What are you making for Christmas Eve Dinner?

[GS for life]

We eat at my sisters, but we have a traditional Slovak dinner. We do not eat meat on Christmas Eve, but after midnight, it's on with kielbasa and ham . We start with wafers, bean soup, and salad. Our main meal is fish, mashed potatoes, pierogies, green beans & mushrooms, and cauliflower. I am in charge of the bean soup and fish. My sister does everything else except the salad and green beans. I absolutely love our family tradition and hope my kids pass it along as they get older.

Same here. We do the mushroom soup, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and pierogies. I think that the other traditional dishes fell off the menu years ago. We did holy supper at church last year with a wide range of Slovak items. No meat until Christmas. BTW, I am Byzantine Catholic, so we have lots of old traditions.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Robinrs]

We have a buffet at my Mom's house. There will be tons of appetizers, then for the 'main course' there will be rolls and cold cuts, spiral ham, macaroni and cheese (which I will bring...it's a decadent homemade mac & cheese with about 5 or6 types of cheese in it...a far cry from Kraft or Velveeta), lasagna, swedish meatballs, salad, veggies, some other things depending on what people want to bring (and who comes), and tons of deserts, cookies, pies, cakes, etc.

I'll be bringing some kind of appetizer, the macaroni and cheese, and some deserts.

Yummmmeeee!!! Now that's MY kind of Christmas eve~

 

[scrapquitler]

Yummmmeeee!!! Now that's MY kind of Christmas eve~

Yep. I love it. There will also be wine, eggnog, various cocktails and irish coffee.

 

[squirrel]

Appetizers!

I make a few different things-cheese sticks, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, and croissants with a hotdog inside for my niece -the rest of them are plain.

My mom brings Cornish pasties and some dessert items.

I think one sister makes chicken wings. There is always plenty of food.

We open our gifts to each other after dinner. When we were little we were only allowed to open one gift on Christmas Eve and it was new pajamas. I have taken that over now and make new pajamas for my nieces and nephew each year.

 

[Graciesmom77]

This year we are going to have a bunch of appetizers and graze all day. I think in the afternoon I will have a meat and cheese tray so we can make sandwiches. Nothing fancy but I am sure it will be yummy. 2 years ago we lost my mom and we always spent Christmas Eve with her. It's taking some time to come up with some new things we can do and be ok with on Christmas Eve.

 

[kiramay]

I'm having my husband's extended family over for Christmas Eve this year. Little nerve wracking...

Assorted appetizers from Sam's Club
Honey baked ham, precooked- Heat
Mashed potatoes, make the day before- Heat
Corn casserole- 4 ingredients, Cook
Steamed broccoli or asparagus - cook
Rolls- heat
Homemade cheesecake- made in advance
Cookies- store bought dough, made at home
Champagne cocktails to start, followed by red and white wines.

My plan is to have everything ready early so I don't freak out.

 

[Bancroft]

kinda pie

 

[worm761]

My family's tradition is sloppy Joe sandwiches w/ Ballreich potato chips. I don't live near home anymore so I have to order the potato chips. They were shipped yesterday! The are also my Dad's favorite chips so we buy him a bag at Christmas every year.

The sloppy Joe comes from going to church for midnight mass on Christmas eve. After church everyone would go to my aunt's house. She always had sloppy Joe in a crock pot for everyone to eat. I think I am the only one left that still does this in my family. But it is tradition and traditions are important to me.

 

[epsmith921]

Porterhouse steaks!! Made Christmas Eve dinner last year, just two steaks for us two adults, and dinner was done in 30 minutes. He's requesting it again this year. They were delicious.

