Christmas Appetizer Table

At Christmas, we have a tradition called "The Christmas Table."
A large table gets set up in my house with appetizers and treats from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day. It's one of our favourite holiday traditions.

We always have our favourites and we have plenty to offer scheduled and drop-in guests. Here are a few of the things we put on our Christmas table. Some things are put out only for an hour at a time when we plan to be noshing at the table as we don't let perishables spoil.

This is a great food list if you are planning on having a Christmas cocktail party or New Year's Eve bash as well.

The table generally has a Christmas table cloth and other Christmas decorations and I use all my favourite serving platters and fancy ware.

-Meatballs in a crock pot. I usually do the Tangy Meatballs with the Chili Sauce and Welch's Grape Jelly and sometimes my husband does the same in his own Crock pot with Venison meatballs with the same recipe.

-Volcano Bread Spinach Dip. I often put out extra crackers. To save the bread from getting all mushy since we don't eat it in one sitting (unless there's a houseful) I often use a platter and put out the dip and bread separately instead of using the bread as the bowl.

-Vegetables and Dip. Raw broccoli, cauliflower, pepper strips, carrots and celery are perfect. A French onion dip does well by mixing onion soup mix and sour cream or I will sometimes buy a few commercial bands. My favourites are the Martitz Ranch and the Helluva Good onion Dip. I often put out an extra bowl with chips

- A crab dip with Triscuits. The layered crab dip we put together has cream cheese on the bottom and then canned crab meat, jarred seafood sauce and then top it with mounds of shredded cheese.

-Nacho Dip. We usually do a layered one with cream cheese, then refried beans, salsa and then shredded cheese.

-A Cheese Ball surrounded by assorted crackers. My cheese ball is simple. Use plenty of cream cheese, sharp cheddar and a bit of crumbly blue cheese. Dice up a little bit of onion really fine and a shake or two of Worcestershire sauce and then shape it. After it's shaped you can roll it in sunflower seeds to make it pretty

-A Cheese Tray and a Meat Tray

-Assorted nuts, chocolates, a basket of Spanish clementines and candies.

-Seafood on Christmas eve for my husband. That's his Christmas Eve treat.

We replenish stock throughout the holidays and most years other than Christmas dinner and our special Christmas brunch we are known to only eat from the table with the odd turkey sandwich between Christmas and the 29th of December. We often grow weary of the gluttony and then have one big last feast with all new dips, etc on New Year's Eve.