Fruit cake, Eggnog, Oyster Stew, anything Peppermint. What can’t you wait to have again? And what could stay gone for the rest of your life?
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Biscochitos. They’re good any time of the year but the holidays are an excellent excuse for them.
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My stepmom is Italian-American (she left the Bronx!) and for Xmas eve she makes The Feast of the Seven Fishes – I could do without the bacalao forever but the rest of it is awesome. Also Christmas cookies, little butter cookies you squeeze out of a cookie press and put sprinkles on 
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I already mentioned latkes and homemade applesauce in the cooking thread. Yes, they were made and yes they were magnificent.
(Fun tip: if you enjoy any shredded potato dish and have two strong hands, but you get frustrated when your projects don’t crisp up nicely like their restaurant counterparts, you need a ricer to squeeze out the maximum amount of potato juice efficiently. Not a salad spinner or Grandma’s awkward squeeze-the-shredded-spuds-in-a-dishtowel method. Not a strainer. A ricer. It will save your life and justify whatever you spend on it. (Though mine was a couple of bucks at a yard sale. I lucked out.)
I only know Sufganiyot through folk songs we sang in Hebrew school back in the Precambrian Era. I don’t like to mess with deep-fat frying so someone else will have to chime in if they’ve successfully turned those out.
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I’ve always enjoyed the Ballard Driving Academy approved holiday treat lefse with a little butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
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I am awed. You must have the grip of a pro wrestler. I’ve never destroyed a towel this way, though I have gotten extremely, er… torqued off because it always seemed that no matter how careful I was to select clean, smooth-woven linen, somehow bits of its… essence would always find its way into the dish. Not to mention the occasional cat hair. So much for my vegetarian-friendly festivities. 
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My mom’s Christmas cookies… though she’s scaling back this year because her hands hurt too much from arthritis. 
Eggnogg. Ham for Christmas dinner.
One thing I miss from childhood is the ambrosia my late aunt used to make… various fruits mixed with marshmallows. Also, the adults used to make whiskey sours, which I loved… I think it was the first alcohol I ever drank, aside from the shotglasses of Pabst Blue Ribbon my grandfather used to give me.
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I didn’t used to think of the marzipan candies shaped like fruits and the Italian nougat candy with the flaky outer wafer as holiday treats. But either they fell out of vogue or I’m in the wrong part of the country now, since I generally only see them here around Xmas time. If I’m out tomorrow barrelling through various retail establishments, I’ll have to look for them.
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My mom and I make fudge and toffee only at Christmas, and Dad makes rocky road and nut clusters only at Christmas. So that’s coming next week when the semester is over.
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I have a temporary crown in my mouth until January 7, so sticky Christmas foods are going to be a fraught road this year.
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My girlfriend’s mom makes these meatballs in tomato sauce with sauerkraut for Christmas. She calls them Little Pigs. I think it is some sort of traditional German dish and probably has a more authentic name. Why Little Pigs? It’s ground beef.
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In German “little pigs” is kleine Schweine, which rhymes. Maybe that had something to do with it?
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My husband’s paternal side of the family always had tortellini soup (basically tortellini and chicken broth) and porchetta from Longhini’s in New Haven (he’s from Connecticut). Over an 18-month period, he lost his grandma, then his dad, and his grandpa. It was that set of grandparents who always hosted Christmas Day. Christmas on that side of the family hasn’t been the same since.
Christmas on my side hasn’t been the same since my dad died and my mom moved out of the St. Louis area, so I can’t do Christmas with my extended family (I suppose I could, but I’m sure my mom wouldn’t be happy). But before that all happened, we’d alternate Christmases in CT and Christmases in St. Louis (we also lived in St. Louis until 2018). My paternal grandparents hosted Christmas Eve at their house until it got to be too much for them, which was sometime in the 2000s. Then, my cousin Jimmy took over for a number of years. There were always cookies of some kind, as well as salad and stuff to make sandwiches with. My mom usually hosted dinner on Christmas Day. My brain is blanking on what, exactly, I ate on Christmas.
The last couple of years, we’ve stayed local, partially because of covid, partially because we just don’t feel like traveling. Last year, some of my husband’s local relatives and we quarantined for two weeks so we could all spend the holiday together. This year, we’re all vaxxed (including my almost 15-year-old niece), so we won’t have to do that this year. Last year, I made these egg nog jello shots that were a big hit, but I don’t think I’ll make it again because there were a bunch leftover.
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I’m a sucker for meatballs. Tomato sauce with sauerkraut? I must have the recipe.
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I second this desire for a recipe! 
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Looking forward to lasagne for Christmas dinner and a small ham. Also making cookies with my kids (snickerdoodles, oatmeal, candy cane cookies, sugar cut outs with sprinkles). We make a bunch and freeze them so we can enjoy them for a while.
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I’ll ask her for it and share.
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You’re going to be either disappointed or relieved when you see the recipe for Devils on Horseback.
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This is certainly holiday, though the “food” part may be questionable. (Sorry, I have no food traditions except my mom making Pilsbury cinnamon buns in the morning when we were kids, and this is more amusing)
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As a kid, peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s Kisses in the middle were my jam. I’ll be spending this Xmas eating Chinese food with my Jewish partner. I’ve been reassured I will not be appropriating her religion by enjoying Chinese food on this day.
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