Some Christmas Dinner Ideas

Christmas day is near. Wherever we go, we hear Christmas jingles playing; we see colorful and extravagant decorations everywhere. Shopping malls are a hit and the spirit of giving can be felt through exchanging presents. If you travel around the world during Christmas Eve, I'm sure you'll notice that every family celebrates it by preparing special and delicious foods. This is true regardless of our race, location and status in life, we will have something on our dinner table to share with our families and friends.

Italy is a dominant Catholic country. Catholic Italians in certain parts of the country have the tradition of abstaining from red meat during Christmas Eve. And because of that, they have fish for dinner. This is also known as the 7 Fishes dinner. If you are on a seafood diet, Italy (on a Christmas Eve) is the place to be. Or even if you are not a seafood lover, you might still want to change the menu and have a different course on top of your dining table. After all, fish is high in protein and a very healthy food to eat.

Let's move over to central Europe. Germany. A traditional German Christmas dinner is also a top candidate if you want to try a different approach towards preparing your Christmas dinner. Traditional German Christmas dinner is held during Christmas Eve rather than Christmas day itself. It usually consists of dishes such as stuffed Christmas goose, potato dumplings, red cabbage, and baked apples for desert. Aside from those I've mentioned, there is a wide variety of delicious dishes that Germany has to offer. Choose what suits your taste, time and budget. You can ask your family and friends to help you prepare the dish that you chose and maybe spend a little time together at the kitchen. Sounds fun?

If Italian and German cuisine is not your taste, another popular choice is UK. It's a bit closer to home than you think. Christmas favorites in UK include dishes such as roasted turkey, Brussels sprouts, dressing, roasted potatoes, and of course, pudding pie! If you want to add a little color to your dinner, you might want to decorate the table with Christmas crackers, (consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in bright colored papers) wherein you could place some goodies inside.

One interesting dish to prepare this Christmas dinner is a Mexican dish. Most Americans are familiar with Mexican cuisine and having one this Christmas will definitely be a hit to your family. You may add a little decoration to your dish to make it special. Remember; always have fun preparing as much as having fun eating! Labor of love adds flavor to the food you cook.

Even if some countries do not traditionally celebrate Christmas like Thailand, China and India, their delicacies will surely be a prime candidate on your Christmas dinner menu. They have plenty of delicious dishes that would tickle your taste buds. The trick in preparing the right food to eat is that you choose something that is easy to prepare. We are all busy this Holiday season so we don't have ample of time to allot for cooking. You wouldn't want to clean a messy kitchen this Christmas! The most important thing in a Christmas dinner is not what you eat but the people you are sharing the food with.