Menu Brainstorming

I have been brainstorming my Christmas Eve menu. Just when I think I have it figured out, I then overthink an aspect of the meal and I'm back to the start of brainstorming. I finally thought I had the menu figured out earlier today, however, Brad's response wasn't too positive. His remarks were, "too simple" and "that's not Christmas food". So you guessed it...back to brainstorming.

For me growing up in Phoenix in the desert at Christmas Eve we had food that would have been more appropriately served in Spring or Summer not Winter. Roast beef sandwiches was the star of the dinner paired with my grandma's homemade cabbage salad. That cabbage salad featured pickles and large chunks of cheese. I HATE pickles. As a kid I would get a helping of cabbage salad only to eat the large chunks of cheese leaving the rest. We also had fruit salad or sometimes cranberry Jell-O salad. It's still a mystery to me as to why that fruit salad was hailed as being so darn good in my family. Sorry to my family, for that comment! But I was never a fan of the fruit salad. As for dessert after the gift opening, it would make up for the not so great side dishes always served at Christmas Eve, dessert was an ice cream buche de Noel. No, having ice cream cake in December at Christmas Eve is not weird when you live in the desert. :)

Now my menu I came up with earlier today that Brad did not agree to was not as simple as the food I grew up with but it was a little more simpler than what I've done in the past for holidays we've hosted. Wish me luck, I have to get this menu figured out. I want to have it fully decided by Monday, no later than Tuesday.