What are you cooking or eating for Christmas and New Year’s Eve?

Dear users, dear authors,
What are you eating for Christmas or New Year's Eve?

Oh, I don't know yet—we'll see how it goes. Since it's just the two of us, I might not go all out with the cooking, because my husband already said I should take advantage of not having as much work in the kitchen as usual. He's actually right—we'll see :-)

My husband and I haven’t celebrated New Year’s Eve or Christmas for over 20 years… we both prefer to work late into the night at home… we have… like almost every day, fresh salad (unfortunately no longer from the garden) and something made with potatoes…We just ALWAYS love that!
My husband is a professional musician and used to ALWAYS have to work long hours on those days... so even 20 years ago, we didn’t have normal holidays... and we never missed anything....

Not having to “celebrate” is very relaxing and stress-free! ... I sit in front of the tiled stove and crochet
......what could be better?

Petra, you’ve got it so cozy. I can practically hear the fire crackling in the fireplace, and I’d love to be your guest right now—with my knitting, of course.

We’re not really Christmas fanatics anymore, either. As long as we don’t have guests, we really enjoy not having to do anything. We’ll definitely have potato salad one day, and on the other day, whatever comes to mind. Basically, just like always.

Then we’ll enjoy watching some nice movies, and of course I’ll be clacking away at my knitting needles.

On New Year’s Eve, we’ll make ourselves just as cozy and enjoy the evening with some music.

We don't have any plans. Since no one will be coming to visit us—we're both high-risk patients—we're not inviting anyone over. 

The gifts for our granddaughters will just come later. 

All I can say is, you’re doing exactly the right thing! I think these holidays are totally overrated… And weeks in advance, the media kind of brainwashes you… to develop that “Christmas spirit”… Even on Bayern 2, which I listen to all day, there are so many comments related to Christmas… And yet it’s just a normal day… for me, anyway… But maybe that’s why it stands out to me so much… On the other hand, I do understand it… Christmas is also a time of longing… The togetherness with family, the contemplation, the festive fuss… People need that kind of thing… I need it less and less… I’d rather tell myself to celebrate every day… And to see life as a gift… And not just once a year… Best wishes and have a lovely evening

I’m actually not really a fan of Christmas. But I want to make it special for Anton.

My parents and my mother-in-law are coming over on Christmas Eve. I’m making Parmesan soup as an appetizer; my husband is making roast beef, roasted potatoes, and bacon-wrapped green beans for the main course; and for dessert, my mother-in-law is bringing a dessert with meringue and raspberries... so it’ll be pretty laid-back.

New Year’s Eve will be very quiet and relaxed—just the three of us... we don’t know yet what we’ll be eating then.

Oh Petra , you’ve got such a cozy little spot there. I’d love to be a guest there too, just like Monika. The crackling of the fireplace can be so soothing. Put your feet up with your crochet project, maybe with a glass of mulled wine—though here it’s only available without alcohol. Unfortunately.

So the two of us will also be making ourselves comfortable at home on the sofa, maybe watching “Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella” on DVD—that movie’s a must at Christmas, even though I’ve seen it so many times already, but who cares. No one’s
coming over. I’ll decorate my little potted Christmas tree a bit, and we’ll have a plate of Christmas treats for the two of us. For Christmas, I’ll roast our “Juleskinke”—it’s a kind of rolled roast—and I wanted to try making authentic Thuringian dumplings myself, along with red cabbage. I’m not sure about the other days yet. Whatever the fridge has to offer.
As Petra already said, it’s really just a day like any other. This year, everything is “more subdued” anyway because of COVID-19. I haven’t really gotten into the Christmas spirit yet—I’ve put up a few decorations and baked some cookies, but other than that, it feels kind of strange this year.
All in all, it’ll be very relaxed. I’ll definitely be crocheting.

Warm regards from Norway

Bastelfann: Making authentic Thuringian dumplings by hand is a huge amount of work—I don’t even have a potato grater anymore :-), let alone a press for the grated potatoes. But when made right, they’re a real treat.

We’re also very traditional when it comes to Christmas meals. We’re having guests over on December 24. Our guests (our son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild) didn’t want anything elaborate. They’d rather spend more time with us than have us go to all the trouble of cooking a big meal. So they asked for potato salad and sausages. We all like those, and they’re easy to prepare in advance.

For Christmas breakfast, my husband bakes rolls. We have egg salad with them (we have five chickens, so we use organic eggs). We have homemade cookies with our coffee—so everything is very traditional.

On the other two days of Christmas, we’ll have duck—my husband loves it. I’m flexible about that. This year, though, I want to make the red cabbage myself instead of using the jarred kind.

Oh, writing this post has actually made me hungry… I think I’ll head to the kitchen.

Best wishes, Ina

Ina, hmm, potato salad and sausages—we always had that on Christmas Eve, too. It’s quick to make and tastes great. It was almost a tradition, or that fricassee—I didn’t like that one because of the capers.
Akela, I wanted to try that once because we can’t really buy dumplings here the way they’re made in Germany. My husband would really like to have some for Christmas.
I don’t have a grater or a press either, but I do have one of those juicers—and that should work (to grate the potatoes finely), since the water practically runs right out. I won’t need to squeeze them. It’s worth a try.
I make my own mashed potatoes, too. So, if the dumplings turn out well, I’ll send you a photo.

Have a nice evening, everyone!

I’ve been doing it this way for years, Bastelfan. When my press broke, I used the juicer instead—it worked really well. You don’t end up with scraped knuckles, and the raw dough is as dry as it should be. You can just catch the water in a bowl and set it aside until you have the starch.

All I keep reading about is the Christmas stress that people want to avoid. I want to avoid that too, and I’m looking forward to spending time with the kids.
Let’s all remember that Christmas is first and foremost a Christian holiday—we shouldn’t forget that.

Dinner on Christmas Eve follows the tradition from my parents’ home: Kräpfli (small dumplings) filled with veal sausage, served with applesauce (made from our own apples, of course). That’s how it’s been at my parents’ house for as long as I can remember. I also serve a nut salad, garnished with beets, mandarin orange segments, and walnut kernels on chicory leaves, and I serve the applesauce for dessert.
I don’t have a set recipe for Christmas: We often have a rolled ham or a party fillet, but since it’s very likely just the two of us this year, nothing’s been decided yet.