The short answer: plan Christmas food as a set of meals, not one dinner: Christmas Eve, Christmas breakfast, the main dinner and snacks or treats in between. Start with Christmas dinner ideas and the Christmas dinner menu planner.
- Whole week: a Christmas week meal plan.
- Spending less: how to host Christmas dinner on a budget.
- Baking: Christmas treats and baking.
Our picks for christmas food
Printables
Christmas Budget & Gift Planner
Set a budget for every person, log each purchase, and watch what's left - plus printable gift, card, menu and to-do pages.
$4.99Buy
Starter pickPrintables
Meal Planner & Grocery List
Weekly meals, a grocery list sorted by aisle, and pantry and freezer inventories so you shop once and waste less.
$3.99Buy
Printables
Family Recipe Binder
Section dividers, four recipe page layouts with room for the family story, 4x6 and 3x5 cards and a conversion chart - print it or type into the fillable version.
$6.99Buy
Browse christmas food by topic
Guides (4)
- Christmas Dinner Ideas Start here70 Christmas dinner ideas: classic and non-traditional mains, sides, appetizers and desserts, 8 complete menus, budget tips and a …
- Christmas week meal planA 10-day Christmas week meal plan from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1: easy dinners, a big-meal day, planned leftovers with USDA storage times,…
- Holiday freezer meal prep planStock easy dinners before December gets busy: a four-week holiday freezer meal prep plan, meals that freeze well, and safe storage…
- Host Christmas dinner on a budgetHow to host Christmas dinner on a budget: set a per-guest number, pick a menu, shop smart, share dishes and follow a three-week ti…
Ideas and how-tos (10)
- Christmas Eve dinner ideas35 Christmas Eve dinner ideas, from ham and seafood to soups, make-ahead casseroles and budget menus, plus 5 sample menus and a si…
- Christmas appetizers40 easy Christmas appetizers: make-ahead, no-bake, hot and cold ideas, how many appetizers per guest, a party timeline and food-sa…
- Christmas breakfast casseroleAn overnight Christmas breakfast casserole with sausage, eggs, bread and cheese: the recipe, a Christmas Eve timeline, swaps, bake…
- Christmas breakfast ideas30 Christmas breakfast ideas, from overnight casseroles to cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate, plus a make-ahead timeline and food s…
- Christmas charcuterie boardChristmas charcuterie board ideas with wreath, tree and candy cane layouts, a shopping list by guest count, a budget table and hol…
- Christmas dinner for twoPlan a Christmas dinner for two with six easy menus, a small-batch grocery list, a day-of timeline, safe cooking temperatures and …
- Christmas dinner ideasChristmas dinner ideas for every table: 40 mains, sides and desserts, sample menus for small or big crowds, a prep timeline and si…
- Christmas dinner menu plannerPlan Christmas dinner around your oven: choose the menu, count portions, build a cooking timeline back from dinner and split the g…
- Christmas party foodChristmas party food ideas made easy: 50 appetizers, mains, sweets and drinks for a crowd, plus how much food to make and how to k…
- Christmas potluck ideas40 Christmas potluck ideas: crowd-pleasing mains, sides, apps, desserts and no-cook dishes, plus a sign-up plan, serving math and …
How to use this page
For gifts, budgets and the rest of the season, see the Christmas planning guides.