We're having Christmas Eve at DH's eldest sister's. She had decided last year it was too much for her, missed it, now has invited all again. She will ask for the 9 layer jello, the mashed potatoes. I will offer to do the rolls, and she will insist on making them herself. Our Christmas Eve dinner has simplified over the years to pork loin with just a few sides - with a family that large its still a lot of work.

I know what I'll be doing for Christmas Day food, I am not sure yet what the entrée will be - we're gathering at my brothers. I'll do all the appetizers, all the desserts, an additional dressing if SIL wants it (its mushroom and goes with turkey, ham or roast), make the gravy at their house if there is to be gravy.

Yes definitely. We are going to Louisiana for the week. I have rented the club house at the rv park on the river we always stay at. So the whole family can gather there for our big Cajun family Christmas feast. We are all contributing to the table. I am doing a Cajun smoked turkey, boiled shrimp appetizer, baby lima beans with tasso, purple hull peas, and sweet potato casserole with praline topping. One sister is making her wonderful famous stuffed pork loin roast with rice and gravy and potato salad, another sister is making a baked ham and dirty rice with some vegetable dishes. I don't know what all the rest are bringing but there is always various types of dressing, green beans, deserts. A ton of food and fun. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and be beautiful. We are having the meal on the Saturday instead of Friday so more can attend. My great next door neighbors are going to drive down and join in the fun and festivities. I am looking forward to this. This is our first Christmas with out Mom. It is going to be a day honoring both Mom and Dad. They would be so happy to see us all together celebrating Christmas.

I trade days for holidays with my kids's in-laws, since I had Thanksgiving this year, I will not have them on Christmas Day...so will have a non-traditional meal the Saturday after, so I might have chicken and noodles or some Mexican dishes...or might even do chili, potato soup, or taco soup and cinnamon rolls. Everyone seems to like something more light after having a huge meal on Christmas.

We had so much fun last year that we are going to repeat it.....the Christmas buffet at our favorite Chinese restaurant! They put out a very nice buffet with some special items along side of the expected fare.

There were loads of happy people there, lots of chatter between strangers....just plain fun.

We have simplified it. We go to my side on Christmas Eve. This year we are each bringing an appetizer. Last year, we made different types of soups, breads, and salads. I love that it is not hard for anyone, even the host. We are going to my daughter's for Christmas day. Not sure when we will get together with husband's side of the family.

My MIL is coming for a week long visit. We will spend Christmas day here at our house with family and then probably head to my brother's on a different day. I'm hoping my sister is coming from Florida, but not sure yet.

I start thinking about Christmas as I plan Thanksgiving. I will try to make it easy, so a spiral ham, raisin sauce, whipped potatoes, a green vegetable.

I will have a vegetarian entree option for both my DD's. I'll make Christmas cookies two days ahead. And will make a gluten free apple tart . I will probably order an apple pie or make a a regular apple cake as well.

And eggnog with dark rum.

Not sure about the appetizers.

Our traditional Christmas dinner is Beef Wellington, so there's not much to plan except to make sure that I buy all of the ingredients that I will need. :-)

I'm just trying to figure out how many times I need to cook! Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, then one gd comes in on the 26th, so need to cook on the 27th!

So far, my shrimp and grits casserole and scotch eggs! Fruit also. First time without grandson as he's enduring basic training with the Navy.

We always have Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve and it is always Mexican food. In this area of the country, it seems pretty common as even restaurants and grocery stores offer order ahead Christmas tamales. This year I am making my tasty sour cream chicken enchiladas!

Christmas day is spent at home with just us and our kids, thanks to some brilliant advice my mother gave me the day I got married (December 17th). She said, "honey, start YOUR family traditions now, before you have kids and don't compromise."

She spent my entire childhood listening to and fighting with her family and her in laws about where they should be for holidays and who they should spend time with on what day at what time.

So, seeing as how I spent my childhood Christmas's literally shuffling between 2 grandparents houses in the SAME town, I decided, right then and there, one week after getting married, that Christmas day is ours.

We spend it alone, just us (and 5 years later) our kids at home. I won't accept any invitation to go anywhere or have any guests. I just won't. Christmas day I try to make the meal really easy, either a pot roast or some soup put in the crock pot. Something where I don't have to fuss and I can just spend the day with my family. Over the years we have had occasional out of town guests join us but I still hold Christmas morning as just ours.

