How to Host Christmas Dinner

Excited to invite your loved ones into your home for Christmas Dinner? This guide for How to Host Christmas Dinner offers tips and tricks to hosting a fun, festive celebration without added fuss. Whether you’re a seasoned pro looking to streamline your hosting process or are hosting for the first time, we’ve got helpful information for you here!

How to Host Christmas Dinner

The holidays are all about getting together, which is so wonderful. But goodness gracious, it can be so woefully stressful, too. Hosting is not without its quirks or stressors, and it oftentimes feels like the ante is upped throughout the holiday season.

Holiday meals like Christmas dinner (or lunch!) are always, always, always special. 

It doesn’t matter if you are making all of your favorite family recipes, starting new traditions or it’s your first time hosting a Christmas celebration as part of a new family. It’s a dinner we want everyone to remember! But for the right reasons — not Uncle Jerry serving raw chicken. 

In my family, we often celebrate Christmas at home and our family has come to use ever since we had kids, so I have a lot of practice hosting dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Because we gotta eat both days! 

join our party!

get our latest recipes delivered to your inbox every week — plus all my entertaining tips and tricks!

​
​

Subscribe

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

For those of you keeping track: that’s two meals per year for 10+ years! 

But I also know it’s so important to spend time with my visiting loved ones, so stressing out about dinner is not on the menu. 

I’m sharing all my favorite tips and tricks for a stress-free Christmas dinner. (And yes, before you ask, these can be translated into a Christmas dinner party, too.)

More party ideas for the holiday season: How to Host a Cookie Swap | How to Host Thanksgiving | How to Host a Cookie Decorating Party | How to Host a Gingerbread House Party

1. Choose the day & time.

The day is easy: Your Christmas dinner is probably either going to fall on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day! But sometimes, you might host this special dinner before or after Christmas if travel, work, sickness or other holiday plans get in the way. 

The time is harder to nail down. 

First of all, think about your guests. The distance and time people are traveling to you is important. Don’t start too early if they have a long way to go before arriving, but don’t end too late either if they’re driving home after. 

Consider anything else on your calendar that day, too. If your family goes caroling or to a church service on the day of your Christmas dinner, make a loose outline of how the day will go so you have enough time for cooking and getting ready. 

If you’re serving a Christmas brunch, perhaps on Christmas morning, you may want to start dinner earlier since brunch is essentially an early lunch with breakfast food. 

Christmas Eve Dinner vs. Christmas Dinner

This all depends on your family and/or friends and YOU! As I’ve spoken with various friends while writing this post, I’ve come to learn that every family’s tradition is a little different.

Some of it depends on where you’re from, as well as where your ancestors are from, and some of it depends on personal taste and tradition. It might even depend on your schedule. For example, if you go to a church service or are working around someone’s work schedule, your timing will be different than it might be if everyone is free all day and evening long.

Which is why you’ll find some Italian-American families putting together a Feast of Seven Fishes (festa dei sette pesci) on Christmas Eve. You’ll find many Mexican families making tamales on Christmas Eve. Some Louisianans make a Christmas gumbo, which features tons of fresh seafood.

Some people eat Christmas Eve dinner leftovers on Christmas Day. (We have reworked them into something like Thanksgiving tacos with Christmas turkey in previous years.) Other friends have their big dinner on Christmas Day after opening presents. When you do your dinner is so personal, and there is no wrong time to do it!

In the past, my little family has traditionally made lasagna as the main dish for Christmas Eve. We do something more decadent for our Christmas dinner menu, like this Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin, though we always enjoy lasagna leftovers for Christmas lunch.

2. Send invites.

The Speckled Palate participates in affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Please refer to my disclosure page for more information about these affiliate programs.

You can invite your people however you like to your dinner. If you want to send an invite, great. If you’d rather invite via a phone call, a text message or even an email, have at it! The key here is making it easy on yourself. 

If you’re looking for something to make your Christmas dinner feel a little more special, here are a few ideas of how to step up your invite game.

