Christmas dinner party ideas for hosting a crowd this holiday. Plus simple table decorations and ways to use leftovers for an easy breakfast!
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With all the running around during the holiday season, I’m a huge fan of cutting down on the shopping and errands. If you feel the same way, we are kindred Christmas spirits!
Here are some great ideas for how to shop once and entertain multiple times without the stress. I’ve got you covered with entertaining tips to keep the party going and the stress level low.
Christmas dinner party ideas
Whether you are hosting Christmas dinner, or waking up a houseful of sleeping guests to a great breakfast, I’ll tell you how to get all your ingredients and decorating supplies in one trip at your store.
It just takes a little planning, some great short cuts and a shopping list!
Easy Christmas entertaining
Chances are you have family or friends coming to stay for the holidays. That, or you are going to stay somewhere yourself!
Either way, you’ll want to get in on some of these ideas, all of which can happen after one trip to the store.
Here on the east coast stores are the place to go for great food, as well as everything else for gathering party crowds. With some simple menu plans, leftovers ideas, chic table decor, I have everything covered.
Make a Holiday Grocery List and Menu Plan:
I know how to plan a holiday party menu! I always start with the food. Wait! That’s not totally true!
I actually clean the house first and make sure everything is shoved into closets! Then I think about the menu. Start with the main dish and sides.
This year I’m getting a Nature’s Promise Spiral Cut Ham from . I can heat-and-serve the ham on Christmas Day and serve it with all my favorite holiday side dishes.
Grab some rolls from the bakery department and save yourself a step!
Sides to serve with spiral cut ham
- Baby Broccoli with Hazelnut Butter
- Green Beans with Artichokes and Capers
- Smoked Gouda and Scallion Potatoes
- Winter Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette
- Roast Parsnips with Sage Butter
- Golden Potato and Carrot Gratin
For me, dessert is always best with a mix of homemade Christmas sweets and treats from the bakery department. I love making a few special recipes along with store-bought pies, cookies and donuts. Little treats from the bakery even make great to-go gifts for guests.
A Christmas Party Menu That Goes From Dinner To Breakfast:
The next morning I make my Dill Ricotta Biscuits and make breakfast sandwiches, filling them with slices of leftover ham, mango chutney and mascarpone.
Or make my easy Pancakes from the Pantry since you just stocked up on your pantry staples at the store.
Along with eggs and some clementines from the produce section, these biscuit breakfast sandwiches or pancakes make an easy breakfast spread.
Easy Breakfast Ideas for a Crowd:
- Southwest Frittata with Black Beans
- My favorite Bran Muffins
- Oven Baked French Toast
- Blueberry Pancakes with Ginger Syrup
- No-rise Cinnamon Rolls
- The Martha Stewart Omelet
- Dutch Baby Pancake
Serving breakfast on paper plates with disposable cups makes for easy cleanup and gets everyone out of the house to play with those new toys!
Simple Christmas table decorations
Once I have my menu planned for a great dinner, treats, even breakfast the next day, I think about how I can make my holiday table special.
With just a few little touches, I can keep it simple but make it feel spectacular.
On my trip through Stop & Shop I can pick up fresh herbs (which I’m already using for my parsnips recipe!), pretty napkins as well as flowers from the flower shop. Just a few stems can be arranged to add a festive feel to the table.
With a little twine around the napkins and a sprig of extra herb, I can forgo the traditional napkin ring. It’s an easy way to make paper napkins look special, and then I don’t have the laundry of linen napkins after dinner!
Little gravy pitchers and bowls from around the house serve as vases for my flowers and a few extra ornaments complete the look. Grab ornaments and lights at Stop & Shop too! They have it all.
A tip for arranging flowers in a small vessel: Use tape to make a grid on the top of your vessel. Arrange the flowers to stand up within the grid!
Below you’ll find a printable grocery list to take with you to the store. You’ll only have to shop once for entertaining all week.
Entertain with these great ideas. Make easy meals and pretty moments for your holiday guests.
Easy Party Food For Christmas – One Holiday Shopping List
Ingredients
- 1 Spiral Cut Ham
- 1 bag Rolls From the bakery dept
- 2 bottles fruit juices for breakfast
- 2 types Fresh herbs for recipes and napkins
- 1 roll string or twine
- 1 pkg white paper napkins
- 1 bag plastic cups
- 1 pkg paper plates for breakfast
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 prepared fruit platter or clementines
- 2 bakery treats various
- 1 container Pomegranate arils for ham, if desired
- 1 jar mango chutney for breakfast biscuits
- 1 container mascarpone for breakfast biscuits
- 1 jar grainy mustard for breakfast biscuits
- Ingredients for side dishes
- Ingredients for breakfast recipes
- 2 bunches flowers
- Ornaments and lights
Instructions
- Use this list as a guide for planning your shopping trip.
