I’d like to say that our table always looked just like the one in the picture. Well Christmas day was usually pretty close, but Christmas Eve was ALWAYS much more casual. One of my earlier memories is of a very warm Christmas Day, a backed up sink/garbage disposal (I don’t think we ever had a holiday in that house where the garbage disposal didn’t have an issue of some sort) and then having to transport all the prepared food from my parent’s house to my grandparent’s house via my grandmother’s VERY RED (kind of like a Christmas sleigh) Chevy station wagon (remember those?) while my uncle and I sat in the back keeping the food from toppling over.
CHRISTMAS EVE – Served Buffet style since this was the night we did most of the present opening and the adults didn’t want to spend all their time in the kitchen – in later years we would have it catered (so to speak – they prepared the food, we picked it up and displayed it) from Rattler’s BBQ. We also began to use “FINE CHINA” as hubs calls it aka decorated paper plates, bowls and napkins.
- Sandwich makings – roast beef, ham, cheeses
- Potato Salad
- See’s Candy boxes
- Wintergreen ribbon candy
- Chocolate covered cherries
CHRISTMAS DAY – This is where we dug out the REAL fine china and crystal as well as the silver and cloth napkins. I loved setting the table for this meal. There were always enough people that we had a KID’S table too. When I was younger I hated the kid’s table – all the good stuff was sitting at the grown-up’s table!
- Roast Turkey, Baked Ham or Prime Rib
- Daddy’s Stuffing – now recreated from scratch to taste virtually the same as my Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing
- Mashed Potatoes ALWAYS from scratch – it was those potato peels that were one of the biggest garbage disposal problems
- Giblet Gravy
- Cranberry Sauce – my family always used Ocean Spray from a can but nowadays we make my homemade sauce ALWAYS (though our oldest prefers canned sauce LOL 😀 and if he’s here I but a can just for him) Cranberry Sauce
- Baked Ham – in later years it was always HONEYBAKED HAM and I loved making Split Pea soup with the left over ham bone.
- Glazed Carrots
- Green Bean Casserole (THEN) Brussels Sprouts Casserole (NOW) 😀
- Gran’s cranberry salad – she’d make two, one for mom and aunt Liz and one for everyone else.
- Rolls and butter
- Traditional pies like pumpkin, Cherry and as well as Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake.
- See’s Candies
When we go to my SIL’s family for Christmas (or any other big family get together) we do Hor’deouvres. The family is so big now that over the years we have found that if each person brings an hor’deouvre to feed 10+ people that we can make a HUGE feast. We just serve it buffet style (skipping the sit down meal) and mingle and play – it is ALWAYS the best time.
Here are a couple recipes that have been added to the MUST have during the holiday season pile over the years.
CINNAMON BUN CUPCAKES
HONEY ROSEMARY ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH
Here are a few of my FAVORITE RECIPE LINKS to make for a holiday crowd or for neighbor plates I make every year. They also make some pretty impressive foods and drinks for a buffet table.
