Christmas is one of my absolute favorite holidays. I love the festive decorations, music, holiday cheer and especially the FOOD! Between all of the holiday desserts, Christmas cookies or the big Christmas dinner, it’s a dream come true for a foodie like me.
I look forward to Christmas dinner every year. I love spending time in the kitchen with my family and making all of our favorite holiday dishes. Those are some of my most cherished memories.
Below are the dishes that I’m planning to make for our Christmas dinner this year. I thought I would share them in case you need a little extra inspiration. These Christmas menu ideas are super easy, delicious and perfect for celebrating the holiday season with the ones you love!
Appetizers
We usually keep the appetizers pretty light so that we don’t ruin our appetite before the big meal. And because so much of my time goes into making the main course, I like to keep it super easy with appetizers. All of these recipes can be made with less than 5 ingredients and are so simple to prep!
Cheese Ball
Hands down one of the easiest and yummiest recipes to serve at your next holiday party! This easy cheese ball recipe is always a huge hit!
These mouthwatering cranberry meatballs made with cranberry and chili sauce are sweet and tangy with an intensely bold flavor. Made with only 3 ingredients, they are always a super simple crowd pleaser!
This oven baked ham is so easy to make and is great for beginners. You only need 5 simple ingredients and about 5 minutes to prep. It's the perfect dish for the holidays!Â
My favorite recipe for cheesy potatoes - aka funeral potatoes or cheesy potato casserole. This dish is so comforting, always a crowd pleaser and perfect for any holiday dinner!
Fresh pear salad filled with mixed greens, juicy sliced pears, pomegranate seeds, candied pecans, feta cheese and topped with a balsamic dressing. This is the perfect salad to serve at your holiday dinner this year!Â
Delicious baked vegetables coated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and flavorful spices. Perfectly crispy and roasted to perfection. These oven roasted veggies are always on repeat!
Raspberry jello pretzel salad is a little sweet, a little salty and a LOT of deliciousness! The cream cheese mixture and salted pretzel crust mixed with the raspberry jello is the absolute perfect combination.Â
Save the best for last! I’m never too full for dessert. :) The kids and I love decorating sugar cookies a few days beforehand. It’s a fun Christmas activity for the family and is an easy way to knock dessert out in advance. It frees up extra time to make any other holiday desserts that you might also want to serve.
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Ring in the holiday season with these easy Christmas sugar cookies! Perfectly soft and fluffy with amazing flavor. The best recipe to use when decorating sugar cookies for Christmas!Â
These OREO balls are made with just 3 simple ingredients and are such an easy dessert recipe to make. Drizzle with chocolate or top with your favorite colored sprinkles for the perfect decorative treat!
You are going to want to put this Christmas crack toffee on your MUST MAKE list this year. It takes SWEET and SALTY to a whole new level and it only takes 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make!
Print out this free editable Christmas menu template when planning your Christmas dinner this year. It also includes a cooking schedule and shopping list to help you stay organized for the big day.
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Jamielyn Nye is the creative director and founder of I Heart Naptime. She is also the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook. When she’s not creating in the kitchen, Jamielyn loves to chase her four little monkeys and snuggle up on the couch with her man.
This is a fabulous Christmas Dinner Roundup! Everything looks amazing. Thank you for including my Marinated Cheese Tray among such delicious recipes! Sharing now!
Sabrina wrote:
love the pork tenderloin recipes especially, but all of these look wonderful and didn’t notice any that couldn’t be made year-round, thank you for sharing all of these!
Sophia | Veggies Don’t Bite wrote:
Thank you so much for including my Pastitsio and Sharp White Mac and Cheese in your awesome roundup!! Looks like the holidays are set with this amazing list!
Christina | Christina’s Cucina wrote:
What a fabulous choice of dishes you’ve put together! Something for everyone and many of these would be great any night of the week, too! Thanks for including my turkey schnitzel!
Kathy McDaniel wrote:
Great recipes! Thanks for sharing!
Katie Crenshaw wrote:
This is a beautiful collection of Christmas recipes. I want to make them all!!!! Thank you for including my Marinated Cheese. I can’t wait to try out all the other recipes. Merry Christmas! xoxo
Rebekah | Kitchen Gidget wrote:
This round up is incredible! I have several holiday potlucks to attend already and this has given me some fabulous dishes to bring. Thank you SO MUCH for including my Puerto Rican roast pork!
This is a fabulous Christmas Dinner Roundup! Everything looks amazing. Thank you for including my Marinated Cheese Tray among such delicious recipes! Sharing now!
love the pork tenderloin recipes especially, but all of these look wonderful and didn’t notice any that couldn’t be made year-round, thank you for sharing all of these!
Thank you so much for including my Pastitsio and Sharp White Mac and Cheese in your awesome roundup!! Looks like the holidays are set with this amazing list!
What a fabulous choice of dishes you’ve put together! Something for everyone and many of these would be great any night of the week, too! Thanks for including my turkey schnitzel!
Great recipes! Thanks for sharing!
This is a beautiful collection of Christmas recipes. I want to make them all!!!! Thank you for including my Marinated Cheese. I can’t wait to try out all the other recipes. Merry Christmas! xoxo
This round up is incredible! I have several holiday potlucks to attend already and this has given me some fabulous dishes to bring. Thank you SO MUCH for including my Puerto Rican roast pork!