Christmas Foods

Ahh.  This time of year when the office seems to be filled to the brim with mince pies, quality street/celebrations/roses, and Christmas cake.

We have Christmas dinner in the canteen for sale tomorrow - turkey, cranberry sauce, kilted pigs (aka pigs in a blanket), yorkshire puddings, gravy, parsnips, carrots, sprouts and christmas pudding. They always do a nice job on it.   

I will do pretty much the same thing for Christmas dinner at my house this year with the inlaws over.  Good thing I love turkey ,as I have already had a Christmas dinner last week for another celebration and was in the USA for Thanksgiving this year.   One year, I had 11 roast turkey dinners between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 
No Christmas pudding though as no one really likes it.  Hubby can't eat dairy at all, so I will make dairy free trifle for us all to have. Maybe will make some mince pies (easily dairy free) as well.In laws are agreeable to dairy free food at least   
Oh plenty of booze too......
Have yet to decide on Christmas Eve food, but I love making something special for that too. (Mostly because I grew up without any traditional Christmas meal.  Thanksgiving was traditional for us, so Christmas meals have and could be anything)

I know many people love to eat things like pringles and have cheeseboards and party nibbles too- especially if they have their meal at like 12 and are drunk and starving. We eat later, so usually still full by bedtime, but I may have some 'stuff'  around, just in case.  It can be eaten during the fattening week between Christmas and New Years. LOL.
 
What are folks here doing?




 

We are a super cool allergy family.  Six of us in total:

Me
MIL
FIL
Aunt inlaw (Coeliac)
Husband (Coeliac)
Daughter (Dairy allergy)

So 50% have food allergies!  We are hosting at our house this year for the second year running.  I love not leaving the house on Christmas but my MIL is literally the best cook in the world.  I know my meal does not hold a candle to hers (which is fine, just feel bad for the others).  I also know that she LOVES not having to cook on Christmas anymore.

We're having turkey, roast potatoes, gravy, carrots, parsnips, and sprouts.  Then the American influence of Ocean spray cranberry sauce (as that's what I like and I've got to have it), corn pudding (not gluten free or dairy free and I guarantee my in laws won't touch it), and pumpkin pie (I'm thinking of making this dairy free this year by using coconut milk.  BUT it's a big risk.  If my daughter doesn't like it, I've tainted my whole pie!!).  My husband doesn't like pumpkin pie so no need to make it gluten free.  The inlaws haven't tried it in years past so guessing it's a pie for me.  My MIL is bringing a Christmas cake.

My inlaws are lovely but MAN can the day be painfully long.  They aren't the most exciting bunch.  I've told my husband that I'm hoping we can convince them to play a wild game of Yahtzee after dinner.  We're going to try.  Wish us luck!!

My team had our Christmas lunch today.  It was "meh".  I had the turkey and it was probably the driest turkey I've ever had. But the veggies were good.  Our canteen is having Christmas lunch tomorrow - and it's free!  Our canteen makes the BEST food.  Seriously.  I know it'll be really good.

Boxing Day we go to my husband's cousins house for a buffet of party food.  This year we are bringing a gluten free party tray for the Coeliac's in the family.  WILD!!     To be fair, the tray looks really really good (M&S).

My inlaws are lovely but MAN can the day be painfully long.  They aren't the most exciting bunch.  I've told my husband that I'm hoping we can convince them to play a wild game of Yahtzee after dinner.  We're going to try.  Wish us luck!!

Good luck!!  My in-laws, luckily love playing board games, so that's what we end up doing and I love it!

I have definitely been weighing up a dairy free pumpkin pie (probably not for Christmas, but maybe for January blues)  -so let me know how yours comes out! 

Boxing Day we go to my husband's cousins house for a buffet of party food.  This year we are bringing a gluten free party tray for the Coeliac's in the family.  WILD!!     To be fair, the tray looks really really good (M&S).

Ooh! Wild!!!  That should taste quite good. M&S has really upped their ante when it comes to gluten free party food. (Shame can't be said for dairy free or nut free). 

Good luck!!  My in-laws, luckily love playing board games, so that's what we end up doing and I love it!

I have definitely been weighing up a dairy free pumpkin pie (probably not for Christmas, but maybe for January blues)  -so let me know how yours comes out! 

