoes mashed with cream cheese and sour cream, then baked)

Raw veggie tray

Pickles

Gravy

Cranberry sauce/jelly

Mom used to do plain mashed potatoes, but since I started bringing the potato casserole (it's an old recipe from dh's late grandmother), she doesn't always bother. My family loves potatoes, but we have lots on the table as it is.

Dessert is pineapple-whipped cream fluff (vanilla wafer crumb crust, egg/sugar/butter "custard" layer, whipped cream with drained crushed pineapple topping). We also do three bowls of Jell-O (red, green & yellow) with whipped cream, for those who don't like the pineapple thing.

[skreader]

My natal family does a big breakfast: grapefruit, scrambled eggs, bacon, and stollen + coffee for the adults

In my family now, we do our usual breakfast (very simple) + bacon as a special treat

Usually my husband and I make a Christmas dinner for friends and relatives here. It usually ends up  to be 12-20 people  (including kids).

Hors d'Oeuvres

• smoked salmon
• hummus
• cheese assortment
• crackers and bread
• Potato chips or tortillas for the kids

Dinner

• Turkey
• Stuffing
• Gravy
• Mashed potatoes
• Greens (broc or some other green + salad greens)

Desert

 - Traditionally one of our friends brings an ice-cream cake she buys at an ice-cream store

- Christmas cookies that are left from previous parties and occasions

For drinks we have juice & Vitasoy for the kids, wine for the adults (w/ champagne after supper)  + water, tea and coffee  on demand

[iowaorganic]

I  have been thinking a little about this....  I think for breakfast we are going to have egg casserole and cinnamon rolls (tradition from my family).  For a late dinner we will have roast duck (my kids all time favorite meal).  Probably mashed potatoes- but I might see if I can find the multicolored fingerling ones just for fun.  And probably corn as a veggie.  We have Chocolate birthday cake too for Christmas (this particular cake is their favorite and I only make it on birthdays...).  Some years I have done goose, prime rib, grilled steaks, windsor chops- but the kids really love duck and I have 2 in the freezer.

Supper will probably be light and snacky....  

[onlyzombiecat]

We don't have the same thing every year.

Christmas Eve-

General Tso's Chicken

Rice

Vegetables

Egg rolls

Crab Rangoon

Cupcakes

Cookies- We decorate cookies on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day-

Breakfast- bagel or cereal...whatever

Lunch- Minestrone

Dinner- Philly cheese steak sandwiches

We'll probably have fruit, veggies, cheese and crackers on hand for snacks.

[Chicky2]

Subbing because I haven't decided yet.  We have fresh uncured hams in the freezer.  I suppose I could cure and smoke one.  I already have the stuff for that.  I don't know.  I'm kind of leaning towards an Asian or Tex-Mex feast instead this year, though.  Or maybe several kinds of grilled fish w/lots and lots of sides...