A Christmas week meal plan that covers Dec. 23 to New Year's Day

The short answer: the easiest Christmas week meal plan centers on one big meal and keeps every other day simple. Plan all ten days from December 23 to January 1 at once and shop from one list.

• Dec. 23: slow-cooker chili or soup, and thaw the roast or turkey in the fridge
• Dec. 25: Christmas dinner, and pack leftovers within 2 hours
• Dec. 26 and 27: leftover plates or sandwiches, then soup from the leftover ham, turkey or roast
• Backup: stock the freezer and pantry before Dec. 23
• Next step: Plan it with the Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99).

The easiest Christmas week meal plan centers on one big meal and keeps every other day simple: an easy dinner the night before, planned leftovers for two days after, and pantry or freezer meals until New Year's. Plan all ten days from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1 at once, shop from one list, and you'll spend the week enjoying the food instead of running to the store.

Here's a ready-made plan you can copy and adjust.

How the plan works

• One big meal. Pick Christmas Eve or Christmas Day for your main dinner. Everything else supports it.
• Low-effort days around it. The days before the big meal are for prep, not more cooking.
• Leftovers on purpose. Plan the meals that use them so nothing gets lost in the back of the fridge.
• Freezer and pantry backup. Busy nights get meals you made or bought ahead.
• One main grocery trip, plus a quick top-up for fresh items around Dec. 28.

The 10-day Christmas week meal plan

Swap any dinner for a family favorite. The structure matters more than the specific recipes. Our chicken alfredo recipe is a quick swap most kids will eat. Homemade buttermilk fried chicken is another easy crowd-pleaser.

Plan the big meal first

Before you fill in the rest, decide:

1. Which day is the big meal: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
2. The main dish: ham, turkey, roast beef, a vegetarian main or a mix.
3. How many people, and who's bringing what.
4. What can be made ahead: pies, cranberry sauce, casseroles and rolls.
5. The oven schedule for the day, working back from dinnertime.

Our Christmas dinner menu planner walks through the menu and the day-of timeline, and how to host Christmas dinner on a budget helps keep the cost down. Still choosing the main? Browse our Christmas dinner mains, sides and menus.

Leftover rules to plan around

Planning leftovers only works if you store them safely. The USDA recommends refrigerating leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, using them within 3 to 4 days, and reheating them to 165°F. Shallow containers help food cool faster.

Here's how long common Christmas foods keep, based on FoodSafety.gov's cold food storage chart:

Anything you won't eat by Dec. 28 should go into the freezer by then. Label it and add it to your freezer inventory list.

Turn leftovers into new meals

Stock the freezer and pantry before Dec. 23

The calmer your week, the more of it was done in November and early December.

• Make two or three freezer meals ahead. Our holiday freezer meal prep plan shows what freezes well.
• Check the pantry for baking and breakfast staples with our pantry inventory list.
• Buy paper goods, foil and storage containers early.
• Clear fridge space for the big meal and the leftovers that follow.

One grocery list for the week

Shop once, around Dec. 20 to 22, for the whole plan, then do a small top-up for fresh items around Dec. 28. Sort your list by store section and check it against your pantry and freezer first. The EPA's tips for preventing wasted food at home recommend the same: plan meals before you shop and buy only what those meals need.

Tools that help

• Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99): A 12-page printable with a weekly meal planner, dinner plan and prep page, grocery list, monthly menu, and pantry and freezer inventory pages. Print two weekly planners and the whole ten days fits.
• Christmas Budget & Gift Planner ($4.99): An 11-page printable plus a spreadsheet with a holiday menu, holiday grocery list, holiday calendar and budget page, so the food plan and the food budget sit together.
• Holiday Season Bundle ($15.99, vs. $25.94 bought separately): Both of the above plus a cleaning schedule and savings trackers.

Browse all our holiday printables or the full set of bundles.

Our founder Malaysia loves cooking, and a plan like this is how the big meal stays fun instead of exhausting. Starting your holiday budget? The free Holiday Budget Starter Kit is 3 US Letter pages, emailed to you after you join our list.