Some Ideas for Planning Christmas Food

Some people have their Christmas menus already planned. Maybe they have a menu they use year after year or maybe they have pinned and researched and planned and are ready to go!

If you are still planning your Christmas food, here are some ideas to help you get your menu set in stone.

Traditional Meal
Many people will serve the “traditional” holiday meal – meat, gravy, veggies, bread, and other sides. Sometimes a Christmas meal can easily duplicate a Thanksgiving meal with a little bit of a twist. Consider switching out some dishes to have more variety. Switch the meat from turkey to roasted chicken, ham, or roast beef. Change some of the vegetables or prepare them differently. Shake things up a bit!

Finger Foods
When we go to my in-law’s house, we always have finger foods – appetizers, veggies, fruits, Christmas cookies, desserts… Anything you can eat easily with your fingers! This is a great way to serve food for Christmas, especially if you will be opening gifts for a good amount of time. This type of menu allows you to forego the hassle of setting a large place setting for dinner and creates a nice, relaxed atmosphere where people can unwrap gifts and enjoy each other’s company. I love it! Cranberry Salsa is very festive and fun!

Something Fun, Like Personal Pizzas or Fondue
For our own family celebration with my hubby and kids, I am thinking about doing personal pizzas for one of the meals. This type of meal gets everyone involved, and you can provide a myriad of toppings from which everyone can choose!

Special Foods that Take Longer to Prepare and/or You Don’t Eat Often
For holidays it can be nice to serve meals that you don’t get around to making often in your home because they take longer or cost more. Runsas (which I hope to post later this week), Chicken Italian (breaded chicken with a wine sauce, covered with cheese), Chicken Piccata, Chicken with Cream (fairly easy and festive looking), and Crescent Roll Pizza Ring are some good examples.

Plan a Theme Dinner
You could always plan a theme dinner: Italian, Mexican, Soups and Breads, Middle Eastern. It’s fun to be different.

There are a lot of options for Christmas food. Whatever you do, make sure you plan something you will enjoy and don’t overdo it.

The important part is to enjoy the people around you, count your blessings, and celebrate Jesus!