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Happy Sunday before Christmas everyone! Today I am sharing our 2019 Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Dinner Menu and I am so excited! This year’s holiday menu focuses on the traditional recipes my family loves most, but includes a few new ones too. Our dinners are complete with cocktails, appetizers, sides, mains, and of course sweet dessert too. Bonus? I decided to share what we’ll be having for breakfast too. There’s certainly never too much food at Christmas time!
I’ve received more requests for a Christmas Menu than anything else all month. I’m always shocked by how much you guys love these menu style posts. But it makes me so happy you do! Creating menus, especially Christmas menus, is one of my favorite things to do. Last year I created an easy Christmas tablescape in addition to our menu. I love that table SO much that I will be recreating it again this year. So, today I’m sharing our menus for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner…with a few tips and tricks too.
Keeping things short and sweet since I have plenty of food to prep and gifts to wrap. Anyone else in the same situation? Anyone else still shopping? Thankfully I am done shopping, but I am still waiting on packages to arrive. Fingers crossed everything arrives safe and sound tomorrow!
Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday and enjoy some holiday festivities with family and friends. See you all tomorrow for one last recipe before Christmas!
For Christmas Eve, I always make my Mom’s Christmas Eve Chex Mix and my beef tenderloin. It’s tradition, so I’m not straying from those two recipes. But I’m adding all-new cocktails, appetizers, side dishes, and desserts.
Christmas Eve Dinner Menu
Cocktails
The Spicy Sweet Grinch Cocktail
Bonus: The North Pole Cocktail…for a sweet Christmas Eve nightcap.
Appetizers
Cranberry Brie Pull-Apart Bread
Dinner
Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Mushrooms and White Wine Cream Sauce
Roasted Bacon Brussels Sprouts with Salted Honey
Cheesy Potato Casserole with Buttery Ritz Crackers
Creamed Spaghetti Squash with Browned Butter Walnuts
Dessert
Salted Caramel Pretzel Snickerdoodles
For Christmas Day dinner, I went back and forth on what to serve. Sometimes we do turkey, but this year I did not want to recreate Thanksgiving. Instead, I’m making lasagna and baked rigatoni, one white and one more traditional baked rigatoni for the meat-eaters. I can make these both ahead of time so that I’m not frantically cooking all day and night. It will be low key and EASY, but still delicious and special.
Christmas Day Dinner Menu
Cocktails
Sparkling Christmas Party Punch
Appetizers
Goat Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates with Honey
Dinner
One Pot Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Winter Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts
Pull-Apart Garlic Butter Bread Wreath
Dessert
White Christmas Cranberry Layer Cake
For Breakfast, I like to make dishes that I can have baking in the oven while we open gifts. No need to spend the morning in the kitchen. Relax and enjoy time with family.
Breakfast
Christmas Eve Morning: Baked Cinnamon Crème Brûlée French Toast with Raspberry Preserves
Christmas Morning: Ham and Cheese Croissant Bake
Or, Christmas Morning: Overnight Cinnamon Roll Bread with Chai Frosting
Finally, Christmas Week Entertaining Tips
Tip: Make an Oven/Food Schedule
This is probably my number one tip to easily getting dinner on the table…and at a reasonable hour. An oven schedule is essential for staying on track on, especially if you’re working with limited oven space.
Tip: Invest in a Slow Cooker and or Instant Pot
If you’re working with limited oven space, I highly recommend using your slow cooker and instant pot. They can cook mashed potatoes from start to finish, or just keep your dishes warm without taking up any oven space.
Tip: Make a To-Do List TODAY
Trust me, make a list today for the coming week ahead. Being organized is KEY when you have a lot of people in the house.
Tip: Set the Table Way Ahead of Time
This is something my Nonnie taught me, and it’s probably my favorite entertaining trick. I like to set my dinner table (ideally) a week ahead. If that’s not possible, at least the night before. It’s one more thing you can cross off your checklist early. Plus you’ll be guaranteed to have the table set and looking pretty when guests arrive.
Tip: Create a Seasonal Tablescape
When setting your table, don’t stress too much about making it perfect. I love the imperfect, perfect look. My best budget tip for creating an elegant tablescape is to incorporate the food onto the table. My favorite thing to do is to use fresh produce around my table to add pops of color. I certainly love a bouquet of flowers, but food can be equally beautiful, if not prettier. In addition, I like to surround the table with candles, use fresh herbs for greenery, and seasonal fruit for color. Here is how I created last year’s table.
Christmas Week Dinner Menu
Monday: 30 Minute Coq au Vin Chicken Meatballs
Tuesday: Roasted Beef Tenderloin (see above for the rest)
Wednesday: Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni + White Pesto Spinach Lasagna (see above for the rest)
Thursday: Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Salmon
Friday: Caroline’s Family Pasta (recipe in HBH Super Simple Cookbook)
Saturday: Cheddar Pierogi with Caramelized Onions and Bacon
Sunday: Instant Gumbo (recipe in HBH Super Simple Cookbook)
If you make any of the recipes from our 2019 Christmas Eve and Christmas Dinner Menu, be sure to leave a comment! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
