Food for Christmas Eve

When I was a kid we used to do big meals for both, like roasts and hams and things, but last year I hosted Christmas Eve and just didn't have it in me to do a huge meal, not to mention that it was a major blizzard! So I made chili and cornbread and some Christmas cookies and set out the whole spread and everyone loved it. We played games, watched movies and drank wine...it was a great night!

Traditionally, this is what my family has done....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Seven_Fishes

we have tamales, rice, beans, salads, all which can be made ahead of time and re-heated.

We do prime rib for xmas...

as far as xmas eve... we have our big family party then, so it is usually crock pot items, ham slices, keilbasa with kraut, meatballs, perogies... all made ahead of time and kept in crock pots to keep warm. Throw a deli tray and cheese with rolls for sammies, and condiments and a pickle tray... wallah, your done!

my immediate family does a turkey dinner and huge breakfast (quiches bisquits and gavy home made cheese danishes...mmmmm) and christmas day. christmas eve we all get together at my grandparents and do appetizers and deli trays. I make crab ragoon and mini quiches. others bring cheese balls, veggie trays, taco dip, chicken wings, cookies, home made candies, meatballs, ect. its delicious, and that way since we all arrive at different times (due to where when and if the person goes to christmas mass) we don't have to eat at once...oh oh I forgot the best thing, my grandpa's egg nog

we do more of a cocktail party on Christmas Eve. Lots of bite size nibbles and deserts, chex mix, stuffed jalapenoes, tortilla pinwheels, bite sized cookies and pastries, summer sausage, cheese, and crackers, little smokies, bowls of nuts here and there. Everybody brings an appetizer or desert. No sit down anything, just egg nog and a small plate of nibbles so we can graze all night. We usually play Pictionary or Scattegories or some kind of fun game with the grown ups. Kids get to open gifts from extended family, so they go in another room and play with new stuff.
Some of what I do to save time and money is to use stuff for the sit down dinner to double duty for that night. For instance, I use some of the stuffing for the turkey and make stuffed mushrooms - just stuff the caps, sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese or bread crumbs and bake on high heat till they start to soften just a little bit. I fill premade tartletts with some of the candied yams or sweetpoatoes and top with marshmellows and bake. My moms fave for the kids is to fill celery sticks with peanut butter. I get an oblong tray and spread sliced cheese and sausage down the middle and good crackers down both sides, cover with plastic wrap until you need it. I put that near a bowl of differant green and black olives. I also put a bowl of vanilla yogurt in the middle of a plate and pile cut up fruit around it. Yogurt is much cheaper than fruit dip - you can add a touch of honey to make it more special. I usually make a tray of devilled eggs. Lots and lots of differant kids of cookies, bars, mini cheesecake bites. Everybody likes peppermint bark - its so pretty and you can make extra to give as a gift. Also, I make puppy chow and chocolate covered pretzels.
I watch a lot of food network and they always have good ideas, so, its differant every year, but always fun.
you can get peppermint bark and puppy chow recipes from allrecipes.com have fun.

Christmas we have the big dinner like your family. On Christmas eve we are more casual and make homemade pizzas, it's a great way to get the kids invloved. They love rolling out the dough, spreading sauce and cheese and helping to pick their own toppings.

Hi!

We have lasagna. I also make meatballs and sausage. That is always easy to make ahead of time and just pop in the oven when you get back from church.

All the best to you!

Christmas Eve is always take-out Chinese food!

Christmas Dinner is always Prime Rib, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Beans w/Bacon and don't forget the Horseradish!

Christmas is also my oldest nephew's Birthday, so he gets to pick something special to go along with dinner and he ALWAYS picks crab....then we eat Birthday cake!

We usually do Prime Rib or steaks on the grill. Sometimes we've done fancy, sometimes casual. I agree with what someone else said-- start your own tradition! :-)

We always do warm turkey sandwiches, potato salad, chips, etc.

Since we have a big dinner for Chrismtas...we just have finger foods Christmas Eve. ex. stuffed eggs, nachos, lil smokes/or meatballs, maybe pizza/hot wings. Maybe chilidogs or hamburgers.

growing up we went to my grandparents on christmas eve. my g-ma would always make a huge pot of chili & a huge pot of stew then we would have salads, sides & desserts that everyone would bring.

Its always a tradition in my family to get together a few weeks before christmas and make tamales to serve on Christmas Eve. Looooove homemade tamales!! Then serve all the sides: Big pot of pinto beans cornbread, rice chips/salsa etc... But like someone suggested start your own tradition!

You could do a ton of little finger foods and dips... think a "heavy hors d'oevres" party. Have everyone bring something so that it doesn't become burdensome.

The nice thing with this kind of party is that you don't have to set the table, just put everything out and let people chat and mingle! Check out Real Simple this month and last for really great and easy ideas. Also check out the freezer section!

Check out some of my great recipe ideas for the Holidays. I should be posting some wonderful Christmas dishes here soon. If you need any Thanksgiving ideas for now you can see some non-traditional recipes at

http://www.ittakesavillagedallas.com/It_takes_a_village/M...

VillageMom
www.ittakesavillagedallas.com

E.,
My parents go divorced when i was very young, therefore my mother tried all kinds of things to help keep the holidays special. One of my favorites was always Christmas Eve. SHe did not make any huge elaborate meal (considering that we had the HUGE meal on Christmas Day). She would prepare 'party trays'. For instance, she would do one tray full of fresh veggies and veggie dips, another tray of yummy lunch meat rolled up pretty, different cheeses or cheese balls, and different pretty crackers. If she was really feeling specail she would get some sort of dessert mixture (such has the little pettifore cakes and cookies) and make a tray of that as well. We also would have a couple of types of chips and dips...it was never a ridiculous amount of food but it was a GREAT variety of yummy goodies. Also, the one thing that will ALWAYS be a tradition is she would make our holiday punch. (very simple.....ginger ale and green sherbet. It is cheap, easy, and yummy.... but it was always the ONE THING we looked forward to the most. Hope this helps. If you are going to church that evening this is a REALLY good idea for you to use, since you can prepare everything that moring and just cover it and put it in the fridge. Happy Holidays!

It is tradition in our family to have all the fun finger or party foods. I usually make up a pot of some sort of soup and have chips/dips and all those fun finger foods that they have at Sam's or Costco. We also have lots of sweets out too (it's Christmas!!)

My favorites are chicken enchilada soup with the fixins, cream cheese w/picante rolled into a tortilla and sliced into bitesized pieces, Rotel cheese dip and teriaki chicken skewers (got at Costco).

Just start your own tradition. My family always did clam chowder on Christmas eve (we went down to the wharf and picked it up). My husband's family does prime rib (yuck). My sister's family does ravioli's.

Christmas Eve was always at my gramma's house and everyone just stopped by. My friends, my sisters' friends, friends of the family, neighbors, family, everyone just showed up and stayed as briefly or as long as they wanted. So we didn't do a "sit down" meal. It was pretty much a given that once people left for midnight mass the night had come to a close.

There were always plenty of Gramma's cookies. She makes the best! She also made her cheeseball every year. Everything was just finger foods, dips, and spreads. Usually there was also some holiday spirits. I know that she does a much toned down version still. My sisters, my cousins, and I have all moved away, but she still carries on the tradition with my parents, aunt, and a neighbor or 2.

Now that I live here with no family but my own 2 daughters, I carry on a miniaturized version. I still have Gramma's cookies because she bakes them and sends them to us in our Christmas package. I also make brie with fruits and toasted bread.

We have always had chili and cornbread, and have added tamales to that mix for the last few years!