Turkey? Or the centrepiece dish?

[tulip]

We don't have a Christmas meal, unless you count bagels and lox while opening presents on Christmas morning a Christmas meal.

[badger]

we usually go for dim sum on Christmas day.

We never did turkey, either, so sometimes it was chicken, sometimes ham, and once my dad made carp. That was first and last time carp ever made its way into our household...

[OakLeaf]

Usually there's a homegrown squash involved. Last year it was semolina-delicata gnocchi alla Romana. The year before it was kabocha stuffed with a mixed nut dressing. Not sure what it'll be this year, but we've got tons of butternut (although Thanksgiving was all butternut, with ravioli and pie...)

[shootingstar]

we usually go for dim sum on Christmas day.

We never did turkey, either, so sometimes it was chicken, sometimes ham, and once my dad made carp. That was first and last time carp ever made its way into our household...

Honest, I've never done dim sum as a Christmas meal in Chinatown /wherever. Usually 1-2 items if someone brings them for potluck dinner, they are side dishes, not centrepiece dishes. Though mind you, real homemade dim sum, takes time and abit of care, especially for several different types. Like making a ton of different cookies.

Tulip, what is the centrepiece dish that you would have for Hannakuh? Or have I got it wrong?

[Bike Chick]

I make a huge pot of gumbo on Christmas Eve and my mother-in-law always makes a platter of sushi for both Christmas and Thanksgiving....yummy

[crazycanuck]

We're doing a bbq on Christmas day w friends.

Mmmmm...Bbq followed by a dip in the pool Very nice when it's forecasted to be 36C

[zoom-zoom]

Growing up we would usually have a few favorite items...lasagne, steak, and boiled shrimp in the shell. I don't recall ever having anything more labor-intensive than that, since it was typically just mom, dad, and the 3 of us kids (grandparents usually were in Florida...snowbirds).

[channlluv]

We don't do a formal Christmas dinner, either. I make a big crockpot of my All-day Chili and people help themselves as they arrive. There's a banquet of homemade cookies, cakes and pies, too. There are never leftovers, thank goodness.

Roxy

[tulip]

Tulip, what is the centrepiece dish that you would have for Hannakuh? Or have I got it wrong?

I'm not Jewish. We just don't have a Christmas dinner is all. I guess once or twice we have, when I was a child, but with Thanksgiving just over, we rarely do a big Christmas dinner.

The bagels and lox are just a special treat for breakfast, while opening presents.

[shootingstar]

I'm not Jewish. We just don't have a Christmas dinner is all. I guess once or twice we have, when I was a child, but with Thanksgiving just over, we rarely do a big Christmas dinner.

The bagels and lox are just a special treat for breakfast, while opening presents.

My family is not religious at all.
But parents jumped on the bandwagon when they came to Canada ..you know anything involving home-cooked nice meal, decorations, songs and presents sounded like a good thing to my parents. You have to see the parallels of just the celebratory stuff to Chinese New Years' except the foods traditionally eaten then have different meaning, but the bright colours found for Chistmas and Chinese New Year's, ie. red for berries, Santa Claus suit, etc. parallels with red in Chinese New Year.

It's not tough to "sell" Christmas to certain non-Christian based cultures.

My family views Christmas a great reason for yet another mega-family get together with multi-course, special foods, etc. and celebrate family bonding.

I must sound awfully simplistic. But as the years march along, memories of this become more precious and I confess, nostalgia grows especially when people are still healthy and alive.

[salsabike]

My family views Christmas a great reason for yet another mega-family get together with multi-course, special foods, etc. and celebrate family bonding.

I must sound awfully simplistic. But as the years march along, memories of this become more precious and I confess, nostalgia grows especially when people are still healthy and alive.

You sound like someone who loves her family and is worried about her dad's health...seems pretty reasonable to me. I hope you guys have a wonderful day no matter what you eat!

[Irulan]

A traditional Jewish dinner might include roast chicken or a brisket, tsimms; challah, but for Hanukkah, laktes. Lots of latkes. (potato pankcakes)

[GLC1968]

We always had a big-ish Christmas dinner growing up, but nothing specific was served every year. We opted for something special that we wouldn't have on a regular day though. Rarely turkey (turkey was reserved for Thanksgiving in our household), but we often did Prime Rib or some other such expensive cut of beef. Kringle and eggs for Christmas breakfast (always) and there is the random assortment of fancy cheeses and a Honeybaked Ham out to munch on all day....

My mom is the ultimate collector of random guests (we have a small family), so Christmas was always about meeting new people and laughing with others (often strangers) while we all stuffed our faces full of good food.

This year, it'll be just myself and my husband...so I have no idea what we'll do (except we will have Kringle and eggs for breakfast). It might be time to start creating our own traditions.

[badger]

Honest, I've never done dim sum as a Christmas meal in Chinatown /wherever. Usually 1-2 items if someone brings them for potluck dinner, they are side dishes, not centrepiece dishes. Though mind you, real homemade dim sum, takes time and abit of care, especially for several different types. Like making a ton of different cookies.

we have dim sum for brunch, I doubt any restaurant will serve it as an evening meal. If you're ever tempted, the best restaurants serving dim sum are not in Chinatown but in Richmond or East Vancouver/Burnaby.

I think most Asian cuisine rarely have a "centerpiece" dish (for any meal), they're usually a bunch of dishes that compliment and not eclipse each other and meant to be shared. My brother and my Taiwanese sister in law usually host Christmas dinner, and it's usually a collection of this that and the other. One year we had Indian curry take out along with cheeses and cold cuts...