Make the Best of Your Christmas Meal

Everyone has their own idea of a traditional Christmas meal. For some it is a giant ham glazed in honey with chives and pineapple. For others it is a stuffed turkey with all of the fixings: cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and apple pie. For others still is a rack of lamb or a roast beef feast. In my Italian family it can sometimes be all of these things plus stuffed shells with manicotti, tortellini soup and a huge array of Italian and Americanized dessert options. How these traditions come about is different in every family, but taking them into account can be difficult if you are a first-time Christmas host.

Eventually it happens, an aunt or mother or grandmother tires of the yearly hustle and bustle and the torch is passed to the next generation of Christmas chefs. So how do you ease this transition for yourself and your family? There are a lot of things you can do, but there are a couple of specifics that you should be sure to keep in mind.

• Make sure people know how to get to your home. It seems obvious, but people are on auto pilot sometimes. Make sure well in advance that everyone know you are hosting the holiday meal and that they are familiar with how to get to the new Christmas destination.

• Let people help you. If you are afraid that you may not be able to duplicate Aunt Ruth’s famous ricotta torte, don’t even try it. Ask her if she would be willing to bring the torte along with her. If your sister in law is world renowned for her skills in turkey basting, let her come over a couple of hours early and help you with the main course. There is nothing wrong with spreading out the work. It will make you more comfortable, and better company for everyone else.

• Don’t try to force things. Nobody likes a Prima Donna. Sure, those Christmas tree place settings are cute, and your cousin just might make a great match with the lonely guy you invited from the office. However, if she would rather sit next to her date, don’t push the topic. Maybe he will like your sister better anyway.

• Make sure you know how long things will actually take. If you have never cooked a meal that takes a long time before, plan well in advance and give people a realistic time frame for when dinner will be taking place. There is nothing worse than grumpy guests. Also, having some snack like foods around for people to munch on in the case that the turkey was a couple of pounds bigger than you anticipated is a good idea.
  
• Relax. Sure, a lot of people are depending on you to make an enjoyable holiday feast. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should not get to enjoy your Christmas dinner. After all, that is what the holidays are all about: friends, food, and family.