Christmas Menu

My son asks every morning now, "How many days left until Christmas, Mom?"  I think the end of his birthday is when the Christmas excitement really kicked in.  There are only a few days left, and then the family arrives and the festivities begin!  As my Mom reminded me, December 25th should really be just the beginning of the celebration, and since they will be with us through New Year's, we'll have plenty of time to relax and make merry.  (Isn't that a fun expression - "to make merry"?  I watched "A Christmas Carol" a few days ago, and I decided that I need to use it more often.)

My husband and I reviewed the menu plans, and it's starting to take shape.  We do have a couple gaps to fill, though.  We not only want to plan for Christmas Eve and Day dinners, but also for the rest of the week that we'll have visitors.  Planning in advance helps me relax a bit - I truly think the deciding is the hardest part.  Here's what the big meals look like so far...

Christmas Eve
Lobster Mac 'N Cheese
Mixed greens with pecans, sweetened cranberries, pears, and balsamic fig dressing

Christmas Day
Appetizers
Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach
Lots of really good cheese
Good chorizo or sausage
Olives with herbs and/or stuffed with garlic or cheese
Celery with chive cream cheese

Dinner
Horseradish and Mustard-Crusted Beef Tenderloin
Classic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes
Sherried Green Beans and Mushrooms
Parmesan Scallion Pastry Pinwheels
*Update:  Winter Squash with Caramelized Onions
(*I can make this one ahead of time.  By the way, a second oven is going on my future kitchen wish list.)

Desserts
Almond Torte
Some other selection that we purchase - perhaps a blueberry pie or cheesecake or whatever else strikes our fancy
Lots of cookies - I want to try these Lemon-Wreath Cookies.  I made these Dark Chocolate-Almond Crackles this weekend, and they are awesome.  I may need to make another batch.