• Design a Christmas dinner invite in a free program like Canva and send it via email.
• Design a virtual invitation in a program like evite of Paperless Post. This holly-lined Christmas dinner invite is simple and beautiful.
• Print out an invitation from a company like Zazzle or Amazon and send them in early December. I really like this snowy invitation and this blue holly invite. These gold fill-in-the-details invitations are great if you don’t want to have to edit your invite online.
• Purchase a digital invite to message to your family members. This citrus-themed digital invite is super cute. I also love this Santa-themed invite. 

3. Make your menu.

We want to plan our menu early in case we need to find specialty ingredients, like bacon-wrapped steaks or a big turkey. 

Once you know who is coming, ask about food preferences and dietary restrictions. You can incorporate dishes for any special diets so they don’t blindside you the day before.

Christmas food ideas

You may already have a set menu of recipes that are holiday traditions! If so, great — start there. If you don’t, keep on readin’! 

In my family, we typically do something like this, though it varies a lot based on the number of people, who those people are and whatever we’re feeling that year: 

• Before dinner, a smattering of snacks and appetizers like a Christmas Cheese Board, a snack board or bacon wrapped dates. 
• A beef dinner, such as my herb crusted beef tenderloin — something that feels both fancy and special.
• Our go-to side dishes, like spinach madeline and a simple steamed or sauteed veggie, like green beans or broccoli. 
• Bread, of course. Though I’d love to make fluffy rolls from scratch, it’s not always in the cards, so we purchase fancy bread from the grocery store or a local bakery instead. 
• Dessert is cookies — always and forever, amen.
• Drinks — you can serve whatever your people like. We tend to keep both beer and wine on hand for the occasion. If you want to make a batch of something, this Pomegranate Christmas Punch would be colorful and delicious.

I’ve written out a whole post that includes Christmas dinner ideas, including items like turkey (and turkey breast), brussels sprouts, butternut squash, mac and cheese, cranberry sauce, mashed potato casserole, apple pie, pumpkin pie and more. 

Don’t miss these amazing Christmas recipes to make this year! And if you’re hosting a crowd, check out our favorite Christmas cocktails.

How do I make sure I’ve got enough food?

Obviously, you need to take into account the number of guests that you’re hosting to ensure there is enough food for everyone to enjoy.

One thing you can do is ask every guest to bring a food or drink item, so you can ensure you’ll have enough food. This is great because you can focus on the main course and dessert, while everyone else helps to pad out the menu. 

How much food should I serve?

The answer to this question is going to depend on how many people you’re hosting for your meal. A group of 10 will eat less than a crowd of 20.

Generally speaking, here’s what I like to plan for each person for a holiday meal, like Christmas:

• 4-6 bites of appetizers
• 1-2 dinner rolls
• ½ lb. boneless turkey (or 1 lb. of bone-in turkey) or ½ lb. boneless beef roast
• ½ cups of 2-3 side dishes
• 1 slice of dessert (or 2-3 cookies)
• 2-3 drinks

The portioning is going to be different for each group, too, and everyone’s dietary requirements, as well as likes/dislikes, too.

Also, while you’re thinking of your menu, consider what tools you’ll need to make the dishes.

Obviously, you don’t want to go into debt while hosting, so plan your menu around tools you already have. So if you don’t have a roasting pan* (affiliate link) to roast a turkey, plan to borrow one from a family member or a friend, ask someone else to make the turkey or order a pre-cooked one from a grocery store or a local restaurant.

4. Make a cooking timeline.

I write a timeline for the cooking for every event I host, be it a dinner party or a holiday dinner.

Why? So I know when I need to start cooking and can ensure that my dishes are ready at the time I want to serve them. Make the list, check it twice. 

I’ve written a detailed post on how to create a cooking timeline, but here is the general idea:

1. First and foremost, print out any recipes you plan to cook. Open up the cookbook(s) you are using, too.
2. Take out a pen and a sheet of paper. You could do this digitally, too, though I like the pen and paper method.
3. Write down how long every recipe takes to cook, INCLUDING times for brining, chilling, etc.
4. Make notes of anything that needs to be made the day of vs. dishes (or parts of dishes) that can be made in advance. (For example, my Cajun turkey uses Cajun butter I can make a month in advance and keep chilled, if I’ve got space in my fridge.)
5. Decide on your food serving time (which should be about 45 minutes to an hour after guests arrive) and work backwards to know when everything needs to start cooking.
6. Build in wiggle room. I like to leave 30-45 minutes of this for myself before serving, so I start a little earlier just in case something takes longer.

