Christmas Eve is easily my favorite day of the year. There is something about the anticipation of Christmas that makes the day so light and magical and fun. When you’re young, the day feels loaded with possibility and mystery and promise. And if I am being honest, that feeling has never really left me, but intensified with age.
Every Christmas Eve, we make an appetizer feast for dinner. Here is a sampling of things we have served before:
Pigs in a blanket
Stuffed jalapenos
Baked Chex mix
Summer sausage
Italian sausage
Cheeses
Olives
Pizza dip
Spinach and artichoke dip
Buffalo chicken dip (can you tell we like dips?)
Vegetable crudites
Shrimp cocktail
Baked brie with jam and crackers
Hummus with crackers and pita
...the list goes on. (Aren't we lucky?) One of the best parts is that each year something new and wonderful gets added to the smorgasbord. This year we added a beautiful Christmas cake from our hometown bakery, and it was a delicious add-on that I hope we carry over for years to come.
I like the way appetizers are eaten: you kind of graze for hours at a time, having a little bite here and there with your drink of choice. We usually sit around talking, watching movies, and working on puzzles throughout the evening.
It’s a beautifully quiet time before the glorious madness of Christmas morning, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
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