Quick and Scrumptious Christmas Dinner Menus
Christmas dinner menus don't need to be an entire season's worth of work.
Whether your family is large or small, you can plan a holiday meal that celebrates the season without taking all season long to prepare.
If you prefer to spend your holiday time with your family instead of chained to the stove, here are some short-cuts to a tasty holiday meal without the effort.
Let Someone Else Do It Our modern lifestyle often doesn't leave nearly enough time for us to devote hours to preparing family meals on the best of days, let alone during a busy holiday season.
Thankfully, there are people right in your neighborhood who enjoy preparing meals so much that they've made businesses out of it.
Your local grocery store has a variety of options you can employ to take the heat off you, and get you out of the kitchen and with the rest of the family.
The chefs at the grocery store can cook your Christmas dinner menus from the turkey to ham and all the trimmings, neatly packaged and ready to go.
Some groceries will cook your sides as well, while others offer you the option to pick up your pre-prepared sides and heat them up in your own oven (so you can rightfully take at least part of the credit!).
Place your order up to a month in advance for a main course like turkey or ham.
Even a local independent grocer will have options for you to purchase all or part of your holiday meal.
If your local grocery doesn't have the food and flair you desire for no-effort Christmas dinner menus, don't despair.
You can spread the holiday cheer in the form of an economy-stimulating order with a local caterer.
Local caterers can be large or small operations, and many times a small caterer will be able to offer you a menu that's appropriately scaled to your guest list.
If the idea of an event caterer fills your head with images of rubber chicken and cold rigatoni, fear not.
Your favorite restaurant might just be the answer to your holiday dinner wishes.
Call ahead at least two weeks in advance and see if your favorite eating-place offers a carryout or catered holiday menu for your group size.
Many restaurants won't necessarily advertise these catering options, but they'll be happy to fulfill them.
Many Hands Make Light Work If you are the primary food-preparer in your household, you know it can be a thankless job, and you know how much effort it takes to scale up your holiday offerings to your guests.
Christmas is the season of sharing, so why not invite your guests to share the work with a Christmas potluck? Coordinate with your guests beforehand, and assign each guest or family one part of the meal.
If you are hosting a large group, divide the meal into appetizers, sides, entrees, drinks, and desserts, and invite your guests to supply one type of dish according to random lots, beginning letters of names, or even make a holiday-themed game! As a host, it's a good idea for you to provide an entree, as well as utensils, condiments, and dinnerware.
We all know that great Christmas dinner menus don't just happen by themselves.
What's important during the holiday season is the spirit of togetherness we celebrate with family and friends, and if spreading the workload helps you keep it together, then you can focus on what's really important during the season.
Whether your family is large or small, you can plan a holiday meal that celebrates the season without taking all season long to prepare.
If you prefer to spend your holiday time with your family instead of chained to the stove, here are some short-cuts to a tasty holiday meal without the effort.
Let Someone Else Do It Our modern lifestyle often doesn't leave nearly enough time for us to devote hours to preparing family meals on the best of days, let alone during a busy holiday season.
Thankfully, there are people right in your neighborhood who enjoy preparing meals so much that they've made businesses out of it.
Your local grocery store has a variety of options you can employ to take the heat off you, and get you out of the kitchen and with the rest of the family.
The chefs at the grocery store can cook your Christmas dinner menus from the turkey to ham and all the trimmings, neatly packaged and ready to go.
Some groceries will cook your sides as well, while others offer you the option to pick up your pre-prepared sides and heat them up in your own oven (so you can rightfully take at least part of the credit!).
Place your order up to a month in advance for a main course like turkey or ham.
Even a local independent grocer will have options for you to purchase all or part of your holiday meal.
If your local grocery doesn't have the food and flair you desire for no-effort Christmas dinner menus, don't despair.
You can spread the holiday cheer in the form of an economy-stimulating order with a local caterer.
Local caterers can be large or small operations, and many times a small caterer will be able to offer you a menu that's appropriately scaled to your guest list.
If the idea of an event caterer fills your head with images of rubber chicken and cold rigatoni, fear not.
Your favorite restaurant might just be the answer to your holiday dinner wishes.
Call ahead at least two weeks in advance and see if your favorite eating-place offers a carryout or catered holiday menu for your group size.
Many restaurants won't necessarily advertise these catering options, but they'll be happy to fulfill them.
Many Hands Make Light Work If you are the primary food-preparer in your household, you know it can be a thankless job, and you know how much effort it takes to scale up your holiday offerings to your guests.
Christmas is the season of sharing, so why not invite your guests to share the work with a Christmas potluck? Coordinate with your guests beforehand, and assign each guest or family one part of the meal.
If you are hosting a large group, divide the meal into appetizers, sides, entrees, drinks, and desserts, and invite your guests to supply one type of dish according to random lots, beginning letters of names, or even make a holiday-themed game! As a host, it's a good idea for you to provide an entree, as well as utensils, condiments, and dinnerware.
We all know that great Christmas dinner menus don't just happen by themselves.
What's important during the holiday season is the spirit of togetherness we celebrate with family and friends, and if spreading the workload helps you keep it together, then you can focus on what's really important during the season.
