One Christmas, when my kids were little, I realized that I was spending all of Christmas Day in the kitchen and missing out on watching them enjoy their presents. I decided that I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I started serving my big Christmas meal on Christmas Eve. We enjoy leftovers and I prepare a whole bunch of appetizers beforehand that can be enjoyed with very little preparation on Christmas Day…stuffed mushrooms, bbq’d water chestnuts, Lil’ Smokies, Taquitos (I buy those) w/ sour cream, Chicken pillows, bacon cheddar bites, deviled eggs. They’ve all become a regular part of Christmas Day at the Nathan Hansen house.