The day after Christmas is spent with my husbands family usually. Sometimes we have to change the day to the weekend after Christmas due to work schedules. My MIL usually buys food for it from a restaurant but I always bring homemade candy.

Texas_gem - Your mother was a wise lady. It's a rule I lived by once our first child was born because I could already see the demands set on by my MIL. It's a great decision to make. It's one I passed onto my niece when her first was born because knowing her mom (my ex-SIL) I knew what was going to happen. It's a rule she lives by as well.

I'm not sure about the plans. The days of the huge family dinners on Christmas Day are gone as the nieces and nephews are all married with their own families (and whatever issues that may bring up on Christmas Day). Years ago I started a tradition of having a Christmas Dinner in early December just to take the angst of having to decide who to see on Christmas Day and it has worked out really well. Family is all there and we do turkey with all the trimmings. My brother is doing it this year so that's nice for me.

Christmas Day is probably just the 4 of us and my MIL. My mom and sister will be in Hawaii with my brother. Nice and quiet. Not quite used to those quiet Christmas's but I am getting used to them.

We always had two holiday meals, one with my family and one with his. Our Christmas was a bit different, Christmas Eve was with mine, Christmas Day with his and Christmas morning was ours. I would not have traded it for another way . Now the parents are no longer with us and we have our Christmas meal with Amber's. Terri has hers with Mandy and Alex on Christmas Eve. The others join us on Christmas day as they have no where else to go. Terri, Mandy and Alex too join us.

Sue

We are not traveling and no family near so just dh and me and our 12 and 5 year old. The 12 year old and I cut a deal with dh, we will make beef Wellington AND baked Alaska but dh has to watch the five year old AND do the dishes. I need to figure out some simple side dishes to go with the beef Wellington.

CRL -- as I stated, above, Beef Wellington is our traditional Christmas dinner. The rest of the meal is: most years it's mashed potatoes and gravy, but some years it's oven-browned potato wedges; glazed carrots; creamed corn (or buttered corn kernels for those who don't like creamed corn); rolls & butter. Sometimes one of us also makes an Eggnog Christmas Salad -- the recipe for which my sister found in Holiday Cooking magazine many years ago. Dessert is pie -- apple, pecan (both of which can be served warmed, a la mode, and pumpkin, which can be served with or without whipped cream. The dinner beverage is Cabernet Sauvignon, and folks can have either Port or coffee or tea with dessert.

Because we don't have Thanksgiving with the DD and DSIL, our Christmas dinner is about the same as Thanksgiving, turkey, dressing and traditional sides. But Christmas morning is always Eggs Benedict with a fruit dish and milk punch. Christmas Eve is boiled shrimp with guacamole and fondue (the shrimp and guacamole was DH's families favorite Christmas Eve and DD has added the fondue).

Started talking to everyone about Xmas dinner (on the 26th) on Thanksgiving. So far we have the veggies and dip, ham, scalloped potatos, perogies, apple cake, cookies and candies. Still need to let everyone know who is bringing what. Some how this has become my job for every get together. Of course, I'm retired and have the time to do it.

I also let them know who's birthdays we are celebrating!

Instead of cooking the same family favorites again in another month, my husband and I plan to take our children and grandchildren and their spouses out to a favorite restaurant to see if we like that approach. When we have finished eating, everyone will drop by our house for desserts and gifts. After cooking and cleaning off and on all week and prepping the turkey carcass for soup today, I am thoroughly tired of cooking right now. I like the traditional holiday favorites but I wish Thanksgiving and Christmas did not occur so close together.

We are planning on going out on Christmas, for the first time ever. I am usually so tired on the day that it may be a welcome relief. I'm with you Betsy, on wishing Thanksgiving and Christmas were not so close together. The Canadians have it right!

I will be at friends for Christmas, and will bring a little something or another as an app -- but I'm really thinking about my Christmas Eve dinner (or food for the day). I LOVE the whole concept of the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes, which my father discovered a couple decades ago or so.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be driving by then due to the broken leg, and Peapod fish selections are ... uck. So, I'm not sure.

We always start with "leftovers" from Thanksgiving. I only cooked one and half turkeys, so the breast will be the meal on Christmas Eve (Ina Garten's roulade recipe is very well received). And since I had plenty of sweet potatoes left and those were frozen immediately after Thanksgiving, they'll be thawed in another handful of weeks. We'll just add to those two.

It's the big birthday bash brunch that changes from year to year. My sister was born on Christmas day (middle name Noel), and we always do it big time at mom's around 10AM on the actual day.