30+ Season’s Eatings Recipes for your Holiday Entertaining! You’ll find recipes for everything from appetizers and party bites, to cocktails and cookies, food gifts and more!
I wrapped these holiday recipes up in bright red bow from the archives
to help you make your list and check it twice!
And so you can refer back when you take a break
from trimming the tree, decking the halls or the Jeep. ;)
Click on the links in red to find the complete recipe, how-to and Christmas inspiration.
Happy Black Friday, Everyone!
Christmas Tree Tailgate and Picnic
Southern Living Christmas All Through The South with The Novel Bakers
Christmas Tree Cheese Board
An easy and festive appetizer for a Christmas party
O Christmas Appetizer Tree
Sure to impress your family and friends as a centerpiece of your party or buffet, you can customize one to your tastes, using cheese, meat, olives, cherry tomatoes, or any antipasto item that you can skewer with a toothpick!
Cranberry-Orange-Pistachio Loaves
These mini loaves are merry and bright, as well as sweet, tart and nutty from the red and green of the cranberries and pistachios! A perfect little loaf to give or enjoy for the holidays!
Slow Cooker Cranberry Mulled Wine
Put your slow cooker to work for easy holiday entertaining! This simmering Cranberry Mulled Wine will warm you up from the inside out and make the house smell wonderful too!
Pecan Bourbon Balls
An easy no-bake Southern treat to enjoy with a cup of tea or for Christmas gift giving!
An Easy No-Bake Treat: Christmas Peanut Butter Bars!
These bars come together in about 10 minutes plus an hour of refrigeration time to allow them to set. . .perfect for gift giving or to enjoy with your family for the holidays!
Honey-Rosemary Cherries and Blue Cheese Crostini
Serve as an appetizer or let your guests serve themselves and assemble from bowls of ingredients. If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, substitute goat cheese or Boursin.
Easy Owl Cookies
A hoot to make!
Melted Snowmen Cookies
Turn any plain sugar or chocolate cookie into adorable melted snowmen!
No-Bake Coconut Orange Snowballs
These no-bake confections are addictive and an easy, make-ahead treat! I made countless dozens for an annual holiday open house and they were always a hit.
Rosemary Wreath with Olives & Cheese!
A festive and easy appetizer for holiday entertaining
Spinach Tortellini Christmas Wreath
A 10 minute appetizer for your Christmas or holiday entertaining
Christmas Sangria with Rosemary Simple Syrup
As easy to mix as it is to drink!
Poinsettia Sparkling Cocktail!
Festive and easy to serve for a party, brunch or Christmas Eve!
Rudolph’s Concentrated Christmas Mischief Cocktail
Concentrated with the piney note of rosemary, tart cranberry and topped off with the sparkling effervescence of your favorite bubbles. Vodka adds a dose of Christmas mischief for merry measure!
Christmas Wreath Macaroons
These festive cookies require just four ingredients, plus your decorative sprinkles. Like all macaroons, since they are flourless, they’re gluten-free.
Red Velvet Peppermint-White Chocolate Thumbprints
Red Velvet = Christmas and these festive cookies are infused with a burst of peppermint flavor and white chocolate centers!
Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
An easy Christmas cookie recipe that uses a short cut!
Marinated Shrimp and Artichokes
One of Southern Living’s best recipes. Quick and make-ahead, 8 to 12 hours in advance. It’s good anytime of year, but perfect for the busy holiday season!
Citrus Marinated Shrimp Appetizer
A light and bright appetizer to tantalize your taste buds
Reindeer Corn Snack Mix
An easy no-bake treat for holiday snacking or last-minute food gift!
Panettone Trifle with Orange Curd and Raspberries
A holiday dessert with a ‘wow’ factor that uses one my favorite holiday treats, Panettone! Link includes a recipe for easy microwave orange curd.
My favorite holiday gift basket and/or hostess gift, Panettone,and a bottle of Prosecco. Include a bottle of maple syrup and oranges for your recipient to enjoy as French toast.
German Chocolate Cake Mix Pancakes
Indulge in these over the top German Chocolate Pancakes, layered with German Chocolate “Syrup” or frosting, made with a box mix!
Parmesan-Crusted Crab Cake Bites with Chive Aioli
A great little appetizer to serve for the holidays! The crab mixture can be made a day in advance, then the bite-size cakes are baked in a mini muffin tin with a crust of Parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs.
Bourbon-Pecan-Gingerbread Cookies
This cookie has a fluffy, muffin-like texture with a bourbon glaze on top!
Spicy Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters
A quick and easy food gift to make for the holidays!
Merry Cranberry Salsa
A light, flavorful, and healthy appetizer for the holidays that comes together in 10 minutes!
