Growing up, I always preferred Christmas Eve to Christmas Day. I think of it as a cozy, relaxed time—I also like nighttime celebrations where your main sources of light are candles and pretty decorative lights like on the Christmas tree. As a kid, it was also obviously way more exciting because—OMG—Santa was coming and what was he going to bring? Haha I cannot believe my parents managed to keep straight faces when we were little. Speaking of Santa Claus, this Real Simple article by David McGlynn had me laughing out loud the other day.

Anyway, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day both involve a lot of cooking in my family. Though we’re not really a family of “hot, brown, and plenty of it” folks, it’s always fun to experiment with healthy tweaks to make traditional favorites a little less food coma-inducing. Check out my Elana Lyn post for some ideas and 5 easy recipes to add to your holiday table.

What are some of your favorite holiday foods? 

This post has been part of another Running with Spoons Thinking Out Loud link party, where randomness is the name of the game. Thanks to Amanda for hosting.