Traditional Christmas Cooking Tips & Ideas

Christmas is a time of year when families all around the world will get together and observe unique traditions specific to their own families. In America however, there are some foods that many people consider traditional holiday cooking, although many of these traditions are regional rather than nationally accepted.

Traditional Christmas Eve supper in Poland. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For example: turkey or ham? For some families the answer is both while others answer quite quickly that it is neither. One of the best all-American Christmas cooking ideas for my family is lasagna. It's just special enough for the holiday, and honors my Italian roots! There are no right or wrong traditions - only those traditions that work well for you and your family.

Other great traditional favorites for many Americans as far as Christmas cooking goes are things such as sweet potato casseroles, deviled eggs, dressing or stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie, apple pie, mince meat pie, and pecan pie. Of course there are regional favorites that are often highly dependent upon where you live such as key lime pie, lemon icebox pie, oyster dressing, deep fried turkey. If one of these is a Christmas tradition for you, no matter where you are in the world you will think of home or Christmas whenever you come across them. And if you are separated from loved ones this year, a shared Christmas food tradition can help you feel closer even across the miles.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That, of course, is the great thing about Christmas traditions. We pass them along to our children who one day will find that they are a little less alone because someone in an airport is eating a slice of key lime pie or having a dish or macaroni and cheese. If you don't have Christmas traditions it is time to develop a few just so that you can share something special and almost sacred with your friends and family. Be sure to check back later this week for some delicious holiday recipes that just may become a tradition in your household!