Christmas is a wonderful time filled with spirit, family, and joy. It is a time for families to come together and celebrate the magic of the season and their lives together. Needless to say, the most important part of Christmas day is the traditional Christmas Dinner. This is the focal point of the day and something that everyone really looks forward to. Cherished memories are made with every Christmas dinner you have so you want to make sure that you create a truly magical and beautiful meal for your family to enjoy. Here are some great tips to give that extra special touch to your Christmas dinner:
Ideas for the table
One of the easiest ways that you can create a special evening is by creating a beautiful ta
ble to serve your meal on. Here are some ideas that will instantly elevate the status of the meal that you are preparing:
- Choose a festively colored tablecloth
- Bring out your best crockery & cutlery
- Create a special centerpiece for your table. There are many different Christmas centerpiece ideas that you can pull from. One idea is to take the round, multi-colored ornaments that you hang on a Christmas tree and pile them up in a bowl at the center of the table. Alternatively, you could pile together some pine cones and holly sprigs for a more rustic centerpiece. You can create stunning centerpieces from pillar candles, or floating candles, or tea candles (put the candles on a mirror tile and you double the effect of your candle centerpiece!). Fruits & flowers together make a great centerpiece too. Tuck roses or any other seasonal flowers between green or red apples for a pretty Christmas dinner table centerpiece. With just a little creativity you can come up with a great centerpiece for your table
- Find a great set of napkins to accent your table and secure them with festive napkin rings that have a bit of sparkle to them. That will instantly jazz up your table
- You can give a personal touch by making place cards for each seat at the table. This will make your guests feel truly special
- Table placement is very important too. Since you will probably be joined by relatives, you will need a large dining table. If you don’t have one, then you can put two or three smaller tables together. It is always better to set a separate table for the children as well. You can buy gold rimmed paper plates for the kids
- You can use a color theme for the table if you want. Red and gold look wonderful together. So do royal blue and silver. If you don’t have a table cloth in the color you want, you can buy a remnant of material in the chosen color and make a small tablecloth. This can then be placed over the main white linen cloth, specially starched for the occasion. You can use napkins and floral arrangements in the same theme as well
Ideas for the Ambience
- Play soft Christmas music in the background
- Place lots of scented candles all over the house to gift that rich glow and sweet smell to the atmosphere
Ideas for the Menu
Some suggestions for the Starters/ Appetizers are:
- Waldorf /Caesar salad
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Salsa dip with tortilla chips
Some suggestions for Accompaniments are:
- Hot, crusty bread (you can place several different breads is a big bowl so everyone can choose something they like)
- Mashed/baked/roasted potatoes
- Vegetable tray (carrots, parsnips and sprouts peeled, sliced and cooked for ten minutes)
- Dinner rolls
- Gravy , cranberry sauce for the turkey
- Whipped/ double cream, custards etc for the desserts
Some suggestions for Drinks are:
- Egg Nog punch
- Cocktails
- Apple cider
- Wine/ Champagne
Some suggestions for the Main Course are:
- Stuffed Turkey/Duck/Chicken
- Roast beef
- Lasagna
- Mincemeat pies
- Pot roast
Some suggestions for Dessert are:
- Pumpkin pie/ pecan pie
- Apple crumble with ice-cream
- Strawberry/ blueberry cheesecake
- Baked apples
- Mousse
- Pudding
Post-Meal Ideas
- Round off dinner with coffee and chocolate mints
- Post-meal Christmas crackers are also an absolute must for a traditional Christmas dinner. A Christmas cracker is usually filled with a joke, a paper hat or a small trinket. Two guests take either end of the cracker and pull. This results in a popping sound and the winner is the one who ends up with the larger portion of the cracker and therefore gets to keep the prize within.
Tips to make it easier
- Planning is everything. Plan your Christmas dinner in order to keep yourself organized and make it easier and stress free. Creating a timeline for this purpose is even better. All the following should be done at least 2-3 weeks before the big day:
- Invite all your guests several weeks before Christmas because people plan early for the big day
- If you are very busy, suggest a potluck. Keep a list of who is bringing what for the feast
- Create lists – grocery list, to-do list, menu list etc
- Decide what table linens, china, crystal and serving pieces you’ll be using. Send your table linens out for cleaning or pressing if necessary, or, launder and iron them at home.
- Get out of storage/ purchase Christmas decorations and lights
- Make or order the centerpieces you want to use
- Decorate your house inside & out. Twinkle lights always look great
- Buy and decorate your tree
- Complete major house cleaning
- Complete shopping
- Create any favors, place cards etc
- Wrap any gifts you want to present
- Buy the turkey. If you leave it until a few days before Christmas you may find all there are left are the really small ones or the extra large ones.
- Bake and freeze or store any dishes that can be prepared ahead
- If it’s possible, make the desserts the day before Christmas
- Opt for pre-cooked meals if you are really short of time. Many grocery stores offer pre-cooked holiday meal packages. You simply heat everything up in the oven and you’re good to go. From turkey to prime rib, sweet potatoes to cherry pie, you can get everything you need for an amazing Christmas dinner, and you can do it at a pretty reasonable price
- If money is not an issue, consider having Christmas dinner catered
- If you really want to make things easy but you don’t want to pay to have a pre-cooked or catered Christmas dinner, cook the turkey or the Christmas ham and have everyone else bring a dish. Sides and desserts will be handled by friends and family, so you only have to worry about the main course. It will make your Christmas time much more enjoyable and your kitchen time much less stressful
- Set the table on Christmas eve
- Most importantly, leave enough time for yourself to get dressed, do your hair & make up!
And remember, Christmas dinner is about spending time with family and friends, NOT to slave away in the kitchen for days on end. Therefore, when making your Christmas dinner menu choices, be realistic in what you can achieve and don’t put unnecessary burden on yourself by attempting complex dishes. Try preparing dishes that you are already familiar with. The most important thing is to take pleasure from the preparation of the Christmas dinner, and the pleasure it will give to you to share this feast with those you treasure most.
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