What are you making for Christmas Eve Dinner?

[Ali]

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.

Do you do the hot oil fondue like we do? We have ham, shrimp, filet mignon chunks to skewer and cook.

 

[Colleen27]

Christmas Eve we go to my inlaws, so I'm not cooking.

Christmas Day, I do brunch and appetizers/finger foods rather than a full dinner. We'll have kielbasa and baked cinnamon french toast for the breakfast part of things, then a deli tray, veggies and dip, pita and hummus, spinach dip in a pumpernickel bread boule, cranberry meatballs, cocktail shrimp, and whatever else catches my eye between now and then. I have a crab dip recipe I'd like to try, and if I can find decent scallops without spending a fortune I'll probably do bacon wrapped scallops.

 

[mbf]

We also do a traditional beef fondue with oil!

We also have French Onion Soup, steamed clams, shrimp cocktail, a couple of lobsters to share, and gingerbread with whipped cream for dessert. I usually do a fresh fruit salad as well but this year I won a $50 GC to Edible Arrangements at a Taste of Home show so I will surprise the family with that.

After dinner, we will go to FIL's for some presents and to eat more food (appetizers mainly). Home with DS around 10-11 (DH and the DD's will stay at FIL's for awhile longer).

 

[drinkme]

I will make some traditional polish recipes. Along with butternut squash, and lots of veggie dishes (vegetarians in the family.) I don't have my final menu yet.
I'm also cooking a big Christmas dinner. My family helps me cook. I haven't gotten my Christmas dinner menu started yet. Probably ham and a roast??? not sure.

 

[si-am]

Another fondue family here! It has been a tradition since I was a kid. We use oil with skewered steak and breaded cheese cubes. For sides, we have random snacky stuff like smoked oysters, Hickory Farms cheese/crackers, chips and dip, etc. and green bean casserole! It's strange, I guess, but fun for Christmas Eve.

Very different from what we eat the rest of the year!

 

[chellt]

I love reading about everyone's traditions. Such a diverse world we live in!
Christmas Eve day we gather all the kids at my parents and we make cookies for Santa, chocolate covered cherries and puppy chow.
That night after church, their parents join us and we have homemade tamales (that I get from a mom at my school) and rotel dip. The kids get to open their stockings at my parents.
Christmas afternoon, we get together again and the kiddos open gifts from me and my parents. For dinner we have potluck of ham, chicken and dressing and pea salad, Mac n cheese and broccoli & rice. Same thing every year!!! Wouldn't change a thing... Except this year I get to add a kiddo of my own! He is soooo excited!

 

[skysmom99]

My family has always done homemade pizza on Christmas Eve. Our Christmas Day dinner is a buffet with cold shrimp, ham, scalloped potatoes, a veggie tray, and a cheese tray. It is easy and there is something for everyone without tons of time in the kitchen.

 

[crisi]

We'll go to my mother's for Christmas Eve - she usually does prime rib, but there will only be the five of us this year, so maybe she'll do something smaller.

They'll come over Christmas day (my mother in law will be in California, my one sister and her family in Hawaii and my other sister will be with her inlaws five hours away), and I'm thinking lamb. But very likely, it will be leftover prime rib Lamb is probably too rich on the heels of prime rib (but I may have to do lamb sometimes soon).

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Pizza, crockpot meatballs with yellow mustard and grape jam.

Cookies

 

[NOLA_Tink]

BIL is making gumbo & baked ham, MIL is making potato salad and fudge, FIL is bringing a dip and veggie side dish, and we're bringing french bread & a praline-filled king cake with green & red icing. Christmas day has a more Italian & Cajun theme for us b/c we spend the day with my Italian & Cajun family members. We'll have shrimp-stuffed mirliton, oyster dressing, baked pastas, & such. (Our funny Christmas breakfast tradition is fruit salad. My grandmother has made it for as long as I can remember & it's a nice healthy treat before you start stuffing yourself with the other delicacies.) I can't wait!

 

[stargazer2892]

I haven't got the slightest clue for Christmas eve dinner. We will have a new born and a 22 month old so probably something easy, I don't think DH has to work (yay restaurants!) but he may have to in that case I will probably feed DS whatever we have and eat once DH gets home at 11. The only thing I do know we will do is go out looking at lights (hopefully DD will sleep).Growing up we never had a "normal" Christmas eve as I would fly back from visiting my biological father so my parents and sister would end up driving the 2 hours to the air port and 2 back and they where always later flights so we wouldn't get home until midnight or later anyway.
For Christmas dinner all pressure is off as we are going to my parents who have sandwiches, apps, and all sorts of stuff set out.

 

[crisi]

I haven't got the slightest clue for Christmas eve dinner. We will have a new born and a 22 month old so probably something easy, I don't think DH has to work (yay restaurants!) but he may have to in that case I will probably feed DS whatever we have and eat once DH gets home at 11. The only thing I do know we will do is go out looking at lights (hopefully DD will sleep).Growing up we never had a "normal" Christmas eve as I would fly back from visiting my biological father so my parents and sister would end up driving the 2 hours to the air port and 2 back and they where always later flights so we wouldn't get home until midnight or later anyway.
For Christmas dinner all pressure is off as we are going to my parents who have sandwiches, apps, and all sorts of stuff set out.

When my kids were that age we got a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings from the grocery store and just warmed it up. It was pretty darn good. This is the one that is local that I used - http://www.lundsandbyerlys.com/Holiday-Dinners.aspx

A lot of fancy traditional holiday dinners (prime rib, turkey, ham) are actually really easy to get on the table. You make some potatoes a day in advance (or get them from the deli) and pop the meat in the oven for a few hours. Get some green beans from the deli, open a bottle of wine (if that floats your boat), and viola - holiday dinner. My mother always said "Thanksgiving dinner is the easiest - you know what the menu is, and none of it is HARD to make." (Frankly, Thanksgiving dinner is harder than Christmas, stuffing is sort of diddly and the pie thing, but our traditional Christmas is a roast, a salad (which can come from a bag) and baked potatoes with Christmas cookies for dessert.)

However, there is nothing wrong with Chinese, restaurant meals, frozen pizza, or nachos if that is what you want and like.

 

[FINFAN]

snow crab, at least 6 pounds.

 

[Alexle2007]

Hopefully nothing since I have to cook on Christmas Day. So it will probably be the Chinese buffet.

 

[mcbj]

Christmas Eve is at my MILs, I think she is having pulled pork, we are hosting Christmas and this year it's Le Cellier's beer cheese soup, got the recipe from Disney Blog a couple years ago, it's pretty close, then Veal Marsala and Tortellini with a butter sauce, can't wait for that meal!

 

[lovesmurfs]

snow crab, at least 6 pounds.

Now, that's worth staying home for! I may have to do that!

 

[usnuzuloose]

Since we will be going to someone's home for Christmas dinner, I think I will get Chinese food. It has been a crazy November and December this year.

 

[purpledisneyprncess]

We keep tradition and make shrimp scampi for dinner before church. My mom makes a ham too so after church when we are hungry we have ham sandwiches and homemade potato salad. For desserts we have differ kinds of Christmas cookies and treats. Christmas Day we have a lasagna and salad with dinner rolls.

 

[lakelandgal70]

Thankfully nothing! lol Going to MK and eating at Liberty Tree!! No muss, no fuss, no family drama

 

[Dax]

Nothing...for the first time ever, I am working on Christmas eve. We were hoping to start some new traditions with DD, but it will have to wait till next year..