Thoughts on Christmas Eve Dinner

Are you in need of some fresh, new ideas for your Christmas Eve dinner table? Maybe the traditional dinner you've served for years is starting to feel boring or old, or maybe you don't have a real tradition in place at all. Either way, you want something new. But where to start?

One place to look for ideas for Christmas Eve dinner is into the past. Maybe your parents or grandparents had a particular tradition that you'd like to resurrect with your own family. Or maybe you'd like to go even farther back and try some traditions popular with your ancestors.

Many cultures have traditional Christmas Eve fare that you could prepare as a reminder of your origins. Take a look around for traditional cookbooks or websites with traditional recipes to come up with a dinner that reflects the culture of a few generations back. It's a way to explore your own background, and could be an educational experience for both you and your children.

In Ireland, Christmas Eve is considered a fast day, so the dinner choice of the day is fish. A typical evening meal would consist of creamed fish and creamed potatoes. Creamed haddock or salmon in a cream sauce are popular choices. With the fasting over by midnight, you can top off your meal with rum punch and plum cake.

The German Christmas Eve meal is also simple, often consisting of vegetable or pea soup. Presents are traditionally opened on Christmas Eve, and a much larger meal of sausages, game, potatoes, and sometimes roast goose is featured on Christmas Day. Some folks prefer the larger meal on Christmas Eve, so take your pick!

In Southern Italy, Christmas Eve is celebrated with a meal consisting of seven courses of fish. No one is quite sure what the seven fish stand for, but it's definitely a significant number for the holiday. Guesses include the seven sins, the seven sacraments, or the seven days it took Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem. Dishes can include calamari, shrimp, whitefish, tuna fish, and even lobster. Accompanies by antipasto and a variety of pasta dishes, as well as sumptuous desserts, the Italian Christmas Eve feast might leave you full until New Year's.

If none of your ancestral traditions appeals, you could always fall back on the traditional American meal of turkey or ham with all the trimmings. A roast goose might add some British flair, or you could always skip the dinner altogether and go straight to the French custom of thirteen desserts. Whatever you decide makes the ideal Christmas Eve meal, enjoy it with your family, and include a generous helping of the holiday spirit.