by Todd Pheifer

Created on: December 08, 2008   Last Updated: May 05, 2010

The menu for Christmas eve is often dictated by the traditions that surround the overall Christmas holiday. For some, Christmas eve is when most of the presents are opened, so that time slot may represent the focal point of the season. Other people open gifts on Christmas morning, and then have a large Christmas day feast at lunch or dinner time. In some cultures and traditions, feasting occurs on Christmas eve and continues on well past midnight, with perhaps a break for a traditional church service. Therefore, people must gauge preparation time, as well as how heavy eating will affect other activities.

Take-out

Some people stick with take-out food on Christmas eve. This might not seem terribly festive, but it can be a way to have a little break before the rigorous preparation times of Christmas morning. Chinese food may be popular, as it is something that can be easily shared with a lot of people and includes a wide variety of choices. My wife's family has a tradition on Christmas eve day that includes food, but also activities. The family makes a large quantity of brown-bag lunches in the morning and then spends the afternoon distributing them to homeless people in the downtown area of the city. After returning home, the family gets take-out fried chicken and then gathers around the tree to open presents. Again, it is less about the cuisine and more about the tradition surrounding it.

Snacks

Other people may find that Christmas eve is a good time to eat appetizers or fun snacks. If activities are planned late into the evening, people may be more in the mood to "nibble" on things rather than sitting down for a large meal. Things like hot dips, stuffed mushrooms, vegetables, crackers, soups, and small desserts can be perfect for this sort of setting. Again, the festive nature of the setting may make it more "fun" to do unique things or to purchase specialty foods that are suitable for "once-a-year" situations like Christmas eve. Specialty supermarkets such as Trader Joe's or warehouse stores such as Costco or Sam's Club may provide these types of items to be shared during the holidays. If people want to do something more substantial but don't want to do a lot of preparation, they might think about a ham from a place like Honeybaked Hams. These are tasty entrees that can be served cold and are pre-sliced for easy presentation.

Keep it light and simple

Overall, Christmas eve is often a time that should be kept simple for the sake of the overall holiday season. Some people do enjoy the complexity of meal preparation and those that feast heavily on Christmas eve may feel compelled to put out a good "spread." However, people should not be afraid to scale back on preparation time and complexity in order to salvage some amount of sanity. The holiday season is a wonderful time for many people, but it can also be very draining if people work too hard at the details. Enjoy the season!

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