We do Christmas in waves, to accommodate the schedule conflicts / other families / travel plans of various family members.
Christmas Eve -- our traditional Christmas Movie night. We have a movie marathon and watch the old classics: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Grinch (original, not that rotten remake), It's a Wonderful Life, and the 1951 Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim. We keep the menu pretty simple, so that we can all nibble in front of the telly rather than having a proper sit-down meal. In past years we've ordered in Chinese or Thai or pizza, depending on people's moods. This year I might cook something simple.
Christmas Day -- Christmas Dinner #1
Turkey with stuffing and gravy
Cranberry sauce
Salad -- probably field greens with balsamic vinaigrette, possibly Casear
Lots of vegetable dishes -- probably squash, mushrooms, corn, carrots, maybe turnips and beets. Hey -- maybe I'll mix the turnips, beets, squash and carrots into a roasted root vegetable thingy. I'll have to play around with that.
Dessert -- white chocolate cheesecake with caramel sauce, traditional cheesecake with blueberry topping, ginger snaps, gingerbread men, sugar cookies, and a Christmas Tree cake (a chocolate cake, baked in a tree-shaped pan, frosted with green icing and then topped with sweets for ornaments)
Boxing Day -- Christmas Dinner #2
Same as Christmas Day. I will probably cook everything that won't be ruined by early prep on the one day, and just reheat on Boxing Day.
Between Christmas and New Years
We usually have some sort of get-together for those who couldn't make it for Christmas Dinner # 1 or 2.
This year I will serve a cold veggie tray, barbecued pork tenderloin, a Caesar salad (or field greens if I make the Caesar for Christmas Dinners), and cookies/brownies/squares for dessert.
New Year's Eve
Usually we throw a fairly big NYE party. This year it's either going to be our BFFs and us, or just us. It depends on how BFF L is feeling. She's still recovering from the stroke she had this summer, and a long evening might be too much for her. We're keeping it small in case she can make it, and even smaller in case she can't.
The menu will likely be the Chinese or Thai takeout that I didn't order for Christmas Eve. Or perhaps the pizza, if that's what everyone feels like having.