New Holiday Traditions

When my parents divorced, I thought that it would be the end of our Christmas family dinner. But a few weeks after the big announcement, I came home from work to find a huge cardboard box on my stoop from my mom. Inside, nestled amidst decades of yellowing newspaper clippings, were all our tree ornaments.

I had officially been put in charge of Christmas.

Ten years later, our Christmas traditions are as entrenched as ever. My sisters and their families converge upon our house for a week of family quality time, culminating in a marathon dinner featuring smoked salmon, foie gras, oysters, shrimp, turkey, cheeses, and yuletide log. Cooking for the feast takes days and I have little time to dedicate to creating the children's meal, but I still want them to have a special night. Thankfully, over the years I've devised a few strategies to ensure they have a memorable dinner, too, without making me crazy.

My 5 favorite tips for the big holiday feast:

1. Children's palates are not sophisticated and they don't expect fancy ingredients. For them, the night is all about tradition and fun.
2. A gorgeous table is half the battle. We break out special holiday paper plates and tablecloths.
3. To set the tone that this meal is different, we begin with appetizers. I focus on simple food presented beautifully, like crackers topped with American cheese in holiday shapes.
4. For the main course, we opt for the familiar: chicken nuggets or noodles.
5. Our last course is a dessert platter featuring familiar ingredients presented with a holiday touch like crackers topped with Nutella, banana slices, and sprinkles or these chocolate-dipped Rice Krispies Treats.

This recipe was submitted by a Cheez-It^® Crackers and Keebler^® Town House^® Crackers fan. Cheez-It^® Crackers and Keebler^® Town House^® Crackers do not test or endorse any of the recipes submitted by users.