Forums Cultural Exchange & FoodAnyone else got two christmas dinners now? trying to keep everybody happy

Anyone else got two christmas dinners now? trying to keep everybody happy

15 posts

My boyfriend is Mexican-American and I’m Black, and somehow I ended up doing two full holiday dinners this year because both families want us over. We’re in Atlanta, so it’s not even far apart, but the timing is still chaotic. His family does tamales and pozole on Christmas Eve, my family does baked mac and cheese, greens, and sweet potato pie on Christmas Day, and I’m already tired thinking about the cooking. What’s funny is neither side is being dramatic, they’re actually all nice, but everybody assumes their traditions are the ones that matter most. My mom keeps asking if his family is going to have “real dessert,” and his tia asked me if our food is spicy enough. I want to blend things a little more this year, maybe bring over a side dish that fits both, but I don’t wanna make it weird. Has anyone found a good way to mix holiday food traditions without making it feel forced?

Mar 20

2 replies

Marcus D.BASIC

#1 · Mar 20

We do this every year in Houston and the only thing that saved us was making one dish the bridge between both families. For us it’s arroz con gandules and collard greens cooked a little lighter than usual, plus a big tray of peach cobbler. Sounds random but it works because everybody recognizes at least one thing and then gets curious about the other stuff. Also, don’t be afraid to split the holidays if you need to. We used to try to do everything on the same day and it was stressful as hell. Now we do one dinner with one family, brunch with the other, and everybody’s happier.

Priya PatelPREMIUM

#2 · Mar 21

I feel this so hard. I’m in Chicago and my wife’s Filipino family does Noche Buena while mine has the usual Southern Christmas chaos, and the first couple years I tried too hard to make one dinner represent both sides. It just ended up feeling messy. What worked better was asking each family what one dish they’d actually be open to trying, then keeping the rest traditional. Last year I made lumpia for my side and cornbread dressing for hers, and both families were weirdly into it. The key was not labeling it like some big “fusion” moment, just serving good food and letting people enjoy it. Also, people are way more forgiving when they’re already full.