Ooh! Wild!!!  That should taste quite good. M&S has really upped their ante when it comes to gluten free party food. (Shame can't be said for dairy free or nut free).

M&S is a game changer for gluten free.  They really save the day for us all the time.

Sainsburys and Tesco are doing dairy free cheeses now.  My daughter loves it.  And the Alpro products are really good.  The vanilla dessert they do is just like American vanilla pudding.

M&S is a game changer for gluten free.  They really save the day for us all the time.

Sainsburys and Tesco are doing dairy free cheeses now.  My daughter loves it.  And the Alpro products are really good.  The vanilla dessert they do is just like American vanilla pudding.

We've been all over the dairy free cheeses. Some are better than others, for certain.  'Free From' aisles are getting better and better all the time.  Plus lots of fun 'accidentally vegan' (J not vegan, just its useful to look for) stuff. Like the Co-Op jam donuts and custard donuts are dairy free!

My in-laws are in their late 60's and have had several health issues over the years so they've decided that they are not up to cross-Atlantic trips anymore due to the high cost of traveler's insurance and the toll on them physically. They are coming to Houston on December 22nd until the 31st on their last ever trip abroad. So, it's up to me to make a big deal out of Christmas.

My family consists of myself, the husband and two kids who live at home plus my son, wife and three young children who live a mile away and I see them nearly every day. So, this making a big deal out of Christmas is going to be hard since we don't ever do anything special ever. My father-in-law asked if I needed them to bring "special" foodstuffs for Christmas dinner and he mentioned something about roasties and Christmas pudding and if I need him to make bread sauce. WTF? He's mistaken me for Betty Crocker or Mary Berry. What is the purpose of bread sauce anyways? My MIL has this aversion to all things with dairy, doesn't eat red meat and my FIL is diabetic so I have to be careful about what I feed him too. ¡Ay ay ay!

So, I guess I'm off to the store to buy a turkey, cranberries, $5/lb parsnips, sprouts and other stuff to make that damn bread sauce. I'll make sure to load up on wine to make that visit "special" for me, at least. Lol


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Husband and I have been doing Christmas alone for the past few years, since I put my foot down about going to the in-laws' for an indifferently prepared meal and unnecessary present opening. I love my in-laws, but we see them regularly for Sunday lunch, and I want to do my Christmas traditions. We're having buffalo roast (there's a water buffalo farm down the road from us) with homemade Yorkshire pudding, roasties, celeriac purée, and braised red cabbage. Dessert will be Christmas pudding for hubby and Heston's toffee apple pudding for me. Lots of brandy cream and booze. Pâté and cheese on Boxing Day. Champagne and croissants on New Years. Yum.

Christmas in America this year! Christmases here in the UK are nice, but my husband's family isn't that close so everyone just does their own thing.. Here, we're pretty much by ourselves for the day but we do visit my husband's dad and his grandparents in the evening. In my family, Christmas is a big deal and everyone gets together. We do a huge sit down Christmas brunch at my parents' house and that's the main meal of the day. Different kinds of quiche, bacon, sausages, Belgian waffles, cinnamon rolls... pretty much every brunch item you can think of. In the evening, everyone heads over to my sister's house. A buffet is set out in the kitchen where people can help themselves. It's pretty informal. There are different types of appetizers and party-type foods, and lots of desserts.

While my husband thoroughly enjoys Christmas in America, he still finds it a little "sad" that my family never has a Christmas roast dinner. I understand what he means, but it's just the way it's always been and no one thinks twice of it. Personally, I am not really a roast dinner fan so I'd happily take brunch over a roast any day 

I also have good memories of Christmas Eves. We'd always spend the evening at my grandparents' house with my mom's side of the family. It was our tradition to order Papa John's pizza every Christmas Eve ! My grandma also set out the best nut rolls and Christmas cookies. A older lady who lived in my grandma's neighborhood made them. She baked all kinds of goodies out of her home and took orders only around Christmas.