Once you know your start time, write out a detailed list of what goes into the oven (or on the stovetop/slow cooker/etc.) and when so you can stay on top of it on Christmas Dinner Day.

Keep this list on your refrigerator or somewhere in your kitchen that is very obvious so you can check it as you prepare.

5. Design the table.

First, plan the seating. Do you need a card table, in addition to your dining table? Do you need to rent chairs? Do you have a table setting of plates / silverware / glasses / etc. to serve each guest? If you plan to use them, are the tablecloths/placemats ironed? 

Next, plan the food and drink stations. Where will the food be served? Where will you keep the drinks, like wine and beer? Where will appetizers be enjoyed? 

Think about all the spaces where guests will interact with the food. Make a list of what you’ll serve your stuff on and what you might need to acquire. 

I like to get out my dishes and label them with a sticky note to say what is going in them so I don’t forget or have the panicky moment when something comes out of the oven. (Yes, those happen.)

Heck, you can label and put them back in the cabinets until the day of.

Here are some of my favorite dishes to use while entertaining:

• Long Porcelain Serving Platter
• Rectangular Platter in White
• White Medium-Sized Serving Bowl
• Large Bowl in any color of your choosing
• Pottery serving bowls

That said, feel free to use whatever you have on hand and get creative! Your dishes don’t have to all be the same shape or pattern. Mix and match patterns to add some color and fun.

Also, remind your guests bring their own serving platters for their dishes — and remember to tell them to bring tongs and servingware, too! This comes in handy if you don’t have a ton of serving items at your house.

You can learn about My Favorite Easy Entertaining Tools and Products, too!

6. Grocery shop.

You can do this up to a week in advance. You can also place a grocery order for pickup or delivery, too, if that makes life easier. (I wouldn’t blame you a bit — the supermarket can be jam-packed this time of year.) 

In fact, you’ll want to shop in advance, especially if you’re roasting a turkey, because they normally come frozen, and you need to give your turkey time to defrost in your fridge. (More on defrosting a turkey from the USDA because that is important.)

Get everything you could possibly need when you’re at the store, too. The stores might not be open on Christmas Eve or Day! But it may help to jot down what the holiday hours are — just in case.

“Everything you could possibly need” means grabbing paper plates, cups and cutlery if you don’t want to use your actual plates, cups and silverware at the event.

Which, let’s be real, makes cleanup a lot easier. Also, if you’re hosting more than 4/6/8/10 guests, do you really have enough plates and glasses for everyone? Probably not. (Also, what if the dishwasher goes out?) 

Will you send folks home with to-go containers of leftovers? If so, grab a package of those containers while at the store.

We are big fans of these compostable dinner plates, clear cups and biodegradable cutlery* (affiliate links) for parties and larger gatherings, but you can use plastic or melamine reusable plates, cups and cutlery, too, if you prefer that.

7. Make things in advance.

This step obviously depends on your menu and what you’re cooking. It also depends on what you can prep in advance, but not cook.

Whenever I host a holiday gathering like Christmas dinner, I like to include as many dishes as possible that can be made in advance — partially or all the way — because it makes my life a lot easier and less stressful so that I have as much time as I possibly can with my guests.

Obviously, this doesn’t work for every recipe, but getting out ahead of the cooking is a great way to be less stressed when entertaining.

