My mother has started doing a "traditional" meal (of about 4 years now) on Christmas Eve of Trader joes appetizers. Cheese, little things, chocolates, whatever looks good
'Our Mrs. Reynolds'
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Honey-baked ham? Like, from the actual Honey-Baked Ham store.
I want something easy but not boring.
Soup and salad? My family traditionally does lasagna on Christmas Eve, but a big pot of hearty soup might do.
Around here one of the traditional things is Dungeness crab...
I would like a ham tradition, but my mother mixes it up. Christmas Eve we have family, and sometimes a ham, sometimes tourtiere (pork pie), this year I think she's doing pulled pork. So I guess we always have pig? Turkey on Christmas, because we don't have Thanksgiving at home.
None of those are especially onerous to make, aside from time and pulling the pork.
I was actually looking at shrimp scampi recipes. Part of the problem is negotiating between what I would like to eat (TJ's appetizer dinner is right up my alley!) and what my 73 year old in-laws from Cleveland would like to eat (Honey Baked Ham is right up their alley.)
My family often does a standing rib roast. Pricey, but we only have it once a year or so. Other years we've had a ham.
How old are the kids? If they always have pizza, I you might have it, at least for them. Then the grown-ups can have something more adventurous.
Ham is nice. Then you can have ham and eggs for breakfast one day, ham sandwiches for lunch another, and in the end use the bone to make split pea soup.
Mmmm... ham.
My family's Christmas Eve tradition is the great Irish/French tradition of...cabbage rolls. Made earlier in the month and frozen. Turkey always for Xmas day.
Around here one of the traditional things is Dungeness crab...
That's a family tradition around here as well. Doesn't happen every year, but it happens on the good ones. I'm thinking about making a rib roast on Christmas as I used to make them for my MiL and I'm missing both.