What Food Should You Take To A Christmas Party?

Last Updated on 17th December 2021 by

You’ve been invited to a Christmas party at someone’s house or at the office and now you’re wondering what to bring. What kind of food is appropriate for a guest to bring to a Christmas party?

Sometimes, there will be a few rules as to what should be brought to what should not. You definitely want to pay attention to those, because the party host may tell you about foods that they are going to provide already or that other people have signed up to bring.

Sometimes there will be a list of foods to bring, and each guest can check something off that they want to bring themselves, just to void the problem of people bringing the same thing.

Outside of a list like this or special instructions from the host, there are some specific foods that make a great addition to any Christmas party, and I want to share my list of those with you. Hopefully, you’ll look at something on this list and say, “Hey that’s exactly what I want to bring to the Christmas party!”

Cookies

Even if other people are bringing cookies already, no one’s going to turn away your cookie contribution. If it’s a Christmas party, you’ll probably want to go with cookies that have some sort of Christmas decoration, like sugar cookies in the shape of Christmas trees or snowmen.

Of course, gingerbread cookies are always a big hit at Christmas parties and a traditional holiday favorite. You could also do something a little different from the traditional norms and bring molasses cookies, chocolate no-bake cookies, or something else that’s sweet and a little bit different from what someone else might bring.

If people are allowed to just bring whatever they want to the Christmas party, it’s best to choose something unique.

Cupcakes

Just about any sweet food is a good addition to the Christmas party. No matter how many desserts people bring, there always be room for a little bit more. Maybe someone will like one dessert but not another. The great thing about bringing cupcakes is that if someone else brings cupcakes, they’ll probably look different from yours.

If you want to add a personal touch, you can decorate the cupcakes on your own with a little icing sugar, a pastry tube and some food coloring. You can use festive colors or make holiday decorations on top of the cupcakes to make them really stand out.

Don’t just think about decorating the top of the cupcakes, though. Also put some thought into what the cupcakes are made out of. You can keep it festive and holiday themed by choosing pumpkin, cranberry, cinnamon, or nutmeg cupcakes.

Cheese Platter

The cheese spread isn’t exactly holiday specific, but it’s always a welcome addition to a party. These finger foods go fast, and you won’t find any complaints from people if you bring something that’s not exactly Christmas themed when it’s this good.

You can make up your own cheese platter or buy one from a grocery. Most groceries will have a decent selection of cheese platters during holiday time. Just be sure to keep yours chilled until the party, and if you get there early, put it in the refrigerator until the party starts.

Bruschetta

These toasted, crunchy bits of bread are often a hit at parties as well. You can bring just bruschetta with a butter spread for them, or you can bring tomatoes, parsley, and other garnishes on the side so that people can top the bruschetta the way they want.

Buffalo Wings

Once again, these aren’t holiday specific, yet no one’s going to turn you away from the party because you brought Buffalo wings. It’s an inspired choice that everybody loves, and if you find that the party is filled with a lot of desserts and sweet things, the Buffalo wings will be a welcome contrast to that.

Just be sure to bring plenty of wings for everybody to at least have some, and don’t forget the dipping sauces. Ranch is probably the most popular choice for Buffalo wing dipping sauce, but you can also bring hot sauce, honey mustard, blue cheese, and others.

Cranberry Salad

Let’s go back to something that’s holiday themed and isn’t likely to be brought by someone else to the party. If you’re interested in offering a healthy choice to partygoers, you can’t go wrong with cranberry salad.

You’ll probably want to bring a few dressings to give people a selection to choose from. Dried cranberries work best for the salad, but you can use fresh ones as well. Some people even like cranberry sauce on their salad, and you can offer a selection of cranberry options, if you want to go all out.

The salad should have plenty of lettuce and perhaps some almond slivers. You can also add Mandarin orange slices, shredded cheese, croutons, feta cheese, and walnuts.

There’s an entirely different kind of cranberry salad as well that’s a holiday favorite. This is a creamy salad with the same kind of texture as macaroni salad or potato salad. It’s definitely a dessert rather than a healthy side dish, though. It’s made with whipped cream and cranberries, and some people add apples and pineapple to it as well.

You’ll need to keep this salad chilled until it’s ready to serve, and it will probably be a big hit at the parties, since it’s not a commonly made dessert. The best thing about creamy Christmas cranberry salad is that it’s easy to make.

Meat Skewers

Here’s another platter idea that’s pretty easy to put together and can be quite filling. Meat skewers can use meatballs, lunch meat, cheesy sausage balls, and even pieces of chicken breast.

You can add in cheese and cookies to the skewers if you want, making them more like kabobs or keep them simple and use cold cuts. The difference between skewers and kabobs is that skewers are usually served cold or at room temperature, whereas kabobs are served hot.

You may want to bring a sauce to dunk these in, giving your meat skewers a little more versatility.

Candied Popcorn

At some point during the holidays, you’ll probably have a serving of popcorn covered in caramel, butterscotch, or chocolate.

Why not bring some to the party as a dish to share with everyone? You can make your own at home using melted caramel or other coverings. You can also buy this dish pretty easily in most groceries at this time of year.

If you really want your party gift to be a hit, bring an assortment of candy popcorn in different flavors so that people have some options.

Meat and Potato Pies

These baked, filled treats are a great addition to any party, and you may want to offer a selection of beef chicken and potato pies for people to choose from.

You can make these with a little dough and some meat or potatoes to fill. Some bakeries may sell them around Christmas time as well, as hot meat and veggie pies are a classic part of Christmas tradition in many parts of the world.

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Pauline

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I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!