Before you know it Christmas will have arrived. So before you get started on the preparations, ask yourself one question. What makes Christmas day special for you? For many people, it’s presents. Getting surprised with things you love and have been yearning to have, get put in your lap free of charge. What’s not to like about that hey!? For others, it’s the occasion itself. Being surrounded by friends and family, all sat around a large table with more food than you can shake a stick at. Most of us can agree, it’s just not a real Christmas without snow. So, when the heavens are kind enough to drench the landscape with snow, making snowmen, snow angels, and having snowball fights is the cherry on the cake But surely there are more things that infuse together to make Christmas day incredibly special.
Holiday ham
Turkey is the centerpiece dish of Christmas. It’s the big bird that we all love to drench in gravy and enjoy as the highlight of Christmas dinner. But, there are plenty of other side dishes that should get a fair shake as well. For one, glazed holiday ham is a showstopper. It’s sweet, tender, smokey, and very popular with many different palates. But just like a turkey, it’s so easy to make too dry. But if you try this spiral ham recipe and follow the instructions, you’ll see how you can keep all the juices inside. Remember, you’re just heating up the ham, you’re not trying to cook it. For every pound of ham, you need to add 10 minutes of cooking time. If your ham is 10-lbs, then you need to cook the ham for 1-hour and 40-minutes. It’s important to wrap the dish tightly for the time it’s cooking, all the way up to the last 20 minutes. That’s when you’ll pour the glaze over it and wrap it up again and put it back in the oven for the final 20-minutes. Only cut off one serving each for your guests and leave the rest in the heavy-duty foil wrap. This way the ham doesn’t dry out when it’s cooling down.
Practical presents
Gifts do matter at Christmas but not as much as you might think. What people really want is something that they can use every day in their lives. A present doesn’t have to be overly expensive or have a strong ‘wow’ factor. It just needs to be thoughtful and most of all, usable. That’s why instead of getting your spouse a present like a holiday or a spa treatment, you should get them a new pair of shoes or a new coat. Something that is sustainable and will matter to them in their lives, is going to be a far better gift than something that will be over and gone in a short space of time. Other practical presents include cliche kitchen appliances. If your child loves fries, buy them an easy electric fryer that they can safely use whenever they feel like it. Perhaps get them a new television for their room.
Moments of meaning
Christmas is all about being together with friends and family. But, it’s just about sharing the dining table with them. You should do things together like giving each other presents and saying why you got something for someone. It could be that your spouse has wanted a necklace for quite some time because it reminded her of a memory in her life. Being openly thankful for something that happened to you during the year such as a promotion or perhaps the birth of a new child is also a moment of meaning. Setting the table as a family before sitting down takes the burden off the one person doing it. Spending time opening and reading Christmas cards from all of your family and friends who couldn’t make it to your dinner, is something you can do before you dine. Splitting crackers and choosing songs to play, having a sing-along and dance party lightens the mood a bit. At the end of the day, gathering around to express what you hope to achieve next year rounds off the night to a great Christmas day.
Of all the things on Christmas day, these make it special. Being able to sit around with friends and family, giving each other memorable and usable presents really mean a lot. Having different kinds of dishes like holiday ham along with turkey gives everyone a bit of something. The more choice on the dining table, the better. Finish the night off with a moment of meaning, being together and being thankful.
