“What do you want to remember from your evening? » It’s this question that dictates the kind of dinner that Sabrina Fournelle and her friends prepare at Christmas. To avoid one person carrying the burden of “entertaining,” each family brings a tray full of appetizers.
With 12 adults and just as many kids, Sabrina’s Christmas dinner needs one thing: simplicity. “What’s the point of Christmas dinner? says this mother of three young children. It’s about seeing yourself and finding yourself again. Well yes, we ruled out the meatball stew and the turkey! »
Sabrina and her friends found an interesting formula a few years ago: using trays as a festive meal. Each family (there are usually between four and six) is invited to bring a tray full of appetizers, whether hors d’oeuvres, cold cuts and cheeses or sweet bites, for dessert.
“The idea is to avoid having just one person cooking and stressing about planning and organizing,” explains Sabrina, 32. Everyone is very busy! Why would only one person be in charge of this? It also avoids feeling guilty since we all do our part. »
Children are not left out: platters of cold pizzas, pasta salads, raw vegetables, nuts, olives, cold shrimp and chips are passed around in the evening. “We organize ourselves so that only one person needs the oven,” explains the resident of Prévost, in the Laurentians. Everything is placed on the island and each person serves themselves, buffet style. »
To avoid washing up, compostable paper plates are used.
A great advantage of trays, according to this nurse and lecturer, is that there is a wide variety of food without it becoming a “mountain of food”. No waste, therefore.
This formula reduces costs dramatically, Sabrina points out. No indication is given on the budget: each family goes according to their means and the time they have.
“Your platter may have cost $30 and be made up of purchased stuff, and the other family’s may have been more expensive with homemade prosciutto bites… No judgments, no criticism. We accept ourselves as we are! »
This philosophy also applies to the clothing of the guests, which escapes all rules.
When it comes to table decoration, it’s up to the host family to decide. Again, friends lower expectations… and pressure. “On the other hand, we always bring a small gift for the hostess, because she will still have tidying up and cleaning to do,” says Sabrina.
Each family leaves with its empty tray, “whether it’s washed or not,” says the mother. “We don’t care if it’s clean or dirty! We’ll wash it at home the next day, that’s all. »
