For the past five or six years (since our girls have grown and formed their own little tribes), we have mixed our meals up. This year we are having our steak dinner, steaks with baked potatoes, mixed greens, organic salad, pink ambrosia, and everyone is bringing the dessert of their choice. Others of our dinner mix are taco dinners and BBQ dinners. Hubby wanted to do a fish fry this year, but it is suppose to rain, and to fry enough fish for our fam, it'd need to be done outside.
This evolved because it was getting harder and harder to go through the 'turkey ordeal.' Even though there are shorter ways of 'doing,' it still takes so much time to create a 'turkey' dinner. Accept for the cooking together part of it, the rest is tiring. And, we found the heavy duty prep and cook usually ended up with one unit or one person in the family. With our mix, we all share the work and purchases more easily. It works for us.
I've been saying for years that we all need to meet at a cafeteria... but, as my girls tell me, that's not fair for the grands... they need to experience us gathering together at someone's home for the holidays. I agree, of course... which makes me sad for those who don't have families to gather with, or places to gather if they do have families. It is such an important component of the season. Give me my family with cheese and crackers and I'll be fine.

Excuse me but don't your girls know that no matter where you gather for a meal, in someones home, a restaurant, casino or cafeteria, you all sit down and eat together, so whats the big deal. I bet the littler kids couldn't care less so long as they eat... Maybe you need to announce that this year we are.....and you make the plans!

It's a compliment gims, that your daughters do want their children to experience holiday sharing and celebrating at a family member's.

Perhaps not for Christmas yet, but for other family special occasion dinners, is to suggest a buffet like restaurant with lots of choice.

It takes awhile for adult children to get used to the idea of switching from any good home-based holiday meal with extended family to a restaurant establishment. It might be better off to get people used to the idea by choosing a different type of event for a restaurant-based meal with large extended family. And trying this alternative could be done intermittedly, not for all special family dinners.

We are having Italian Beef, ham, potato casserole, glazed carrots, other side dishes.... and red cake for dessert.

gims, good for your kids to want to keep the tradition alive.

As far as eating out goes, I think the adults who don't like to cook so much enjoy it, but little kids don't like it because they can't run around, play with their toys, and have fun. It's hard to expect little ones to sit still on Christmas day.

We had out big Christmas party last night. Approximately 75 family and freinds came throughout the evening. We were up until 3:00. That's a first. Our last guests left around 1:00, then some of the young kids who were staying here were up until 3:00 so we stayed up and laughed at all their antics. All of us are in slow gear today, but since everything is finished, it doesn't matter.

This Christmas is different because it was our first party where neither of our dad's attended. Not one person for the Greatest Generation was at our party. Very weird, and a bit sad. There were also no little children running around either. Just lots of 20 somethings and their paretns enjoying the Christmas cheer and getting to see everyone who is in town for the holidays.

Christmas day will be different too. We're going to try to bring my FIL here for lunch, but we'll see if he's up for it. If not, the five of us will visit him together. My dad is not coming out on Christmas day so this is the first time we haven't had Christmas dinner with Dad in over 20 years. Lots of traditions going out the window as parents age.

Ross and my 24 year-old son are making dinner. Yahoo. I'll clean everything up and won't mind a bit. It's just fun to mix things up a bit. They're making beef tenderloin with Bernaisse sauce, pototoes, asparagus and salad. Yum. My mouth's watering just thinking about it.

What's everyone else doing, and having?

Even thougth I prefer to go to a Christmas buffet for Christmas dinner, I always have a ham, a beef roast, and a small turkey cooked and available in case someone shows up Christmas Eve, or Christmas day. I make potato salad and bake as well. This year my ex did all the baking and did a really good job with my step by step directions.

I have no small kids at home but when we were small growing up and went to our grandparents homes Christmas day we were allowed to open our gifts Christmas morning and could take one each when we went visiting. Then when we got home we had the rest of our toys to play with. I can remember though wanting to get home...

Our big meal is always on Christmas Eve. Now for this year it's (always different, which makes it fun):
smoked salmon, avocado sushi; veggie sushi
roasted fennel soup with dried cranberries and hazelnuts
mixed green salad
seared scallop with goat cheese over toasted bread rounds with green pea sauce (yes, I know. Different. But it works!)
panfried halibut with pine nuts and herbs
lobster pieced sauteed in butter
sauteed squash with ginger root, onion, garlic and mushrooms
carmelized onion and mushrooms in puff pastry shells with roasted pears (in cinnamon, star anise..this whole recipe is his invention)
pinoir wine & gertwitzimner white wine
purchased bakery cake: chocolate, coffee buche noel (roll)

We had ours last night, also. And the steaks couldn't have come out more perfect. The whole meal was awesome...! It was so filling, none of us dug into the sweets, as usually occurs, even though they looked so inviting.