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Life

Why Christmas Dinner is Better Than Thanksgiving

Tessa Hughes
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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal Poly chapter.

Tis the season to get fat fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la! Everyone knows the last three months of the year are dedicated to eating. Halloween: candy. Thanksgiving: dinner. Christmas: everything in between. Now I love Halloween candy as much as the next person, and Thanksgiving is a fun holiday for family to gather around, but the meal itself? 

 

Completely. Over. Rated. 

 

Yes, the food is good and a nice change from campus dining or the food I cook myself, however, what no one ever seems to mention is how FIRE Christmas dinner is. Since the holiday of Thanksgiving revolves around the meal itself, it is ridiculously overhyped. But have no fear, I am hear to tell you why Christmas dinner actually reigns superior. *the ideas in this article do not reflect the ideas of Her Campus Cal Poly*

The Christmas Ham

Everyone knows that Thanksgiving dinner is contingent on the turkey. It is the centerpiece of almost every table! But just because the turkey perfects the Thanksgiving aesthetic, does not mean it deserves all the clout it gets. Turkey is usually a dry and relatively flavorless meat, so it’s got nothing on the Christmas ham. 

 

A Christmas honey glazed ham is the perfect combination of salty and sweet, and ham is a meat that can be eaten all on its own. It doesn’t need the desperate aid of cranberry sauce or gravy. Without all the finishings, turkey would be nothing.  But without the ham, Christmas dinner would just be sad.

 

Christmas Crackers

What’s a meal without a little entertainment? Now, I know some families are all the entertainment a holiday meal needs, but Christmas crackers are a fun tradition to start with any family and are a sure fire way to spice up any meal. They are essentially paper treasure boxes that everyone holds and rips open together to reveal a small prize, a riddle, and a cool crown. Christmas crackers are only sold around Christmas time, making them exclusive to the holiday and thus making the holiday that much more special.

Potatoes

This may be unique to my family, but the potato dishes served at my Christmas dinner POP OFF. Thanksgiving has the nice and traditional mashed potatoes, but let’s be honest: those are just gateway potatoes for what Christmas dinner has in store. On Christmas, there are not just one kind of potato, but TWO, two I tell you! Scalloped potatoes and twice baked seemed to find their way to my plate every holiday season and what’s better than one potato dish slathered in cheese and the other one basically being regular mashed potatoes but on crack? Don’t believe me? Here are recipes for scalloped and twice baked potatoes.

The Desserts

Now this is not me hating on dessert, let me be clear. However, I do have an issue with Thanksgiving dessert being almost exclusively pies. Pies are great for the most part (I do have an issue with the mushy mess that is pumpkin pie), but they get old real fast. 

 

I. Need. Variety. This is where Christmas steps in. Christmas desserts can be anything —  cookies, hot coco, chocolate, cake, ice cream, and yes, even pie. The end to a holiday meal, especially one that is so special, needs to make an equal, if not greater, an impact on the diner, and Thanksgiving pies are frankly underwhelming. Christmas desserts cater to all, and to all a good night.

 

You Get to Enjoy the Meal for More than One Day

Now, I know  that the argument can be made for leftovers. Even once you’ve finished Thanksgiving dinner, you can enjoy it for the following days. But it’s just not the same, and that argument can even be made for Christmas dinner as well. 


What makes Christmas dinner better is that you can have it for not one, but two days with your family: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. That allows for two special meals, two special gatherings with your friends and family, and merely another reason why Christmas dinner is better. Yes, on Christmas Day the meal would technically be considered “leftovers,” but it is the fact that you are surrounded by family once again  and eating the same meal that allows the holiday love and magic to remain in the air.

Sorry if I burst anyone’s Thanksgiving loving bubble with these straight FACTS. Do you still disagree with me? Tell me why in the comments!

Tessa Hughes is a second year Journalism major from Petaluma, California who is double concentrating in news and public relations as well as double minoring in media, arts, society, and technology and political science. She is a writer for The Wire, as well as an opinion columnist for Mustang News, a reporter for 91.3 KCPR’s News hour, and an editorial writer for Cal Poly’s hercampus.com. If she’s not in class or writing her next story, she’s probably at another concert (she’s an addict). Her favorite bands include The Struts, Pink, Maroon 5, Green Day, The Foo Fighters ...the list goes on and on and on.
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