- This list will help you prepare for a holiday meal and breakfast the next day.
Notes
Nutrition
Festive Christmas Recipes
- Peanut Butter Rudolph Reindeer Cookies
- The Best Classic Gingerbread Cookies
- Magnificent and Easy Coconut Macaroons (with Variations!)
- Christmas Tree Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pistachio Lace Cookies
- Chocolate Snowman Cookies
- Honey Cinnamon Cut Out Cookies | Tara Teaspoon
- Baked Sweet Potato Cubes With Cinnamon Meringue
About Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.
Ben says
Those recipes look awesome! The ham is calling my name. I like what you did for the decorations, too.
Chef Dennis says
These party ideas are really helpful. I will be needing them really soon cause Holiday is coming! The recipes you mentioned soundsooo delicious and will definitely be perfect for Holiday.
Leslie says
Definitely need to share this list with my mom. she’s an EXCELLENT hostess but is constantly running to the store several times bc of things she forgets! haha! This is very helpful!
Kelly Anthony says
What a great post on how to prepare two meals for Christmas. The biscuit recipe using the leftover ham looks delicious!
Veronika says
Thank you for these ideas! They are so helpful! We are hosting dinner this year and I definitely use these advises!)
Marisa F. Stewart says
Thank you for all of the ideas. It’s great having them all in one place rather than trying to search on Pinterest and Google. I’ve already seen five different ideas I’m going to implement.
Tara says
Oh lovely! I’m so glad. Merry Christmas!
UMA says
Perfect tips for the holiday season. My co-worker always get stressed with her holiday parties. I will share it with her.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Where do I start? Your photos are gorgeous! Your tablescape is just breath taking. And those recipes… I need them all! Such a great post! Thank you so much for putting this all together!
Jo says
Those are some amazing collections of recipes. Love the table decor ideas as well. It’s beautiful.
Paula Montenegro says
Thanks for this post! I always plan to plan, haha, but am always behind. That ham looks amazing and all your tips are spot on! Have a great holiday season.
Beth says
I love these ideas! I can’t wait to give this a try! My family is going to love this!
Amy says
Great shopping list. I always get overwhelmed with the holidays with so much to think about. I always tell myself to keep it simple but just can’t help it! Especially this year…. I’m going all out! Love the gorgeous table decorations with the roses and the berries and not having to worry about napkin rings. Ham recipe is spot on….going to try your version this year. Thanks!
katerina @ diethood.com says
These are all fantastic!! Thank you for sharing!
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes says
This is such a great post! I love everything! Thank YOU!
Catalina says
Thank you for these awesome ideas. I need a list like this for Christmas!
Sara Welch says
These are great ways to stay organized during all the hustle and bustle of the holidays! Definitely going to use these tips!
Toni Dash says
These are really great ideas!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Laura Arteaga says
Thanks for all the amazing ideas! I love how you use same ingredients for different recipes! How lovely, definitely gonna take some of your ideas this year!
Beth says
Well, the one shopping trip is always a dream come true, and I will be studying yours carefully. But you’ve included some other winning tips too, like how to prop up flowers using tape, and those cute napkin “rings”.
Ramona says
Trese recipes are all calling out my name especially the ham one! They all look super delicious and I am excited to try out the ham recipe since it looks divine. Thank you for sharing these recipes.
Debbie says
You have such fabulous ideas for the holidays. All of these recipes look fabulous and even gave me a few ideas for my Christmas meal. Such wonderful tips ..thank you so much.
Sara says
Adding pomegranate to ham? That is a brilliant and delicious idea! Plus it just looks so festive! What a great holiday recipe!
Gunjan says
A much needed list for this holiday. Wonderful ideas.
heidy says
You have a lot of great tips and ideas here for the holidays! Awesome read, and I feel like I know so much more on how to plan a breezy holiday gathering! Thanks for sharing so many awesome ideas.
Happy Holidays
Natalie says
Wow! What a beautiful table decoration. The food looks amazing too. I was looking for a few more Christmas recipe ideas, and now I’ve found them. Thanks! Can’t wait to make that breakfast sandwiches.
Cathy says
Love all these fabulous ideas!
Mia says
What delightful ideas! The Dill Ricotta Biscuits are amazing! Thanks for this one!