Tell me about your Christmas Day menus!

I can't believe it, but I'm hosting my first holiday ever, and it's Christmas Day with my inlaws!

I'll be making some of the staples in DH's house, Prime Rib, and Virgina Ham, as well as a pasta starter.

Can everyone share your side dishes, appetizers, other Christmas Day specialties that can help me set my meal apart?

This could be fun, or hell on earth!

Does anyone here celebrate Christmas?

We go to my mother's for brunch on Christmas morning. She does the whole nine yards - sliced steak, bacon, home fried potatoes, eggs, fruit salad, pastries, fresh bread, mimosas, etc.

On Christmas Eve we go to the inlaws - they usually serve appetizers - skewered chicken, pigs in a blanket, fried ravioli, pasta carbonara and maybe a ham or something like that.

So I am here drooling over your prime rib & virginia ham

Xmas day my whole family gathers for a HUGE dinner.

Prime Rib
Turkey
Roast Pork
Rice&Beans
Salad
Creamed potato or spinach soup (chicken soup for the kids)
candied yams
mashed potatoes
home made mac and cheese
Plantains
Potates au gratin

Etc.......

curly can I come over. I am starving now

My family makes many of the same side dishes for all holidays. Whatever the holiday, you can usually find these items on our banquet table:

Stuffed mushrooms (very easy and incredibly delicious!)
Stuffed baby artichokes
Broccoli Rabe
Candied Yams (this is typically Thanksgiving, but does show up at other times of the year, depending...)
Breaded broccoli spears
Roasted Red Pepper Salad
Roasted asparagus w/parmesan cheese


HTH! I'll be happy to post any recipes, if you're interested!

claud, im salivating here!!!!!
that ALL sounds SOOOO GOOOD !!!!!!!

Yep, I'm starving too. This all sound delicious!!!

Claud, do tell more about the artichokes.....

I am doing XMAS day too, we are having 8 for dinner. We are doing the following

Cheese and Crackers
Dip and Veggies
Hot Hordevours (sp?)

Dinner:
Anitpast and Shrimp Cocktail for the table
Pasta
Salad
Prime Rib (not sure of sides yet) any suggestions

Parents and Siblings are bringing dessert

Oh my lord I havent even gotten thru Thanksgiving - and now this ????
I am not doing Christmas - I do New Years Day.
I go to my Aunts for Christmas we usually have:
App
Shrimp cocktail
pig in blanket

Prime Rib
Grilled Balsamic veggies
roasted new potatoes
tossed salad
some type of spinach or mushroom rav with a cream sauce
Breads

thats usually about it... it think my family likes to drink more than eat !

Misty Super easy stuffed artichokes...

Buy the baby artichokes...about 2 dozen or so, depending upon how many people you are hoping to serve. I would figure on 1-2 artichokes per person.

With the baby artichokes, you don't have to remove the 'pinchy' things on the inside (this is why it's easy).

Finely chop a few cloves of garlic and about a 1/2 cup parsley together. Add salt/pepper to taste. Stuff the mixture into the CENTER only of each artichoke. Place artichokes in a glass baking dish and drizzle generously with EVOO. Bake at 350 until tender.

Hope they turn out good!

We used to do a big Christmas Eve party with lots of family friends and a variety of buffet foods when I was little, but everyone has moved to various places around the country.

My brother's wife is Jewish and their raising the children in her faith so Christmas isn't the big deal it used to be for the whole family, but they still come for Christmas Eve. Lately, Mom's been making a roast tenderloin with beranaise sauce and a variety of side dishes. Ambrosia, a veggie dish, maybe Au gratin potatoes.

Christmas day is more relaxing - after opening gifts we have eggs, sausage and hot biscuits. Dinner is usually something light and easy - homemade soup and sandwiches. Mom's got Rhuematoid Arthritis so she's cut back some on what she does. I try my best to help, but since we're visiting them in Arizona and it's her house, I'm still her 'little girl' and she likes to pamper me and doesn't let me do much despite my best efforts!

Not ready yet!!! I'm hosting Xmas Eve & Xmas Day!! Eve is usually buffet style usually a pasta, meatballs & some chicken (cutlets or wings or something). My grandmother brings her famously delicious baked clams!! YUM!!!

For day last year, I did a pork roast & a turkey. Mashed, au gratin & roasted pots. Corn & s green veggie (but I can't remember what!). We do shrimp cocktail app & get a big box of hot apps from Costco to make my life easier.

I love turkey, so it's not too much for me after just having it at Thanksgiving & I hate ham. But maybe we'll do a beef tenderloin and ham this year, can't even think about it yet!!!