First Course:Wine
Second Course: Wine
Third Course: Wine
Fourth Course: Wine
Fifth Course: Wine
Dessert: Wine

With Carol of the Bells in my head, I'm going to elaborate a little on the idea. Because it's nice to think about wine:

First Course: always nice to start with a sparkler. I'm going with something from the Mendocino Valley: maybe Roederer, maybe Scharffenberger. Unless I could find some of that stuff they make in Michigan. There's a good one there, I forget the name of it. (Though I wonder how they're doing after all their vines froze in that last harsh winter.)

Second Course: Pinot gris. Maybe from Alsace, maybe from Oregon. Or maybe a Graves instead. Sauv blanc smoothed out with semillon, and a touch of oak.

Third course: Virginia viognier!

Fourth Course: A big old white Rhone varietal or blend. Maybe Marsanne, maybe Roussanne, maybe a white Chateauneuf.

Fifth Course: A solid Spanish red. Either a Rioja, or a Toro.

Sixth Course: Petit verdot or Tannat from Virginia.

Seventh Course: A red Chateauneuf!

Eighth Course: California cab drinkers, jump in here. Me, I'm not into it. This year, maybe I'll try a Barolo.

Dessert: Depends on what I'm eating for dessert. Maybe a Virginia late harvest vidal or viognier; maybe a ruby port or LBV; maybe a tawny port with a cigar. Or maybe a Pedro Ximenez dumped over ice cream.

Then some coffee with Kahlua, Frangelico, and Bailey's.

For a nightcap, maybe a Natty Boh.

We go to 4 pm Mass, so I need something that we can sit down to eat pretty quickly once we get home. In the past, we've done spaghetti & meatballs or chili. I think we did crabcakes last year, which I really liked, but necessitated a separate meal for the kids. I'm all about making the kids eat our food, but I'm not going to force anyone to eat crabcake and I'm happy to accomodate them on Christmas eve.

Then there's christmas candy for dessert!

I'm French Canadian so we'll have typical Reveillon fare- tourtière (meat pie), ragout (pork hock stew), oysters, Cornish hens, roasted chestnuts.. Lots and lots of wine, a fruit plate, a cheese plate, and of course, a buche de Noel.

We also open presents Christmas Eve (DH is German) so the nice thing is sleeping off all the food and wine the following morning.

Foie gras after mass.

The holidays are worth it just for foie gras.

I'm curious about the Feast of the Seven Fishes. I'm not Italian, but would love to try it some time (or at least be invited to it), for the big family meal experience.

Is it a set menu, i.e., does everyone everywhere eat the same 7 fish dishes in the same order? Or does it vary by family tradition? Is there a free form -- can you pick your 7 favorite seafoods?

Fill me in. For someone who is making it, what are the 7 dishes you're doing?

We are doing fondue and tapas- psyched! we had turkey for thanksgiving -

Anonymous wrote:Hosting the in-laws my menu is as follows:

First Course:Wine
Second Course: Wine
Third Course: Wine
Fourth Course: Wine
Fifth Course: Wine
Dessert: Wine

+1 except we add in cheese and shrimp. Our big meal is on Christmas and I'm not cooking twice.

Anonymous wrote:Hosting the in-laws my menu is as follows:

First Course:Wine
Second Course: Wine
Third Course: Wine
Fourth Course: Wine
Fifth Course: Wine
Dessert: Wine

I'd be on vodka by the third course!

Anonymous wrote:Hosting the in-laws my menu is as follows:

First Course:Wine
Second Course: Wine
Third Course: Wine
Fourth Course: Wine
Fifth Course: Wine
Dessert: Wine

Love this!

It's just me, DH, and picky DS on Christmas Eve. We do breakfast for dinner: pancakes or French Toast, bacon, eggs, etc. It's easy and something everyone likes.

Hosting the in-laws my menu is as follows:

First Course:Wine
Second Course: Wine
Third Course: Wine
Fourth Course: Wine
Fifth Course: Wine
Dessert: Wine

7 fishes

Chili and Cornbread. Cookies, Rice Krispy Treats. Movies.

That sounds lovely 19:21, need to figure out our mass time. We have recently returned, so a new tradition for our young family.

We hit 4pm Mass and have a little one who is in bed by 7:30 so we always do soup in the slow cooker with some good bread so that it's ready when we get home from church. Christmas cookies for dessert.

Like the title says, what is your Christmas Eve plan? Will you have a dessert?

Just decided we will do cheese fondue. Probably Christmas cookies for dessert while setting up Santa and reindeer snacks.