 

[DebMcDonald]

Our traditional fondue. Have been doing it since I was a kid - it's probably my favorite meal of the year, a very slow and drawn out meal, add a little alcohol and it's just a very fun family filled evening.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We go out for dinner each Christmas Eve. Same little family-run, non-chain restaurant that we have gone to now for years, owned for 50+ years by the same fellow. We take my mom with us, since she is alone (my father passed away in 2010). DH will have steak and battered mushrooms. I will have breaded pork tenderloin. Mom will have fish and chips with her coveted rice pudding (blech!). DS will order battered cheese balls and chicken tenders. LOL, its the same every year.

After dinner, we go to church for the Christmas Eve service, then to the cemetary to visit my dad. After the cemetary, we have homemade treats and hot chocolate at mom's house before heading home.

Our Christmas Eve traditions mean more to me than any other part of the holidays.

 

[DizMe]

Since I have a lot of extended family to feed for 3 days, I've decided to have Mexican food this year. I'm going to order most of it and make it easier on myself since I tend to stress out with that much company for that long.

 

[Jake&IzzyLand]

My mom's side of the family and dad's side of the family did dinner entirely different. Dad's side did oyster stew and loads of shrimp and cocktail sauce, cold salads and veggie trays and Christmas cookies and candies. Mom's did a traditional prime rib dinner with pies for dessert. Now that I host, I mix it up or do appetizers and snacks only. Just depends on the time available year to year. I always make sure to have more than enough food and wine, I like to keep the party going! This year I plan on a honey baked ham, whiskey glazed carrots, squash casserole and roasted asparagus (the only thing that can't be done in advance) for dessert I have pumpkin and pecan pie and Christmas cookies. Love reading about the different traditions!

 

[OhioWDWDuo]

Italian tradition ~~ 7 fishes!

We do this too! Look forward to it all year!

 

[nikkistevej]

Ging to Texas Roadhouse with my family and my BFF's family- gonna do our gift exchange there.

 

[lovesmurfs]

We go out for dinner each Christmas Eve. Same little family-run, non-chain restaurant that we have gone to now for years, owned for 50+ years by the same fellow. We take my mom with us, since she is alone (my father passed away in 2010). DH will hDave steak and battered mushrooms. I will have breaded pork tenderloin. Mom will have fish and chips with her coveted rice pudding (blech!). DS will order battered cheese balls and chicken tenders. LOL, its the same every year.

After dinner, we go to church for the Christmas Eve service, then to the cemetary to visit my dad. After the cemetary, we have homemade treats and hot chocolate at mom's house before heading home.

Our Christmas Eve traditions mean more to me than any other part of the holidays.

This is very similar to ours -- the restaurant reminded me of the restaurant my grandfather had while we were growing up. But they closed down this year, and I'm at sixes and nines about what to do. DD14 wants appetizers, DH wants to go out, DS19 wants roast beef, and I just want to get to bed at a decent hour.

 

[scrapquitler]

This is very similar to ours -- the restaurant reminded me of the restaurant my grandfather had while we were growing up. But they closed down this year, and I'm at sixes and nines about what to do. DD14 wants appetizers, DH wants to go out, DS19 wants roast beef, and I just want to get to bed at a decent hour.

Everybody can get their way! Go out for brunch or lunch, have an early dinner with appetizers and roast beef, then call it a night early!

 

[wendow]

Believe it or not we order Chinese food. This started back when my husband and I first got together living in the dorms and it was either Chinese food or Chow Hall for dinner. After the first year we just kept doing. It is a running joke with many of our family members to this day. But hey a tradition is a tradition

We have Chinese, too!! Actually, I think last year we branched out and had Thai food. We have our celebrations on Xmas and Boxing Day (the day after xmas) so I take off Christmas eve.

Another family here who does Chinese on Christmas Eve We either eat in the restaurant or get it for take-out. We just play that by ear depending on the day and when we attend church service.

 

[irishsharon]

Yep. I love it. There will also be wine, eggnog, various cocktails and irish coffee.

Can I come

 

[mom2t]

Broiled in butter scallops, petite steaks wrapped in bacon with salad and the new mix at Walmart from Red Lobster to make their cheddar biscuits and for dessert peppermint ice cream.