Feasts have played a large part in winter solstice celebrations. This has carried over to Christmas traditions. Each family / culture has their own recipes. Why not explore what others make and try something new this year?
Steps
1. Christmas.
The foods you choose may change depending on when you serve them. On Christmas Eve, my family typically serves appetizers and light foods so if anyone visits, we have something for them to enjoy. On Christmas, my family normally does a late lunch together, but we have experimented with family breakfast as well. Do you celebrate the eve, morning, or all day? Look at what foods you would serve depending on your choice.
2. Tradition.
Some foods are traditional . . . you make them every year for Christmas. Do you have these? If so, are they written down? Foods you make infrequently are more likely to be forgotten. In addition, if you end up substituting an ingredient, you may find you don’t remember the recipe correctly. Make a list of foods you traditionally make for the holiday. Make sure you have a recipe for each that you can share with others to keep your family traditions alive.
3. New.
Starting a new tradition may not be intentional. Just contributing a dish to the family dinner may turn from a one-time experiment to a demanded requirement. Look past your own cultural heritage for new tastes. One year, my daughter convinced me to make sushi for Christmas. The second year, my brother asked if I was making it again. When you think Christmas, I bet sushi isn’t even on your radar. If you also add in all the specialty recipes for people with peanut allergies, gluten-intolerance, etc., you’ll come up with even more recipes to try. Look through your recipes for something new this holiday season and try to make your own tradition.
4. Cookies.
When I think of Christmas, cookies immediately come to mind. We try to make personal favorites. Make a list of cookies you bake during the holidays. Find if there are others you might want to add or some you want to take out of your list. Make sure you have copies of your cookie recipes to share in case someone wants to try yours!
5. Candy.
While this is not high on our Christmas list, I know families that make candies during the holidays. Candies can be given as gifts or served as a small sweet treat after a filling meal. What candies do you make? If you don’t make candies, check out a few recipes and see if perhaps this is something you’d like to try.
6. Peppermint.
The red and white striped candies are very popular during the holidays. They might be candy canes or wrapped candies. Try using peppermint in your hot chocolate, cookies or even use them as part of your crafting fun.
7. Ornaments.
Ornaments can be made with salt dough, cinnamon dough, gingerbread dough and more. Before you experiment with making ornaments with dough and cookie cutters, make sure no one in your house has a problem with the ingredients. For example, my sister gets migraines from the overpowering scent of cinnamon, so we don’t use this when we make ornaments.
8. Drinks.
What is your favorite drink around Christmas? Most are probably warm. Here’s a few to start with. If you haven’t tried one of these, do so.
- Hot chocolate
- Mulled wine
- Specialty coffee
- Spiced tea
- Warm eggnog
- Wassail
If you add specialty spices or ingredients to these, be sure to document this with recipe cards.
9. Sweets.
When I was growing up, we called our traditional dessert nut or poppy seed roll (depending on the filling in the roll). My husband called it stollen. It’s interesting that our families made the same thing but called it different names. This is one of our desserts that we only made for Christmas. Some people make fruitcake as a special Christmas treat. Perhaps gingerbread cookies and houses are your chosen fun. Do you have a favorite family dessert for Christmas? Can you adjust an everyday dessert to make it more often?
10. Recipes.
Create recipe cards or even a recipe book of your traditional recipes. This can be a great gift for friends and family. Ask your entire family to participate in this tradition.
Supplements
SUPP_Christmas Recipes_2in_12up_larajla
- Avery 2” round label printable, 12 up
SUPP_Christmas Recipes_Checklist_larajla
- Badge checklist
SUPP_Printables_REC_Christmas_I_larajla
- Printable: Christmas recipe cards, snowflake design
SUPP_Printables_REC_Christmas_II_larajla
- Printable: Christmas recipe cards, minimalist red design
SUPP_Printables_REC_Christmas_III_larajla
- Printable: Christmas recipe cards, minimalist green design
Sites to Explore
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christmas_dishes
- www.parents.com/holiday/christmas/recipes
- www.bettycrocker.com/special-occasions/christmas-recipes
- www.brit.co/christmas-dinner-recipes
- www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/christmas-kids
- www.goodtoknow.co.uk/food/recipe-collections/traditional-christmas-food-from-around-the-world-19165
- www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-entertaining/holidays/christmas/christmas-dinner-menu.aspx
- www.myrecipes.com/holidays-and-occasions/christmas-recipes/traditional-christmas-dinner-menus
- www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-christmas-cocktails-4154377
- theimaginationtree.com/2011/12/easy-salt-dough-ornaments.html
- www.thebestideasforkids.com/salt-dough-handprint-ornament
- www.completelydelicious.com/homemade-cinnamon-ornaments
Get the infographic here > larajla blog post
Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here > Full badge PDFs