Table Talk: Holiday traditions, with food and family at the table
Christmas meals with family and friends around the dinner table are a holiday tradition. (Courtesy RonTech2000 from Getty Images Signature)
Jennifer Chandler
A cookbook author and former restaurateur, Jennifer Chandler has been writing about food and dining for more than 25 years.
She is the author of four cookbooks: “The Southern Pantry Cookbook,” “Simply Salads,” “Simply Suppers,” and “Simply Grilling.” While she boasts a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, this Memphis native is about making real food accessible for real families.
The holidays are a time for family and fun. For me, a highlight of the holidays is gathering with family and friends around the dinner table. Christmas meals are a holiday tradition I look forward to every year.
Traditions look different for everyone. The key is to find a tradition that works for your family.
I have friends who boil fresh lobsters every Christmas Eve. Another family makes their grandma’s homemade ravioli. And other friends always go out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant.
I have a friend whose daughter is hosting her first Christmas Eve this year and is making a big pot of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon.
There really are no rules for making a tradition. You can continue a generations-old tradition or start your own. I do a combination of both.
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