Christmas Eve/Day Dinner

[lpstong]

Does anyone have Christmas Eve/Day Dinner? I know with my family we have Chrismas Eve Dinner. We have prime rib, yorkshire pudding and all the cakes, pies, cookies, fudge, candies and so on. My mother cooks the main dish and homemade cranberry sauce. And my sisters and I take all the side dishes and deserts. The grandchildren help with the deserts such as the christmas cookies, fudge and peanut brittle.

So if you have Christmas Eve/Day Dinner, what do you have? And do you do it all by yourself or do you have people helping you?

[sheepsnot]

Generally, we do have Christmas dinner at home or with friends. Last year our closest friends were recovering from surgery so we went out to eat. There were easily 100 people in front of us in line! Then, a gentleman comes back and escorts us to the front. We were looking around for TV cameras or an angel or something, but he explained that all 100 or so folks were in a group and was just letting us go first. Whoo hoo! I don't recommend eating out over the homecooked version, but perhaps that's because I don't do the cooking. I like the Yorkshire pudding idea. Sounds lovely. (You didn't mention eggnog, but I assume that was just an oversight.) 8)

[elfworks]

i eat festively from thanksgiving to new years and for the most part i do all the cooking. my mother comes over during her xmas break and we usually have some friends over xmas day for dinner which i guess is really the most formal meal i do, but even then....

so many parties, so much food, who can keep it all smushed into a 24 hr period!!??!!


however, now that my sister has moved to texas and i have moved to dallas, i am guessing it might be different this year.

xo

[AuntieMistletoeDear]

:) Dat you, Christmas Dinner? :D

:-) Our Christmas dinner was always a mouth-watering-experience, consisting of a spread of vegetables and baked or fried fruits or ambrosia along with the turkey and homemade gravy. The homemade stuffing was delicious, and real mashed potatoes drowned in creamy butter topped it off. Don't forget the corn! Once my mother forgot; never again.
Dessert was always homemade apple pie with whipped cream or a slice of cheddar cheese and the choice of pumpkin pie or a sliver of each.

Somehow the entire family squeezed chairs around a huge table in the tiny dining room because it was absolutely necessary for everyone to sit at the same table, of course the children had their own table for several years as there were so many people gathered around.

I have a vegetarian brother who has inspired several new vegie dishes and the added option of fish for Christmas - yum. I'm not a fan of ham, my mom makes that for Boxing Day now so I can have left over Turkey if I prefer.

My husband makes a rather nice stuffing and twice we have cooked our own Christmas Dinners because one year my parents were out of town and the other time, we were away and there was ham for dinner so I insisted we cook a turkey dinner when we came home.

On Christmas Eve, I bring over my famous dips to snack with and my mom and dad team up to serve up a variety of tasty buffet snacks and wraps to the thirty or more people who pass through for the evening.

In many ways Christmas Dinner is the same as our Thanksgiving Dinner, but with more people stopping by and Christmas music playing in the background.

[digbugsgirl]

Our Christmas dinners are traditionally just like Thanksgiving dinners. Turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole....we do, however, add a ham for Christmas.

Christmas Eve is usually the same, too. We eat with my in-laws then. That side of the family always has oyster casserole.

For Christmas morning breakfast, will we be having oyster stew and biscuits for DH and sweet rolls for me.

This year Christmas dinner might just be me and DH, because I don't want to travel anywhere. Inlaws are right next door, however, and they might insist that we eat with them. Not sure yet.

Brandy

[Twinkle]

In years past when I lived in Md., all the kids visited us on Christmas Eve and this was our grand celebration. We had turkey and all the trimmings, with background Christmas music playing all the while. So much fun watching all the kids opening their gifts. Great memories and love to re-think them. Today it is very different. We live in Florida now and mostly have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner with Sonny's Mom and cousins who visit yearly from Pa. Christmas Eve dinner is spent at DMIL's with Sonny's family visiting. Christmas day is the same. It is wonderful but do miss those Christmas Eve's with all the children visiting and partaking of the wonderful Turkey dinner I prepared for them.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a289/Lizilu2/christmas-scene.jpg

[sheepsnot]

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a289/Lizilu2/christmas-scene.jpg Oh, Twinkle, this is my favorite Christmas wallpaper of all time. Every year I spend a lot of time just looking at it (especially the version where the lights twinkle) and thinking what that world was like.

[HolyNight7]

I never really had a Christmas Eve dinner. As a child the one thing that stood out was going to church on Christmas Eve. I always looked forward to seeing the church decorated and singing Christmas Carols. I liked going to Mid Night mass cause I was always to pumped to sleep. Now that I am older and have used my gift of musicianship in the church, I'vd had the pleasure of leading people in Christmas Carols at church on Christmas Eve. 8-)

[AuntieMistletoeDear]

Wow! If I could sing in the Christmas Eve Choir (and sound like I should be singing in the Choir), I might give up Turkey Dinner for that.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y273/AuntieMistletoe/choirXmas.gif Sounds perfect, HolyNight7!