Making Lists and Make-Ahead Holiday Appetizers
Make-ahead recipes and inspiration for your holiday entertaining or Christmas party
Including Cha-Cha Chicken Salad, a molded chicken salad, made 8 – 24 hours in advance.
Candy Cane-infused Vodka
Ready to gift or sip in 3 hours and shake up a White Chocolate Peppermint Martini!
Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
Quick and easy cupcakes for the busy holiday season, served with candy cane handles!
Hot Chocolate Stirring Spoons
Easy and fun for kids to make with candy melts or almond bark and decorative holiday sprinkles
Candy Cane Cocoa Mix
A mix for easy seasonal sipping and ideal for gift giving.
Puff Pastry Baked Brie with Cranberries
Puff Pastry Baked Brie or Brie en Croûte, an easy appetizer for the busy holiday season!
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Mary. Thankyou for the collection of recipes. Can’t wait to make some and give as Christmas gifts. Now I must get back to on line Black friday shopping!
This gathering of recipes is fantastic❣ Thank you for this, and all you do throughout the years to add goodness, joy and inspiration to our days 💖
Thank you Mary..while I have already saved most of these..I do see some I missed…have a great day!! Sometimes I feel that I should share something with you…but not sure what it would be…it can’t be dishes..your dish fetish and mine are just alike and recipes…well, you probably have more than me…if I think of something, I’ll let you know!!! Love this site and you!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Mary, I can always count on you for fabulous food presentation and inspiration. A slice of cranberry orange pistachio bread would be perfect with my coffee! Happy decking the halls ❤️🎄
You are putting me in the Christmas spirit Mary, but I’m, so full from yesterday I can’t possibly think about food 😂 but all your treats looks so ho ho ho tempting! I will be back when I’m hungry !
Jenna
Mary, I cannot tell you how very much I enjoy your blog! From recipes, to flowers, to sweet dogs – I enjoy every single post. Being a born and bred Virginia girl, my heart belongs to the hounds (particularly beagles we’ve rescued from local pounds and animal shelters over the years), but my heart melts over the photos of your adorable white fur babies. Thought you might get a kick out of knowing your Cha Cha Chicken Salad has become a tradition on our Christmas Eve menu, which is pretty much heavy appetizers. I’ve yet to serve it to anyone that didn’t ask for the recipe – even the picky eaters in the family. Thanks for all of the awesome content on your blog – Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Great Recipes Mary! Thank you!!
These recipes look delicious & I can’t wait to try them!
So many Wonderful recipes and light bulb ideas!
Wow!! What a wonderful collection of recipes and ideas for the festive entertaining! I shall be using some of these in the run up to Christmas and for Christmas. It’s Summer here so a lot of these are good for the ‘take a plate’ get togethers that happen at this time of year. Thankyou Mary for this lovely collection!
Fabulous recipes! I think I gained a few pounds just looking at the photos! Thank you for sharing~
~Mary~
Thank You, Thank You !! You are such a great “Hostess” for sharing all these wonderful recipes for Christmas parties, and/or winter parties until next spring hahah!
Happy weekend,
Paula’
IN
I’m getting ideas from your wonderful collection of recipes, Mary! Thank you for gathering everything together for us. You’re the best! ❤️🎄❤️
My oh my, my mouth is WATERING! Ha. Those peanut butter bars are calling my name and I really want to try the shrimp and artichoke salad this year and the parmesan crusted crab bites with chive aioli. I’ve done the wreath macaroons, the wonderful panettone with orange curd and raspberries, the delicious cha cha chicken and the yummy reindeer mix. All 5 stars of wonderfulness! You are awesome Mary for sharing all of these winners! Thank you, Happy holidays! 🎄p.s. Did I tell you Tom Turkey cheese, meat and fruit tray was a BIG hit, everyone loved how cute he and delicious he was! 😘
I have most of your delicious recipes but what a great idea to put them all together Thank you so much Happy Holidays 🎄🎄🎄🎄💗💋
Excellent collection Mary! Especially the darling little teacup cupcakes! I might have to steal those for Teacup Tuesday! :) Thanks for the great ideas, and Happy Holidays!
Thank you for the wonderful recipes & pictures. Could you tell me the name of the fancy script font you used for the O Christmas Appetizer Tree?
Hi Sandra, It’s Lavanderia. :)
Shame on you sharing for sharing so much so soon, I could barely sleep from one holiday and now you rolled, dusted, sprinkled, sloshed me right into the next one! Yes, there is toooooo much of a good thing… Its all about the timing! Give me 24 and then I’ll be back 😉
Hope you had a great holiday!
Wow, such a wonderful round up of beautiful food! I marvel at all you’ve done over the years. Your photography and styling is so good!
I am inspired now to get with it. I will be back numerous times reading over this post.