I’m loving all these festive threads on HO! Enough to put a Grinch in the mood, for sure 
Thx for starting a specific xmas thread — don’t think we had one yet for this year.
One tradition at my dad’s house for xmas eve was knackwurst* and potato salad. Simples, as you like to say.
*Edited to correct my own misspelling of Knackwurst. I’ve lived in the US too long, evidently.
(post deleted by author)
If you’ve never heard “You put [Y] in your [Z]? That RUINS it!” come from somebody’s mouth - even your own - raise your hand.
I would have cooked potatoes available to add to the white or red chowder at the table for ppl who want them.
I would rather have cauliflower in something else, than have cauliflower in a potato- free chowder, but that’s just a matter of taste, of course. 
Cauliflower adds a note to chowder that potatoes don’t.
I have to admit that at first glance, I thought, “Why is that entire ham in the trash???”
oh, I do not like stealth orange juice or stealth mustard in anything.
But I don’t exclaim anything. I suffer, and take notes. LOL (avoid this person’s cranberry sauce moving fwd)
I’m lazy when it comes to cleanup.
Reynolds makes these great slow cooker liners that work GREAT!! My big crock pot carafe doesn’t fit in the dishwasher, so I have to hand wash it.
The Reynolds liner is non-negotiable!! 
They are the absolute bomb. My crock will go in my dishwasher but this means I dont have to try!
I love the Manhattan style, but everyone wants the ‘classic’ Boston white. I think I’ve figured out how to get around it. No potato for her, more for the rest of us!
OP:
Our season is similar to yours. The trees and lights will be fully up by the end of next week, and will stay up until January 13th-ish. Our food season will last just about as long. It is certain that sometime during this period there will be a steak dinner, a fried chicken dinner, a Swedish meatball dinner, a mac and cheese dinner, and a ham dinner (maybe with the mac and cheese?). For nibbles, there will be copious amounts of nice cheeses, salted meats, fruit, and nuts. Some years I bake too many holiday sweets, a habit which doesn’t leave enough room in the calorie budget for the savory stuff. 2025 will not be one of those years. This year we have vowed to stay the course and go big on savory, cutting back on (but not eliminating) the baked goods 
.
Fried chicken dinner! Swoon! I did that one year for a holiday-adjacent family gathering and it was wonderful. I just remembered I now own a very vintage cast-iron chicken fryer… hmmmm…
Do you have a favourite Manhattan Clam Chowder recipe? I never see it on menus in Canada anymore and I have never made it at home.
I also have one of those old school cast iron chicken fryers, and swear by it. There are those who would challenge me on that, but I stick by it. 
The best Manhattan Clam Chowder I’ve ever had came from a restaurant in SF or from a can (Pepperidge Farm?), long, long ago. I should go recipe hunting in the cookbook cabinet. Maybe James Beard has one in his Seafood cookbook.
Over the many years that we’ve known the Spanish brother in law, it’s almost a guarantee that anytime there’s mention on TV of a Mallorcan dish, he will tell you that version is not authentic/traditional. It took some years for us to realise that, for him, how his mother cooked was the only correct way..
As at @Harters house, here at Casa de Cookies the season starts when the tree goes up on Thanksgiving weekend and continues until January 2nd when it comes down. I love having the tree up for New Year’s Eve. Because this season is filled with social obligations, we end up eating fancier and richer food than usual.
The week after Thanksgiving is chock full of leftovers and is probably my favorite food week of the year. Then, the cheese/sausage/candy gifts start arriving. That flows into the start of several weekends of Holiday parties which range from simple snacks and drinks to full-on fancy buffets with carving stations. One of these fancier parties is where my SO’s family gathers and of course we join them.
My very good friend hosts a Christmas Eve party with a delicious assortment of cheeses and appetizers–this year I will be making mini quiches and bringing bread from the “good bakery” as my contribution. This is where my immediate family now celebrates and we exchange gifts.
Christmas day is spent at our local pub, and I will be making a ham, two kinds of potatoes, and a few other items TBD. There are a lot of regulars that don’t have close family nearby, so my mom, cousin and I put a nice meal together and we enjoy the day there, and there will be Christmas decorations galore. (Holiday decoration is something we take pride in and Christmas is the biggest one for us) This year, my SO will be behind the bar that day so this will be family gathering #3 for us.
We recently got a new Lidl supermarket nearby, and I look forward to making charcuterie platters from their selection of meats and cheeses. And in between all the rich and delicious holiday fare, I’ll be making a lot of weeknight salads so that I don’t look like the Pillsbury Doughboy by the time NYE rolls around.
Another thing occurred to me as I was in our local Asian Supermarket: Both Spawns like and are likely to request yakizakana. A simple mackerel filet, heavily salted, and grilled. My mouth is watering at the thought!
I adore mackerel any which way.
Christmas Day at your local pub sounds great!
Assuming they stock similar to our local LIDL, their pannetone is pretty good. And cheap. I think we got last year’s Xmas puddings and Xmas cake from there. We’ll certainly go and have a look at the Christmassy foods.
