I love hosting, particularly family. (It is the reason we work so hard on our home – to make it comfortable for entertaining.) Planning the Christmas menus and meals is particularly fun for me.
But it is also it’s a lot of work. The key, I feel, is to be prepared.
We have hosted a couple of times before, and over time I have come up with some recipes and menus that seem to work well for us. These walk the line between decadent and celebratory, without being over the line in preparation.
Table of Contents
My Quick Tips for Hosting Christmas Meals
- Allow people to help!
- Write down the menu, print out the recipes, and leave them out on the counter.
- Consider meal preparations that can also be a bonding experience for guests.
- Honor your traditions.
- Make food you like.
- Keep the table decorations really, really simple.
Utensils, Serving Dishes, Linens, Table Decorations
To serve and prepare: Oven-safe casserole dishes, a nice punch bowl, charcuterie serving board, wine decanter, bread machine, mixing/serving bowls of various sizes
For festive fun: punch glasses from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, a beautiful Christmas tablecloth, flameless candles, linen napkins, festive napkin rings, holiday apron
Menus and Meal Planning for Christmas Eve, Christmas Breakfast, and Christmas Dinner
Christmas Eve Meal and Menu
Pre-church:Â hors-d’oeuvres
Heavy on the brie here, I say! Either a baked brie wheel, these baked cranberry brie bites, or just warmed brie cheese with a nice pepper jelly on top.
Dinner:Â Traditional Polish meal
Drink:Â Old-fashioned cocktail
My mom’s grandfather and grandmother arrived in the U.S. from Poland and we honor their tradition on Christmas Eve. We hand-crimp Pierogies with various fillings (believe it not, the sauerkraut ones are the best). Tasty Colours has a wonderful article about what to expect at a traditional Polish meal. We do stuffed cabbage and pierogi.
I add a side salad, something with clementines and walnuts, to add a fresh element to the table.
Christmas Morning/Breakfast Meal and Menu
First breakfast: Fresh bread slices
Drink: Coffee
We wake up in the morning to fresh bread, a large loaf that was programmed to run in the bread machine the night before. Big pieces of warm bread slathered with butter and honey, accompanied by hot coffee, get us through the first round of gift opening.
Second breakfast: Casseroles
Drink: Mimosas
Around 10:00 we take a break and enjoy breakfast casseroles. If my sister-in-law is celebrating with us, we eat her family favorite which involves Corn Flakes. Making it the night before is a wonderful time-saver on Christmas morning.
And while there aren’t many takers, usually, we do have stuff on hand for mimosas. It is, after all, a holiday!
(Clearly, we all need a nap after this. So we skip lunch and do some quiet time.)
Christmas Dinner Meal and Menu
Heavy hors-d’oeuvres
Drink: Martha Stewart’s Christmas punch
Around 3:00 we will start preparing heavy hors-d’oeuvres for folks to eat. Favorites include a simple cheeseboard with meats and olives; spinach and artichoke dip; easy pesto pinwheels.
We put out a Christmas punch for those who wish to enjoy it. So far, our favorite recipe is the one above as it is light.
Dinner: Beef tenderloin
This is such a luxurious treat. We are over turkey at this time of year, so we opt for a special purchase we would never buy normally. This recipe from All Recipes works, but keep it simple. A good tenderloin will speak for itself.
Side dish: Roasted Brussels sprouts
I keep this simple, based on my meal planning knowledge, with olive oil, Balsamic, and sea salt.
Side dish: Caramelized onion potatoes
Licking the Plate has a wonderful recipe for a caramelized potato gratin.
Drink: Wine
We sit for a large dinner around 6:00 or 7:00.
After the kitchen is all cleaned up, the children usually go to bed (tired after a busy couple of days) then the adults gather around a classic Christmas movie (the preferences are White Christmas or A Christmas Story) with a glass of eggnog.
We love family traditions, snuggling in, and enjoying each other’s company, aided by good food and beverage.
We’d love to know your favorite recipes and menu ideas, so send them to us! And Happy Holidays.