[ReineV]

We do both in my family. My parents are divorced, but we all still spend holidays together, so we usually have Christmas Eve dinner at my aunt or my dad's house. Christmas eve dinner is comprised of something simple like spaghetti, nachos or tacos. Last year, we had a "Feliz Navidad" celebration and cooked all Mexican dishes and ate that Christmas eve at my aunts house. We watched Christmas movies and baked cookies afterwards. This year my sister wants us to order out Chinese food! I don't know why. :P Christmas day dinner is usually/traditionally at my mothers house and that's where we have the traditional holiday dinner. The turkey, ham, collard greens, mac&cheese casserole, green bean casserole, yams, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy...I should stop before I start drooling on my keyboard!

[Ervserver]

Usually a big Christmas day dinner, lots of years we had goose but a few years ago I ordered a smoked ham from this place in Virginia, was very yum. SO now we have ham. Lots of baked goodies. Christmas Eve varies year to year, a pizza place here makes snowman shaped pies so maybe go for that this year.

[Christy Carol]

I have the best of both worlds on Christmas. Normally we go to Tom's side of the family for early lunch where we have the traditional Thanksgiving type feast. But later that afternoon when we get to my parents we have roast beef, mashed tators, mac and cheese, corn, yeast rolls etc. My dad is normally so burnt out on turkey he is ready for some beef (a real treat for him since he has heart issues and can't eat beef except on special occassions). I love my mom's roast and will pig on this until we head back home.

Oh, and I almost forgot the best part. She makes me an Amaretto Cheesecake...YUMMY!!!!

[Ervserver]

That's my kind of eatin :???:

[sheepsnot]

I'm gonna have my own zipcode my New Years, I can tell.

[Ervserver]

Yes I'm one pumpkin pie away from having to ride those electric chairs at the department store. Could come inhandy on BLACK FRIDAY ! varooooommm

[sheepsnot]

Cock you head to one side and drool a little and folks will get right out of your way.

[Ervserver]

might get thru the checkout faster too.

:-)

[ChristmasFanatic]

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day traditions have changed slightly over the years. Before my Mom and her sister began having so many grandkids, we all used to get together one year at my Aunt's and the next year at Mom's on Christmas Eve. Last year, we had it here at the apartment and it was really simple, but nice. Think we may do the Christmas Eve at our place, again, this year.

Christmas Day, we head to my Mom and step-Dad's and enjoy a hearty breakfast. A little later in the morning, we head to Dad's for gift exchange and snacks and back to Mom's for a dinner of wonderful proprotions! Ham, turkey, mashed taters, gravy, veggies, fruit salad, sweet breads, dinner rolls, sweet potato casserole, pies, cookies and various other yummies! :smile:

[mrshamm]

We have a HUGE dinner at all of the parties we go to (6 total) Needless to say, we wnd up gaining around 10 lbs by the end of the season.

[marekkane]

We rotate which house has Christmas Day dinner (Christmas eve is just lots of finger foods and people stopping by all night), and whomever did Thanksgiving doesn't do Christmas. I think this year it's at my Nana's house, so she'll decorate (like MAD - her decorations go on biyearly rotations she has so many) and do some of the side dishes, while my mum will bring the turkey, and other relatives will bring other things.

Usually on the list: turkey, ham, mashed potatos, peas, squash, sweet potatos, homemade dinner rolls, and then four different pies for dessert. Raspberry, Apple, Pumpkin, and Mistletoe Pie.

After that my brothers usually pass out on the couch from overeating, sis and I hide in the basement watching Christmas Vacation, and the ladies of the family clean up in the kitchen and gossip about people.

That's my mum's family (parents are divorced). Dad's family is a *whole* different ballgame, and it's usually celebrated on the 28th or so. They're from the caribbean, so our Christmas is slightly rum flavoured, and usually ends up with the men outside shoveling snow in their boxers (pictures to send home to the island you see), and the women locking them out of the house. And lots of laughter. Whomever did the most boneheaded thing that year is the centre of teasing, but anyone is fair game at this reunion. The food there is barbequed curry turkey, which is sometimes replaced by KFC if my aunt has been cooking. Mash potatoes, veggies, and stepmum's 'baking' - buying cookies, candies, and snack cakes from Zellers. The night is usually rounded off with drunken singing of Christmas carols.

Good times.

[Christy Carol]

might get thru the checkout faster too.

:-)

Hey, I had an old man at Wal-Mart on one of those things and he HONKED at me to get out of his way. Now I don't mean with a horn on his scooter, he actually said HOOOONK!!

He had this mean look on his face so I got my rear out of his way.

[Ervserver]

hmmm we may have to start carrying one of those spike strips like the police have. That would fix him.

8-)