Here are some examples of things you can do ahead of time:

• Chop fruits and veggies the day before. Obviously, some fruits and veggies will keep better than others, so use your discretion. For example, chopping an apple or a banana one day in advance is a bad idea. Strawberries are OK if you want them to have tons of juices, but otherwise, hold off. Many veggies, like onions, garlic, carrots, celery, etc., are great to chop early and keep stored. Just be sure that they are in airtight containers because they can stink up the fridge.
• Purchase pre-chopped veggies at the store, like onions or even a bag of salad greens. Do what you need to do to make it easy on yourself! Frozen ones are okay too if they will work in your recipe. 
• Mix the salad dressing in a mason jar. Set it aside until guests have arrived to pour on top of the salad. Alternately, just get a jar of your favorite salad dressing at the store and don’t fret about this.
• Make a casserole. Wrap in plastic and store in the fridge before baking the day-of.
• Make a drink (like a Citrus Cranberry Sangria) the day before. Let it hang out in the fridge!
• Bake your dessert one to two days before your event. Many desserts can be kept on the countertop. Just be sure to wrap it in plastic wrap once it’s cooled completely! 

Obviously, these are all dependent on your menu, but think it through and see what can be done. Really sit with your menu and decide it intentionally so that you can give yourself as much wiggle room as possible. After all, the point of gathering your people is for everyone to have a great time, you included.

8. Decorate (but only if you want to).

Deck the halls! Er, table(s). Make the table as festive as you want — it’s a special meal. 

• Christmas tree foliage is your friend! I like to ask the folks at the Christmas tree lot if I can have some extra clippings and use them as the centerpiece on my table. Fresh cut greenery from your yard (or your neighbor’s) in a vase can work, too.
• Candles add to the ambiance. I always like to burn unscented candles when we have guests since scents can bother some people, me included. Tea lights and fairy lights are lovely and set the mood. And don’t forget to turn on the Christmas tree! 
• Add fresh flowers to the table for a nice pop of color. You could even add these around the house, if you’re feeling it!
• Festive paper (or fabric) napkins that match your gathering can add a pop of color to the tablescape! Chances are, you’ve probably got ‘em at home already. 
• Make a bar! Turn a buffet table or another unused table in the dining room into a bar and offer up different mixers for everyone to make their own cocktails! Or set out the ingredients for one specific drink, print out the recipe and let everyone mix up their own.
• Add a pitcher or two of water or tea to the table. Add rosemary sprigs, orange slices and cranberries to both water and tea, so have fun with it! This will add flavor, height and color, as well as allow your guests to stay hydrated.

9. Take a deep breath, keep your cool and have fun!

The morning of your Christmas dinner, take a deep breath. The reason you’re doing this is because gathering your people and spending quality time together with great food is fun.

Of course, there might be other meals, present opening, church services or family photos that need to happen before dinner, so keep your cool and try to enjoy all the activities. 

Here’s how I like to fashion the start of any entertaining day:

• Drink a cup of coffee and collect my thoughts.
• Choose what I’m wearing, if I haven’t already. (Honestly, this is great to decide days or even weeks in advance.)
• Review my cooking timeline. Make note of when I’m going to get ready. This is essentially your cooking to-do list. 
• Empty my dishwasher. This way, I can load the dishwasher as I cook, and I shouldn’t have dishes in the sink when guests arrive. Also, this makes cleaning up at the end of the night easier, too. 
• Get started with my first task.

Hosting and entertaining can be stressful. Things can (and probably will) go awry. But you can control how you respond to things.

Some ways to combat the stress when things aren’t going as planned:

• Deep breaths. My older daughter’s teacher taught her all kinds of breathing exercises, and I like to use these to this day.
• Enlist help. There is nothing wrong in asking for assistance!
• Serve appetizers early. (This list of The Best Holiday Appetizers has a lot of fabulous ideas for you!)
• Let guests mingle or do an activity for a little longer than planned. My family is into puzzles, and we love (some) board games, too.

You can do this. Promise.

Don’t let entertaining keep you from interacting with your guests. Whenever we host, we’ve found everyone tends to gather in the kitchen as we finish whatever we are serving, and it’s a lot of fun to chat as you finish cooking.

When you’re hosting Christmas dinner, this line of thinking applies, too. Also, your family might be in the kitchen with you finishing up their dishes, too. And if your guests offer a hand, let them help.

Make this fun for everyone — and everyone includes YOU. Your family is celebrating with you because, well, they’re family! So spend time with them.