It's that time of year again-- time to plan your Christmas dinner party. Sure, there are people out there who say "it's that time of year again" in the same tone they use to say "I have diarrhea again." And, sure, some people may want to hit me with a stick for being such a cheerful little Christmas elf, but... I love Christmas!

Whether doing a massive, sparkling Christmas cocktail party or just a quiet dinner with family, parties are the best part of the holidays. But they're also a lot of work-- and unfortunately most of us don't have a troupe of short, pointy-eared slaves to do all the planning and cooking.

But, hey, you have us! Our Christmas food and party guide should seriously help with planning the perfect Christmas dinner party. From food to decorations to everything in between, you'll find it here.

There are a ton of different main dish options to choose from when planning a Christmas dinner party menu. Are you a Christmas traditionalist? Maybe you'll want to stick with a traditional Thanksgiving turkey or a honey ham. But there are lots of other creative and festive main dish recipes for Christmas to choose from. You'll find some great ideas below.

And if you DO opt for a turkey this Christmas, don't miss our "How to Cook a Turkey" Guide for everything you could ever want to know about cooking a turkey.

Spiced Honey Baked Ham: Crisy-sweet-spiced coating and salty, melt-in-your-mouth meat? This is the perfect holiday honey ham.	Simple Honey Baked Ham: This honey baked ham is easy to make, but doesn't taste like it. A heck of a lot simpler than turkey!
Drunken Whiskey-Clove Ham: This boozy honey baked ham recipe is wonderful and impressive for a Christmas dinner party.	Candy Cane Chicken: Doesn't taste like candy canes, but it IS a festive red and green! Great for a Christmas dinner party!
Earl Grey Glazed Duck: The unusual flavors in the recipe really come together to make something special. One you'll love serving to guests!	Too-Easy Proscuitto Pork Roast:This pork roast is wonderfully easy, but doesn't taste it. A moist, flavorful, and impressive Christmas dish!
English Somerset Chicken: This traditional English recipe is perfect of you want to add a little old-fashioned style to your Christmas dinner party menu.	Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage and Hazelnut: This recipe for a vegetarian Christmas dinner is filling, elegant, and really festive.
Butternut Squash Soup: This soup is full of rich wintery flavors, and is the perfect substitute for a meat main or first course.	Couscous and Tofu Stuffed Pumpkin: This is the perfect dish for a vegetarian Christmas dinner party menu (or for Thanksgiving!). Really filling and festive!

Wild Mushroom Hazelnut Stuffing: With earthy mushrooms, crunchy hazelnuts, and the slight sweetness of challah bread, this is a very special stuffing-- full of flavor and texture.	Crockpot Vegetarian Stuffing: This stuffing recipe uses veggie broth and is cooked in the crock pot. Tastes great, and oh-so-easy to make.
Traditional Herb Stuffing: Flavored with thyme and sage, this wonderfully moist-crisp stuffing is bursting with traditional flavors. Perfect with turkey!	Grand Mariner, Sausage, and Apricot Stuffing: This elegant and flavorful stuffing recipe is perfect for a Christmas dinner party menu-- rich, impressive, and delicious!
Pecan Pancetta Stuffing Recipe: This one is rustic and full of great textures. Goes beautifully with a crisp roasted Christmas turkey.	Sausage, Cornbread, and Pumpking Stuffing: A Christmas turkey stuffing with wonderful textures! The pumpkin adds moisture and lots of autumn-y flavor.

Butternut Squash Gratin: Creamy butternut squash with a crispy-salty bread topping. The perfect substitute for too-sweet sweet potatoes.	Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese: Love mac and cheese for a Chrismtas dinner party side dish but want to leave the oven free? This is your recipe!
Three Cheese Scalloped Potatoes: These decadant au gratin potatoes are seriously creamy, seriously cheesy, and seriously, seriously good.	Classic Green Bean Casserole: Who needs a can of soup to make a great green bean casserole? This version is all homemade, all easy... and much better than its tinned counterpart.
Bourbon Cranberry Sauce: This isn't your grandmother's cranberry sauce! The bourbon gives it a deep, rich, jam-y flavor that's just perfect with turkey (or pork!).	Port and Fig Cranberry Sauce: This homemade cranberry sauce is rich, special, and elegant. It's the perfect addition to your Chrismtas dinner party menu.
Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy: This oneis a life-saver when you're rushing around trying to get Christmas dinner on the table. Because the gravy is already done!	Vegan Mushroom Gravy: Got vegans or vegetarians at your Christmas dinner party? This recipe will please anybody! Including a die-hard meat eater.

Make-Ahead Appetizers

These appetizer recipes are perfect for your Christmas dinner party. They're delicious, elegant, and you can make them in advance-- letting you spend time with your guests.

Finger Foods for a Party:

These snacks, finger foods, and appetizers are perfect for a Christmas party or your Christmas dinner. Elegant, fun, tasty, and easy!

Christmas Dessert Recipes

Make one of these incredibly rich, incredibly tasty recipes for Christmas, and you won't need to hand out any presents.

Pumpkin Pie Recipes

From Drunken Punkin Pie to Pumpkin Pie with a Streusel Topping, these recipes for pumpkin pie take this classic dessert to a whole new level.

Easy, Kid-friendly Christmas Cookies

These easy, delicious Christmas cookies will look like you slaved all day in the kitchen. Plus, these great recipes are wonderful for kid chefs, too. Get those kids to work for their cookies!

No-Bake (and Kid Friendly!) Christmas Cookies

This collection of no-bake Christmas cookies is a great way to keep your kids well-fed (and sugar high!) this Christmas. Each recipe is fun, festive, easy to make. And best of all, no oven reqired.