When dealing about holidays, it comes to our mind it is just around the corner, and everyone’s busy making Christmas plans. And if you’re like most Filipino families, chances are you’re looking forward to the grand noche buena dinner more than anything else. Being natural food lovers, we always associate the season with delicious food and large family feasts. That comes as no surprise as Filipino cuisine is one of the most festive in the world, whether or not it’s Christmas. It seems like every family wants to upstage last year’s dinner-and succeeds every year without fail.

So how do you make this year’s feast extra special? Many would immediately reach for the imported goods aisle, but you have to agree, nothing beats a real Pinoy noche Buena. Here are some ideas for a unique but still distinctly Filipino Christmas dinner.

Let everyone decide:

Working out a menu is often the hardest part of planning a holiday dinner. How do you please everyone without overspending, sacrificing quality, or turning Christmas dinner into a major food fight?

Try the one-dish-per-person trick. Each member gets to choose one dish, so there’s sure to be at least one thing they like in the whole meal. That way, everyone’s in on the planning, so they feel that they’re all part of the project. If you have a large family, try teaming up-mom and dad could choose one dish, the younger kids can choose another, and the older kids another.

You can also assign a course for each person so you don’t end up with something like four desserts and five main dishes. Put one person or group in charge of the main course, another in charge of appetizers, and another in charge of dessert. If it works out, you can agree to rotate assignments every year.,/span>

Add little surprises:

In the UK, one popular tradition is the Christmas biscuit-sort of like a fortune cookie, only there are little gifts inside. You can do something similar with your own dinner. Try making little rum balls for dessert, with messages folded in for everyone. You can also use Filipino desserts recipes such as puto and bibingka. Since it’s a dessert dish, it makes the perfect transition from Christmas dinner to gift-giving time.

Of course, if you like to stay traditional, the good old fortune cookies will do. You can serve them as an appetizer or dessert. Little surprises in your food make meals all the more fun and make it more of a family affair.

Combine warm and cold:

Since we’re a tropical country, we can get away with ice cream and slush on Christmas Eve. It also means we can be a lot more creative than Americans when it comes to holiday dinners. Serve a hot main course such as roast chicken with a cold side dish such as chilled potato salad. Or you can start with a warm appetizer like soup, and end with ice cream or fruit salad for dessert. There are lots of Filipino food recipes that go well with the holiday theme. It adds a lot of variety and color to your meal, and it saves preparation time since you can make a cold dish in as little as 15 minutes.

Let everyone help:

Don’t shoulder all the work yourself; let your family help out. For many families, making the dinner is as much a part of the party as eating. Have everyone help with the preparations, even if it’s something minor like chopping or cleaning up. If you make it a family affair, it will seem less like a chore and more like a group activity. Your children will enjoy the meal all the more knowing they had a hand it putting it together. Who knows, it might even get them interested in Filipino cooking recipes and want to help out more throughout the year.

Load up on side dishes:

The trend in many restaurants is to have a few specialties while making their side dishes the star of the show. A typical dinner will have only one or two main courses, desserts and appetizers, and a wide variety of side dishes. Side dishes are a great way to expand your menu without actually making more food. Your table will look like a big sampler tray-several smaller dishes arranged around one big dish. Not only does it make a good presentation (which is important in Filipino food), it also gives your guests more options. Don’t make more than four side dishes, though-if there are too many, none of them will stand out and be remembered.

Take it outdoors:

If you have a nice outdoor space, such as a garden or backyard, why not have an outdoor Christmas celebration? No, you don’t have to haul your dining table outdoors. You can have a big family barbecue while sitting on the grass and watching the fireworks. This is a nice change especially if you live in the provinces, where the air is fresh and crisp.

Barbecue dinners can be just as diverse as traditional ones, although most people will think only of kebabs and hot dogs. You can put out a selection of meat, mushrooms, vegetables and sauces, and let everyone make their own combinations. Top it off with fruit desserts and some wine, and you have a unique and interesting Christmas dinner.

Bring in some color:

Oh! What a excitement and very happy season in Christmas times, so ensure your food reflects it. Filipino cuisine is one of the few in the world where you can put all the courses on the table at once. This gives you a lot of room for creativity when it comes to presentation. Make your Filipino recipes as colorful as possible with spices, fruits and vegetables-without messing up the flavors, of course. It can be as simple as a bowl of fruit at the center or a row of colorful side dishes on your table. If you need an extra dish, toss together a quick salad with chopped apples, grapes, nuts, and other colorful fruits.

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