While my husband thoroughly enjoys Christmas in America, he still finds it a little "sad" that my family never has a Christmas roast dinner. I understand what he means, but it's just the way it's always been and no one thinks twice of it. Personally, I am not really a roast dinner fan so I'd happily take brunch over a roast any day 

My husband says that he finds it sad too that I don't have a roast dinner either. My family tradition is having a "tamelada". I'm 1/2 Mexican so we make tamales, as a family, so it's at least 40+ dozen & champurrado (a cornmeal & chocolate based drink); we light luminarias and re-enact the "posadas de navidad" that starts on December 16th. I'm sorry but a roast dinner is pathetic to me when I was used to spending Christmas with my 70 first cousins cooking and celebrating. Earlier on this thread, I mentioned that I do nothing special. I only do the basics because I would love to go home and do it "the full Monty", in the way that Christmas is meant to be, at least. But, I live 750 miles from home... So, it's a roast dinner for me this year!



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We're back in the US for a year, and having Christmas dinner at son and daughter in laws' house. It will be a complete change not to cook (although I hosted Thanksgiving and that was essentially a UK Christmas dinner) and to experience a typical Italian Christmas fare. I'm really looking forward to having different foods cooked by someone other than me, as next year it will be back to the UK and traditional food.

My family tradition is having a "tamelada".

With the corn wrappers and all?  I love tamales!

We're having buffalo roast (there's a water buffalo farm down the road from us) with homemade Yorkshire pudding, roasties, celeriac purée, and braised red cabbage. Dessert will be Christmas pudding for hubby and Heston's toffee apple pudding for me. Lots of brandy cream and booze.

Well this sounds really tasty!!

In my family, Christmas is a big deal and everyone gets together. We do a huge sit down Christmas brunch at my parents' house and that's the main meal of the day. Different kinds of quiche, bacon, sausages, Belgian waffles, cinnamon rolls... pretty much every brunch item you can think of.

That sounds like so much fun!

Some really fun traditions here!  I wanna join YOUR families!!!

My family always spent Christmas in Atlanta at my grandmothers.  On Christmas Eve we always went to church and then to the The Varsity for dinner.  My aunts and uncles who still go each year have had the Varsity for Christmas Eve dinner for about 50 years!

My family always spent Christmas in Atlanta at my grandmothers.  On Christmas Eve we always went to church and then to the The Varsity for dinner.  My aunts and uncles who still go each year have had the Varsity for Christmas Eve dinner for about 50 years!

Ooh, that sounds like a great Christmas Eve dinner!!

My family has joined another family for the past 20 years or so on Christmas Eve. It's always a 'themed' party. We've had things like 'Future Christmas', 'Hollywood Christmas', 'Hillbilly Christmas', 'German Christmas', 'Middle Eastern Christmas', 'Mexican Christmas', 'Swedish Christmas', 'Disney Christmas', 'Country and Western Christmas' , etc, etc.  Its fancy dress and themed food and drink and decorations and all the party games are themed.  It's so much fun and we just end up in fits and fits of giggles.  It's something I miss so much living in the UK.  I have had a few years when I've been back in the US at Christmas and have made it to the parties. J loves it too. 

Growing up, my family had certain Christmas traditions.  Christmas Eve was always DIY 'grinder' sandwiches.... that was the SoCal term at the time (70's), but no idea what they are called now... hoagies? submarines?  Anyway, all the meat and cheese and antipasti stuff came from a local Italian deli, and it was the only time of year I wouldn't get told off for drizzling olive oil all over a sandwich!    Christmas morning, my mom was always up super early making cinnamon rolls.  Strangely, I cannot remember what we did for a Christmas meal... it's been well over 20 years since I had Christmas with my family, but I can only imagine it must have been some sort of roast dinner late in the day.

Nowadays, it's just me and my man.  My family are thousands of miles away, and his family are all dead, so we just do what we want.  Christmas Eve we will be in the pub, and maybe get a kebab or fish supper on our way home.  Christmas morning, we will bring all the presents through to the bedroom and open them in bed, while watching TV and drinking Baileys coffees.  I'm doing a prime rib of beef at dinner time, with roasties, sprouts and carrots.  I'd prefer to do more interesting side dishes, but this is what my OH likes, so I just try to cater to him.  Not sure yet what we're doing for pudding... maybe just ice cream.  I've bought a 2.5kg prime rib for only 2 people... so I'm expecting to have lots of leftovers for 'French dip' sandwiches on Boxing Day.

For New Year, we are going to Sheffield with a bunch of friends to drink ale and ring in the new year in one of our favourite pubs.  Don't know if we'd call it a 'tradition', but there are a couple of Taco Bell branches in Sheffield, and we usually go there at least twice over a weekend.