I guess it's just our family but nowhere did I see any suggestion of soup for Christmas Eve. When I was growing up, it was always oyster stew, made by my father, and his mother before him. When I had my own children, I tried to continue the tradition but my kids weren't really fans. That meant they ate what they had to, and then I finished off the rest of it -- savoring every slurp of the buttery, creamy, fattening broth. Tasted great, but not so great for me. So I decided to come up with another soup. Went with Julia Child's luxurious cream of mushroom for a few years but it's a lot of work. With all of the hectic activities of Christmas Eve including, in our family, Midnight Mass, finally decided to settle in with something that was a lot less work. That was about thirty years ago. And, to this day, everyone in our family, kids, grandkids, everybody, continues the tradition with Bacon Potato Chowder.
When I'm hosting a big crowd, serve the soup in a crockpot. I have a collection of Christmas mugs, and everybody ladles the soup into the mugs, easy for eating while standing around.
So, that would be my one suggestion to you for Christmas Eve - maybe consider adding a soup?
