With only a month or so until Christmas now is a great time to start thinking about your Christmas menu plan for 2023. Why start planning so early I hear you ask? Because it will make your life easier over the next month if you do! Starting your Christmas menu planning now means:
- You can space out the workload if you are hosting Christmas this year. Many of the menu plans below have sections where they list off what you can do 4 weeks out, 2 weeks out, 1 week out etc.
- Choosing a Christmas menu plan now that works for you means you can spend a small amount of time up front but then you can just check the list weekly to see what you need to do and set about doing the work. At this super busy time of the year, you won’t have to think about what needs to be done as you have already sorted that. It saves you a significant amount of mental energy.
- You can delegate tasks easily with advance notice to others. It is much easier to get the help of others when there aren’t time pressures.
- The more time you have, the more considered your purchases can be. You have time to place orders, search for the best value and don’t have to pay more because you have run out of time and options.
A Menu Plan for a Christmas Afternoon Tea
I am hosting an extended family Christmas afternoon tea this year. I haven’t seen some of these beautiful people since before COVID so it is long overdue. I decided to make it an afternoon tea so as to keep the workload down for me. Below is what I have planned and there is an emphasis on items that I can do some preparation work for in the days leading up to it. The preparation plan will look like this for the Sunday Christmas afternoon tea:
- Wednesday evening – make ice cream cake and choc peppermint bliss balls
- Friday evening – make rocky road
- Saturday – prepare veggies for sushi, prepare chicken mix for sandwiches, make salad but keep dressing separate, make popcorn
- Sunday morning – make sushi, make sandwiches, mix and portion out salad, make probiotic punch
Chicken Sandwiches – we all have those recipes that are most requested of us and this would be in my top 3 and for some members of my family it wouldn’t be Christmas without these sandwiches!
Sushi – this is a great option for a Christmas finger food as you can make it gluten free, dairy free and meat free if you need to cater to those who have dietary preferences. Just choose the fillings that will work best for your guests.
Salad boats – are also a great option if you have to cater to dietary preferences. I used this vegan mixed grain salad recipe in the photo but you could serve many different types of salads this way as a finger food option.
Probiotic punch – this is like your standard punch but it has kombucha in it!
Rocky road – this is another recipe in my top 3 most requested. My dad said this is all he wants from Christmas from me – a big batch of my homemade rocky road!
Choc peppermint balls – these are for those like me who like a sweet treat but not the sugar bomb that is my rocky road!
Christmas popcorn – and this is something a little fun for the younger members of the family who will be attending.
Ice cream pudding – I am only making this as it is going to be a birthday cake for the eldest whose birthday is the next day!
Previous years’ Christmas menu planning 2023 ideas
If you are wanting a full blown Christmas Day Meny Plan for 2023 then you might like to check out the previous years’ posts on Christmas menu planning.
- Christmas menu planning 2022 – myfoodbook – Budget Christmas Menu 2022, messy veggies – Australian Vegan Christmas Meal Plandelicious – The day before Christmas menu planner, Taste – Express Christmas menu (no dish over 45 mins) and Taste – Made from scratch Christmas menu plan
- Christmas menu planning ideas 2021 – download my free Christmas Menu Plans – realise however that not everyone loves Christmas menu planning, so I am again posting my free Christmas Menu Planning Guide that you can download if you prefer having something to follow. It contains three complete menu plans plus a one-page checklist of what you can make ahead and when plus a shopping list for the Christmas menu plan. Each Christmas menu plan idea is quite different – there is Paleo, Greek and a more traditional easy Christmas menu plan idea.
- Christmas menu plan ideas 2020 – RecipeTin Eats Christmas menu plans, BBC Good Food Vegan Christmas menu and Curtis Stone’s easy seafood barbecue
- Christmas menu plan ideas 2017 – Not Quite Nigella’s Italian Christmas, Easy no bake Christmas menu plan and A step-by-step guide to cooking Christmas dinner – Delia Smith
- Christmas menu plan ideas 2016 includes – Gluten free Christmas menu plan, Beginners’ Christmas, Jamie’s Christmas Day – the masterplan and Donna Hay Lifestyle Christmas Menu Plan
- Christmas menu plan ideas 2015 includes – BBC goodfood “failsafe” Christmas, Modern Australian Christmas, Chef George Calombaris’ Christmas lunch and Christmas cocktail party
- Christmas menu plan ideas 2014 includes – Gluten free and cane sugar free, Traditional Christmas dinner, Heston Blumenthal Christmas and Grand holiday buffet Christmas menu plans
- Christmas Menu Plan Ideas 2013 includes – Simple, Paleo, Asian and BBQ Christmas menu plans
- Christmas Menu Plan Ideas 2012 includes – Vegetarian, Skye Gyngell Xmas Lunch Menu, Mexican Fiesta and Donna Hay Outdoor Christmas menu plan
- Christmas Menu Plan Ideas 2011 includes – Greek Inspiration, Curtis Stone’s Guide to Christmas, Aussie Christmas, Classic family Christmas dinner and Gluten Free menu plan
- Christmas Menu Plan Ideas 2010 includes – No-worries vegetarian Christmas feast, Christmas garden party, Nigella Lawson’s Christmas Menu and Seafood BBQ Christmas Menu Plan
- Christmas Menu Plan Ideas 2009 includes – Children’s Christmas Menu Plan, Modern Christmas Menu Plan, Traditional Christmas and Cheat’s Christmas
What does your Christmas Menu Plan for 2023 look like?
This post is part of the 2023 Christmas Planning series on the blog. You can find other posts in the series here including gift idea lists and planning checklists.