Christmas eve food ideas

[AmazingGrace16]

I'm trying to plan our Christmas eve food. It needs to be special as it's our little family day before we trundle down on Christmas day to the big event with extended family. I also haven't made plans yet for us so need ideas for them to. It'll be 3 of us , me Dh and ds (2)
So far I'm thinking a nice homemade soup with lots of bread rolls for supper. We will go to midnight mass so need to fit food in around that. Perhaps a cheese board for dh and I in the evening. So I suppose I'm looking for a main meal for around lunchtime.
Any ideas?

DD1’s birthday is Christmas Eve, so we have croissants and champagne (for adults!) for breakfast, a party buffet lunch with various family and friends diving in and out mid-afternoon, then take away tea and more champagne once she is in bed (she’s only three!). Once you have been presented with an NHS Christmas dinner as your first meal after giving birth, Christmas food becomes extra important!

We do a buffet and this year I'm pinching the idea that someone suggested on another thread about having it as a picnic by the Christmas tree.

We always have baked Gammon, roasties, carrots and broad beans in parsley sauce. And mince pies with boozy cream.

But you know what ok, there are three of you and you don't yet have a row for your back. Keep it easy and simple and enjoy.

We usually have six at least on Xmas Eve - 8-10 Christmas day. Turkey, stuffed boned duck, all trimmings.

Boxing Day can be busy: cold meats, anti-pasti, roasties (herbed and parmesaned), green salad, Tom mozz and basil, cheese & crackers, pork pie, pickles. (My favourite food day).

27th, usually down to 6 or 7. Turkey and ham pie with mash and green veg (family favourite).

BUT you don't have to get into these habits. Keep your life easy peasy x

Lasagne as it can wait if the in laws are delayed on the M1. Started it before DC when I worked on Christmas Eve so could prepare in advance.

This year my ILs will go home on Boxing Day so I am planning to swap our usual Boxing Day cold meat, cheese, pork pie and pickles to Christmas Eve. Then I'll make a pie out of the leftover ham and the turkey from Christmas Day. Will send ILs on train on Boxing Day with a Christmas picnic.

Don't worry Theresnonamesleft, we've had take away on Christmas Eve too. Consider it quite a tradition. Hopefully will be the same this year too.

We usually have a seafood platter on Christmas Eve - smoked salmon/trout, big prawns, poached salmon, peppered mackerel, pâté. Served with some salads, boiled new potatoes, crusty bread, oatcakes/crackers and fizz.

Quick and easy and feels like the start of Christmas. 🎄

We have crispy duck and pancakes. Can't remember why that started but it's firmly entrenched now
Then crack open the chocolates, which will be pick n mix Lindor this year.

Ooh I like the sound of a seafood platter!!

We are lucky enough to be by the sea so have a seafood platter on NYE. But it would be lovely on Christmas Eve too.

North pole breakfast:
Pancakes with edible glitter
Candy canes made from strawberries and bananas
White hot chocolate
Christmas tree toast
Boiled eggs with Christmas hats on
Champers for the grown ups
Sparkly apple juice
Waffles

Basically anything the elves would eat!!

We normally have a bit of an M&S party food buffet but it never quite hits the mark. So this year I’m going to do a ham in the morning. We’re off to the theatre in the afternoon so will roast some baby potatoes when we come back and have it with cauliflower cheese and red cabbage (will make a big batch of nigella’s red cabbage earlier in December). There’ll be some mulled wine, fizz and maybe some cheese involved. And carols in the background.

I only found out last year from the butcher that by cooking gammon you turn it into ham. Who knew?...oh, everyone...

I'm doing one of these on Xmas Eve. Soooo good when still hot.

How come everyone on this thread manages to take Christmas Eve off work? I know this year it's a Sunday but 5 years out of 7 it's a weekday. Surely not everyone can work in workplaces where the whole team is allowed to take annual leave on Christmas Eve?

Geninety interested as I've worked in various places and there's always been a rule that only 1/3 of the team (or whatever) can have leave at the same time.

I usually get home from work on Christmas Eve at about 5pm as my workplace shuts early at 4.30 on Christmas Eve. Parents will arrive at about 6pm and we'll usually have a lasagne that I make in advance. With salad and garlic bread.

When I worked in an office, we'd have a buffet provided at lunch by the firm, and after it was finished, the MD used to say - "no point going back to work! If you have nothing urgent, go home!" It was always at his discretion, but he always did it.

Now I'm a SAHM. My husband works in retail. Just for once his Sunday off has fallen on Christmas Eve and I'm planning for it even more than Christmas day. He's never had Christmas Eve off since the children were very small.

I do a tartiflette every year. Cheese, bacon, cream and potatoes - there's nothing not to like!

Interesting about taking Xmas Eve off, having worked in retail and now moved to head office, it still feels a novelty to me to be able to have any time off other than Xmas Day.

Retail is the only job I've had when Christmas Eve wasn't part of a sort of leave rota amnesty. People can work it but there's pretty much nothing going on so it doesn't matter how many people are there.

In other jobs I mean. Certainly NOT the case in retail.

Where I have worked it has always been that if you want Christmas Eve off it is a whole day's holiday but if you go in you can leave at lunchtime. Once we had children I tended to take it as holiday.

Ahh I'm a teacher so I'd forgotten others have to work it!

Im thinking of having Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve this year. Then I can relax on Christmas day and just put a nice buffet out. Does anyone else do this?

I used to work for a LA, management would cover Christmas Eve afternoons so we could all start Christmas early. The company DH works for does the same thing, the directors stay in the office and send everyone else home at lunch time.

I usually do a gammon within red cabbage, something green and dauphinois potatoes. Yum!

Honey glazed roast ham, jacket potatoes, freshly baked bread and local beer 😍